Fez Under The Rising Moon - N0mad23

This track still is happening, isn't it? I did this on a free program called I am the Mighty Jungulator, so everything was done with a mouse (no MIDI interface). The Punjabi vocals carry enough of that Islamic sound that it creates a great visual which is why I put it up as Ambient. Thanks for reminding me about this one - it's been a while since I thought about it.

Thank you! This is one that I keep meaning to do an extended remix of. There are elements that just "work" here, and I do get that hot breeze blowing over sands vibe still when I hear it. Cheers.

Somehow this review slipped right by me! That I have "fans" here is still such a surprise! Isn't it great that we can make the music that we want to, and there are people that will like it? Still takes me by surprise at times. I've never been to Morocco, but do have aspirations and certainly have read much on the area and culture. Fez is the place I really want to visit (and jam with the Sufis there!) Thanks so much for reviewing this one my friend. Cheers.

Hey Sector7even - I'm savvy enough to recognize the vocal style here, and it's from the same Sufi musical tradition as the famous Nasrat Fati Ali Khan. I did transpose the vocals so the singing was deeper, and I'm pretty satisfied with the result on this one. It really should be closer to 8 minutes long, but it's nice in this form. Glad you like it. Thanks for the review!

I've come to understand that I prefer the instrumentation of World Music more than the genre. Especially when I hear the inherent psychedelic sounds in these instruments that electronica and technology try to recreate. I'm not sure if it's in the tones themselves, or in the arrangement, but so many are able to do very interesting things to us both in terms of emotional locations and psychological states. So, I guess you won't be surprised to learn that my childhood was spent in West Africa and Southeast Asia. IyamwhatIyam. Thanks for the fave, Mate! The ultimate compliment in my book. Cheers.

Hey Wayne - thanks for the review on this one! Actually, this was a 'discipline' experiment for me, and the first of my tracks created following the "radio play" length rule. I agree - it really should be longer, and it's one of 2 or 3 that are on my list to go back to an create the extended remix version. The difficulty is that it's more fun to create new stuff instead! Glad you enjoyed this one! Cheers.

This one was a challenge for me - I could hear what the sounds wanted to do, but had a really tough time making it match with what was happening in my head. The vocals are transposed down about 4 or 5 keys, as well as lightly effected. Ultimately, it came out just fine and really has me jacked about doing more work with vocals. If only I hadn't lost my singing voice (peer pressure) in my teens!

Ken - I've indicated that this medium is quite new to me - starting experimentation in April/May of `09. One of the major insights I've had has been in my own connection/interface to musical production. I've always 'felt' that instruments dictate what is played on them. Not so much the traditional means of playing, but what the sounds invoke. I pluck and bend strings on my mandolin in more of a blues approach and never do the tremolo strum thing. In this digital enviroment, I'm finding the same thing to be true for me. Certain sounds (samples) dictate the approach and in turn the composition. This is true whether using only samples or a combination of live recordings of 'analog' instruments. DJ4Real's "Light Saber" loops for me sonically resulted in this song. Finding the other samples to support them was the real challenge, and the rest was tweaking everything to make it work. For example, the vocals have been transposed and are at a subsequently lower register than the original samples. I think it's why this and other songs I've made 'work' - it's really not that different in approach to what I've always done - it's just now my fellow musicians exist in their samples, and I'm playing all my electronic devices as a single complex instrument. Systems approach, maybe? Cheers for the lovely review, friend!

MU2TUNES - thanks for the listen and review! If it's genre expanding, then it's a success in my book. Your "hot like the wind" comment reminds me of the harmatan winds that blow across the Sahara, and that sounds like success, too. Cheers.

lol - "I know in myself a secret Egypt that doesn't exist/is this good or bad/I do not know" - Rumi. Silly me, I really thought that if you sat 5 people down with the same samples you'd get 5 near identical tracks. Uh-huh.

Guess you won't be surprised to learn I now know longer think this way.

The thing I'm wrestling with now is reception - are people digging my "niche" because my audience are fellow musicians/artists? Or in fact, has history finally accelerated to the point where my "thang" is actually accessible to a broader audience? Guess it doesn't really matter much, because I'm having fun with it, and it's fulfilling the creative needs I have. That there's approval is just a plus. Thanks for the review and the fav!

Thanks. I've put it as ambient because of what it seems to do emotionally. Thought I might put it up as Hip Hop, but that seems to be pushing the boundaries of generic definition. The vocals are actually transposed about 3 or 4 notes below the original specifically to tease out that intensity and make it feel like it's compelled. I'd really like to make a long version of this one, but it won't work without the vocals, and uncredited (I've been searching for the source everywhere I can think of) they make me a bit nervous.

The vox are actually several pitches higher than what you hear, and I think moving the tone down was a really good idea. I've got some more of these vocal samples (both male and female) that I'm itching to do something with, and this review certainly inspires me. Yeah, I'd love to hear radio stations offering up world music with some regularity. It's our exposure to other stuff that brings on the inspiration to try new things. I dig your comment about it making you "wanna move." For me this is where it's at, and I never press the record button unless my hips are wiggling in time with my groove. Gonna check out Engine-Earz right now! Thanks and cheers.

I know just how you feel. I'm constantly amazed listening to tracks on this site that are outside of my comfort zone. Thanks for listening and feedback.

Thanks SSA88 - I was really surprised at how well the vocals fit with this one - what I call "a happy accident." I've been experimenting with a version about 6 minutes long that includes more of the vocals and additional percussion layers. We'll see if it flies.... Thanks for your review, and cheers!

I was hoping someone was going to say something about length. I'm playing around with an extended version that's between 6 and 7 minutes long.

Two loops came from you, so a most gracious thanks from me to you! Seriously, Light Saber became virally infectious and I've obsessed over it for days. Your "dj iq" was what really pulled it together for me. Cheers!

DJ4Real's loop really did make me think about mosaic tile work and chirography and I've always had this thing about Fez, Morocco. I can't think of one without the other.