Risin Up

Spivkurl 5th Aug 2017

571 5 23 16

/ 05:13

Description : One of several live in studio tracks which I recorded in recent weeks. This one incorporated my DIY modular synth and a modified Yamaha DD-20 as the only instruments. The DD-20 was, in part, triggered at audio rates, enabled by the the input modifications. Not quite the usual spivkurl track which you may be accustomed to. I'm putting this in psychedelic, though it could easily fit into ambient, glitch or cinematic genres.

Comments (16)

So far 16 users have left a comment on this track.
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Mosaic on Sat 26th Aug 2017 - 1 month ago
Hey my friend

well this is something really different, totally loving it even the horse neigh, this is a piece that really makes you think and dissect the track, from what I'm hearing it has a chill vibe about it in a strange way but enjoy way...Impressive track my friend...Fav'd...Peace n Respect...mosaic...

Reply by Spivkurl Hey Mosaic, thank you for stopping by to hear this one!

I've been doing a lot more work in a live and spontaneous manner this year, as was my intention. I choose my instruments, I hook them together, and I record what I do with them. Sometimes there is an intention to begin with, sometimes not, but nothing beyond that really.

It is interesting hearing yourself and others speak about dissecting a track like this, considering only two instruments were used. I suppose I should take it as a compliment of the complexity of what was done with them, especially since they were either built or modified by me.

It is meant to be a bit chill, thoughtful or meditative, rather than some sort of dance or pop track.

I always appreciate hearing from you! Thanks!
BradoSanz on Tue 15th Aug 2017 - 2 months ago
Why is this so fun to listen to?!

I've been away for some time and I come back to THIS? Amazing!!

Spiv, you really know how to paint art with your synth skills. It doesn't follow a rhythm like typical music but it sure held my attention. It's almost relaxing, honestly lol. It IS actually entrancing, and I really enjoy that feeling lol. Beautiful piece of art here, Spiv. You never cease to impress me with your works, and for some reason I can't get over this one. That synth, the sporadic feeling of it all. Subtle hints of a beat but never quite forming something coherent for the mind to follow. Amazing! Bravo!

Brado

Reply by Spivkurl Thank you Brado for the awesome comment!

I would fully admit that the focus of this one was not rhythm, despite one of the two instruments being a drum oriented item. People other than those which we call animals seem to forget that rhythm goes far beyond the frequency which humans usually respond to. The frequency of a human audio range sine wave, for example, The rhythm is the swing of the waveform. With mathematics, we can divide it down and reference a tempo, yet this seems unnecessary.

In recent times, there seems to have developed an obsession with rhythms in a very low frequency... rhythms which the majority identifies with dancing. However, dancing is a very personal and subjective thing, and no external force can tell us how or when to dance. You never know what could happen!

Your words have humbled me, and I thank you. There was no specific intent when I recorded this, and as such I can not be held liable for the effects of what I have done. Call it a loop hole, ha ha.
silverman on Sat 12th Aug 2017 - 2 months ago
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/music/the-strangest-musical-instruments-youve-ever-seen/ss-AApPJnt?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=mailsignout&parent-title=saudi-singer-arrested-for-dabbing-says-he-did-it-by-accident&parent-ns=ar&parent-content-id=AApQUfo&fullscreen=true#image=1

Reply by Spivkurl Here's one that is installed here in our city... The carillon's largest bell weighs four tons! The video on this page is made featuring the previous musician who played them. Love and I went and heard the debut concert of the new player earlier this year.

http://sharing.mayoclinic.org/2010/08/10/hearing-bells-at-mayo-clinic-in-rochester-its-the-carillon/

We hear this everyday from our house.
crucethus on Fri 11th Aug 2017 - 2 months ago
You are in a zone right now. Amazing analogue representations.
There is a CD set I have called OHM the early gurus electronic music (1948-1980). I think you would love it. It comes with a 96 page book on the history of electronic music (experimental) and really explains the genesis of what you are doing so craftily and expertly. It's 3 CD's from Thomas Ziegler and Jason Gross, on ellipsis arts.
https://www.discogs.com/Various-OHM-The-Early-Gurus-Of-Electronic-Music/master/110524
peace
Cru

Reply by Spivkurl "You are in a zone right now." - I must say that this is a very kind thing to say, and not the sort of reaction I expected from a recording like this. I didn't think that I was in much of a zone, musically, but perhaps this is how it feels? I have been playing out a bit, in the park, under the bridge, and whatever. Also stealing inspiration from random strangers that I meet. It's fun/scary/painful.

This is a super dark time, possibly it will peak on Monday with the solar eclipse/new moon... but it's been a tough mercury retrograde, especially these past several days. The smoke from BC and Washington is hitting us now as well... not to mention the barbecue competition two blocks away! Hopefully I can avoid being disorderly over there for the first time in years (ha ha).

The CD collection you brought up seems familiar, and also enticing. A lot of the artists are familiar. I will have to see what I can find. We do have a record store in town now, so maybe he'll have it, though I doubt it. He seems more into 80's pop/rock/metal. Though he didn't have queensryche "Operation Mindcrime" when I stopped in there a few weeks ago... go figure. I'll find both eventually! Thanks for the recommendation!

I appreciate you stopping by to give some love on youtube as well. Hopefully when my lungs clear up from the smoke and opium season, the recordings will get better. I have the individual tracks from that video as well, so hopefully I can mix a good quality audio of it... as opposed to my crap camera audio. Some of the spot effects were routed wrong, and didn't show up in that version, so I'll need to sort that as well.

Thanks for the awesome comment! Have a good day!
esygno on Thu 10th Aug 2017 - 2 months ago
Now that's something different :D

Reply by Spivkurl I'm glad you think so as well! I am always trying to do something which I have never done before, or even better to do something which has not been done before at all. I don't always achieve that latter, but it is something to strive for!

I really appreciate you taking a listen and leaving your comment! Have a good day!
BeatMaker4real on Thu 10th Aug 2017 - 2 months ago
I swear I heard a horse, man you really be coming up with some sounds.I spent the whole 5:13 just picking apart sounds..Good work.

Reply by Spivkurl Yeah, you are correct, there is a stray horse in there. When it's live, sometimes things like that creep in! In fact the horse ended up on the follow up performance as well, which is why it will probably never show up online.

Can't say I put much thought into the sounds on this song, or the more recent ones. Kind of been focusing and action as opposed to thought. I mean action in a literal way, as in acting to create, and not so much specific to the music or it's composition.

Thank you very much for listening!
BLEEP on Wed 9th Aug 2017 - 2 months ago
hey Spiv, i was listening again to this fabulous piece and i wondered myself that your work is not only around the sound, it's visual too. would you accept to make a video clip showing you working on this kind of sound with your material? i will be really interested to see the performance because it's a performance!

I don't grow tired of your work!!!!
Bleep

Reply by Spivkurl Unfortunately, my video equipment is as outdated as most of my other equipment. However, I did record one today, just for you... and whoever else wants to check it out. It's bad quality, and you can only barely see my hand and my modular... but whatever. Spontaneously recorded when I got home today. Entitled "What Kinda Poison?"

https://youtu.be/mu6Yf1OJixo

Also, I have a couple of other studio jams and some gear demos on my channel....

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWnZ2ggoCVi8L6PI5uZ2Cww

Thank you for the inspiration and everything! Have a good day!
TrippyHippyCrew on Wed 9th Aug 2017 - 2 months ago
this is absurd! I love it! great sense of catastrophe. very cinematic! wish it developed a tiny bit faster in the middle

Reply by Spivkurl It has indeed been some catastrophic times! I'm sure you would agree on that simple statement.

My intention was far from cinematic, but in relation to films which I appreciate (at least soundtrack wise), this one seems to fit the bill.

As far as development goes (in the middle), I wasn't specifically attempting much for development. Rhythmic structures were surely not a focus. Since this had no preparation whatsoever, it was not something practised or developed before the performance. The idea did not really exist before I sat down to perform it. Freeform live stuff often ends up like that.

However, one of my slightly more recent live works does develop more fully, despite being just as spontaneous. It also includes several more instruments, so that is not surprising. Here's the video, if you want, since it hasn't been mixed for mp3 release yet...

https://youtu.be/mu6Yf1OJixo

I'm starting to do far more of this sort of thing than any other recordings, and spend a lot of my music making time just playing instruments without recording. I've been practising classical guitar quite a bit since getting new strings, even walking around playing in parks or jamming to my monotribe under the bridge nearby.

Absurd is an excellent word, both in essence and to describe a recording like this. I am in love with the absurd, I must admit... there are also two sides of the coin (like usual), and some absurd things take on the negative connotation. There must be both for any true psychological reference.

Thank you for taking the time to listen and leave your reaction! Have a good day!
CamTheClear on Tue 8th Aug 2017 - 2 months ago
I have a lot of respect for artists who are able to make real interpretive music like this. There is so much room to think and visualize with this song, so many fluctuations and layers to pick apart, I love it.

Reply by Spivkurl I visited your profile, as I tend to do when I do not know a "name" around here. To my surprise, you have been around here for some time, maybe in the shadows lurking. I saw the songs which you had commented on, and your hip hop song, and I am eager to hear what is going on with the seeming contradictions. Looking forward to returning this favor. Even more that you describe your work as "conformist."

Your comment made me happy. I do seek to be interpreted, and to encourage thought and mind travel.

I found the reference to "layers" as interesting. For my work, this is almost as minimal as it gets, since it was only two instruments recorded simultaneously... with a couple effects added with live manipulations. To think that this has layers, like peeling an onion, gives me hope that people are seeing deeper than I think. It's all even deeper than I think, and peeling that onion goes on forever.

To have a song like this "loved" is quite an honor, and I thank you! Have a good day!
joecramer on Tue 8th Aug 2017 - 2 months ago
Hey Spiv, this is really something unusual but still a real Spivkurl piece.
Interesting how the audio track controls the DD20.
Amazing what you build and twist. A lot of respect for it.
And the track itself is really successful.
And here comes a link to a really incredible event.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS78vyLezkc
This show was not broadcast even though it was a really "soft" music piece. But when I read how you feel before the first comment, it comes to my head. Look at the amazed audience. They've never heard anything like this before. I would be even happier if the band had played for example - economy is dead (Wirtschaft ist tot)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r634VNemWAg ... but no matter

All the best
stay tuned
joe

Reply by Spivkurl Hello Joe! I thank you for your attention to this piece, and your links. I am hearing the Laibach performance now, and have just "tweeted" it (sad I know). Very brave stuff though!

Started "Wirtschaft ist tot" now, and it's crazy, even for the era! Thank you for introducing me to their music! It's interesting to keep learning what I was missing when the connection was all dial up around here, and the internet was this thing no one understood. We had a decent record store, with some good finds back then, but now I realise that most of it was still pop music. There was a whole world of unter Tage (is that right?).

I hope you have heard Thursday's studio performance of mine....

https://youtu.be/mu6Yf1OJixo

I don't really know what's going on with me now... I guess that this year is all about taking chances. Place my bets, against all odds. And keeping out of jail all the while. I think people here are very distracted, and it is mostly to my benefit.

Hey, well thanks for listening to me ramble in words and music. I am still streaming through Laibach with an Achtung Remix. Fun stuff! Have a great day!
Modnex on Tue 8th Aug 2017 - 2 months ago
Hey Spiv, I always enjoy your music. It's always different and what makes it better for me is the fact that you use custom synths you modded or made you self to create it, that's awesome. This one definitely fits into the psychedelic genre. It does wonders on my mind and makes me feel like I'm visiting another planet where gravity is non existent and the sky is made out of marshmallows.

I'm curious to how you come up with these creativity tracks. Do you have to be in a certain mood or does it just come naturally? Regardless, thanks once again for sharing this very creative track!

Hope to hear more soon!

Reply by Spivkurl Hello Modnex, thank you for taking a listen to this and leaving your comment!

I'm happy to hear you say that my music is "always different." I have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with doing things differently all of the time... it bleeds through into my whole life. It effects my cooking, my substance abuse, my gardening, even which route I take while walking somewhere.

How I come up with them? Hmmm.... I guess these sort of live tracks usually involve some sort of new or intense experience, the effect of which will not let go until I have expressed myself fully. It is far more healthy for me to express it in music than some of the other options. It is possible that I have several distinct personalities, and these sort of expressions are manifested within one of them. It "comes naturally" in that I don't control it fully, yet it also took years of preparation, practice, and engineering. Having the experiences which lead to things like this do come naturally to me, since I tend to wander and seek out the depths of what can be found.

Even simply having a title in mind can completely open up the possibility of something like this. Words can act like that marshmallow sky in my mind, even if they are not spoken aloud.

I appreciate your words and support! Have a good day!
NateJMusic on Tue 8th Aug 2017 - 2 months ago
Real analog, nice.

Reply by Spivkurl Heh, I suppose you could say that. The modular is pretty much analog, as is it's interface with the DD-20. The DD in DD-20 stands for "digital drums" though, so that sound source is PCM samples. It was all recorded through the usual A/D methods.

Thanks for taking a listen!
silverman on Mon 7th Aug 2017 - 2 months ago
Spiv did they once make a film of you where you'd made a time machine out of a Delorian?
This is an incredible creation.
It's an event.
A documtary in its own right.
But it is a live event.
This is not music but a happening.
This is like a personal invite ... come in and see what I do but be careful not to trip over the cables or touch any hot surfaces.
Wow.

Reply by Spivkurl Heh, I did always like Doc in that film, though his character is a bit exaggerated. It made me want a delorian real bad though, even though I am not a driver. It would just be a conversation piece.

I think a live performance should be an event, most especially if the song has never existed before. I'm happy that it feels that way upon listening.

I like the possibly typographic error nature of "documtary." It takes the "ment" out of the idea, though I can't quite figure what the impact of that is. It sounds Latin or something.

Ha ha, yeah, be careful not to trip on the cables is right. I think I've gotten used to the cables being a protective barrier between my feet and the disgusting old carpet. At least I make my own cables now, so it's no big deal if they are trashed. The main hot surface in there is the front windows on a summer afternoon... it gets disturbingly uncomfortable in there... the UV just keeps getting worse in this world.

Okay, had to take a break there... got carried away typing, and had a nearly fatal substance abuse on the stove. Multitasking is a risky endeavor.

Anyway, I should get on to listening at your page, so I can hit the cop shop right when they open. Thanks for your words and your support!
silverman on Mon 7th Aug 2017 - 2 months ago
What's he building in there?
A man can't get no peace in here!
This is not pop music.
I think this is simply a recording of you building giant synthesizers.
I can smell the solder again.
The lights in all the other houses on the street are flickering from the huge power drain!
There go the curtains thank God you had a fire extinguisher.
Oops the cat just ran screaming with it's tail smouldering.
I'm having visions of domestic hell!
There's a tv crew outside now.
Holding a cup of tea with welding gloves on can be tricky but you pulled it off.
Spiv this is madness.
How does it have the power to hold me like it does?
What an amazingly mind blowing piece!
You never cease to amaze and never fail to deliver.
I'm going in again but this time with some boots and a hard hat on ....

Reply by Spivkurl Hey buddy! I can't thank you enough for your comments here, and for listening with your experienced ear(s) and mind. It is not taken lightly!

I had no idea that a track like this would get this kind of positive reception from my friends (and strangers) here at Looperman. It makes me feel good, since this sort of piece would be completely within reach for live performance, if only a venue was available

You are right, it is definitely not pop music. Part of what I had in mind was working toward another cassette release, mainly for the modular drone cassette exchange on muffwiggler.com. I've received three cassettes at this point, but have only sent out one... the international shipping costs are prohibitive at times. Hoping to do a sixty minute one this time.

Generally when we're having power issues in our home, it is completely caused by others. Had a momentary loss of power this morning even. Frustratingly, our new neighbor had a central air unit installed about ten feet from the wall of my studio... now when it's on, there is this high pitched whine on my system. It's killing me, and means I have to rearrange my studio again (at least once a year now). This is no small task with the massive cabling, amps, and organs. I should be thankful that I haven't reconnected everything to the patch bay since my last reorganize effort!

The cat usually avoids my studio area now, since it's a bit of a disaster. Domestically, things seem to be on the upturn, but outside... oh outside.

Never been a welder, though I did learn spot welding in school. I manage to swap in a beer here and there while soldering. The big problem is smoking in between, since it's a pain to wash my hands before I light up. Lead, cadmium, flux... oh well, how much worse can it be than the air and water quality?

In all seriousness, the premise is one of self/faith healing, with a side order of sarcasm. The title was inspired in part by "My Name is Earl," and god's little finger, if you are familiar. All in all, I think that my time supporting the med industry is coming to an end, and if that means identifying with an recognized religion (in a country with freedom of religion... huh???)... then so be it.

Anyway, I'm building up my plant based "boots and hard hat" this morning, since I'm hitting the gov't center to pick up an incident report and file a formal complaint. Wish me luck. I will continue on your next comment!
LRAD on Sun 6th Aug 2017 - 2 months ago
Wow. Thats a whole lotta synth!

Reply by Spivkurl Ha ha, I guess it is. But then, on the other hand, it's just one synth. One could probably say that the DD-20 is acting partly as a synth when the modifications are used this way though. I do enjoy that moment when the lines begin to blur. Thanks for listening! Have a good day!
BLEEP on Sat 5th Aug 2017 - 2 months ago
hey Spiv, what an experimental sound experience! it's unbelievable what you can produce with only two synth! what i like in your work is that you can be sure that you never listened before.
By listening to your piece I did not see the time parading and as today it's my birthday, my wife offered me a new headphones with high audio fidelity... I have just inaugurated this audio headset with your piece, and with the sound depiction, it was actually a pleasant hearing experience! you permite us to dl so i do it :) really good work as usual!

Bleep

PS: if you saw my answer on the track "the ending" i answered you i was ok for a collab :)

Reply by Spivkurl I am considering today a vacation, despite the work I am doing and that it is a vacation simply from what I know. As such, I read the first comment on this song with paranoia and deep inspection.

By the time I realized that you had inaugurated your birthday headphones on my new song, I was hooked. You have done me a favor, since I had some amount of unusual self conscious feelings in this case. You have helped those subside, and I thank you.

I just carried about a hundred pounds of joint compound and cement home for several blocks, and I'm going to make some pickles this afternoon, otherwise I may have held on to more of my energy. Be that as it may, I totally appreciate your words!

Thank you! Have a great day!

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