I'd say it depends. If it's a really dense piece of music, then pausing is justified because any commentary done during the music takes the focus away from the music for those moments. It can be annoying, and most reaction channels do tend to not put any work in when it comes to learning the context, but sometimes channels like this actually give insightful commentary that deserves its own space for processing
i think this is their magnum opus. i love every second with my whole heart. i think as you get used to it there’s this great, powerful cockiness in it. like it’s an ideal 30 minute workout listen
A lot of the percussiveness in the instrumental (even in things such as synth lines) are because drummer Zach Hill has been composing almost all of his music in Death Grips with electronic drums. There's a pretty recent interview with Nick Reinhart (of Tera Melos and DG's go-to guitarist) where he says that he just writes everything through electronic drums that are loaded with samples. A lot of the synth work honestly makes a lot more sense once you realize they're literally being played like drums, and I think that's just incredible. I'd recommend the first half of their album The Powers That B for the most blatant use of this, the instrumentals are entirely composed of rhythmic Björk singing samples.
I mean, technically, NOTM's instrumentals are not *just* Björk samples, there's also a lot of different synths and some other samples (there's e.g. some Eastern European flute song being sampled in Billie Not Really). But yeah, the majority of rhythmic elements / drums are Björk samples.
@@ripbooboo8563 I'm paranoid utube will nuke my comment for sending a link, but it was done with Fecking Bahamas and was published Sept 9th 2022. "...although zach writes a lot of compositions through his v-drums that are loaded with samples. so in theory he could be 'playing guitar' through a drum set."
5:48 This part goes so nasty hard, that even Bryan can't help but going from standing statuesque to headnodding slightly! 🤣 This part always has me going like uuuuuuuggggghhhhhh!!!
When you can make your music challenging, punchy, heady, intense, technical, groovy, catchy, proggy and take me on a total journey all at the same time and have me discover new stuff about it on each listen, you've created a masterpiece when it comes to my taste. This is definitely my favourite Death Grips project. I can totally understand that it's very overwhelming and disturbing for most though, especially at first listen. I can see the beauty of it and am always in awe of the creativity of it. This EP is such an adrenaline rush. Bryan, you can look up 'MC Ride Art' and see what kind of paintings he creates. At the very least he doesn't shy away from or is intrigued by darkness in all of its facets. By the way, Death Grips called this a 'megamix', so this is definitely a combination of a few songs that are combined into one mind-bending mix. Also, Zach Hill is a drum God.
I only process proggy and intense when its played by humans with instruments. I dont know how to process this , since there is no real skill besides the person actually mixing this.
This definitely has a bit of a mixtape feel, even a weird medley, rather than just being one long song. Still pretty fun imo, a lot better when you stop focusing too much on what's going on and you just feel/vibe with it. It's still brutal, but not that different than just getting lost in a really heavy track or a dance-oriented one (after all, this one manages to be both, sometimes at the same time!). Great insight as always, I can definitely see how this can be tiring, both if you're not into this type of music but also if you're trying to listen to it in an attentive, analysis-oriented way. Definitely feels quite trippy, not the best trip of all, but a trip still lol
The name "Crouching Tiger Hidden Gabber" is referencing a subgenre of electronic music called gabber or hardcore (not to be confused with hardcore punk obviously), so you're definitely spot on about the mixtape thing
Yaaaay finally i get to hear ur thoughts on my favourite track of my favourite band. It’s great that you caught onto that “pausing alters the experience” because it’s present thru their whole discography. In fact if you look at one of their live performances they have no intro or any kind of transitions between tracks and they don’t engage with the croud in any way. They just walk onto the stage, start playing and then leave in 40 minutes or however long the performance is.
I never really got this project until I found a download where someone had separated all 8 tracks and I was able to understand them each individually and then hear how they all fit together. It went from my least favorite Death Grips project to one of my top 5. Black Body is my favorite section
i know you said you would never listen again, but this *is* one of those tracks/EPs that i continue to hear more and more new/nuanced stuff after every re-listen, i often work-out to this track so ive probably heard it too many times by now haha, totally understand it being a bit too much tho depending on what you like
So happy to see this! personally I love this medley / EP, but it's definitely a bit impenetrable at first. It's way easier to wrap your head around if you view it as several tracks, almost all of which transition into eachother. Within the various sections there is something resembling traditional song structures with verses, bridges and choruses, so it's not ENTIRELY linear. Steriods is very much an experience and submiting to imersion is key to enjoying it. When viewing it through your lense I too found myself a bit exhausted; it simply is not digestable from a critical perspective. It's really all about being in an appropriate headspace.
This is probably the weirdest musical project to form an emotional connection with, but I started listening to this song when my dad was in the hospital after he got really bad pneumonia while stepping down from steroids (lol) in order to get back on his cancer treatment. I think the sonic assault really helped me keep my mind off of what all was going on so I could focus on actually getting to the hospital and back home safely when I visited him. He unfortunately passed away about a month and a half ago from an entirely different complication in his lungs called pleural effusion. He did so much for us and it’s been overwhelming trying to get a handle on all the financial stuff for my mom and it’s all so depressing, but my dad always said “ya just gotta get it done” whenever anyone would ask how he did all that he did. Now whenever I feel like just moping around and doing nothing and crying all day I come up with a list of stuff that needs to get done, I put this song on, and I just get it done. It’s surprising how well it works.
All I can say is....I'm glad I've moved past the place in my life where a track like this was what I gravitated towards to help me process things. The pulsing/chopping sonic theme throughout really reminds me of a bad robotrip.
loved the analysis portion, hope you listen to other Death Grips projects. Steroids is one of the most electronic and spastic and completely incoherent ones for sure. There's other ones that have significantly more groove (The Money Store) or even more insanity (first half of The Powers That B) or rock (second half of The Powers That B) or all three! (Bottomeless Pit). theyre all experiences for sure
Definitely one of their tougher listens, very all over the place and on edge. Kinda why I LOVE it. 😂 Even though you didn’t love it, I love that you actually listened, a lot of first reactions are just “nah this is weird this is too weird I’m outtta here”
Big dad whose kids just found a loophole to allow them to do exactly what he didn’t want while precisely following the letter of the law energy up front, lol.
Oh my god yes! I didn't think I would ever see someone do this EP/Mix. Its such a chaotic/parinoid but facinating soundscape. It was the first new Death Grips I had heard since I started listening to them and I just played the hell out of it. Its exhilirating madness, even when it clams down its still dark and menecing.
mc ride is the persona of stefan burnett, he doesnt talk much about his personal life, but we know that he was homeless for some time and makes pantings as well that are pretty dark
holy fuck. i have never been so happy to see an upload. i am SO looking forward to hearing you dive into this and your insight. thanks for delving back into DG head first!
But damn dude you really seemed to FEEL what you heard..not just a reaction where you felt it was "intense" or "weird" etc..you really seemed to feel it
100%. I don't always get that full emotional feeling of music in this setting since I usually have my analytical brain turned on. But this song forced me out of that....made me physically react to it. Some music just can't be explained 😄
@@CriticalReactions personally my pick for a new listener would be something like: death grips is online, hacker, three bedrooms in a good neighborhood, or hustle bones.
For those that don't know, there's quite a lot of work that the members of Death Grips have done outside of this group. My personal favorite stuff is a tie between Stephen's previous work as mxlplx and Zach Hill's history in the band Hella (the dude has made some of the most complex drum patterns I have ever heard).
Only Ride talks on this album, besides maybe part D (I think it's part D anyway) where it sounds like a sample or maybe all three of them talking? I'm pretty sure it's all three of them or maybe just Zach and Ride making that revving noise in "Inanimate Sensation" Edit: Definitely not "SECTION D"
Hey, atleast you didn't have to put up with Gmail and the Restraining Orders, their 28 min noise piece haha. I completely get why you didn't enjoy this. Death Grips has such a wide range of influences from Hip-Hop, Electronic and Noise to Classic Rock, Punk and Metal, that for a newcomer it can be hard to place even some of their more accesible songs. This EP is on the more experimental side of their discography, and it is several songs back to back without a single moment to catch a break. If you ever want to give this group a proper shot, listen to their Exmilitary mixtape, or their first album The Money Store. These projects are a lot more accesible, and the influences are more clear. But ofcourse, fans are gonna request you to listen to the wilder projects of theirs :p
Soooooo out of all of that my only response is.... Noel Fielding DJs? The comedian who was half of The Might Boosh and was one of the most enjoyable contestants ever to grace The Big Fat Quiz of the Year? That Noel Fielding DJs?
its very experimental. you gotta have an ear for it to understand it or even like it, really. 3 years ago i'd hate this shit. i grew into it as i started liking experimental works more. but if you have a good ear for it, this song is insanely good. i do understand that it might drag out at times for most people though.
ya just gotta have an ear for it. if you love extremely experimental hip-hop, this might be a good song for you. it takes good ears to catch everything too. but i can understand why it drags out to many, or most people.
Pausing music on a first reaction is definitely a terrible move. Your way is the way.
I'd say it depends. If it's a really dense piece of music, then pausing is justified because any commentary done during the music takes the focus away from the music for those moments. It can be annoying, and most reaction channels do tend to not put any work in when it comes to learning the context, but sometimes channels like this actually give insightful commentary that deserves its own space for processing
i think this is their magnum opus. i love every second with my whole heart. i think as you get used to it there’s this great, powerful cockiness in it. like it’s an ideal 30 minute workout listen
A lot of the percussiveness in the instrumental (even in things such as synth lines) are because drummer Zach Hill has been composing almost all of his music in Death Grips with electronic drums. There's a pretty recent interview with Nick Reinhart (of Tera Melos and DG's go-to guitarist) where he says that he just writes everything through electronic drums that are loaded with samples. A lot of the synth work honestly makes a lot more sense once you realize they're literally being played like drums, and I think that's just incredible. I'd recommend the first half of their album The Powers That B for the most blatant use of this, the instrumentals are entirely composed of rhythmic Björk singing samples.
I mean, technically, NOTM's instrumentals are not *just* Björk samples, there's also a lot of different synths and some other samples (there's e.g. some Eastern European flute song being sampled in Billie Not Really). But yeah, the majority of rhythmic elements / drums are Björk samples.
Electronic drum solo is a good example of what you’re talking about if anyone is interested
czcams.com/video/LlSnPW88y9w/video.htmlsi=2JoRIu4rzcr3Z2kq
Hey could you point me in the direction of that interview? CZcams's search function sucks and I can't find it.
@@ripbooboo8563I second this
@@ripbooboo8563 I'm paranoid utube will nuke my comment for sending a link, but it was done with Fecking Bahamas and was published Sept 9th 2022. "...although zach writes a lot of compositions through his v-drums that are loaded with samples. so in theory he could be 'playing guitar' through a drum set."
5:48 This part goes so nasty hard, that even Bryan can't help but going from standing statuesque to headnodding slightly! 🤣 This part always has me going like uuuuuuuggggghhhhhh!!!
Fr
When you can make your music challenging, punchy, heady, intense, technical, groovy, catchy, proggy and take me on a total journey all at the same time and have me discover new stuff about it on each listen, you've created a masterpiece when it comes to my taste. This is definitely my favourite Death Grips project. I can totally understand that it's very overwhelming and disturbing for most though, especially at first listen. I can see the beauty of it and am always in awe of the creativity of it. This EP is such an adrenaline rush. Bryan, you can look up 'MC Ride Art' and see what kind of paintings he creates. At the very least he doesn't shy away from or is intrigued by darkness in all of its facets. By the way, Death Grips called this a 'megamix', so this is definitely a combination of a few songs that are combined into one mind-bending mix. Also, Zach Hill is a drum God.
Masterpiece, come on now really?
@@LeeGion_981 I did add the caveat 'to my taste'. 😉
@@LeeGion_981it's certainly a masterpiece.
I only process proggy and intense when its played by humans with instruments. I dont know how to process this , since there is no real skill besides the person actually mixing this.
@@erxan4163 no real skill..? Zach hill is widely recognized as one of the best modern drummers alive.
"I LOST ALL SENSE OF SELF" Now that is a goddamn title
This definitely has a bit of a mixtape feel, even a weird medley, rather than just being one long song. Still pretty fun imo, a lot better when you stop focusing too much on what's going on and you just feel/vibe with it. It's still brutal, but not that different than just getting lost in a really heavy track or a dance-oriented one (after all, this one manages to be both, sometimes at the same time!). Great insight as always, I can definitely see how this can be tiring, both if you're not into this type of music but also if you're trying to listen to it in an attentive, analysis-oriented way. Definitely feels quite trippy, not the best trip of all, but a trip still lol
The name "Crouching Tiger Hidden Gabber" is referencing a subgenre of electronic music called gabber or hardcore (not to be confused with hardcore punk obviously), so you're definitely spot on about the mixtape thing
Yaaaay finally i get to hear ur thoughts on my favourite track of my favourite band. It’s great that you caught onto that “pausing alters the experience” because it’s present thru their whole discography. In fact if you look at one of their live performances they have no intro or any kind of transitions between tracks and they don’t engage with the croud in any way. They just walk onto the stage, start playing and then leave in 40 minutes or however long the performance is.
I love it. No words, no introduction this is what they made take it and leave!
I can't imagine a concert of this
@@CriticalReactionsit’s the most pleasantly hellish thing I’ve ever experienced
I never really got this project until I found a download where someone had separated all 8 tracks and I was able to understand them each individually and then hear how they all fit together. It went from my least favorite Death Grips project to one of my top 5. Black Body is my favorite section
i know you said you would never listen again, but this *is* one of those tracks/EPs that i continue to hear more and more new/nuanced stuff after every re-listen, i often work-out to this track so ive probably heard it too many times by now haha, totally understand it being a bit too much tho depending on what you like
Seconding this, it's a complicated track but the more complex aspects sort of fall into place with multiple listens tbh
So happy to see this! personally I love this medley / EP, but it's definitely a bit impenetrable at first. It's way easier to wrap your head around if you view it as several tracks, almost all of which transition into eachother. Within the various sections there is something resembling traditional song structures with verses, bridges and choruses, so it's not ENTIRELY linear. Steriods is very much an experience and submiting to imersion is key to enjoying it. When viewing it through your lense I too found myself a bit exhausted; it simply is not digestable from a critical perspective. It's really all about being in an appropriate headspace.
This is probably the weirdest musical project to form an emotional connection with, but I started listening to this song when my dad was in the hospital after he got really bad pneumonia while stepping down from steroids (lol) in order to get back on his cancer treatment. I think the sonic assault really helped me keep my mind off of what all was going on so I could focus on actually getting to the hospital and back home safely when I visited him. He unfortunately passed away about a month and a half ago from an entirely different complication in his lungs called pleural effusion. He did so much for us and it’s been overwhelming trying to get a handle on all the financial stuff for my mom and it’s all so depressing, but my dad always said “ya just gotta get it done” whenever anyone would ask how he did all that he did. Now whenever I feel like just moping around and doing nothing and crying all day I come up with a list of stuff that needs to get done, I put this song on, and I just get it done. It’s surprising how well it works.
❤❤hope ur doing better mane
"paranoid fever dream of sounds" is the PERFECT way to describe dg
All I can say is....I'm glad I've moved past the place in my life where a track like this was what I gravitated towards to help me process things. The pulsing/chopping sonic theme throughout really reminds me of a bad robotrip.
hehe yeah i feel ya. i used to listen to them A LOT...and I used to robotrip a lot too, among other things.
the robotripper to death grips fan pipeline is def real
shittttt guilty as charged
@@memphiskashthe overlap is definitely there 😂😂
this is the most perfect downhill mountain biking song
🚲⛰️😎
23:20 Love that vocal
loved the analysis portion, hope you listen to other Death Grips projects. Steroids is one of the most electronic and spastic and completely incoherent ones for sure. There's other ones that have significantly more groove (The Money Store) or even more insanity (first half of The Powers That B) or rock (second half of The Powers That B) or all three! (Bottomeless Pit). theyre all experiences for sure
This is basically an EP guys what are y’all doing to this man 😂
This was unexpected! Huge death grips fan
Definitely one of their tougher listens, very all over the place and on edge. Kinda why I LOVE it. 😂
Even though you didn’t love it, I love that you actually listened, a lot of first reactions are just “nah this is weird this is too weird I’m outtta here”
I'm all about giving a fair shot and attempting to be as objective as I can with it. There's something to learn from everything even I don't like it.
MC Ride has a line from one of their first songs that still describes all their music so well, "Said it all, no hesitation, audio invasion!"
i find it hilarious how the title of this video perfectly encapsulates one of the main themes of section 1 on the megamix
Big dad whose kids just found a loophole to allow them to do exactly what he didn’t want while precisely following the letter of the law energy up front, lol.
The chapter titles on this are giving me a real Caretaker - Everywhere at the End of Time vibe.
Oh my god yes! I didn't think I would ever see someone do this EP/Mix. Its such a chaotic/parinoid but facinating soundscape. It was the first new Death Grips I had heard since I started listening to them and I just played the hell out of it. Its exhilirating madness, even when it clams down its still dark and menecing.
their original upload was named Steroids (Crouching Tiger Hidden Gabber *Megamix* ) if that helps
0:35 he sounds so tired
mc ride is the persona of stefan burnett, he doesnt talk much about his personal life, but we know that he was homeless for some time and makes pantings as well that are pretty dark
Top 3 Death Grips releases
I love this EP. But listening to this drains all of my mental energy. I always felt a need to lay down in silence after listening to this.
That's cuz you got noided.
daveed is from Clipping
There we go. I knew I had that name associated with an extreme(ish) hip hop group.
holy fuck. i have never been so happy to see an upload. i am SO looking forward to hearing you dive into this and your insight. thanks for delving back into DG head first!
But damn dude you really seemed to FEEL what you heard..not just a reaction where you felt it was "intense" or "weird" etc..you really seemed to feel it
100%. I don't always get that full emotional feeling of music in this setting since I usually have my analytical brain turned on. But this song forced me out of that....made me physically react to it. Some music just can't be explained 😄
i miss 22 minutes ago. thankfully your analysis always saves
My whole life My Whole Fucking Life
woah... im dead, bitch! my blood's like bitch!
23:21 I literally had the same reaction as you when I first listened to the song 😂 That effect on his voice is insane, he sounds like a train horn
Why is it that people always recommend the least accessible or melodic DG songs to you lmao
Either people just like the reaction or they personally want to see me struggle with something 😅
@@CriticalReactions personally my pick for a new listener would be something like: death grips is online, hacker, three bedrooms in a good neighborhood, or hustle bones.
@@iancraig5415i'd throw Get Got and I've Seen Footage in there too
at least its not gmail
We believe in the mighty reactor
he listened to this for our sins.... 😢
a true hero
at 16:10 in the song it feels like we turn into no love deep web album
AIN'T NO WAY
I love death grips, but didn't put myself through that lol
Guess we'll listen to it together
I'mma let you finish but
NOTM is the best Death Grips of all time.
It Grips Death the Grippiest, thanks for reading my blog
btw Government Plates is second best album fite me
Both amazing albums of theirs that are right up there in my favourites list as well, along with this amazing EP. 🔥
brooooooo agreed i also think steroids is NOTM tier and lil scuzzy tier
@@steezydan8543 not even a bad take either. love it
Steroids is perfect for a drive or walk you know is just over 20 minutes long
would like to see your breakdown of Fanfare for Effective Freedom by Horse Lords
Here we are, at last!
For those that don't know, there's quite a lot of work that the members of Death Grips have done outside of this group. My personal favorite stuff is a tie between Stephen's previous work as mxlplx and Zach Hill's history in the band Hella (the dude has made some of the most complex drum patterns I have ever heard).
Real reactions even realer music
Only Ride talks on this album, besides maybe part D (I think it's part D anyway) where it sounds like a sample or maybe all three of them talking?
I'm pretty sure it's all three of them or maybe just Zach and Ride making that revving noise in "Inanimate Sensation"
Edit: Definitely not "SECTION D"
Hey, atleast you didn't have to put up with Gmail and the Restraining Orders, their 28 min noise piece haha.
I completely get why you didn't enjoy this. Death Grips has such a wide range of influences from Hip-Hop, Electronic and Noise to Classic Rock, Punk and Metal, that for a newcomer it can be hard to place even some of their more accesible songs. This EP is on the more experimental side of their discography, and it is several songs back to back without a single moment to catch a break.
If you ever want to give this group a proper shot, listen to their Exmilitary mixtape, or their first album The Money Store. These projects are a lot more accesible, and the influences are more clear. But ofcourse, fans are gonna request you to listen to the wilder projects of theirs :p
2:21, the main vocalist was pitched
Thanks 4 that
This was amusing.
My mans thought he was listening to clipping lol
incredibly based
YESSSSSSSSSSS
❤❤❤
Average death grips experience
Straight out of guantanamo prison
it sounds like something the crackpot dj(noel fielding)out of nathan barley would play
Soooooo out of all of that my only response is....
Noel Fielding DJs? The comedian who was half of The Might Boosh and was one of the most enjoyable contestants ever to grace The Big Fat Quiz of the Year? That Noel Fielding DJs?
Ariana next
People actually like this, it’s awful to my ears.
there's more to it. this is not among their most accessible works, but there's a lot going on.
its very experimental. you gotta have an ear for it to understand it or even like it, really. 3 years ago i'd hate this shit. i grew into it as i started liking experimental works more. but if you have a good ear for it, this song is insanely good. i do understand that it might drag out at times for most people though.
4 minutes in and I’m out. If you need this in your life, good on you, but I got stuff to do. No, not you, but you know what I mean.
i understand bro. you need a good ear for specifically this type of music to enjoy it, and i understand it can definitely drag out for a lot of people
the headbanging urgently went away wtf is this. its not even an epic its just dragged out
Yeah the baldheadgirl track was dragging but rest of the tracks always Introduced something new every 30 seconds
ya just gotta have an ear for it. if you love extremely experimental hip-hop, this might be a good song for you. it takes good ears to catch everything too. but i can understand why it drags out to many, or most people.
this guy so boring
Thanks for the comment! Hopefully these emojis brighten up the dry, boredom of the video. 🥱😍🙂😑🎨🎭🥻🎸🎷🎻🗝🔨📞
I’ve never seen a more boring comment in my life
Who recommended this to you is the enemy, damn, that person hates you for real