Description : Not my own work, but a remix of Arkeyetexture's fantastic Raggamuffin Livity through the rekindling of jahknow's Dub Guild. It's been too long since I uploaded anything here, and thought I'd offer a bit of Dubbery to make up for it. Enjoy.
Arkeyetexture's original can be listened to here: https://www.looperman.com/tracks/detail/154285
Description : Made for Anomaly Jonez's Melodic Synergy competition being hosted on Mixposure.
Conceptually about the synergetic reactions with super hot gases and specific metals. A kind of Syergetic Metal Dub Dance Hop piece.
Tried to go minimal and kept it to 8 tracks in Ableton Live. Recorded as a live mix with the Akai APC40.
Loops from the pack assembled by Anomaly used include loops by Nightingale, Kurt, rei4real, and me. The base groovy groove is made primarily from Dj4Real loops. Drum loops are mostly ones I've made with Live and my Axiom 25.
Description : For the Caveman 4-track thread. This was recorded in 2001 by my band the Babylon Crackers in Bellingham, WA. We spent a week using a Tascam 4-track tape deck recording a demo for the first Western Washington University International Music Festival, and burned a CD to submit as our audition.
"Roll and Tumble (pour la reunion de Abdou et Ayshatu)"
Sean Kilpatrick (n0mad23) - Balalaika **
Blake Hausman - Guitar and vocals **
Andy Buckman - Drums (ad hoc traps made from African drums) **
Andy Hoffman - Keyboard (playing bass line) **
The melody riff is mine, and something I came up with trying to do a W. African sounding piece for a song I wanted to do for my dear friend and his spouse back in Niger. Blake was the one who realized how seamlessly it would work with the traditional blues song "Roll and Tumble."
Recorded in Andy Buckman's living and dining rooms. Live recording, with no overdubs or post-recording revisions. Four mics used for 4 tracks.
This one probably won't stay up long, but it's one worth sharing.
Description : Draft 2 of a Work in progress. A collaboration between Salook and me that we've been working on for several weeks now. Salook created the original stem for this, and the current draft is probably the 6th or 7th evolution/mutation of the piece.
Another from The Musick to have a Rebellion To project.
Recorded live using the Akai APC40 Midi controller.
The FDR quotes are all from his 1941 State of the Union address, and were selected because it's surprising to hear in the current historical context 70 years later, and because of what he was actually calling for. The State of the Union speech has been edited, but meaning has remained intact. In other words, I have not changed the language in unethical ways.
Note: Under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 5 of US Code, FDR's vocal samples are public domain.
Loops from planetjazzbass and ShortBusMusic. Thanks gents!
Comments, critiques, suggestions welcome.
2nd Draft: reworked flute and added further agitated mob ambiance.
Description : Dedicated to those willing to participate in popular rebellions, regardless of their size or outcome. With nothing to lose, rebellion is an empowering thing.
Special thanks to Salook. I didn't think completing the Music to have a Rebellion Project could really move towards completion without the sounds of bagpipes incorporated somewhere. Now I can check that requirement off my list! Special thanks to Nuada Macnechtan for doing the introduction vocals for me.
Live recording done on Ableton with the APC40. Lots of dancing with knobs.
Draft 1 - Still in development phases. I'm pretty happy with the sonic narrative that happens in the movements. Maybe a bit too traditional? Intro as past, drum ensemble as carnival uprising present sliding into the hybridity of a future that's always arriving.
Draft 2 - rerecorded incorporating Nuada's vocals.
Final Draft(?) - brought in vocal samples from Deepest India, and some chanting from public domain Morocco field recordings from the 1950's.
Vocals from the exiled Tuareg Poet Hawad's poem, "Anarchy's Delirious Trek."
Loops mostly from people who've deleted their accounts, so I don't know who to give credit to. Got a planetjazzbass one in here, and one from Dusthill, and one from Dj_Fred_Val. Thanks!
Thanks to Nuada for wonderful suggestions during my drafting process.
Description : Collab with Salook and Avanaco. Salook sent me the stems and I was inspired to do something n0madish to it. Added bull roarers, rattles, and effected barimbau to the mix and tweaked and manipulated the stems to tease out the urban aboriginal sounds.
I've tried to turn this thing into a sonic ritual - and let the sounds effect the psyche in significant ways.
FINAL FINAL DRAFT2 - rerecorded with Live and the APC 40. Added an additional track (to create more bass) of an effected monochord attempting to emulate the sounds of a friction drum. Further revised the effects on the barimbau, and rattles, too. Addition of ululations for purposes of equilibrium. Pretty intense.
Salook and I have been discussing this project as a kind of sonic triptych, with each of the 3 collaborators having a version like a panel in a painting. The iconographic triptychs were portals between the mundane world and the spiritual one, and it really feels like the "base" of this piece connects to this function.
When I was a graduate student at Western Washington University, we had a visiting professor from the Northwest Province of Cameroon join the dept. for a year. Shortly after arriving, he went to visit the nearby Lummi Reservation and was surprised to find that their masks were very similar to his own. Additionally, the Lummi had wooden longhouses just like back home, and danced the same dances but in the opposite direction. The only real difference he could see (of significance) was how the rattle is a sacred object in America, but not back in Africa.
Much thanks to Salook and Avonaco for allowing me to do this one.
Avonaco's "Action Figures" should be listened to first.
Salook's "Ham Radio" should be listened to next.
Description : Telephone recording of the jahknow interview done by n0mad23. Part 2 begins with jahknow talking about his stain glass work, and connections to his music. The conversation continues with discussing jahknow's Dub Guild project.
Description : Telephone recording of the jahknow interview done by n0mad23. The beginning of part 1 is what was posted in the interview, but in raw oral form. Yes, transcribing spoken words into print isn't a straight conversion!
Description : [Draft3 - semifinal] Though seemingly a cliche, everything in the universe is recycled. This is one of the implications of the first law of thermodynamics. This also corresponds to Shiva and his Cosmic Dream. Steady beat provided by planetjazzbass loops (2), and one of the 2 dubbified tabla tracks is me. Midi sequences recycled include a free SoundFont of a pipe organ, the freeware VSTi Alieno, and DKS Asian DreamZ luan manipulated into something else.
Seems to be some kind of recycled cosmic dance.
Draft2 - rekeyed the synth and organ samples.
Draft2a - attempted adding a "things fall apart" section, where the ensuing chaos returns to a sort of order via rhythm. Too much? I'm too close to it to tell.
Draft2b - got great advice from alividlife and added two tracks of time stretched Alieno created loops. Went after the "things fall apart" and the end sequence. Feeling like it's getting close.
Draft3 - reworked the 3:00 break and the end. Teased out further sonic interpretations of sounds of digestion and disassembly. Big thanks to alividlife for such brilliant suggestions.
Description : The Symbolic Ambient Mix I'd envisioned with this one.
Life is a series of ebbing and flowing, the spiral nature of waxing and waning, filled with the highs and lows of experience. I really wanted to try a mix weaving in sounds from the world around us, especially ones that have deep symbolic meaning for me.
Life's an adventure so you might as well take the plunge. Corporeality is a gift, so please take full advantage of this opportunity.
See "The Extended Life" for details and credits. Made on Ableton Live.
Description : Final Unmastered [Draft]
Conceptually this is about embracing both the highs and lows in life, realizing that each is impossible without the other, and the space in between is much richer than the level places without such experience. All loops and live playing are mine except one drum loop by planetjazzbass and the seriously effected santur melody which comes from the Deepest India sample pack. Bass/guitar loops made with DSK BassZ VSTi in a West African style.
Draft 2 - extended the length, and worked on creating the spaces for upcoming ambient additions. This "instrumental" version will probably undergo one more recording session before I attempt to master it.
Final Draft - took it back to under 3 minutes for a "radio version." Lots of tweaking (especially to the accent drums and melody track).
All comments, criticisms, and suggestions welcome.
Description : For the Indaba remix competition, this is covered by the Creative Commons License agreement and while free isn't public domain. Original song by Peter Gabriel circa 1980 CE.
For my version I added a couple of percussion tracks and two live genggong overdubs. Tried to tease out the desperation in the mix by emphasizing certain sounds while minimalising others.
Comments and suggestions welcome. Enjoy!
To vote for my track in the comp, please visit this page - http://www.indabamusic.com/submissions/show/20883
Description : "The Joy in Little Things - (ode to a daughter's trumpet)". Final mastered mix. Recorded in Live as my first on the apc 40.
I got some new gear, and got an accidental sample of my eldest practicing her trumpet at the other side of the house. She was mortified that I had the recording, so I began manipulating it beyond recognition to ease her annoyance. With the new pre-amp and mic I sampled and created loops of my big baby dumbek and tablas. The melody is all manipulated trumpet loops. One loop from here and another from another royalty free loop site. Loop here is a percussion one from planetjazzbass.
V0.2 - shortened and mellowed things out. Tried to get tame the high frequencies and get a more psychedelic thing happening. Also worked on the bass drum to jack it into the zone of a driving bass. More revisions to come.
Final extended version - added additional drums including one from planetjazzbass to give more of that signature sound. Further refinement and manipulations of the trumpet rhythm and melody. First experiments with feedbacking send channels in Live as well.
Calling it done for now. I'll attempt a 3 minute or under version of this at some point, but need to move on.
Comments and criticisms welcome.
Description : [Final Draft 2.1]]
Inspired by both the ambient logbook thread and the dub logbook, this is an attempt to get several traditions together and make them dance and roll around in a new and interesting way. The accordion loop and live jam is inspired by the rhythmic accordion playing in Congo. The Punjabi Qawalli `pella comes from the Deep India sounds sample pack which I have purchased to make it official. The Egyptian bass drums and accordion(s) are from free SoundFonts, and turned into loops via MIDI. Also a live accordion MIDI track. Additional loops from DJ4Real, psychotropic circle, and sterixx - thanks gang!
Final draft went for bass enhancement, further dubbification of the mix and specific attention to the vocals. Changed the final accordion live composition as well.
Description : Collaboration with alividlife and dungbeatl. Final version - dungbeatl bass additions.
Pushing the boundaries of "unobtrusive" but both "atmospheric" and "visual," hence the current generic plug.
Created with 4 MIDI tracks on Live, with a heavily manipulated sample from an Anomaly Jones' `pella. Five tracks/loops by alividlife, and put together by me. Can't help but wonder what his version would be (hint). Four bass loop/tracks provided by dungbeatl.
The title is rather self-evident, and connects to further explorations of my project Music to have a Rebellion To. The track is about rising levels of complexity and the emergence of order from the flux. It's the sound of the slow alchemical furnace in the context of biology.
Description : Final Draft (?) - Recorded in two sets with Ableton Live 7 LE. Ten tracks and 120 clips consolidated into 6 and then rerecorded while playing to the urban sound effects.
jahknow sent me some loops a few months ago, and I've come back to them again and again without any satisfaction. In rethinking my approach, I've got something that's now becoming interesting.
An Ecstatic Anthem for an imaginary Hashishim - This is all about being joyful in acts of creative destruction.
Loops from jahknow, rei4real, ultrabase, DJatro, and DanWilson - so there's a couple of victims here that are new.
If you listen closely, there's a sonic narrative happening behind this all. The ravens and crows are a symbolic intervention, as the old term for a flock was "a murder." Resolution and meaning making lies with the audience.
Description : Final Version - put back as Drum and Bass, as the original intent was to subvert the genre. After 3 reviews taking me to task for calling it dark psytrance, I'm going with the consensus.
[WARNING: Do not expect to chill out or get happy behind this track. See above for why!]
This started out as an attempt to try Dubstep, but a persistent cat took me down an alternate path and I ended up with kind of forecast of a subgenre of DnB yet to be codified instead. When the Muse pulls, it's best to follow.
My daughter's 10 year old cat has a name that's longer than you
can shake a stick at, and one of them is Leaping Razor. This is
the auditory musings of her doing her duties as a responsible feline living with a pack of higher order primates. The ruminations end with the clicking of a can of food.
Loops are from my geng gong series, and Mercury Philosophique, and unposted drum loops made with old Sound Font software. Additional drum loops and bass loops by bosonHavoc. The heavily effected throat chants are by djgriffin and are Creative Commons licensed.
Recorded as a "live" piece with Ableton Live 7 LE. Draft 4=final.
The final version was recomposed to play to the cat's meow now heard throughout.
Description : Moorlough Mischief and Ire (featuring nabilkhazzaka) - perhaps the final version.
Added missing verse from nabilkhazza's `pella and found a better synch for everything. Changed the arrangement with this version considerably.
Featuring loops by psychotropic circle, SLAPJOHNSON, bosonHavoc, DUCE132, DJAbyss and 'deleted account 216244.
Recorded with Ableton Live 7 LE as a live recording. Take 37? lol.
Final Draft? Version 3 - dropped the vocal level as suggested by Salook. Solid advice, that - thanks! Any others?
Description : Importing Hungry Ghosts (shards of pot de tetes). My first seasonal Halloween track. Loops from planetjazzbass, bosonHavoc, and DJ4Real. Live MIDI recording with DSK Darkness Theory, and effected live kalimba (finger piano) track. The bass is a homemade kalimba made from an acoustic guitar (without neck) with keys made from a bamboo rake, played live as an overdub.
DRAFT 2: Edited down from 6:16 to 3:57. The foundation is now ready for spooky jungulified melody work!
DRAFT3: Added simulated fiddle melody in live recording. There's a tradition in W. Africa about the godji (monochord fiddle) being the sound that penetrates the spirit world and it seems fitting to add this kind of sound.
DRAFT4: Total revision of draft 3, but I kept the fiddle sounds via psychotropic circle and added "possession voices" via the same loop creator. Hopefully this is the terrifying version I'm looking for.
Description : Decentralized Pop Song for Dance. The short remix of "Jungulation Victor" with emphasis on danceability. Recorded using an Axiom-25 with Abelton Live 7 LE. For loop credits, see "Jungulation Victor." (https://www.looperman.com/tracks/detail/36116) Feedback and suggestions welcome. (update: after listening with a subwoofer, I've gone back and remastered it again! Now sounds good on both headphones AND sound system with subs!)
Description : The final version with loops largely from this site. plantjazzbass has one that drives this whole bit, and other notables include Dj4Real, and loopytunes. The bass line is by DustHill. The rekeyed didgeridoo sample comes from Anton Woldhek (Creative Commons).
Description : Stains blue with contact. The metamorphosis of "Amphibian's Metamorphosis." My attempt at Hip Hop subject to the whims of Frog, a Totem figure of importance in the Pacific Northwest mythos. Frog field recordings primarily from Creative Common sources. Geng gongs (2) (https://www.looperman.com/users/detail/247253) played by me through a Boss DD2.
Note: This track is not the one reviewed before the update - all previous comments were for the geng gong track contained by the current one) Loops from this site include DustHill, Psychotropic Circle, Encorde29, Dj_Fred_Val, and Dertt.
Description : Dancing the Dreamtime: sonic banishment in 3 movements. Remastered in Live 7 LE with lots of eq and other work. The third totem in the series. Want to give a nod to loopytunes, Dj4Real, and Donnie_Vyros for this one. This was my attempt of the Slap Johnson 10 minute challenge.
Description : AKA -Simian Defiance - Further jungulations using mostly DJ4Real's samples. Final remix and remaster. Woodchips swept aside, and totem erected, with sounds like a well running tesla coil. Renamed as well to reflect the Spirit of the Thing both literally and figuratively.
Description : Inspired by Dj4Real's "Light Saber" pad loop and an image of a hot breeze blowing over the rooftops in N. Africa. Good enough to pull up again and do some editing. Remastered for this update. Uncredited vocal samples found on a Creative Commons based site.
