music, noises and other stuff
audio
Remix: Aylos – I’m Beautiful
May 9th
This is a mix that Terry and I did, under the our 3Headz moniker. The vocals and lyrics are by a singer from Durban called Aylos – I think she’s going places. This mix will appear on the new album from DJ Guffy (for the umlungu, this is inexplicably pronounced “Goofy”, just like the Disney character).
Aylos has a solo album coming out soon which will feature the original version of this song.
Enjoy the mix:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Remix: Zos
May 4th
This is a club remix I did for up-and-coming Johannesburg artist Zos, whose album is into the final stretch of being mixed here in Studio 1 at SSI. The album version is more hip hop, a bit slower and has more words. And more pianos.
Obviously it’s unashamedly a party track. The original features some guest vocals by MXO that seem to have got lost somewhere, I guess I’ll check under the couch cushions and see if I can find them.
The rest of the album is nothing like this one, and there are some smoking hot beats on it, which I hope to post as we get closer to completion.
This is my full length DJ remix, hence the long build.
Update: Goggi took a copy of this remix down to YFM, and DJ Chilli M is now rocking it on the drive time show.
Listen:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Mr Ray
Apr 16th
This week I had the great pleasure of recording an old friend, Ray Connell. His act is mind blowing: he plays acoustic guitar, he sings, and he beatboxes. All at the same time.
Ray laid down six tracks as casually as you or I make a cup of coffee, which you can listen to here.
This guy is seriously talented. His demo was recorded live, but I pulled him back in to lay down separates. In the coming weeks I’m going to be working on some produced-up versions of some of his songs, but it presents a real dilemma.
You see, Ray is smoking hot live – that’s where he lives. So I find myself reluctant to add anything that can’t be reproduced in a live situation. But on the other hand, Ray’s songs have integrity outside of his method of delivery.
Watch this space.
Overture
Feb 29th
While I can’t currently post my commercial work, here’s a personal project. This piece of music began life as a statement of ideas for Intrepid. Strangely, none of the themes it contains made it into the final soundtrack, though perhaps some elements did.
It is also something of a stress test for my new composing rig: I now have a dedicated server to compliment my main composing machine. This piece uses 5 instances of Kontakt across 2 machines. It works better than I hoped, but I still want at least another two servers. Dammit, Hans Zimmer uses 9.
Ah well.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
This piece is now in my showreel, but speaking of things classical, my work on Armalion is drawing to a close, my self-imposed deadline being this weekend. As soon as it’s delivered I’ll be posting chunks of it here.
Theme: Orphans of War
Nov 8th
I completed the score for the scifi fanfilm Orphans of War this week. With Rob’s permission, I’m posting the end credits theme here, cos I’m pleased with how it turned out. I love writing epic space music.
This theme pops its head up in various places throughout the film, mostly when large spaceships are moving majestically across the screen. This is its most triumphant form, and rightly so – our heroes have just prevailed against impossible odds and the threat of fiery death.
Wait, does that count as a spoiler? But heroes are supposed to prevail, it’s not like it’s a surprise. Ok, fine, should they prevail, this will be their theme tune. If they fail it will be the theme from Dying Young.
Edit: Orphans is out now, and you can download it from the Hidden Frontier pages here. Mom, it’s too big for your dialup, I’ll post you a copy.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Remix: In My Head
Oct 28th
This is my second remix for Canterbury-based indie pop band Artist.
I actually really like the original track, and it became apparent to me early on that this was never going to work as a thumpitty dance track.
But I still wanted to make it faster. This involved a fair amount of sample chopping, particularly to make the guitar parts work at the new tempo. However, even though they’re mostly playing different things, nearly 90% of the guitars in the remix are the original parts – just a bit scrambled.
In the end, I took the song from Indie Pop to Emo Pop. I beg forgiveness.
Clip of the original track here:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Shiney new remix here:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Remix: Fetish
Oct 26th
Fetish were sizzling hot South African band in the late 90’s. I met them at the time through my friendship with Brian Sepel and Malcolm Aberdein of Riverside Sound Studios. I was skinnier then and I had a lot more hair.
The band’s sound is unashamedly dark – at the time we called it moody rock. Now it’s the sort of thing my brother and I have fights over wether it’s emo. (ducks to avoid brick and bottles)
So anyway, I was trawling through my drives yesterday and I happened across a folder I have not seen in ages, full of really dodgy 8-bit samples, soundfonts (remember those?) and general crap that had been on the phenomenally massive 2GB hard drive I had back in 1997.
Feeling all nostalgic, I started playing things, and discovered I had the complete vox for Fetish’s “Never Enough”. It was an ancient remix project of mine which somehow never got finished. Which is a pity. So I dusted it off, threw away everything except the vocal and one guitar sample, and reworked it last night.
10 years late, but here it is. This is the chopped down “radio edit”; any DJ’s out there who want the DJ friendly version, get in touch.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Remix: Nighthawks
Sep 28th
I’ve not posted any music here in a while, partly because I’ve had my head up my bum, and partly because of running around organising projects. Several are coming to fruition all at once, so expect more posts like this in the coming days.
I’ve just completed this remix for Canterbury-based band Artist, aka Artist the Band, who have just released their first album entitled A Muddle and a Mess.
I went the sort of mellow House route, which is the cheezy way my brain works.
Here is a clip of the original song:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Annnnd here’s my remix:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Tuesday AM
Aug 15th
So, I woke up on Tuesday with this tune in my head. Staggering over to the console, I had a bash at capturing it before caffeine or daylight could dissuade me.
This particular approach to writing music is a mixed bag. The tunes we hear in our dreams are often earth shatteringly fantastic and emotive – but suck once you drag them into the real world. I keep a dictaphone next to my bed so that if I wake up in the night with an idea I can hum it and go back to sleep. 90% of the time the idea is rubbish or I cannot understand what my nocturnal mumblings are about.
In this case I quite like the result. Like much of my work, it’s not quite finished, but this is as far as I’m going to take it. I’d rather move on to something else before it becomes a time sink.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
I can’t feel my nose
Jul 27th
Damn but it’s cold here in Cape Town today. There are chunks of ice falling out of the sky, and I am wayyyyy pleased I don’t have to go out there for any reason.
It’s been both gratifying and humbling to see how many of you have downloaded the Intrepid OST – thank you very much. It turns out I made a screwup in the mp3 pack, Track 17 was wrong. This has now been fixed, but if you’d like just the correct track without having to download the whole thing again, you can grab it here.
Now then. Karl and I had a great doef-doef session today where we dusted off something we began ages ago. It’s coming along really well, getting a good solid feel in this track. Bonus points if you can identify the source of the brass samples in use, though I can’t imagine anyone but a member of my family guessing this.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
If you’re a female vocalist and you can do house and kwaito vox, please get in touch.
Annnnnnnd as it’s Friday:
Weird Scifi Sewers
This is a gallery of pictures of the Japanese sewer system. It is mind bogglingly cool – the structures down there are massive, and remind me a lot of elements from HR Giger and Bladerunner and The Lord of the Rings … check it out, it’s extremely cool.
Unfortunate product placement
I have a love-hate relationship with advertising. On the one hand, I really think that a lot of it is art. Or can be. But I also hate how it’s everywhere. This page has a lovely list of instances where the message of the ad got a little warped by it’s placement. With picturey goodness.
Tiny little PC
Okay, you have to be a bit geeky to appreciate this, but I think it’s genius. A PC the size of a paperback novel – and cheap! It won’t run the latest games, but that’s not what it’s for. 12 out of 10 for form factor. I want one. Heck, I want two!
Wizards that could kick Harry Potter’s ass
It’s technically redundant, because we all know that without his wand, any one of us could kick Harry’s ass. Were I in Fight Club, I would fight Harry Potter.
Ahhhhhh cute!
It’s a doggy this week. I don’t normally do doggies, but this is gorgeous.