Description : 170 BPM drum 'n' cell epic. That's drum 'n' bass with lots of my layered, lead cello playing. It's both banging and chilled out, with intricate basslines and soaring, melodic cello parts. Instruments: electric cello, piano, three synth basses, two synth pads. Drums are loads of drum loops supported by a few programmed acoustic drum kits. It's fast and powerful stuff but there are also two deep grooving half tempo sections. No guitar so anything that sounds like it might be is, unsurprisingly, cello. This was fairly hard to make and required a lot of hard work. It's still far from perfect, especially the rather abrupt, unimaginative ending (I couldn't think of anything better). Have a good listen and then consider leaving me some fascinating feedback. Not much drum 'n' cell about so I like to think this is worth checking out...
Description : Chillout and uptempo cello-based track. A mixture of 160BPM ambient drum 'n' bass (drum 'n' cell) and 80 BPM deep groove sections. The main lead instrument is electric cello, supported by a load of far out synths. VSTs include: a lyre, a glissando harp, a plucked harp, a choir synth, two synth basses and a few synth pads. Drums are a merger of drum loops and programmed acoustic kits. Quite a few cello techniques used: bowing, pizzicato, spiccato and harmonics (both plucked and bowed). This took many hours to make, over a couple of months, hence the title. It's not a great track but it has a positive, uplifting, summery vibe so should be fairly enjoyable. Or at least some inoffensive background music. Have a listen and let me know what you think. Interesting and/or intelligent feedback is always appreciated...
Description : 80BPM deep grooving cellout. A somewhat minimal track dominated by my layered, delayed electric cello playing. Also: two synth basses, some mystical synth pads and mostly just one programmed acoustic drumkit. No drum loops. No guitar. Not a great track but a pleasant chillout trip to a distant land. Interesting, lucid feedback appreciated.
Description : 85 BPM deep groove track made up of lots of acoustic sounds, especially leftover resonator guitar parts from older tracks. Very busy layering of mostly piano, guitar and cello. Also one trippy, reversed synth sound. Electric guitar, resonator guitar, three pianos, cello, timestretched guitar parts, bass guitar, synth bass, drum loops and a few programmed acoustic kits. One detuned slide guitar part sounds more like dirty bass. Far out, dark and mystical, with a hip hop drum vibe and lots of textural ambience. Maybe this is trip hop - I'm not sure as I think it's pretty hard to categorise. A lot of work went into it so let me know what you think. Interesting feedback appreciated...
Description : Far out, cello-based, deep grooving, progressive, powerful and sometimes aggressive sci fi epic with lots of electronic elements and some dubstep craziness towards the end. Electric cello, slow attack guitar, resonator guitar, a little bit of bass guitar, 5 synths, lots of effects and drum loops and a few programmed drum kits. It all began with the first couple of cello riffs (one pizzicato bassline, one bowed main riff) and the hip hop beats and then grew and grew as I added more synths and drums and worked in some old, leftover guitar parts. It's very detailed and complex and the mix and sculpting of the sounds are as important as the composition. Have a good listen then come back and let me know what you thought of this twisting, turning journey into outer space. Feel free to criticise and/or tell me your favourite parts...
Description : I tried to make a 'doom cello' track but failed as the chillout vibes really took over but there is still some heaviness as well as a few minutes of dance music in the final sections. It's very moody and atmospheric and dominated by strings and drums. 120BPM but most of it is half that tempo. Lots of my electric cello playing though there are also sample-based string parts, especially the foreboding, drone bass - the only bass instrument in the track. Other pad sounds add some mystical, spacey beauty while an arpeggiated VST guitar instrument adds a progressive band feel in the first half. Drums are two programmed kits and mostly one hard rock/metal kit. Also one drum loop plus two music loops towards the end. I very rarely use music loops but they seem to work here. Let me know what you think of this progressive epic. Sorry it's so long but hopefully it justifies its length. It's definitely far out and difficult to place in any particular, obvious genre.
Description : 180 BPM ambient drum n cell. Melodic electric cello playing over dnb drums (all fast except for one 30 sec section). Drums are all manipulated loops. No acoustic drums so also no cymbals, just for a change. Various synths, plus some interesting sample-based sitar parts in the second half. A fun, far out track that feels like it should be deeper and better. Let me know what you think, good or bad.
Description : Far out epic featuring sine waves, programmed violin parts, played electric cello, various synths, drum loops and programmed acoustic drums. Mystical and a bit Eastern. A three min drumless intro and then some fat grooves and darker sounds. Not as good as I was hoping it would be. Interesting comments appreciated...
Description : A collaboration between Evisma (bass guitar), Valvedriver (synths+ guitar VST) and everyone's favourite Nomad (synths, programmed drums, electric cello, production, mixing, mastering). A heavy, groovy, electronic, mystical, Eastern track made by three guys who've known each other for years but never met in person. Interesting comments appreciated.
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...
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 : 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 : 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 : 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...
