Traffic Jam - Spivkurl

17th Jul 2015 14:03 - 11 years ago
Description : Got a new track here, which seems to fit with the hardcore aesthetic, what with the tempo, hard kicks, and driving bass. We'll see what others' will hear though. This song has been about 11 months in the making, and finally came together with the addition of some psycholotrystic field recordings. No evil spirits were harmed during the recording of this song. Features my circuit bent Tyco Hotkeyz, a track of modular synth, and some helpful controllerism. This is meant to be on dirty lofi side for the most part, so don't come complaining to me...! Thanks for listening!

Comments (29)

If you have time take a listen and give Spivkurl some feedback.

gorkempasa68
gorkempasa68 17th Apr 2022 00:26 - 4 years ago
bir şey olacağını düşünüyordum, ama bunun yerine sadece kendi tanıtımım. Her
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 12th Aug 2022 - 4 years ago
Google çeviri kabaydı, ama sanırım mesajı aldım. Yorum için teşekkür ederiz!
topvega
topvega 23rd Aug 2015 02:02 - 11 years ago
This was fun and unlike the title I didn't feel like I was in a Traffic Jam. In fact I felt the opposite. Like I was speeding down a highway. Nice job.

tv
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 28th Aug 2015 - 11 years ago
Thank you very much for listening TV! As I've mentioned elsewhere in the comments, I didn't have anything in mind relating to vehicles when creating this song, in fact I could count on one hand the number of times I have actually driven a car. It's more along the lines of someone making a conscious choice to move aside, and allow someone to speed down the highway of life... an idea/action which seems to be becoming part of the past. The "trying to avoid a traffic jam" sample at the end was recorded from a real person in real life, so that makes it comforting to realize that is not a non-existent idea yet. Very happy to hear from you on this track, and to read your words!
DanGoldstein
DanGoldstein 9th Aug 2015 16:37 - 11 years ago
came back for another listen. your stuff is intense and pretty advanced compared to mine so it is always an inspiration and a lot of learning. neat track. regards.
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 28th Aug 2015 - 11 years ago
Hey Dan, thank you for listening again! I do have a soft spot for intensity of almost any kind... And "advanced" is a nice compliment! I would be disappointed in myself if my music wasn't somewhat advanced after this long. I actually find the composition pretty simple usually, but the supporting technology is advanced, which helps. I can only claim a little bit of credit for that part. It's always good to hear from you! Here's hoping you've uploaded something new!
LosCoz
LosCoz 8th Aug 2015 22:09 - 11 years ago
I liked what I heard. Sounds a lot like 90s Jungle. I'm old school so I'm naturally inclined to that sort of music, especially music from the 90s.
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 28th Aug 2015 - 11 years ago
Cool that it brought you back to the nineties! I actually did not know what jungle was in the nineties.... I was completely out of touch with media of any kind. Spent stoned days listening to bootleg concerts, jazz records, and folk music tapes mostly. No TV, no computer, not even a radio... or a bed for that matter, ha ha. Things are so different now. Thank you very much for listening and leaving your words!
Kikajon
Kikajon 8th Aug 2015 21:06 - 11 years ago
so cool, just came back to the site and found this! Made me happy. /pmk
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 28th Aug 2015 - 11 years ago
Yo PMK, how's it been going? Great to see you visiting looperman every now and then! Glad that you enjoyed the listen! Songwriting wise, it's not my most special of late, but this one is always fun to hear. Thank you for leaving a comment!
madscape
madscape 1st Aug 2015 05:31 - 11 years ago
Extremely clever with all drones and mods! Impressive work! The way you crafted this reminds me so much of the late great Frank Zappa. Any listener can tell the time and work you spent with the integration. The coloring is spot on!
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 28th Aug 2015 - 11 years ago
Hey there madscape, thank you for listening and leaving a nice comment! I do appreciate cleverness of course! I don't know about the reference to "drones," as I don't remember inserting anything like that... I could be wrong. I totally dig the *idea* of Frank Zappa, though I have little experience actually listening to his work... just a bit of time spent on "Mothers Of Invention." Thank you for noticing the time put into this... when I think about the real time put into my recent works, it's a bit overwhelming. For example if you consider what went into modifying the HotKeyz which was the driving force in composing the track - I had that toy on the chopping block for almost ten years! I totally appreciate your kind words!
mobyplay
mobyplay 27th Jul 2015 18:51 - 11 years ago
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 25th Aug 2015 - 11 years ago
I was thinking this would have something unauthorized to do with my track, but instead it's just self promotion. Either way it's a bit annoying.
MOONLYTE
MOONLYTE 26th Jul 2015 19:59 - 11 years ago
Very strange but i dig
-EYEDYE
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 23rd Aug 2015 - 11 years ago
I am pretty strange, but I only dig if it's in the dirt... heh. Thank you for listening and leaving a comment!
RichieWinn
RichieWinn 25th Jul 2015 21:57 - 11 years ago
Hi SK

I'm so out of my depth making any useful contribution here but I always like the challenge of listening to music that isn't in my comfort zone. You challenge me every time and I keep coming back and listening. This is hypnotic and very well crafted. Love the little "oh oh" too. A sense of humour is always welcome. Great job.

Richie
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 23rd Aug 2015 - 11 years ago
Hey Richie, it's always good to hear from you! No need to feel pressure to give critique, as honestly I rarely go back and change things after uploading any more. I'm happy with the reactions to this song, as hardcore electronic is not a very common listening preference, and yet most people who normally listen to my track are showing up to the party any way. I was having a hypnotic time in life in many ways, and it shows through in my work recently. That "uh oh" was from a field recording, and I should really find that kid to thank them... It adds a lot to the effect of the track. I appreciate you listening and leaving a comment my friend!
DanGoldstein
DanGoldstein 25th Jul 2015 18:16 - 11 years ago
brilliant mix, Spiv. and the sounds are just crazy. Really you have evolved such a distinctive, cool style and sound. It's not easy to do. i wish i had the patience to let a track gestate for 11 months! good for you! big congrats on this! Dan
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 23rd Aug 2015 - 11 years ago
Hey Dan, thank you for taking some time to listen to this one! I'm pretty happy with it, and I'm also happy that people are enjoying the listen. It hasn't been so much of a matter of patience with my recent tracks taking so long, but more the vast amount of obstacles which crop up. I had to wash my brain out a little bit and do something totally different for the track I uploaded today, which has patching and recording take under three hours (live). I really appreciate your positive words!
XyIlent
XyIlent 25th Jul 2015 16:19 - 11 years ago
Hey Spiv, dont think ive commented on one your tracks for a long time but had to this time..
Very creative and weird track, theres something very appealing to it that makes me want to bounce around in my chair and headbang haha
Im not a hardcore electro type of guy (anymore) but this is friggin cool!..

Nice one man!
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 22nd Aug 2015 - 11 years ago
Bouncing and headbanging is definitely one of the positive side effects of good hardcore, so I'm really happy to hear your words! I've tried so many times to create a believable hardcore song, without much luck until now... it seems people are reacting well to it. I take no offence to weird, as I've always been a bit out there. Thank you for listening and commenting!
DM87
DM87 25th Jul 2015 13:02 - 11 years ago
The vibe I get is 70's kraut rock (but at a faster tempo).
It's also 6am, so my take may change once I have some freakin coffee.
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 9th Aug 2015 - 11 years ago
Hey, thank you for listening and leaving a comment! I actually couldn't name you a kraut rock band off the top of my head, so I'm not sure on that point. As far as 6am and coffee goes, I am totally right with you there. It's difficult to enjoy that part of the morning without a little coffee... get the cat some breakfast, then make some coffee. heh. I appreciate it!
StaticNomad
StaticNomad 24th Jul 2015 23:23 - 11 years ago
This comment is hidden.
PRINCELECTRO
PRINCELECTRO 24th Jul 2015 22:26 - 11 years ago
hey spiv , nice choose of track name , im about to sleep but this hard stuff makes me dance ! i loved how you create an amazing track with simple repetitive melodies. Great!
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 9th Aug 2015 - 11 years ago
Hey there, thank you for the listen and comment! As long as you weren't dancing in your sleep too much, I think the effects are okay. I limited the loops that I sampled from the hotkeyz for this, as I don't want to use up it's musical value right away, so that is part of the repetitive nature of the track. I wouldn't have thought of the title without the voice sample in the outro, it just seemed to work though. I appreciate your words!
Tomzovic
Tomzovic 24th Jul 2015 18:39 - 11 years ago
sounds like some music from 90s
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 8th Aug 2015 - 11 years ago
Well, I was a teenager in the 90's so that makes perfect sense, but than considering the subject matter, I must assume that you mean the late 90's... I was not of this world in the late 90's so I can't say it was a big influence. I didn't really know what hardcore was until the new millenium... was mostly listening to old jazz and folk in the late 90's. Either way, I take it as a compliment that it sounds "vintage" to you. Thank you for leaving a comment!
theHumps
theHumps 24th Jul 2015 10:08 - 11 years ago
Hey Spiv! Good description, set me up for the listen. Holy cow, 11 months?

oh-ho, love that sample! There are some cool chopped vocal samples with heavy amounts of effects effectively popping up here and there. That and the synths you've manipulated go together great.

The overall production, to me, sounds like you captured exactly what you were going for, a low fi type of production but it's definitely not low quality. Let's not get them confused, this is quite a quality track and very different from almost everything else I hear at the loop. A bit like Gary Newman meets Devo, then genetically modified with your genes! lol

Always a pleasure!

Wayne
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 8th Aug 2015 - 11 years ago
Hey Wayne, thanks for stopping by! I'd love to be able to label this song "Non GMO" , but with some of these vocal clips, I can't do that with a clear conscience. Really, the vocals clips are not very heavily effected, which is a bit scary. There are some very disturbing individuals around this town I call home. I've been trying to make a decent hardcore song for a long long time, and I think this is about the best yet... I'm going by the observation that this is #2 for plays and #1 for comments within the genre here on looperman today. You're quite right, low fidelity and low quality are not the same thing. It's good that it doesn't sound like the every day looperman track offering to you. I really have never enjoyed Gary Numan, and have no real opinion of Devo (I like Mothersbaugh though). From what you said, it sounds to me like I impregnated them, then they bred a child which was this song... creepy image. Thank you for listening and leaving your words!
dani9991
dani9991 22nd Jul 2015 18:09 - 11 years ago
oldschool but fresh,I would love to hear a drum and bass mix of this :)
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 7th Aug 2015 - 11 years ago
Hey, thanks for stopping by to listen! Honestly, I have always thought of hardcore as a precursor to jungle whick was kind of a precursor to modern DnB. I honestly don't know what a DnB mix of this would entail. I don't really do remixes of my songs lately, so don't hold your breath. I appreciate you listening and leaving a comment!
crucethus
crucethus 22nd Jul 2015 17:20 - 11 years ago
This comment is hidden.
Evolushroom
Evolushroom 22nd Jul 2015 00:17 - 11 years ago
AWESOME bro….. ;)
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 4th Aug 2015 - 11 years ago
Hey thanks much! I appreciate you taking a listen!
OmarMuk
OmarMuk 19th Jul 2015 23:06 - 11 years ago
Phatkatz said it best here.
You are a scientist of sound lol really awesome guitar-synth for the main riff/melody. Your classic synth sound that comes in at the 40 sec mark is like your trademark sound. You really brought not only energy but intensity to the track. The first 35 sec sounded like it needed to be part of an action trailer of some sort.

11 months in the making?! So Im not the only one that has unfinished music that Ive started on ages ago and still tweaking with haha?

Anyways Spiv gotta hand it to you again. Really excellent production and of course you bring that classic uniqueness and style
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 4th Aug 2015 - 11 years ago
Hey Omar, thank you for this comment and for being patient in my replies both here and away. That keytar (or guitboard if you are flight of the conchords inclined) thing is pretty fun for sure. You mention the trademark sound, and while I can pick it out, I think you are probably right. For me intensity is one of the most important qualities music can have, so I take that as a compliment! I rarely watch action movies any more, unless they are crossover from things like horror or comedy, but I can hear what you mean. 11 months is quite a while to keep something on my plate, but it seems to be more and more common for me. Just like when I'm designing and building electronics, I feel comfortable when I have a huge back log of things to work on. For example, on my last album, I started about 120 songs to settle on the 19 or whatever ended up on the album. Thanks for your positive support here, I appreciate it! I'll try to reply to you in email soon as well.
BeatMaker4real
BeatMaker4real 19th Jul 2015 22:09 - 11 years ago
Sounds super clean, great mix
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 31st Jul 2015 - 11 years ago
Thanks for that... It should sound really dirty with what went into it. That can't be bad can it?
Danke
Danke 18th Jul 2015 16:25 - 11 years ago
Hello Spiv!

You know, I'm not an electro (specially hardcore) man but this is bloody cool...the pulsation of the song is outstanding...every foot got to move...like your vintage dissonant synth harmonies...

All in all, it's very creative and happy robotic sounded work...:-)

With my handshake, Danke
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 31st Jul 2015 - 11 years ago
Us happy robots thank you Danke! I'm glad that your feet had the urge to move here. It's hard to make hardcore music which dislikers of hardcore can enjoy, so that is a compliment. When I was younger I thought of vintage as things made before I was born, and it's funny, now thing which seem like just yesterday are considered vintage... weird... vintage cell phones? huh?! Well, thank you for listening and leaving a positive comment! Have a good day!
Burtsbluesboxes
Burtsbluesboxes 18th Jul 2015 05:03 - 11 years ago
I listened to this this morning on SC then went to the city with all the traffic. Just kept thinking of this and how well it represented that! Sweet synth jam! :p I'm always going to think of you as a Mad Scientist of sound, always experimenting and tweaking things :D
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 26th Jul 2015 - 11 years ago
Hey there, thank you for leaving a comment here on LM! It's interesting that you're not the only one who mentioned the traffic jam representation... I totally have no reference point of a traffic jam from the view of a driver, and it wasn't really what I was going for. As I see, this is okay, as more people will probably appreciate it if it will work as a driving type song. I'm really enjoying all the gear I have to work with right now, more instruments than time it seems. I am mad, and I do like science, so I can take what you say as a compliment. Very pleased to read your words! Have a great day!
Orlando51
Orlando51 18th Jul 2015 02:54 - 11 years ago
You really managed to evoke the hysteria of traffic jam in this one....wild and energetic as it gets...really high level of creativity and inventiveness....very good production!
Faved !:)

Compliments____Orlando
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 25th Jul 2015 - 11 years ago
Hi Orlando, your comment is a bright moment in my day! Honestly, I have never once been a driver in a traffic jam situation, and I never though about automobiles at all when composing this one. Seems like this track turned out to be very open to interpretation, and I'm happy with that. I tried not to over-do the complexity on this, as I find it ruins the present tense sometimes. Thank you for listening and faving this track!
Evolushroom
Evolushroom 17th Jul 2015 23:38 - 11 years ago
Hello Spivkurl
relay funny sound and full on like the retro style of it, nice done…..
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 25th Jul 2015 - 11 years ago
Hey, thanks friend! I actually find this song very humorous as well. I think the momentum keeps up throughout, which is nice. Thank you for stopping in to listen and comment!
joecramer
joecramer 17th Jul 2015 20:42 - 11 years ago
Nice sound for this intro.
All other sounds and synths in this wild track are realy great.
This is an exelent - headphone - track.
I bet it would be much fun to walk to streets full with cars and people and all are bussy and have this one on the mp3 player ......
Like always i enjoy your wild mixes between old 80´s feeling and new things. And also your way you made music just so that the music burns itself into the brain of the listener. A little bit like a ride on a knife edge. Cool!

Great track Spivkurl

stay tuned
joe
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 25th Jul 2015 - 11 years ago
You are right about the headphone aspect, as this was mostly composed and mixed through headphones. "I bet it would be much fun to walk to streets full with cars and people and all are bussy and have this one on the mp3 player ...... " You have just described much of my weekend habits during the time I have been making this track... songs like you describe are definitely some of my favorites. Can't go wrong with a little brain burn! Thank you for that! Your words are quite pleasing to read, as usual... I appreciate it!
StaticNomad
StaticNomad 17th Jul 2015 16:01 - 11 years ago
Yo, Spiv.

This is pretty cool stuff and I like it much more than I expected. I thought it would just be a load of squelchy synth noise.

Your main riff is a good and insistent one and a bit like some driving dirty guitar work from quite a few bands. I play riffs like that.

New melodies and weird noises enter when things kick off properly on 0:42.

My only complaint about the drums is that they stay very much on the minimal, closed hat side of things whereas some crashing or ride cymbal work would make this take off a lot more and provide some nice drum contrast. I know we differ a lot when it comes to, let's say, "drum philosophy", so I guess you've done what you wanted.

Some definite trippy, psychedelic druggy synth elements in here and you can definitely groove to it.

A good mix too even though I understand that it's supposed to be lo-fi and dirty.

Is that "uh oh" sample from The Teletubbies children's TV show?

Congrats, Mr Spiv.
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 24th Jul 2015 - 11 years ago
Hey SN, This may be the best and most positive comment I have received from you EVER. Squelchy synth noise is definitely not my forte, so I'm happy that I passed that test. The main riff is all courtesy the Tyco HotKeyz that I modified over almost a decade. It has some freaking amazing riffs and a great sounding filter, so with some expansion it has much range. It is a very rock/funk oriented item though, so is a bit far from my comfort zone. I think that's where the weirdness comes in. This is definitely one of my least drum oriented songs ever... there are only a few patterns in total used in different combos. I have grown to love minimal drums in every way, though at this moment I can't say what instruments the drums are from. To be honest, since Spivkurl began, ride and crash cymbals have been iconic as the anti-crust if that makes sense. Some of my songs have them, but they are an embarrassment. It sounds like pop-rocks to me, uh ohhh. You are right that we differ a lot... I would never try to sound like a live drummer unless I was being one. My whole life has been psychedelia, whether I chose it or not, so I might as well groove to it. The lo fi and dirty mostly comes from the source, and as I see that's how it should be, so I appreciate that you enjoyed the mix. Tried not to deflate the reality. The "uh oh" is not from teletubbies, in fact I have never seen the show. It is in fact from real children in the past week... horribly over medicated brain damaged children that are our future, if there is one at all. Either way, this is one of the most satisfying comments I've received from you, and I've bben looking forward to replying! Thank you for that!
DesignedImpression
DesignedImpression 17th Jul 2015 15:29 - 11 years ago
Well that was one traffic jam that didnt piss me off haha. I mean you can hear some anger in the sounds but you make me smile about it, creative work. Good you finally got around to finishing her up. Has this retroness to it, I dig it! Definitely liking the lofi control to it. Keep doing it Pat! Thanks for sharing, Peace.
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 24th Jul 2015 - 11 years ago
Ha ha, honestly I have little to no experience with automobile related traffic jams; on the contrary I am a professional pedestrian, so traffic jams are not so easy to pin down. The sample at the end refers to this sort of traffic jam... where you get out of someone's way or let them go, and they treat you like a retard... Really there is only a couple seconds of anger in the whole track. Have many more songs in the works, but lots of other things in the works too, so it may be a while like this one. Thank you very much for visiting this song in it's various homes!
promenade2239
promenade2239 17th Jul 2015 15:21 - 11 years ago
hello:)

wow! this is cool. it has the real power. it will sound powerful on any device, there's no way around it!

I just came here to see if my green 'promenade' account is still there - right at this moment I find myself listening to your music... but seriously this is very cool synth jam eventhough it is fully controlled in a way (which is always the case). fine vocal sampling (thanks! - I always appreciate when members are posting lyrics haha) and it has a perfect length for a song (3:44 is nice also).

I assume this would be an older idea developed/finished currently. Am I right? Just curious about the creative process.

Really solid production with very powerful sound!

best to you, Alex
Spivkurl
Spivkurl replied 20th Jul 2015 - 11 years ago
Hey Alex, I appreciate you being the first one to listen and comment (again!). Happy you found it to be a synth jam, as really the "jam" in the title only referenced the ending, vocals sample and overall feeling. Just thought adding the lyric would be humorous. I started working on this one September of last year, and worked it on and off throughout the winter... then switching over to FL studio 12, I started working it again. The power really comes from some of the devices used for some of the audio, namely the tyco hotkeyz... It is a very analog sounding thing, partly due to the filter section (or "wah" as it is noted on the toy). It's been heavily modified with gain/resonance/range type additions. Never been great at the hardcore style, but I think this one works pretty good. It's the first song based on this toy. Thank you again for your comment.

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