Ok, I finally got around to cast my vote. So many good tracks, it was really difficult to pick the best three. But after careful consideration, hereâs my top 3:
1
Electronic Tiger - The Cat And The Photocopier Incident MBC14 
I absolutely love this track for how abstract it is! It has a very nice narrative arc and lots interesting sound design. The cat in the end made me smile! And overall, most of your sound choices are absolute fire! I especially enjoyed the plucked instrument in the end (sounds a bit like koto to me?). I also really like the lopsidedness of the rythm, it feels like itâs sort of struggling to go forward and hesitating every now and then. And even though the track has a wide range of emotions in it, it still manages to feel coherent and musically logical. My favourite composition in the whole compo! Extremely original, abstract and enjoyable story!
On the mix side, couple of sounds did feel a tad bit sibilant and piercing, but nothing too bad. And thatâs my only gripe.
I really like this track! For me, this track a winner! Stellar job! 
2
highway rehab - Loudest Meow 
I like this one a lot! A very comforting and warm atmosphere! I somehow associate the feeling of this track with a feeling of summer breeze on a really hot day. Something so comforting and refreshing about this, rejuvenating even. Well composed, well mixed. Just the right amount of contrast between different sections. I like your sound choices, especially the drums and the bass. Compositionally this track has a quality that feels somewhat similar to some Boards of Canada. And I absolutely love it! Wouldnât hurt to hide some subtle tape hiss or vinyl crackle in there somewhere. 
This could very well go on my chillout playlist. The most enjoyable listen of the compo! Extremely nice track! Great work!
3
HeartBeatHero - Cats Forever 
A very nice, forward driving track. Well composed, and the mix feels nice. The first thing popping out for me was that the snare is really fire! I really dig the way you handle your harmonies in this track, the chorus has a distinct chord progression of itâs own. And youâve managed to pull the track together in a way that accentuates the power of the chorus. I also really like your sound choices across the board! You managed to even make me dance a bit! 
My only gripe with this track was that I was left wanting a separate intro section.
Just a fantastic track thatâs extremely well put together! Good job!
And the runner-up:
AQBree - To Achieve True Homeostasis Is To Achieve Death 
This was the first track that made me turn my monitoring up. Not because it was too quiet, but because I liked what I heard so much, I just wanted more of it. The track feels very abstract in an intriguing way. The repetitive kick drum pattern against the sustained elements creates a very nice atmosphere. And I like the beginning A LOT!
My only gripe with this track was that the main chiptune-ish lead sound (the very last sound heard in the track) was very much on top of everything. I wished that I could have turned it down a dB or two. Towards the end, the track gets soaked in layers, approaching more and more ânoisyâ quality. I actually wished that that precise effect wouldâve been accentuated even more. Something like driving the mixbus into more and more distortion wouldâve probably worked for me. I like the speech sample (sounds a bit like Alan Watts to me?), but I probably wouldâve put less of it into the track myself. That being said, the phrase at 2:50 is extremely well placed!
As a whole, Iâm really digging this one! I like composition, I like the sound choices, I like the mix, I like the artwork. Good job! 
And the rest of the track reviews:
Mrkyk - CAT ELECTRO HIP HOP
A shorter track with some very angry big cat sounds (thereâs no way thatâs an ordinary housecat!). The drums feel nice and groovy, the mix is pretty well put together. My only minor gripe would be that the tremolo soaked keyes are maybe a tad too forward/loud for me, being all repetitive and everything. I was left wishing that I could just turn them down a few dBs. But then again, they are the element that holds the whole track together and gives it coherence, so I guess it could just be a preference thing. As a whole, the track is well done! Good job!
⢠zen sphere records ⢠- mrâ˘zensphere â˘â˘â˘Power of the Pussâ˘â˘â˘
A funny psy-ish track. I like the mixing. Considering how repetitive and âtranceyâ the track is, itâs extremely well constructed. The energy doesnât feel stagnant, which is an extremely hard pitfall to avoid with these kind of tracks. I guess the vocals help with this, since they create a structure with the lyrics and all. And the addition and muting of elements also is well thought and contributes to a coherent totality. Nice sound design too, I really like your âpsytrance-ishâ leads and SFXs! I also absolutely loved the way the vocals are faded out, with the metallic, dissonant processing. I really gotta look into your xrns to see how you did that! A well made track for sure! Great work!
Costume Party - MCLF - (MuTaNTâ˘CaTSâ˘LoVeâ˘FReeDoM) (116 BPM)
Well, thereâs cats, thatâs for sure! I donât know what to say about this one. I kinda feel that this actually has potential to be built into a very nice track with not too much effort. Now all the sounds seem very stagnant and just seem to stay on a single note all the time. Thereâs a rythm, but musically thatâs about it. I feel that if youâd take the instruments, and played them with a keyboard, quantised pads, or some other way of putting in some harmony and human element, it might have turned into something emotionally resonanting. As it is now, it feels a bit like a draft to me. Itâs not a bad idea at all, it just would benefit from some more loving attention and elaboration. Every now and then you get a hint of something resembling Steve Reichs âMusic for 18 musiciansâ, which is just beautiful to me.
Panos Kostagiannis - Mating Season-MuTaNTâ˘BReaKS1-14
Probably the best mix Iâve heard from you! Well done! I really like the clarity and simplicity youâve managed to pull together with the arrangement too. Just as with everything Iâve heard from you, I really like the way you approach composing your tracks. It feels very deliberate, thought-out and musical. The composition is coherent, the production is coherent, and itâs soaked in cat sounds. Good job!
TheBellows - Sickz Life Leftz
On the composition side, thereâs some very nice ideas in this track! I was literally just thinking in my head âthis feels like it could use some double tempo stuffâ when the ending part hit! I do get a slight feeling of disconnection between different musical ideas. Some very nice ideas come to the stage, only to leave almost straight away, while Iâm left wanting to hear more of them. Yet, somehow, the track does manage to feel whole and logical musically.
On the production side, I get a feeling that the track is a bit rough around the edges. The feeling of disconnection between different musical ideas is probably accentuated by the production side of things. I almost feel like the mix somehow is fighting against the music every now and then. The most clear example of this is the transition after the riser at around 2:57. It feels like thereâs more energy before the end of the riser, than after it. Musically the riser makes total sense, but I´m not so sure about the execution. The âwobblingâ bassy sound could really use some more changes to the frequency of the âwobblingâ IMO. Overall I get a feeling that some thoughtful automation could really help this mix. And the same applies to some thought-out sub layering (to me the track feels a bit thin on the low end here and there). Maybe some busprocessing would help with gelling everything more together? IDK, Iâm not a huge fan of the mix, but I do like the track musically.
Kara Kusa - Fetch With Cobra
Oh hell yeah, finally some breakcore!!! I like it! Amazing drum programming, nice contrast between different sections. The most âRenoiseâ track in the compo IMO. I enjoy the way cat samples are integrated into the track. The composition was maybe a tad bit stagnant towards the 5 minute mark, where I was left wanting somekind of a radical change of pace. But then again, your sound choices kept me interested even there, so it didnât bother me at all.
On the mix side, some foley (the tambourine-like jingles in the quieter part with the cat samples) had a slight sibilant edge to them. It wasnât bad, didnât hurt my ears, just felt a bit too sharp for my taste. I also feel weâre in the same boat in regards to very short, transient-like sounds. I love that shit, but they can be extremely hard to balance properly. For me itâs pretty much impossible with headphones. 90% of the time you totally nailed them, but towards the end they got a bit out of hand here and there. Just felt a bit too loud for me when listening on speakers, poking out too much.
This track has easily the best drum programming of the whole compo IMO! I liked it, I liked it a lot! Well done!
Lneheb - Infinite Power of Gwa
Well this is hot! I like the sound design, I like the strucutre. A very successful meshing of different styles and vibes. It feels very contrasted, and yet very coherent. I wasnât a fan of the vocal sample in the beginning, but with the distorted bass it does work really well! I enjoyed the chiptune-ish stuff too! For me the basses in this track were the most enjoyable in the whole compo!
And this is probably the loudest track in this compo too? I do get a feeling that this track could use some more âbreathing roomâ dynamically, just feels a bit squashed to me. Like it was pushed into limiter a tad bit too much. Some things are distorted in a way that I donât feel helps the track at all. Might be a preference thing though, so take with a big grain of salt!
Overall, I liked the track! Good job!
Olivier - MuTaNT BReaks 14
A very nice, simple, enjoyable and straightforward track. It does have a quality of a first draft though. Some deliberate automation and some ear candy here and there would probably make it feel more finished. The drums did feel a bit stagnant and repetitive. And the track as a whole could use some syncopation to make it groove more.
I really digged the cat sample! It brought a very nice harmonic element to the track and sort of tied everything together for me. And it is a nice, coherent track throughout! Very enjoyable listen, good job!
Krokodildo Audio - Felix Theme
A very personal track. This could very well be in a video game and I would absolutely be jamming away to it. I like that the track is pretty much completely composition driven (as opposed to âproduction drivenâ). Thereâs no fancy tricks to hype the track beyond what the music itself is doing. And I feel that with this track, that really serves the track well! I also like your sounds choices for their coherency: everything feels like a part of a greater totality. This is a really nice composition! I like it a lot! Extremely well done!
Adrezonar / TeuTone - Psycadelic Vibes (feat.lilith93)
A very good mix. I dig the energy and the vibes. The track is relying on some cliches from similar dance music, and that serves the track well. Good sound choices, I like the clap/snare. I also really like the overall atmosphere. This track has managed to pull off the effect of having long, sustained sounds that sort of âfloatâ above the beat in a very pleasing way. Gives the whole track a sort of floating feeling. Vocals and the guitar lick bring a pleasing melodic element to the composition. Everything feels intentional and well tied together.
So overall a very well made dancey track! I could shake a few moves to this on a festival.
ghismart - We Are The Mutant Cats
A straighforward track with some extremely âmeowyâ sounds. 
I like the way this track is very true and honest to the ideas it presents. Drumloop and the melody are very very nice in their simplicity, and the track doesn´t pretend to be anything else than what it is. The vocals are my favourite vocals in the whole compo!
The track is musically coherent, well mixed and a very fun listen. Good job!
PR0T0TYPE - MeowZers!
I like the opening purrs. I like the drums and synths. I like the dynamics and the structure of the track. And I especially like the piano, it sounds fantastic! The cat samples are integrated in a very nice way too. I like what you´ve done musically! And I like the mix too!
This track instantly grabbed my attention and held it troughout. Well done!
TNT (FFM) - MBCat
Now there´s a cat I wouldn´t want to get too close to! Nice touch with the emergency call, it gives the track a narrative continuum and suddenly the angry cat in the opening is given a new meaning.
I like your synth sounds a lot. The way you´ve âgatedâ/chopped the cat sample rythmically makes this track really shine. The mix is clean and coherent, nothing pokes out. And Phoscyon does sound fabulous! That filter could just as well be from a real 303. I do love me some acid squelching, and this track did deliver! Great job!
Garfferen - Crouching Dog, Hidden Kitty
I like it! Veeeery nice sound choices! Well mixed too! And also I really dig this compositionally, there´s some drama in the arc of the track. This track has the best build up of energy in the whole compo: from around 50 seconds onward really grabbed me. I absolutely love that synth riff! At times this track actually reminded me of something like Merkaba or Tetrameth. It´s probably the percussion against the synth, the kick and all the non-repetitive accent-like sounds.
I like it, got my head bopping a bit. Well done!
soundbike - major cat bromance
This track made me say out loud: âThat I certainly did not see comingâ. A very quirky, personal and musical composition! It´s like the track is loudly and proudly exclaiming: âhey, check it out, I´m in a happy major scale and I can make it work musically like you never could!â. Even the meows are in tune with the silly major goodnes! I love it!
The mix could maybe use some more work, it feels a bit congested to me in some places, mostly in the middle part. I donât know what I would do to it, but I get a feeling that things are somehow overlapping eachother a tad much for me. Though bear in mind, that this might very well be a preference thing, since I tend to get that feeling very easily with music that involves distorted guitars. I got a weird love-hate attitude towards guitars.
Itâs a jolly good track with some very enjoyable meows and melodies. I like it! Great work!
Jek - MinHouseCat
I see where the track got itâs name from. Itâs the good old groovy âboots-and-catsâ with a real cat for once! And it is very house-y!
Compositionally the middle part is my favourite, and the last part (after the vocal sample) my least favourite. I feel the last part is in a slightly dissonant contrast against what came before it. It feels disconnected. Itâs probably because of the sudden change of tonality, or because to my ears the âstabâ thatâs played in the parts before the vocal sample has distinctly different feeling emotionally than the steeldrum-ish melodies in the last part. It sort of feels like a totally different track thatâs just sliced to the end of another track. Itâs not bad, it just breaks the coherence of the track for me. But bear in mind, this might be just my own aesthetic preference/ignorance (I donât listen to house much, and hence am not too familliar with all the idiosyncrasies of the genre).
As for the mixing, itâs a good mix, nothing to critique really. Maybe could use some more air and sparkle here and there? After listening to this track, I was very much left pondering about a question I have never seriously thought about before: is this mix too dynamic? I donât know, probably no, because the whole concept of a mix being too dynamic sounds kinda silly (for me at least, being a classical music lover and all). Mix can be incoherent and all over the place dynamically, and a mix can feel like itâs âshyâ and could use some more muscle in the form of compression and other squash etc. But can it be too dynamic, if the dynamics are intentional and make sense musically? I donât know, maybe? All of this thinking was sparked by the quiet transition at around 1:52. It just somehow felt extremely quiet to me, at least in the context of the levels in other parts of the track. But it being that quiet might also have been exactly what you were going for, or you might completely disagree with me and feel that it is not as quiet as I make it to be. But regardless of wheter or not it is what you were going for, in the end precisely that quiet part made me feel inspired. Itâs a bold move to make something extremely quiet, and I like it as an idea! I like it a lot!
My aesthetic preferences aside, it is a very nice track with a very fitting name! Good work!
Memory Canyon - Renoise Mutant Breaks #14
A shorter, straightforward track. I like the cats in the first 30 seconds! I like the slightly syncopated bass riff! I like the chirpy arps! For my ears, this track still feels a bit like a sketch of a track. Thereâs some very clear ideas that do work, but the music could use some more elaboration. It has all the necessary ingredients for a full length minimal track, maybe could use some more ear candy and some âproduction elementsâ. Some of the sounds are very interesting already though: I especially like what youâve done with the abusement of the streching algorithms. Extremely cool sounds there!
Otherwise, he woulda got my vote, too