Month: October 2015

Broadjam Artist: COSTA / Costa Ioannides
Song: Looking at Me

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Malik Williams (Producer, Artist, Engineer, Composer)

Pro General Comments: Costa,You've really locked in on this track. Looking At Me is a really great commercial dance song.. super catchy... classic! This is also.. by far my favorite song style from you thus far. I really like the opening line "Guess who's been bleeding blue now they've lost it?" It made me wonder where the song would go. The lyrical melody flows nicely and is very easy to sing along with... and I think if it wasn't for the love of music, we'd all love our minds! So many people can relate to that. The song concept is pretty universal and I really like the vocal performance. Good idea to create the video as well. Using the disgruntled employee concept was brilliant. The video really supports the concept of the song and really fun to watch. (For those that haven't seen it, check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irXulC5I6iA)Solid music and vocal arrangement! I like the breaks and the background and ad-lib vocal parts flying in and out. The production quality is pretty tight overall as well. One again, I really appreciate your drum programming and on this one, the bass sound you chose is really edgy and fat. The base line itself is also really good and it's cutting right though the track.. really cool!The song has a lot of energy and movement just with the bass and drums. That's the foundation you need with this kind of dance track. You definitely nailed that. The mix on this song is really clear and tight and with so much going and all the instrument parts, that can be a difficult task!Very good low-end and pretty crisp high-end. You are a very talented songwriter and producer! Keep up the good work.. I'm looking forward to hearing more of your music!

Quote From Pro: Looking At Me is a really great commercial dance song.. super catchy... classic!

Broadjam Artist: COSTA / Costa Ioannides
Song: Looking at Me

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Malik Williams (Producer, Artist, Engineer, Composer)

Pro General Comments: Costa,You've really locked in on this track. Looking At Me is a really great commercial dance song.. super catchy... classic! This is also.. by far my favorite song style from you thus far. I really like the opening line "Guess who's been bleeding blue now they've lost it?" It made me wonder where the song would go. The lyrical melody flows nicely and is very easy to sing along with... and I think if it wasn't for the love of music, we'd all love our minds! So many people can relate to that. The song concept is pretty universal and I really like the vocal performance. Good idea to create the video as well. Using the disgruntled employee concept was brilliant. The video really supports the concept of the song and really fun to watch. (For those that haven't seen it, check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irXulC5I6iA)Solid music and vocal arrangement! I like the breaks and the background and ad-lib vocal parts flying in and out. The production quality is pretty tight overall as well. One again, I really appreciate your drum programming and on this one, the bass sound you chose is really edgy and fat. The base line itself is also really good and it's cutting right though the track.. really cool!The song has a lot of energy and movement just with the bass and drums. That's the foundation you need with this kind of dance track. You definitely nailed that. The mix on this song is really clear and tight and with so much going and all the instrument parts, that can be a difficult task!Very good low-end and pretty crisp high-end. You are a very talented songwriter and producer! Keep up the good work.. I'm looking forward to hearing more of your music!

Quote From Pro: Looking At Me is a really great commercial dance song.. super catchy... classic!

Broadjam Artist: Nonviolenze
Song: Girl in Rags

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Jonathan Weiss (Music Supervisor, A&R)

Pro General Comments: Quite a unique sounding vocal and arrangement. Hard to categorize this piece, but if I had to, I would say it lends itself to more of a song from a staged musical. Obviously the music, chord structure and vocal quality conveys a state of heartbreak, either from the melodic lines and from the haunting, plaintive lead vocal and background flute/synth counter melodies. Acoustic guitar accompaniment is well played and and conceptually works for this genre. If this was part of a staged musical production, it would make sense that this kind of lyrical content would be able to convey to the audience the loneliness that this woman in rags is suffering from. Beyond that however, as a piece of contemporary pop music, I don't really see how it fits in. The vocals are solidly performed, on pitch and the overall arrangement is rich and full sounding. I guess you could call it progressive rock as you say in your bio, but to me, it does not connote that type of sound.Lyrically, beyond some of the visual connotations that it evokes, I'm not seeing a consistent through line of what its about. To me, its a bit vague, but definitely sad sounding in all areas.

Quote From Pro: A haunting vocal melodyballad and solidly played acoustic guitar, make this a very entertaining piece that I could hear being performed in a staged musical production.

Broadjam Artist: Nonviolenze
Song: Girl in Rags

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Jonathan Weiss (Music Supervisor, A&R)

Pro General Comments: Quite a unique sounding vocal and arrangement. Hard to categorize this piece, but if I had to, I would say it lends itself to more of a song from a staged musical. Obviously the music, chord structure and vocal quality conveys a state of heartbreak, either from the melodic lines and from the haunting, plaintive lead vocal and background flute/synth counter melodies. Acoustic guitar accompaniment is well played and and conceptually works for this genre. If this was part of a staged musical production, it would make sense that this kind of lyrical content would be able to convey to the audience the loneliness that this woman in rags is suffering from. Beyond that however, as a piece of contemporary pop music, I don't really see how it fits in. The vocals are solidly performed, on pitch and the overall arrangement is rich and full sounding. I guess you could call it progressive rock as you say in your bio, but to me, it does not connote that type of sound.Lyrically, beyond some of the visual connotations that it evokes, I'm not seeing a consistent through line of what its about. To me, its a bit vague, but definitely sad sounding in all areas.

Quote From Pro: A haunting vocal melodyballad and solidly played acoustic guitar, make this a very entertaining piece that I could hear being performed in a staged musical production.

Broadjam Artist: COSTA / Costa Ioannides
Song: Don't be Cruel ( Aphrodite & I )

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Malik Williams (Producer, Artist, Engineer, Composer)

Pro General Comments: Costa,I can appreciate the diversity in your songwriting and composition. Don't be Cruel is a really cool mixture of electronic/pop production with a flair of Spanish flamenco style guitars creating a very exotic sound. Although the overall production sound is more modern, the only other popular pop song that comes to mind is Madonna's "La Isla Bonita". Super popular globally!Constructively There's a lot going on... in a good way. I listened on my studio monitors as well as with headphones. I really like your drum and percussion programming along with the bass guitar parts. They compliment each other and fill up the bottom well. The acoustic piano is layered with the synth pads nicely. The other delayed synth parts are very tastefully done as well. Those aren't too overbearing and they don't overtake the acoustic "island" feel of the song that the rhythm and lead guitars are creating.The overall mix of the instrumentation is done well. The verse vocals at a good level and the reverb and delay effects are good. In the chorus, I'd like to hear a fuller vocal sound and the backgrounds / ad-libs could come up in the mix slightly.Your guitar parts and arrangement could be spread out a little more to better define the different tones you're using... even consider some auto-panning techniques just for fun. Mind you, these comments are just creative mix and engineering ideas to try... hopefully to inspire future compositions. Don't be afraid to experiment with your post-production. You really do have a good ear and great feel for unitizing acoustic and electronic instruments in your music.. very cool man!

Quote From Pro: Don't be Cruel is a really cool mixture of electronic/pop production with a flair of Spanish flamenco style guitars creating a very exotic sound.

Broadjam Artist: COSTA / Costa Ioannides
Song: Don't be Cruel ( Aphrodite & I )

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Malik Williams (Producer, Artist, Engineer, Composer)

Pro General Comments: Costa,I can appreciate the diversity in your songwriting and composition. Don't be Cruel is a really cool mixture of electronic/pop production with a flair of Spanish flamenco style guitars creating a very exotic sound. Although the overall production sound is more modern, the only other popular pop song that comes to mind is Madonna's "La Isla Bonita". Super popular globally!Constructively There's a lot going on... in a good way. I listened on my studio monitors as well as with headphones. I really like your drum and percussion programming along with the bass guitar parts. They compliment each other and fill up the bottom well. The acoustic piano is layered with the synth pads nicely. The other delayed synth parts are very tastefully done as well. Those aren't too overbearing and they don't overtake the acoustic "island" feel of the song that the rhythm and lead guitars are creating.The overall mix of the instrumentation is done well. The verse vocals at a good level and the reverb and delay effects are good. In the chorus, I'd like to hear a fuller vocal sound and the backgrounds / ad-libs could come up in the mix slightly.Your guitar parts and arrangement could be spread out a little more to better define the different tones you're using... even consider some auto-panning techniques just for fun. Mind you, these comments are just creative mix and engineering ideas to try... hopefully to inspire future compositions. Don't be afraid to experiment with your post-production. You really do have a good ear and great feel for unitizing acoustic and electronic instruments in your music.. very cool man!

Quote From Pro: Don't be Cruel is a really cool mixture of electronic/pop production with a flair of Spanish flamenco style guitars creating a very exotic sound.

Broadjam Artist: COSTA / Costa Ioannides
Song: Comfort Zone (Acoustic/Live at CYBC)

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Malik Williams (Producer, Artist, Engineer, Composer)

Pro General Comments: Hi Costa,Comfort Zone is a really nice pop/world love song! I've listened to this over and over. It's a classic case of "less is more". A very moving soundtrack song with brilliant lyrics that really pull on ones conscience!I like the way you're referring to the worlds tragic issues that most of us can relate to and in my mind, i could imagine the scenes vividly. It's the common message of dealing with negative live experiences but still being able to find solace in that person or thing you love the most. Sometimes you just want to hide or lose yourself just to feel safe. Pretty much, everyone can relate to that.. It's the classic formula for a great song. In the second verse you say "I lie to God again". That's a really powerful line. What I took from that is Sometimes in life it's so hard to believe or understand. We ask the question "why", over and over, with no definite or logical answer, so we have to keep the faith just to stay sane. This live recording was done very well. You've managed to capture a very warm and classic Ovation guitar sound. Very smooth vocal performance with a nice touch of reverb in the mix! Knowing that it was recorded live makes it that much better. You vocal tone and expression works well on this song. I was listening from the perspective of this being produced in a more dramatic fashion. Maybe with rhythm and orchestral production... Just a thought. I still think the simple version prevails but it could be fun to have a version 2. If you haven't considered the music licensing route, this is a good song to pitch. Great job overall!

Quote From Pro: Comfort Zone - A very moving soundtrack song with brilliant lyrics that really pull on ones conscience!

Broadjam Artist: COSTA / Costa Ioannides
Song: Comfort Zone (Acoustic/Live at CYBC)

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Malik Williams (Producer, Artist, Engineer, Composer)

Pro General Comments: Hi Costa,Comfort Zone is a really nice pop/world love song! I've listened to this over and over. It's a classic case of "less is more". A very moving soundtrack song with brilliant lyrics that really pull on ones conscience!I like the way you're referring to the worlds tragic issues that most of us can relate to and in my mind, i could imagine the scenes vividly. It's the common message of dealing with negative live experiences but still being able to find solace in that person or thing you love the most. Sometimes you just want to hide or lose yourself just to feel safe. Pretty much, everyone can relate to that.. It's the classic formula for a great song. In the second verse you say "I lie to God again". That's a really powerful line. What I took from that is Sometimes in life it's so hard to believe or understand. We ask the question "why", over and over, with no definite or logical answer, so we have to keep the faith just to stay sane. This live recording was done very well. You've managed to capture a very warm and classic Ovation guitar sound. Very smooth vocal performance with a nice touch of reverb in the mix! Knowing that it was recorded live makes it that much better. You vocal tone and expression works well on this song. I was listening from the perspective of this being produced in a more dramatic fashion. Maybe with rhythm and orchestral production... Just a thought. I still think the simple version prevails but it could be fun to have a version 2. If you haven't considered the music licensing route, this is a good song to pitch. Great job overall!

Quote From Pro: Comfort Zone - A very moving soundtrack song with brilliant lyrics that really pull on ones conscience!

Broadjam Artist: COSTA / Costa Ioannides
Song: Let this in

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Malik Williams (Producer, Artist, Engineer, Composer)

Pro General Comments: Hey Costa,Thank you for the opportunity to review your songs. I really like the drive of this track. A lot of the new songs out these days seems to have some type of flair from an older song from say the 80s or 90s and I always like hearing that. Especially because of the musicianship it might take to pull that off. In this case, I referred to an artist names "Dino" from the late 80's because of your vocal tone and his dance songs (hits) were very upbeat and fun. I think Maroon 5 might be the closest I could refer you to because you have that Adam Levine vocal tone that's pretty smooth. I'm always careful how to constructively compliment an artist regarding a throwback sound but so much of today's music is derived from songs of the past anyway. First off, I chose the title Can't Let It Go because I thought your vocal performance really drove that point home... stuck in my head a bit more to me.The intro flange fx is nice coming into the song. I like the drum programming and percussion programming. The bass guitar works overall but at about 2:52 and at the break, the timing or quantization could be tighter. It's a bit mechanical... It's really important to keep that kick and bass grove in the pocket. The piano and synth arpeggiation is great. Also, the funky guitar plucking and the nylon guitar sound in your break add a lot to the song. Vocally, the lead is pretty good and so are the lyrics. The backgrounds in the pre-chorus could be tighter and maybe even spread out a little wider. On that note the overall mix is good. Although, I'd like to hear a fatter but still punchy kick drum mix under your bass guitar. Other than that I think the choice of instruments and your preliminary mix is all in the right direction!

Quote From Pro: Costa Ioannides: "you have that Adam Levine vocal tone that's pretty smooth"

Broadjam Artist: COSTA / Costa Ioannides
Song: Let this in

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Malik Williams (Producer, Artist, Engineer, Composer)

Pro General Comments: Hey Costa,Thank you for the opportunity to review your songs. I really like the drive of this track. A lot of the new songs out these days seems to have some type of flair from an older song from say the 80s or 90s and I always like hearing that. Especially because of the musicianship it might take to pull that off. In this case, I referred to an artist names "Dino" from the late 80's because of your vocal tone and his dance songs (hits) were very upbeat and fun. I think Maroon 5 might be the closest I could refer you to because you have that Adam Levine vocal tone that's pretty smooth. I'm always careful how to constructively compliment an artist regarding a throwback sound but so much of today's music is derived from songs of the past anyway. First off, I chose the title Can't Let It Go because I thought your vocal performance really drove that point home... stuck in my head a bit more to me.The intro flange fx is nice coming into the song. I like the drum programming and percussion programming. The bass guitar works overall but at about 2:52 and at the break, the timing or quantization could be tighter. It's a bit mechanical... It's really important to keep that kick and bass grove in the pocket. The piano and synth arpeggiation is great. Also, the funky guitar plucking and the nylon guitar sound in your break add a lot to the song. Vocally, the lead is pretty good and so are the lyrics. The backgrounds in the pre-chorus could be tighter and maybe even spread out a little wider. On that note the overall mix is good. Although, I'd like to hear a fatter but still punchy kick drum mix under your bass guitar. Other than that I think the choice of instruments and your preliminary mix is all in the right direction!

Quote From Pro: Costa Ioannides: "you have that Adam Levine vocal tone that's pretty smooth"