Getting somewhere, GLORIA.

Three centres of activity this week. The 'dub radio soundtrack' has now two finished files.  A lot of other stuff is slowly materializing. The finished pieces I have give you earlier samples of (see the Madlib post for one). Below is a snippet of the new mix of the other one. I really had a fight with myself with these compositions. Rhythm is such a strong aspect of music that I really had to force myself to cut them again and again. Because that's what these pieces are about: letting a rhythm, a groove, go for a while and then interrupting it, and then let it go again with a different filtering, or a different something extra.

Listen to [ this ]  and [ this ].

The latter is a further development of [ this ], a mix from August when I just started.

Secondly I have uploaded my file for the 25th anniversary of Korm Plastics. Title: G-L-O-R-I-A.

Thirdly The Tobacconists have approved my mastering tracks for their next album. So today I burned it to disc and sent it to Frans de Waard.

Read more...

KORM PLASTICS 25 year jubilee

Having a very bad memory I don't recall exactly how Frans De Waard and I came to meet each other. I only remember that I was immediately impressed by his dedication to music. Writing, publishing, producing, talking about it, networking; Frans did it all and very much on his own conditions. There was (and still is) no one telling Frans how to do his stuff. He is like a locomotive rolling on his own track at full speed.

And suddenly it's been 25 years since Korm Plastics, De Waard's record label has started. That's worth a celebration and of course a record label celebrates by issuing a release that contains a selection of the label's stable. Frans has released a lot of my work and so I gladly help him out with a composition of 2'50". I don't know when it's to be released but I'm sure looking forward to it.

Read more...

Writing a CD with cue sheet.....

Today I finished the new Franz Fjödor CD. Been polishing, upgrading the sound and done some suggestions for different arrangements. Lots of work but really fun. Editing the cue sheet was a different matter. I really like it when in my car stereo I can see the track title instead of "track 01".
I had  been using Nero for years to burn discs but that old version didn't produce cd text so I started looking for open source software that could provide me with the right material. In the end it was Burrrn, that did the trick.

Read about the new release [ here ].

In the mean time I got new requests from Frans de Waard to master his personal material (for Entr'acte) and the forthcoming Tobacconist release (Tourette Records). I listened to the latter sound material and really like it. Much better than I expected, actually (sorry for lack of confidence, there). Will do my best to produce an excellent sound.

My own material is of course lagging a bit. No worries. By the end of the year I will do a sprint and present you with niceties.

Read more...

A slippery slope slides the best

I have so many things going on at the moment that I don't know where to begin. I am working on soundmaterial by Roel Meelkop, Tore Honore Boe, Howard Stelzer and Wouter Jaspers, plus my own stuff ánd a contribution to an upcoming 25th anniversary compilation for Korm Plastics. And all of the material is tumbling one over the other. Let's see if I can walk you through:

Roel Meelkop
Roel presented a Reaper project with recordings from Helsinki which he had already structured and layered but which sounded too dull (his words). Actually I liked the basic structure which was formed by some kind of big organ sounds that played a short melody. As if the organ was placed outside on the streets. It had a dreamy atmosphere and so the 'dull' sound was actually appropriate. I touched this up by adding an extra layer (duplicating the original ongoing street sounds track) and eq-ing that so that the high frequencies got more power at some places. I also filtered other tracks so that they didn't get in each other's way. Roel was enthousiastic about it.

Tore Honore Boe
Tore sent me four old tracks that have been recorded from a live performance. The idea is that I enhance the sound. Difficult. I haven't really decided about the approach. I can simply polish it or try to deconstruct the frequencies and go deeper....

Howard Stelzer

Howard sent me the original file of "This Map Is A Gift" (2006). This, too, needs remastering. Same doubts. I have already given it a go, though. I have dissected the file and am working on the dynamics and eq. The work is quite dense so it's impossible to work on the individual sounds that are produced. But it's definitely getting in the right direction. I will finish this one on Wednesday, latest.

Wouter Jaspers
This is the most extensive commission. Wouter has given me the mixes plus the original tracks of his new -to be released- cd. There's a dead line, here. So I'll have to work fast. Hope I'll make it in time..... The original tracks are beautiful and I think I can make this into something special, but it needs Love Tenderness and Care. I hope I'll be able to give enough of that....

My own stuff
Have finished two tracks and am working for Korm Plastics compilation.To show you the variation of stuff that's under my hands here two extracts:

[ 4 loopers ]
[ cellogo ]

Read more...