1st Listen:Cool vibe! I hear some distortion in the piano ... first noticed it at 0:33. Change instruments at some point... in an organized, hierarchical way to support the structure you've created. I hear unexpected notes on the last count of some phrases (1:24, 1:40, 2:26, and others...) that don't sound quite in key. The 20 sec drum-out kinda left my ass flappin' in the wind (not in a good way)... an ending would wrap things up nicely (a DJ would probably love that much runway
).
2nd & 3rd Listen:The ideas feel carefree & the progression solid. Maybe the bass could articulate a different rhythm? Give the bassline it's own identity and add some contrasting attitude to the track. The piano / bass in the intro & outtro kinda does this... but could be more pronounced. At 2:12, I'm feelin' a bass solo leading into the syncopated piano (which is probably my favorite part). The piano crescendos could use more creativity.
4th & 5th Listen:I like how the sidechain on the reverse cymbal rise isn't overbearing (0:30, 2:55). Very high mono-compatibility (which is good)... but, the track would benefit from more stereo separation. Placing instruments in the stereo field is an additional dimension you can use to add more energy and anticipation to your music, take more advantage of it.
You can drive your kick harder... see how it's below -18dB
For house, about -8dB is common for a kick. You say this isn't mastered yet, but your bass is hitting the -8dB range in this mix
. Take all this with a grain of salt, though... the style of this track (bassline over kick) might necessitate an adjusted balance. (Your track made this one come to mind:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUyP74RUDlI) Your track sounds like it could be in an early 90's SEGA game (Sonic the Hedgehog's early levels) - and that's a HUGE compliment!
FFT Analysis & Spectrograph of outtro:
