Still on the Internet, Still a Nobody
Hello there, I’ve just dropped in to let you know about another new musical release, this one a two track EP of extended modular synth pieces.
Not only can you listen to and purchase my two latest compositions via the embedded player below, but you can watch the accompanying videos here, too.
Enjoy the full audio visual experience and don’t forget you can check out the rest of my music on my Bandcamp profile
Good evening, I hope your week is going well, I’m here to announce the release of my latest collection of musical projects; Synth Asylum.
Over the last few months I have been getting to grips with some new synths and sequencers, while expanding my music production techniques and exploring ever more peculiar sounds.
But in a good way, obviously.
So here it is, play for free via the embedded player below, or purchase the album or any individual tracks at my Bandcamp profile.
Also, here are some videos which I made to accompany tracks on the album.
Have a great Christmas and a fabulous New Year.
Hi there, it’s time once again to update you on the recent highlights of my musical ouvre, accompanied by the usual mind-bending videos.
First up, a down tempo ambient soundscape called 16.666%
The next one is equally ethereal, but more organic, as suggested by the title; Autumnal Ambient 1612.
Switching gears now, it’s remix time; with a completely bonkers rework of Westbam‘s version of …And More by Krautrock godfathers CAN.
After all that insanity, let the warm, soothing tones of my modular synth mesmerise you, with the first of two new compositions, Quantum Dots.
More trance-like multimedia immersion now, with the punningly titled πano
And bringing us right up to date, here are a trio of tracks from this weekend, starting with a satisfyingly squelchy drone, called Amorphous 0049
Then we go in the opposite direction, featuring more percussion than anyone could sensibly need in one track, this is Minimal Blip.
And finally, here’s my ’80s Garage Meltdown Mix a big, bouncy burst of electropop nostalgia; ’80s inspired synths and drum machines, with added garage beats and strange glitching noises.
I hope you found something to entertain you amongst that collection, check out my Bandcamp page for previous releases and stay tuned for more new material soon…
For my latest audio visual project, I have been taking words out of other people’s mouths and using them as integral components of my compositions, even if they’re not entirely intelligible.
I began with vocal samples of notable cult figures that I isolated from YouTube videos; Philip K Dick, David Lynch, Timothy Leary and Alan Ginsberg, which I then treated with effects and built the music round them.
Here’s Philip K Dick talking about the concept of living in “The Matrix”, long before Neo met Agent Smith in the movie.
Next up, David Lynch explaining Transcendental Meditation via the humble donut.
And now a potted history of LSD, with ’60s counterculture heroes, Leary and Ginsberg
Once I got the hang of this new ouvre, I requested volunteers from the many writers and poets on my social media feeds, hoping they could record some original material to further inspire me.
The first to offer his services was Al Jagiello from Chicago, who sent me some clips from his podcast, “Population”, which I turned into this jolly little number; Katz & Dogz.
There will be more where that came from, I can assure you.
Watch this space…
In case anyone missed it, I’m a massive fan of David Lynch in general and the unique soap noir which is Twin Peaks in particular.
By extension, I’m also a big fan of the late musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist, Angelo Badalamenti.
I suppose it was only a matter of time before one or other of them featured in my musical endeavours and at the weekend I embarked on a project which involves them both.
I began by extracting just the vocal tracks from two Lynch/Badalamenti collaborations, “A Real Indication“ and “The Black Dog Runs At Night” and fed them into my sampler. I applied layers of effects to the vocals before adding a lot of industrial electronica and even more effects, then started on the video.
The raw materials were just a few clips from Twin Peaks and its prequel, Fire Walk With Me, which I chopped and blended and sprinkled with electronic fairy dust, before adding the newly recorded soundtrack to produce An Unreal Indication
{Contains flashing and potentially disturbing images}
Welcome to part one of this, my latest roundup of an increasingly prolific musical output.
First up, here’s another new tune composed on my modular synth; a burbling ambient soundscape, with some added sample sequences for a bit of structure, this is Thrumm.
Next it’s an epic techno odyssey called Conduit To Sector 17, made using the same technique, with another bespoke synth framework.
Followed by a big orchestral production number made from samples and sequences, with a video editing spectacular to match.
Stay tuned for part two, a Twin Peaks inspired multimedia masterpiece…
Time for another burst of sonic shock and awe, one from each of my modular synth setups; starting with this beefed up remix of my Puls8 track, with added loops, beats and samples and an FX laden visual accompaniment.
And then there’s a completely new tune, a complex, glitchy electronica piece created using Hexen, mixed with a percussion track made on my sampler. The videos took me the best part of a day each and they are both definitely best enjoyed in full HD.
The time has come for me to move on up to the next level of music production, using programmable modular synthesizers.
Now, having no idea how any of these things work (as usual), I once again embarked on the experimental stage of a steep learning curve.
The first synth app I treated myself to is called HEAT; featuring a bewildering array of switches, sliders and knobs with nothing in the way of instructions…
…however, with a lot of fiddling and twiddling and many hours of making unlistenable noises, I started to get to grips with the huge number of variable sonic parameters and worked out how to control and manipulate the sounds it produces.
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If possible, the second virtual synth I bought is even more complicated and goes by the name HEXEN. It is described as a “eurorack modular synth” and allows me to build an unlimited combination of modules (sequencers, samplers, oscilloscopes, tape units, effects generators, etc) on the rack’s six shelves, using an endless supply of patch cables.
Having eventually discovered how to add modules and record the resulting output with a tape unit, I’m now learning to incorporate the infinite possibilities of Hexen into fully mixed tracks, but for now here’s a video of it running my first attempt at a programmed sequence.
And finally, here’s my first completely original production using the HEAT synth, also featuring drum patterns and samples which were added at the mixing stage; ladies and gentlemen, I give you the decidedly colourful video for Puls8.
Hello, Happy New Year and welcome to part two of this roundup of recent audio visual output, this time focusing on music I made entirely by myself, as opposed to adding to/remixing existing material.
I created each of these compositions using dozens of samples, which I patiently assembled from the hundreds I’ve found by trawling the internet, then added extra layers of sound by mixing two or more of these initial sequences together.
The videos are made with a variety of pattern generating and editing apps, often using several different versions superimposed on top of each other, then multiple layers of effects are added (because I never did know when to stop) to achieve the sometimes retina-bothering results you see below.
I’m aware my sonic noodlings are sometimes rather long, which is a result of my preferred method of a “live jamming” recording process. I really only make the accompanying videos because YouTube links are the easiest to share, so if prolonged exposure is a bit much for you, I quite understand. ;~}
There is a whole load more music which is yet to be released into the wild, so my next project will be to compile some of that into my third Bandcamp album of original material. Watch this space for details.
Anyway, to the music.
This first one started out as a silent experiment in overlaying animations and I thought it needed a soundtrack, so I repurposed an old track of mine with some effects, just for fun.
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After which, there’s this, the first result of the aforementioned experimentation. I started making the video one weekend and didn’t get round to finishing it, so it sat there in my editing app all week and every now and again I’d have an idea like; “Ooh, what this needs is loads of dancing robots…”
Then I’d think of another layer of effects to apply, then another, and another.
After the slightly creepy, pumpkin headed dancing men arrived, I figured it was time to stop
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Here’s a slice of psychedelic disco for you, the video is a bit like being sucked into a funky wormhole.
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Trance and techno more your sort of thing? Try this great big wall of sound production, it’s pretty damn anthemic, even if I do say so myself. (You could even check out the Extended Breakbeat Remix, should you so wish)
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And finally there’s this, well, I’m not sure what you’d call it, but it certainly builds to a very satisfactory crescendo of interesting noises.
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Stay tuned for part three, coming soon…
Time for an update on my DIY musical output, so hold onto your ears and limber up your eyeballs.
I thought I’d split the more recent sonic experiments into two separate posts; original compositions (featured in the next post) and remixes of existing tracks by other artists, including a genuine collaboration with a musician friend in Russia, which gets a post all of its own.
In this collection of extended remixes, complete with their own bespoke, psychedelic videos, any additional music you hear in the mix was created by me using my virtual sampler, sequencer and mixing decks and the videos were also produced and edited by yours truly.
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RETURN OF THE INTERNET NOBODY 