The Most British Sound EVER!

I recieved a mysterious challenge via the Royal Mail and after my butler Reginald had served me tea and crumpets, I decided to accept it.
My fellow Brits doing this challenge:
/ davidbennettpiano
/ rachelkcollierrkc
/ csguitars
Vote for me and enter the sweepstake to win the gear:
reverb.com/voteBall

[@baward]

I always thought that the sound of quiet desperation was the English way.

[@Maddolis]

Thought I'd something more to say..

[@AlexBallMusic]

A whimper whilst clenching an Earl Grey firmly.

[@McN4styFilth]

😔

[@bloodyhell6378]

aka the sound of silence

[@fel24thecat]

The time is gone

[@Reverb]

I didn't know how much I needed New Wave R & J until just now. Somebody get the production team at The Globe on the line immediately. 🇬🇧

[@antagonizingusername]

You could have just simulated the sound of a torrent of rain and the crunch of biscuits, and called it a day.

[@AlexBallMusic]

🌧🍪

[@ScienceofLoud]

10/10 for the comedy, this has really cheered me up. Got to love a wooden box of strange noises - this is proper catchy!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers! Just about to watch yours.

[@0xABADCAFE]

The only people who probably wouldn't like a wooden box of strange noises are undertakers.

[@ChrisSmout]

You edged out David Bennett's Pink Floydian entry for my vote Alex; Mute Records would have signed you in a heartbeat back in the day.

[@FatNorthernBigot]

This is like the Multiverse of Madness: New Wave Edition, where the Flock of Seagulls have sensible hair and Soft Cell are out every night trawling for girls.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

As amazing as your track is, I think you nailed the “most British sound ever” at 0:30 😂😄

[@AlexBallMusic]

A joke for the natives. 😜

[@chriswareham]

You've nailed the new wave genre part of the challenge - it's got early Mute Records vibes and hints of the likes of Thomas Leer & Robert Rental.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers, that's what I was going for.

[@SynthPrince]

Do you think maybe you could do a whole video looking more closely at the Vince Clarke approach? I think this is something a lot of people would be interested in.

[@AndersEngerJensen]

Definitely the best and well thought out entry. You, Sir, have my vote. I’ll send my butler to meet yours. Tata! 🥸🤓

[@paulcharlesworth9114]

Awesome track, Alex. Loved the unexpected major in the chorus. Very 80s. Of course, the most British sound ever is the barely suppressed tutting we make it if you try to push in a queue. B side would be the sound of rain on a Morris Marina as you eat damp sandwiches looking at a grey sea, while mum and dad pointedly don't talk to one another very loudly and your sister draws faces in the condensation.

[@Jexus]

Wow! Sounds like members of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn meeting inside an MRI scanner 😆

[@AlexBallMusic]

That was exactly what I was going for. 😉

[@richardjdbone]

I feel as though I've just heard an unreleased Thompson Twins track (and in my parlance, that is a compliment!)

[@chriswareham]

Ah, that's what the vocals reminded me of! Perhaps a touch of Howard Jones as well?

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you!

[@B_T_B]

9 months on. Sat here after a long day after speaking to lots of people all day. This tune popped in to my head. Glad you won. Totally forgot that this was a competition!

[@AlexBallMusic]

I did! It was the wig that did it, I reckon.

[@B_T_B]

@@AlexBallMusic Since you mentioned it....Agree 🤣

[@Pedro_Larroza]

I'm a David Bennett subscriber, so I thought: "Before voting for him, let me check out the other contestants. #1 - Ok, not better than David's. #2 - ok, same. Last one, Alex Ball... see, this is just protocol, as their entries are certainly n...ooOOOH SHIT this wasn't supposed to be hard to decide!" (subscribed here, ofc)

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks Pedro, nice to know.

[@PaulBoos]

Perfect use of that Ritual synth! A little disappointed the Wasp didn't make an appearance, but you have so many other great synths in there and well, invoking Vince Clarke gains 5 points immediate.... (Or it should...) This was a properly fun vid!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers Paul. The WASP was a loan a couple of years back, has long since left. Vince - had to be done.

[@wallmenis]

When I saw the title, I dropped everything and rushed to watch this. Edit: I expected more wasp

[@AlexBallMusic]

The WASP was swatted a couple of years back unfortunately.

[@wallmenis]

@@AlexBallMusic I wish it had made its nest.

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

2:36 Looks like and sounds like your trying to contact the realm of Satan with that thing lol.

[@RachelKCollierRKC]

hahaha Love it Alex! Nice one.......... Track is a banger!!!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yours was a bangor.

[@dankeplace]

Track is a banger & mash!!

[@brumd]

I was going to vote for this song. Then I read the rules and saw that only citizens of the US, Canada, UK & Ireland can take part in this. Always had the impression Reverb was an international company. Apperently they only serve a small part of the globe. You learn something everyday. Great new wave song anyhoo.

[@gigiborza1151]

Former UK territories, eh?

[@bacicinvatteneaca]

@@gigiborza1151 Australia still Hass the Queen of England as its head of state

[@bimscutney1242]

Then talk to Reverb instead of crapping in this guy’s channel.

[@marmite-land]

I voted anyways. I'm french. Guess I'm a thug, huh ?

[@PaulBoos]

Congratulations on the win! All of the contestants did amazing jobs, but I was glad to see you win!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Oh blimey! I did an' all. 🇬🇧

[@alfish18]

Best unboxing video I've ever seen. Would hammer scream again.

[@XavierRadix]

So I was just minding my own business drinking a cup of tea, eating a piece of toast with marmite, reading my Charles Dickens novel while listening to an album of the Beatles in the background when suddenly, blimey! A notification on my intelligent telephone device of a new moving picture, directed and produced by Sir. Alex Ball, appeared! Well, I was quite surprised by this stunning presentation as you can imagine. Very British indeed. I give it 9 Stonehenge's out of 10! I have no idea where I was going with this comment, but I can sum it up as: "Dutch idiot attempts to talk British gibberish nonsense for reasons unknown and fails miserably, the end."

[@AlexBallMusic]

Top drawer old bean.

[@NedRush]

The most British sound ever is the sound a seagull makes as it's about to steal your chips.

[@macronencer]

By the way, thanks for the revelation about Vince Clarke. It might sound stupid but I never stopped before to think about how he makes music. In classical terms, his harmony is not CHORALE, but VOICE LEADING, and I'm now pretty sure that's a major reason why I loved his music the moment I first heard it. Maybe it was because at that time I was practising Mozart sonatas quite a lot on the piano...

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yep, basically a more classic technique.

[@matssjoblom]

In Vince's case, it is surely influenced by his technology choices. His work with Erasure started out with monophonic synthesizers sequenced one at a time by a BBC Micro (the most British computer ever, I guess) equipped with a CV+gate interface. After a few years of working with MIDI-equipped polysynths, he found MIDI timing to be too imprecise for his taste. He returned to working with CV+gate connected monophonic synthesisers for the ABBA-esque EP and the Chorus album, and for the subsequent tour he tweaked the arrangements for the more chord based songs to reflect his new workflow.

[@macronencer]

@@matssjoblom Interesting! I didn't actually know about the BBC Micro. I have fond memories of that computer myself: At university I connected it to a Super 8 camera to make time lapses.

[@AndyVonal]

Constantly brilliant! Please give the rest of a chance, Alex! Laughed me 'ead off (or orf)

[@xa1a]

Alex this is awesome. I love that you went for the VC approach! It definitely sounds like something he would do! Was half expecting to hear Allison Moyet come in before you started singing! Banger mate!

[@OW79]

Loved your no-nonsense video. Currently choosing between your and Rachel's entry. Keep it up! Edit: Voted for you

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers!

[@Pablo668]

Ahhh. Alex is so British he is a little bit French. Great song btw. I myself think that the most British sound would be frying black pudding or Tim Brooke Taylor doing one of his monologues to land of hope and glory.

[@DerekPower]

Bloody Normans =D

[@AlexBallMusic]

Merci.

[@oldunclemick]

GOODIES! Goodie Goodie Yum Yum!

[@Pablo668]

@@oldunclemick I wondered if someone would remember that!

[@oldunclemick]

@@Pablo668 we should sue them for stealing our synapses! Elvis Costello too because his dad wrote the R Whites Lemonade jingle. 😎

[@davewozere2k9]

Every time I watch one of your videos I am both wildly entertained and very much humbled by the level of talent.

[@phiwolgast]

You are quickly becoming one of my favorite creators. The humor is perfect, yet the videos are educational and you are genuinely a fantastic musician who comes up with things nobody else could. Well done, sir! 👏

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you!

[@0xABADCAFE]

This.

[@ResonanceCircuits]

Great work Alex and funny too! Hope you enjoyed the Ritual Mini.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks for the loan! Bzzzzzz (bzzz) ((bzzzzzz)) (((bzzzzzzz))) 😈

[@bobfrode]

Brilliant as always 😊

[@mattrixx_audio]

Well done!! This is great!

[@RyanKirk99]

Simply marvelous.

[@slammy102]

As a fellow British person, this video has cheered one up. Superb content as always!

[@MrOuija-rr8kq]

Sorry for your loss. I didn’t see this coming. She was 96 years young.

[@HenryHeymusic]

this is so great!! Hilarious and highly musical - huge win!

[@joakimbertil]

A banger as always. Cheers!

[@macronencer]

This is the coolest thing you've done for ages. Wonderful! I'll go and check out the competition tonight. (Was anyone else waiting for that letter to actually explode?)

[@AlexBallMusic]

Was tempting to bring out the whale explosion again.

[@h2o1969]

Just fantastic

[@CatFish107]

oh yay, RKC's in on this too! Neat. I'll be sure to check the others as well. musical promotions like this are nice. 2 artists I already enjoy, and 2 more that are new to me, to check out!

[@AlexBallMusic]

They're really entertaining. Enjoyed seeing all the others.

[@zoundsic]

Congrats, loved the sound. Good choices.

[@jay4d3v4]

brilliant as always mate. just cast my vote for you!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you

[@PATRIK67KALLBACK]

Great job, clever performed!

[@althejazzman]

I love the way the vocals follow the bass in the chorus. One of my favourite compositional techniques.

[@melkent399]

Best electronic music channel on the net. 11/10

[@TheUffeess]

I follow three of the four, but it was nothing to think about, you got the vote. Good work!👍

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers!

[@TheUffeess]

@@AlexBallMusic I am now starting my two and a half week holiday here in Sweden, so skål back to you!😃

[@villebooks]

I have to vote for this one, because I am ... ... the faaaaaan. Great, very british track, Alex, love the result and your sense of humour. Respect and regards from Germany Susan

[@user-fo3ug3cr4m]

Come on Ingerland, score some fackin goals!

[@AlexBallMusic]

😂

[@SynthAddict]

great video as usual and a cracking 80s jam :-) always funny too

[@staceconstantinou9170]

Great track & vid in general.

[@sonarfreq]

Awesome vid.... and I even liked the music... well done sir! 🤪🤣🤣👍

[@andyhudsonsynthpop]

You got my vote and totally love the track regardless

[@chris.dillon]

Great as always.

[@grrlpurpleable]

Awesome stuff - you got my vote!

[@jamescuttsmusicjcm5013]

lmfao. Alex... you never fail to make me laugh. Sometimes it is from the first ascending... ascent. Sometimes it is later, but do NOT be fooled. It always happens.

[@AlexBallMusic]

:)

[@SamHarrisonMusic]

the tune is amazing!

[@LouisSerieusement]

lmao thank you Alex, always love your brit humor :D

[@AgonalRhythm]

Ahhh I love Resonance Circuits. Great stuff

[@tehedx]

A piece of Duplo next to your synth is exactly what it's like to have kids; random pieces of toys at any random place in your house. Also check the master volume before switching anything on to prevent jump scares.

[@vitsedlacek7387]

you made my day!!! :) again! :D

[@jtro77]

You deserve more recognition sir.

[@switchyard2456]

Brilliant!

[@telantas]

Hey this is such a great song - really catchy, I was transported to another time.

[@activelow9297]

I had a Ball listening to your song! You get my vote, Master Alex!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers! 🇬🇧

[@RobertDorschel]

Voted for thee, on the 4th of July. And here I thought we were free and clear of doing you Brits any favors by now

[@kaitlyn__L]

I was just thinking Loughborough when you said it. Congrats!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Luffbru.

[@carlosserrano3985]

British sound, the Alex way! Super idea to bring the Simmons SDS-III into the jam, definitely a symbol of british electronic drum revolution, Terrific song and my vote is for you! Good luck!

[@EricFraga]

If Talk Talk was on bizarre world that's their song. You're genius, Alex!

[@pimusic952]

You got my vote. I'm not British but this has just the right amount of Monty Python.

[@peterkiefel4324]

Bravo, you got my vote! Love 80s Brit synth pop!

[@hannesbengsch5515]

I was convinced with the first pronouncing of the word but (bhuat). It superbly cheers me up how you cut yourself into the song collages way smaller than the instruments quite often.

[@teltub1968]

The Most British Sound EVER! without even a little Mellotron? Voted Ball anyway because your videos are always the highlight of my day.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Mellotron doesn't really fit into the Depeche Mode / Human League kind of sound.

[@teltub1968]

​@@AlexBallMusic True and who am I to argue (with you, of all people). Just remembered that OMD used a Mellotron for en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_%26_Morality and you even have your own sample pack for the GForce Mellotron :-)

[@spotlight-kyd]

@@AlexBallMusic OMD had it, though, and New Order the Orchestron or Optigan.

[@AlexBallMusic]

@@spotlight-kyd That's true.

[@Sequence14]

Well, you definitely nailed the cover/summary of Kraftwerk's "Vom Himmel Hoch" when first trying out the box ...so much for "Most British Sound" ;-)

[@scra2et6]

flawless song!

[@durulvarol]

I genuinely enjoyed your track.

[@alexanami9948]

Absolutely bloody spiffingly WICKED!!!!

[@0xABADCAFE]

I already want to vote for this one but I've not listened to the rest. I love the baseline.

[@0bm31770]

I think it will make the charts.

[@humanerror3139]

In my eyes you've already won. I don't even need to hear the others. Genius. 🙂

[@0xABADCAFE]

Loving it!

[@ThingsandStuffchannel]

Just listened to all the entries. No contest, Alex! But I'd vote for you anyway, even if theirs were better (but they're not).

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers. I've really enjoyed hearing what they did and what they had to use!

[@TDRKB]

You got my vote.

[@sawsquaresinetube]

Nice Alex! I appreciate your democratic approach. I never heard of your competitors but I will check out the links before voting 😊

[@negvey]

Dayive!! That one was prettyyyy funnny

[@Ursabomb]

best song of all 4 entries for sure!!!

[@matt_phistopheles]

When I read the title I was expecting to hear the sound of monocle that falls into a pint of lukewarm beer. But your song is also very nice!

[@spotlight-kyd]

I think you nailed the spirit and sound of the reference the best while keeping it original and inventive. I'm disappointed, though, that there was no candidate chosen to tackle progressive rock. To me, early Genesis is the most British sound or music there is.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Maybe next time. I'd be well up for a progging.

[@spotlight-kyd]

@@AlexBallMusic Oh yeah, bring out the Trons and the Hammonds!

[@EvilDragon666]

@@AlexBallMusic It's a jolly good time for a proggin'! :P

[@LFOVCF]

Goes well with a brew, and a Hobnob. Jolly good show Alex m'boy.

[@midnightsocean2689]

you won before your intro was over but yeah, love the song, brilliant. : )

[@jhowe5571]

It appears that you're the winner! Great job, Alex!😁 (could've used some Gibson LP through a Marshall stack, for that insane heavy british guitar sound! Or, the Ritual Mini box they gave you through the stack!😱🤣) Also, the Ritual Mini sounds like the sound effects for, "Dr Who"...😁 Congrats!👍😁

[@0xABADCAFE]

I've listened to the rest and I have to say, that's some stiff competition. Which to vote for? I can't handle the pressure! I'm off to watch Florian make some unloved (probably Roland) gear sound amazing.

[@16th_channel]

Love it

[@OutOfTheBinary]

Is this song going to be on your Bandcamp? I would love to buy the song. It is slowly becoming my favourite of yours. Until now "Hold on" is my favourite tune you made. Thanks for all the awesome content

[@lorcazola]

The most 80's sound ever for sure !

[@brentgreeff1115]

I guess this is where musical talent comes in - I love gear - but there is no way I could have used that weird box to make a useful sound no matter how much I tried.

[@-Ricky_Spanish-]

I hear a NUMBER ONE HIT! 40 years ago...

[@freddiekinnaputi]

love it!

[@AlexBallMusic]

WARNING: If you get a message from an account using my profile picture with a name like "Text on Telegram @alexballmusic" or something similar telling you that you've won, then this is a scam with the aim of getting your bank details. Please follow Reverb's official channel and social media for the actual result and be vigilant with channels impersonating people or companies.

[@sawsquaresinetube]

So your saying my weekend getaway with Geert Van Schlanger may not be legit??? 😂❤