I created a playlist on my iPod with all the songs from my personal soundtrack posting last week, just to actually listen through them and collect my thoughts about them. I put it on again today and put it on shuffle and let it play them in whatever random order it felt like, and it’s … [Read more…]
Strap yourselves in kids, this one’s a long one… Driven, I guess, by boredom I’ve decided to make a list of the songs that, were my life to have a soundtrack, would comprise it’s track listing. Some of these are just songs I really enjoy listening to, others hold deep personal meaning or are tied … [Read more…]
Finished another new track! This track is the yang to the yin of my last couple tracks. Whereas the last couple I did were rooted in randomness and chaos (mostly for the timbre, synth patches and whatnot) this track is planted firmly in the corner or order. All the rhythmic and tonal structure is based … [Read more…]
Well, looks like the dance room at the Ferndale Record Time outside Detroit has closed. I only visited it on a couple of occasions, but always found good stuff when I did. Plus, it’s a piece of techno (and Detroit) history. The official word from Record Time head honcho Mike Himes: (with a spot of … [Read more…]
Nope, no rumor-whoring, I can wait until tomorrow for that. This one’s about Fiona Apple, I finally got around to listening to her new one, Extraordinary Machine, this morning. I’m not a huge Fiona Apple fan or anything, but I do enjoy putting on one of her records once in a while, and I do … [Read more…]
It’s been four years (apparently Martin Gore thinks he’s Trent Reznor or Peter Gabriel now) since Depeche Mode released the rather lackluster Exciter but they’ve finally got a new record out, Playing The Angel! It’s not released for another two weeks, but it’s out there if you know where to look. I actually didn’t mind … [Read more…]
How good the first few ZZ Top records were, back before they turned into A Flock Of Seagulls in the eighties. Thomas Brinkmann makes some of the coolest minimal techno around. I listened to his stuff for the first time in many, many months today, and it just blows my mind how creative the guy … [Read more…]
Okay, so I went back to the basic four-on-the-floor techno stuff here. I gotta write what comes out, not wat I want to write. Besides, I don’t mind the four-kick stuff so much anyway. This is another one of those kinda personal tracks, though the messages aren’t so subliminal this time (but still rather veiled.) … [Read more…]
This is breaking completely free of the usual over-structured four-kick techno stuff I usually do. I’ve been experimenting a lot with alternate grooves and random sound generation, and here’s the first result. It’s pretty much 7+ minutes of shifting textures and subliminal messages. Download (128k MP3) here: I Don’t Mind (Yes I Do)
This was an attempt to finally break free of my usual four-on-the-floor techno stuff. Less minimal and more abrasive than usual, and a bit random. Still thumping though, it just doesn’t go “boom-tsk-boom-tsk” the whole time. :) Download (128k MP3) here: Recurring Themes
This song was heavily influenced by the current events of my life, and, as such, is one of the more personal songs I’ve ever done. Not much more to say, really. The usual minimal techno style with a little added vocoded vocals for something new. Download (128k MP3) here: Diverging Paths
So, I just found out that Denis D'Amour ("Piggy") of the band VoiVod died from colon cancer last Friday. Damn. One of the most unique and inventive (and woefully under-appreciated) guitarists out there. The band may have had it's ups and downs and stylistic mis-steps over the years, but Piggy always had a style all … [Read more…]
I've recently started re-focusing on music theory when writing songs, and I have to admit I felt pretty guilty about and/or embarrassed of how much knowledge I'd forgotten over the years. I've spent too long obsessing over finding cool sounds and textures and then just throwing some random notes against the canvas, more as an … [Read more…]
Though I rarely listen to much metal any more, back in the day I was a huge metalhead. I was shaken down to my roots this afternoon when I learned of the murder of Pantera/Damageplan guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbott, shot dead on stage during a concert. He was one of the best guitar players out … [Read more…]
It's an old meme, but I still like it! Set the iPod to play randomly from all songs and post the first ten: 2 Dollar Egg – Towa The Ramones – I Wanna Be Sedated Olav Basoski – Watch Yo Step Slayer – Hardening Of The Arteries Rene Breitbarth – Sir Paul My Life With … [Read more…]