END OF DAYS Part I: The Witching Hour.

So, a rundown on the new piece. Well, I finally finished it and it's a first for me too, using computer software to create some of the instrument voicings. I didn't use a DAW though. I merely played the midi keyboard in real time plugged directly into the multitrack. The software I used was the stunning "Quantum Leap SILK" from Eastwest Studios.

 It contains genuine live instruments, painstakingly recorded note for note and in various styles. The instruments focused on are from China, India and The Persian Empire. I incorporated the keyboard, the actual duduk (this was interwoven with the SILK interpretation) and the ravish sitar pedal played with "Selena" - my home made strat. It was recorded in this order:

1: Persian 30 Piece Strings - Bass (Silk)

2: Warm Strings (Keyboard)

3: Sitar Drone: (Guitar & Pedal)

4: Sitar Lead: (Guitar & Pedal)

5: Duduk: (Silk)

6: Duduk: (My lungs!)

They were then bounced to a stereo track to make room for:

1:Timpani (Keyboard)

2: Persian 30 Piece Strings - Lead (Silk)

3: Persian 30 Piece Strings - Harmony (Silk)

4: Sarod - (Silk)

5: Sequenced Bass (Keyboard)

6: Distorted Guitar (Guitar & Pedal)

Just looking at the above list reminds me of the effort it to to create such a relatively short piece of music. I may hire out an orchestra one of these days, lottery jackpot win pending!

You can listen on the link below. Thanks for taking the time to read this and listen.

END OF DAYS Part I: The Witching Hour

Old Path, New Journey.

Wow, been away from here for a while! Well it's been a whirlwind few months with weddings, honeymoons and the like. But this is a music blog and as such, this is my main topic.

A while ago, I announced a sequel / prequel / unsure to "HERESY" and then unceremoniously postponed it on account of being in the wrong frame of mind and so damn busy. The problem was I was also far too happy, I still am by the way. But the world isn't.

 Yesterday I was pottering around with my sitar FX pedal and played around with an old theme that I had come up with about 12 years ago whilst in the young, creative duo (The FOG) who were still learning how to tune a guitar, never mind how to play one. It was called "The Witching Hour". It was essentially me trying to be a guitar hero. Essentially a showpiece for me to show off (to myself, it impressed nobody else) and I recently found The Fog's first CD which contains this treasure. It may sound a little childish and was clearly recorded in our best amateur capacity, but those songs laid the foundations into what I do now. Also, they were a lot of fun to record. But I found this piece on it and thought "This needs an airing."

So recently, I managed to get Quantum Leap "Silk" in working order. This is a collection of studio sampled instruments from the fabled Silk Road (China, India, Persian Empire) which the user can employ to their liking with the aid of a midi keyboard. I love the Persian string orchestra, so imposing and dramatic. And of course, the duduk. It sounds great and I don't have to spend hours positioning a microphone to get the ambiance I want. Don't worry, technology has not completely distracted me. I have created a new piece using both organic and tech driven instruments that will be the opening to "Faith". The title is "END OF DAYS Part I - The Witching Hour". I know, understated as always. I will be uploading it in the next day or so for your critique. I'm genuinely thrilled with it's progress and I hope it's as pleasing to your ears as it is to mine. The above picture hints at what this story will tell so plenty to mull over there. Thanks for reading.

EXCITING TIMES!

Too many songs to choose from is a good problem, but not a useful one. Have decided to record a five track collection in my best semi professional capacity on my eight track and deliver a listenable, professional and hopefully, enjoyable collection. I finally feel comfortable enough to commit to a project I feel capable of being proud of, regardless of anybody else's views and I'm looking forward to it.

Have discussed in short and sweet with my new, hopefully, co producer (TBC) and he seems keen to help me. He is an old, close friend who is a music lover himself and knows me very well, so I reckon we can throw some ideas around about the eventual sound of this collection. In essence "THE SOUND" will be the rock infused with pseudo eastern European / Arabic sound that has been a source of great inspiration for me of late, and as any songs I have created have all been considered demos so hopefully we can create a demo that is as professional as possible with the time and tools employed by us. I have two working titles: "Anthology Of Guilt" and "In The Garden Of Good And Evil". I will also be discussing themes with a talented photographer friend of mine in the near future. The tracks to be revamped are in chronological order:

1. Empty Quarter pt. I (Rub al' Khali)
2. Just A Man
3. Hand Of God
4. Empty Quarter pt. II (Pray For Rain)
5. We Ride By Night

The production will be as organic as possible with a few tweaks. There will no longer be a direct guitar to digital fx in the 8 track. I will be mic' ing up the new Mooer Little Monster Ac which will be boosted by treble booster at full tilt and the clean and dirty sounds will be as usual controlled by the guitar volume knob.
The only digital effects will be provided by the Ravish Sitar and some reverb added by a Boss FRV 1. The rest will be a reliable mix of old school analog and acoustic sounds. I will document each song on this as it happens. Thanks for reading.

New Song: Hand Of God.

I'm gonna link the song HERE. This was one of those occasions, where everything went right for a change and I was vibing off the sounds I was getting. As anybody reading this is aware, I've been having a lot of fun with Middle Eastern influenced sounds at the minute and though not chronologically posted, this was done and dusted before "Empty Quarter", which is only really a taster of an idea I'm working on.

This song was very demanding, production wise. I operate a Zoom R8 Digital 8 track but forsake the effects part bar panning, the rhythm machine and reverb. So any other effects that you hear are performed through my guitar (electric, acoustic and / or classical), mandolin, bass or keyboard through a surprisingly minimal FX pedal collection. The raga/sitar motif was always in my head, it is instantly knowable from endless punjabi sounds one has heard off the films etc. For this I ran the Ravish Sitar pedal through my Danelectro DC59 guitar in stereo with the drone ringing mainly through the left and the main lead through the right with a little reverb. I programmed a lazy drum pattern (so much less hassle than setting up the electric drumkit) and added a Cort bassline, connected directly through with a tube pre-amp setting. The rock or "RAWK" (does Black Sabbath devil horns hand gesture), if you will was provided by a strat played through an analogue Sansamp Tech 21 Liverpool V2 pedal (think Vox AC30 in a box) and a superb sim it does too. This was played twice and panned a little over halfway between left and right. I added acoustic guitar for the verses and panned it to the right and some clean "Liverpool" guitar panned to the left. The guitar solo was an afterthought, played on impulse which sounds surprisingly good considering I prefer to map them out but ran out of space so it was an impromptu moment played between the "RAWK" take on the left channel. The vocals were just a little reverb and trying to harmonise with myself. All this in two long, trying but immensely fun days.

Have a listen. Massive thanks are in order to The Shape at IT'S ALL RANDOM MOSTLY for his stellar praise and encouragement. Word of advice: If you can dream it, you can do it. Thanks for listening.

Empty Quarter (Rub' al Khali)

So here's a little instrumental delve into my Middle Eastern-esque works of late. I feel I've found a niche musically, that I'm comfortable with and seems to hold endless possibilities. I've gotten a little creative buzz going lately and I hope it stays for a while. Have plenty of stuff to blog about at the minute but time constraints, right now (work) have reared their ugly head so here's a taster, named after the infamous Rub' al Khali desert. Thanks for listening.

Rock n' Raga.......

So I haven't discovered a higher celestial plane or anything like that but about 2 million years ago I purchased the "Ravish Sitar" from Electro Harmonix. It is, to an extent, a sitar emulator with lots of knobs and setting, which frankly terrifies a technophobe like me. So much so, I put it into storage about 2 days after I bought it and never gave it another thought. Here she is:

I've recently taken her out to play after rediscovering the song "Something For The Pain" by Bon Jovi and am having a lot of fun with her. Expect a few sonic experiments to pop out of the woodwork in a week or so. Once I figure out how to use it. Wish me luck!