Description : This unconventional metal track is dedicated to Valvedriver https://www.looperman.com/users/profile/841435 though it's not a parody of his fine music or me actively trying to sound like it. I struggled for months with the first few minutes of this track knowing that I must be able to take it somewhere deeper, more psychedelic and powerful. Then I loaded some sampled choir voice instruments, as used in my track Reckful https://www.looperman.com/tracks/detail/160356 and suddenly found myself happily in Valveland - not a place I visit often. Feeling amply Valvedriven and newly inspired, I added the last few minutes fairly easily and very quickly. So: it's a twisting, turning mixture of grunge, menacing ambient, mystical metal and ultra-heavy funk. Instruments: electric guitar+bass, synth basses, female choir voices, one synth pad, some other synths on the nastier side of things and a few programmed heavy acoustic drumkits playing a mixture of triplets and straighter grooves. Interesting thoughts appreciated. Favourite bits? Shit bits? Please listen on good headphones/speakers as there's a lot of heavy bass in this. Now get ready to rock: balls out, hands in the air and with rebellious joy in your heart. Just try not to headbang the hell out of your laptop. Go!
Description : A progressive journey incorporating deep ambient chillout, swing jazz, hip hop, d'n'b, trance and a slight touch of acid with a thousand ninjas battling in space. Features a great deal of my lead slide resonator guitar playing. Also a whole load of synths, programmed acoustic drum kits and manipulated drum loops, big basslines, regular electric guitar, vocoded guitar parts and bass guitar (distorted right at the end). If you like deep chill, far out soaring beauty, fat beats and 170 BPM uplifting slide trance controlled mayhem, you might just get into this. In my heaven there is an endless supply of honey mangoes (an exquisite beauty of the fruit world) and even more slide guitar. A 1,000-year-long version of this track plays there on a loop (long enough not to get bored of it) but here I offer you the Earthly 11 min version. You must be very good to be accepted into my heaven to hear the full thousand year version so best start now. It may be heaven's main theme tune but it's not above criticism so feel free to let me know what you think of it. Maybe you prefer the soundtrack in hell. I hear it's pretty badass...
Description : Yet another lengthy psychedelic epic by me, though I'd say they're all quite different. This one has more of a focus on electronic dance music and funk but is based around programmed acoustic drums, bass guitar and electric guitar. Also Rebirth 303 loops I made over ten years ago plus various synth leads, pads, basses, arps and glitch effects. Most of the bass is bass guitar and there's even some slap bass! Fairly uptempo but also chilled out though it builds and goes pretty heavy towards the end, featuring crazy lead distorted synth soloing backed up by some pumping guitar riffs and crashing metal drum kits. I do like this but it's not as good as its sister track Lord Of Misrule https://www.looperman.com/tracks/detail/146013. Let me know what you think, what you'd change etc. I hope you have a fun journey through this constantly shifting sonic landscape...
Description : Chillout, funky fat 95 BPM organic electro led by some fun, tinkly arps. A bit of an organic, tribal feel, especially when the flutes are playing, and some fat smooth synth basses, plus a big fuzzy one later on as the track gets bigger and heavier. Slide resonator guitar in the second half, including a dual slide resonator solo (2 different resonators playing simultaneously sort of duelling with each other). A few drum loops but mostly 3 programmed acoustic kits. The heavy, double time drumming before the flutes return around 3:53 may be a bit unnecessary (I'm not sure, let me know). Interesting reflections, praise, suggestions and criticisms welcome and appreciated. "Nice track bro"-ers can save that unhelpful type of comment for another track (or 50). I hope listening to this transports you to a magical place, even if it is for only a few minutes...
Description : A gentle, reflective and beautiful shuffle blues piece featuring one of my best ever electric guitar solos (for about half of it). Also has bass guitar, synth bass, two programmed acoustic drum kits, two types of sample-based sitars, a heavenly pad and a distinctive main string part. Special, text-based prizes to be awarded to the best comments!
Description : Prepare thyself for an epic hard rock, metal, grunge and ultra heavy funk assault featuring shitloads of heavily layered and sometimes weirdly effected guitars (including slide resonator), multiple basslines (bass guitar + 3 synth basses), a few other synths and a bunch of programmed hard rock and metal drumkits. There's a bit of hip hop in the middle, some hints of reggae (from the guitar) and d'n'b (from the drums) in places. So much energetic guitar, so many double kick and crashing drums and sub basses make for a difficult mix. I wanted it to be absolutely banging but not clipping and distorted. I think I did OK there because it sounds half decent played back on shitty, bassless laptop speakers. If you don't like heavy rocking guitar, you won't like it. But, if you do, you might just love it. It's not just evil metal - I've tried to also keep it funky and melodic as that's more my natural home than all-out brutality. There are a few relatively quieter and strangely chilled out sections as it builds back up to new forms of heaviness and layered psychedelic weirdness. Perspectives and viewpoints welcomed - the more in-depth and interesting the better (the bigger, the fatter, the better). You might want to turn your speakers and sub bass up now...
Description : Do not freak out just because this is jazz! There's also blues, rock, funk and a little hip hop in it to break up the deep, chillout jazz sections - gets particularly rocking then funky at the end. Main bassline (the track's foundation) is recycled leftover slide resonator guitar parts detuned one octave to make a slide bass sound. Also features: piano, violin, hammered dulcimer, organ, ethereal pad guitar, bass guitar, jazz/blues/rock electric guitar and multiple programmed acoustic drumkits. This was difficult to make at times as I thought I needed more leads parts eg from sax or trumpet. But I'm happyish with the end result. I expect very little interest in this as it's both jazz and long jazz. But it's also an unusual type of genre-mixing jazz. So, leave your thoughts, good or bad, if you like...
Description : Truly one of my greatest tracks. An intense, constantly changing psychedelic deep groove journey through reggae, rock, metal, funk, blues, electronica, deep chillout and more. Slow, fast, funky, beautiful, weird, fun plus a few more adjectives. Big arpeggiated strings, slide resonator guitar, electric guitars, detuned guitar playing massive funky basslines, wicked wah, squelchy synth bass + other synths, acoustic metal and brush drumkits, hip hop drum hits and no loops. Very complex structure and mix so maybe I haven't got it right. Full track is 13 mins 55, link is in comments. Let me know if you don't think it's as good as I do. Or better. Or self-indulgent rubbish. Now get ready to rock. And then write a 10,000 word essay describing it all...
Description : BIG UPDATE 26/02/2014 - So, this was an 18 min track that I have now successfully split in two. 2nd half I uploaded a few weeks ago (Things That Should Always Be, with the bouncy 2 min reggae intro). This is the first half, which has a new mix, a mega chill, meditative ending and a little jazz thrown in for good measure. Takes a few minutes for beat to really kick in. Constantly evolving electric guitar, bass guitar, acoustic drums and lead banjo driven by fat, busy 80BPM grooves with a bit of a reggae and shuffle feel. Also: synth choir voices, dulcimer, violin, cello, shimmering pads. Builds up gradually to nice and rocking and then gets taken back down for the big comedown chill. I really don't know what sort of genre this is except 'far out'. I think it sounds more like a live band than one guy playing instruments and manipulating a DAW. Not my best track but a bit of blissful, sunny island fun. Real positive vibe here so I hope you give it a chance to unfold and unfurl. Sit back, clear your schedule and immerse yourself in these trippy sonic experiments cooked up deep in my off-planet underground laboratory. I have to send the MP3 to Earth via space courier (not cheap).
Description : Psychedelic blues hip hop with lead banjo and acoustic resonator slide guitar. Acoustic drum kits, fat basslines, soaring filtered strings, some strong Eastern elements (from guitar and strings), some dub and funk from the bass and drums and a bit of rocking electric guitar. Very unusual piece of music and a trip like no other I've heard. Some of it is like a dark, deep Southern delta blues track over a hip hop and dub backing. All played and programmed by me, no loops used.
Description : Probably the greatest banj-metal-hiphop-jazz joint ever. With lead saxophone, house bass, rock and metal guitars, Eastern banjo, jazz and hip hop drums and a tasty dose of drum and bass thrown squarely in your face. You can headbang or throw some body-poppin hippity-hoppity shapes to this mofo, for real. A lot of genres covered in 7 minutes so hopefully the time will fly by. And, yes, there really is acoustic banjo as a lead instrument on top of some crunching and crashing metal guitar and drums. Long live Banj Metal!
Description : Pure electro mid tempo chillout and upbeat groover with various tribal elements eg shakers, didg and djembes. Lots of lead, arpeggiated wailing synths and 5 or 6 synth basses. Some hip hop thrown in with the drums. All made within Reason software. It's complex but I think it's good fun.
Description : Far out mid-tempo fat beat deep chillout grooves with Eastern/Arabic and slightly menacing vibes, huge delayed synth bass and a great palette of psychedelic layered and intricate sounds (mostly synths) and a stirring, epic feel. Even has guitar solo section reminiscent of some 80s power rock which is then followed by a brief synth harp solo. I began making it straight after staying round the flat of the flute player from the legendary Ozric Tentacles - easily the greatest ever space rock band. I made this in about 2001 and still think it might be my best track (and it's nice and short, for a change). My production skills were much weaker in those days (no EQ, compression or mastering used here) but, somehow, this one turned out pretty much just right. Feel free to disagree. Now sit back and get ready to trip extremely far out. If you manage to return, let me know how that trip was...
Description : UPDATE 26/01/2014: Improved loads of things in what is probably my greatest chillout alternative blues piece. Ambient, ethereal, groove-based delta slide blues. Contemplative and melodic. Multiple, layered , sometimes shimmering resonator guitar parts with solid, warm synth bass, an ethereal bed of pads (which are actually guitars) and second electronic drumkit to contrast the acoustic kits. I thought this was perfect a few years ago but it wasn't (and still isn't). Now has clearer drums and lots of small awkward bits of guitar have been trimmed. Quite a minimalistic and short piece for me - I don't just keep bringing in new instruments, as I usually do. This should really chill you out...
