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The Holotype: Log II – Entry 3
Just a simple tweak to this today. I’ve added some pretty chuggy chords w/ a 7-String, and a cool little chorus pedaled arpeggio. It’s evolving; it feels like the scenery is in place now, next it needs vocals, structure… to become a song, basically.
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The Lyrical Process. Part One.
It starts by not thinking. If I sat down and tried to think up a lyric, I’d look like a dog being shown a card trick. Blankest of blank expressions. My approach to lyrics is just to capture enough stillness of mind that whatever words are there (and they’re always there) can come into focus.…
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The Holotype: Log II – Entry 2
It’s a game of two halves. The scene is set when I bring into focus the right kind of electronic elements with the right kind of live elements. So what are the right elements? As I mentioned recently, my refocusing of electronic sounds comes from revisiting the world of synth based music I grew up…
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The Holotype: Log II – Entry 1
Patrons will know this one. I was making a collection of new songs (“album” doesn’t quite sound right), which there was a series of behind the scenes webisodes made for. I’ll add those here soon, but this is Chapter 2 of that making of. I put the idea to bed for a bit, partly because…
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Trent Reznor on Synth History.
This is fascinating. TR didn’t get to be synth guru through happenstance; he had a really unique position to witness the development of synths in the late 70s and 80s. It’s really interesting to hear him poke at the popularity of the DX7; it’s influenced my use of software synths a lot with my use…
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Nine Oh Nine!
I love love LOVE 909s. I don’t own one obviously, but I’ve used so many hardware and software replications over the years. Something about that snare – punchy AND snappy – that gets me every time. Here’s a cool video by Doctor Mix showing some famous 909 patterns. Most are obvious, but at 1:23 –…
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Writing Funding Bids (The Writing bit).
Today I submitted my second application to Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice programme. It’s really great opportunity for artists to develop work without a lot of the pressures that traditional project grants involve. Crucially, there is no Match Funding needed, and no Audience. An Arts Council grant requires both of those things: you…
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Hold Your Kiss – Demo May 2019
So obviously, I’ve been super busy performing live. For 3 years. I haven’t recorded anything meaningful in years. Kinda fell out of love with it. So I’m breaking the silence in about the most low key way: with a demo. This is super rough, guide vocal, not mixed, just a microphone and a laptop. It’s…
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Glimpses At Retro Future.
There’s a lot to say on the subject of recording. I haven’t released any in a long time, have I? The irony is amazing to me; I thought I could only realistically progress as a Recording Artist; live music was so inaccessible. Now, my life has been about playing live for so long, I can…
