Cloud In My Head

Hope Found

2012-02-03T20:03:00.004+01:00

So, initial ideas have been exchanged in the Simons & Van Buuringen project. Now it's time to work on each other's stuff (and maybe come up with a new idea or two). It's interesting having to find a new way of working on music. When collaborating with Edwin in the past I wrote virtually completed tunes and left some space for him to add guitars to. Now I have to learn to let go of an idea sooner, so he has more freedom to add something of his own. This is actually not a bad thing, because it keeps me from having to work on an idea for weeks or even months.

On the other hand I have to approach Edwin's initial ideas like I have done in the more recent past with my remixing. Which is, anything goes, even those directions where I head off in completely unexpected territories. Ofcourse, eventually Edwin has to like what I have done. But I shouldn't restrict myself to sticking close to the original idea, which was my initial thought.

Anyway, we will see. First of all there is another 9SC recording session on Sunday. It looks like Adrian keeps coming up with new song ideas. Double album, anyone?

A start is a start is a start...

2012-01-25T19:45:00.002+01:00

Ok, so the new Simons & Van Buuringen project is underway. Edwin has sent me a short piece, also to demonstrate the sound quality of his acoustic guitar recorded by his new mic. That's actually a promising start. I even managed to put something together, although I have to put some more work into it before sending it off to him.

We also decided to upgrade our DAW software to make exchanging Cubase projects a bit easier (or so we hope). A good enough excuse for me to upgrade to the latest (and for the first time) full version of Cubase, which should give me a couple of extra toys to work with.

Last weekend I also assisted Adrian Jones (the third weekend in a row) with his recordings for the new Nine Stones Close album. That one is actually starting to take shape (and a nice shape it is). I think that him collaborating with keyboard player Brendan Eyre on the writing is going to bring NSC to the next level by introducing some different elements to the music. Not that Adrian wouldn't be able to write a great album on his own. Anyway, visit their site and facebook page every now and then to see how things are progressing.

Busy...

2012-01-17T20:55:00.003+01:00

I have just uploaded what could be my last ccMixter related remix of the year. It is called Ghosts Of Lees and you can find it on the ccRemixes page.

Last Saturday I had an interesting meeting with a certain guitar player and we have outlined our plans for the album we want to release next year. I am pretty excited about this, because I look forward to focus on a consistent body of work in stead of creating the odd remix every now and then. I will keep you posted on anything related to this new project.

I will also try to assist Adrian Jones during the making of his band's new album whenever and wherever requested. From what I have heard so far the new album could end up being even better than Traces.

The End Is Near!!!

2012-01-06T21:24:00.002+01:00

Happy New Year!!!

I have uploaded a new remix yesterday. But don't worry should you have missed it, because you actually haven't missed a thing (but you can always check out the ccRemixes page...).

Anyways, what's up for the new year? Well, I really want to start working on that collaboration with a certain guitar player. Which ofcourse doesn't mean that it actually is going to happen, but I do think that we must be able to come up with something (even) better than our last (and first) effort.

But first I will be visiting Nine Stones Close's Adrian Jones tomorrow for a day of recording for their new album. I might even push a button or two myself.

Btw, here is my top 10 albums of 2011...

01. nine stones close - traces
02. jolly - the audio guide to happiness (disc one of two)
03. projected twin - earth to world
04. paatos - breathing
05. steven wilson - grace for drowning
06. adrian belew - adrian belew's e for orchestra
07. face tomorrow - face tomorrow
08. fovea hex - here is where we used to sing
09. memories of machines - warm winter
10. opeth - heritage

ccRemixes

2011-12-17T20:34:00.003+01:00

I have added a new page to my blog (What?! Another one?!! You must be kiddin'?!!!). This one is called ccRemixes and it contains my ccMixter related remixes that haven't ended up on a Internet Archive download-only album (yet). I got a bit fed up with all these incoherent collections of remixes, but still wanted to give new remixes a home. This new page also contains a new remix called "I Fall Forever".

On a different, but still slightly related note, I will probably start working on a secret (at least for now) collaboration in the new year. We are going to discuss possible directions for this project sometime next January. I will keep you posted, as always...

Nights In White Satin

2011-12-14T19:57:00.002+01:00

Below you can find a message from Adrian Jones, taken from the TPT (= The Pineapple Thief) forum. I did two remixes of the song Threads from his band's second album Traces. But ofcourse you all know that already and have bought the Falling To Pieces ep which contains both remixes...

Anyway, even if you don't believe in this charity (or charities in general) then this rendition of that classic tune is still worthwhile a couple of quid. So what are you waiting for?!

Hi all!

The Kings Of Christmas is an annual get together of musical friends to celebrate the season of Yule with the gift of music. This could be in the form of an original composition, or a cover version of a classic, usually in the progressive rock genre. This year the line up features Brendan Eyre, Adrian Jones (me), and Marc Atkinson from Nine Stones Close (and Riversea) and a couple of other special guests.

Each year we will endeavour to try and get you in the festive spirit, while raising a few pounds/euros/dollars etc, for a worthy charitable cause. This years track is the Moody Blues classic, Nights In White Satin with all proceeds going to the Nordoff Robins Music Therapy...we hope you enjoy and please feel free to share amongst your friends.

The download will only be available until midnight on New Years eve.
http://thekingsofchristmas.bandcamp.com/

You can also watch the video here ... (now on youtube).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duqj6Vd6WY0&feature=youtu.be&a

Many thanks, please donate to this charity an download the track!

Love and best wishes to you all!

Thanks Adrian.

Falling To Pieces EP Out Now

2011-11-06T07:55:00.002+01:00

The new Nine Stones Close EP Falling To Pieces, which includes two remixes by yours truly, is out now.

You can order a physical copy at the following sites:
- Nine Stones Close (for old worlders)
- The Record Label (for new worlders)

And a download version at Mindawn (there is also a link to a download in OGG format on that page).

Now go on, you know you wants it...

Btw, I have also uploaded a new remix last week, called Waiting II. Go to the ccmixter page for a bit of extra information on that.
Btw2, it was ed-picked.

Falling To Pieces EP

2011-10-12T18:42:00.003+02:00

There is some news about the soon to be released Nine Stones Close EP featuring my two remixes of their Threads track. You can read about it here. I am pretty excited about it since it is only the second time that an artist chooses to include one of my remixes (and in this particular case, two remixes) on their release. The first time was on Artie Q's Collaborations album. There is even talk of a possible physical release, which makes it even more exciting. I am curious what other people are going to think of my remixes. Especially the Red Earth one, since that one is pretty different from the original. Anyway, I will keep you updated on any more news about this.

Watching The Pretty Planets Pass Us By

2011-09-18T17:30:00.002+02:00

It wasn't my intention to create any Subliminal remixes in the foreseeable future, but I wanted to make an exception for Joe. So here is a little tribute to him.

Fireproof Babies

2011-09-14T19:09:00.018+02:00

A couple of days ago I read on the ccmixter forum that Joe Lincoln (aka Fireproof Babies) had passed away. Joe was one of the very few people who have actively contributed to my remixes. Through our e-mail conversations, mostly triggered by a collaboration, and his comments and replies to my comments on ccmixter I got to know him as a kind, generous and supportive guy. Joe's music, lyrics and playing were out there, which was what I liked about him. I love that certain edge to music, simply refusing to play it safe.

Joe always wore his heart on his sleeve, especially in his lyrics, so it was not unknown that life most of the time was far from easy for him. But somehow I always thought/hoped that he would pull through. Unfortunately, that was not to be.

I want to dedicate this entry to the memory of Joe Lincoln by going through the musical encounters I had with him over the past couple of years. Joe and I both shared a liking for the music of King Crimson, so that's the music of choice to accompany me through the writing of this post.

Bone Bed (Fri, Oct 17, 2008)

Bone Bed is the odd one out here, since this one is not a remix of mine using Joe's source material (like the rest), but it's one of Joe's remixes containing stems from my With Friends Like These tune. It's also not our first encounter, because that would be Joe's ebow solo over my initial Blind Date upload. But that one will make an appearance further down the road.

There is another, more relevant reason why I included this remix, and that is that it features the clarinet, which probably was what triggered me to ask him for a contribution to...

ccmixter page

Freedom (Mon, Nov 10, 2008)

It's funny how you only start to appreciate certain instruments like the trumpet (which I myself played when I was a young lad many moons ago), saxophone and clarinet when you get older. "And wouldn't clarinet sound pretty damn fine in this piece? And doesn't that Fireproof Babies guy also play the clarinet?" So I just went ahead and asked him. And he agreed to give it a go. Like Joe already said in his comment to the upload of the clarinet piece, I didn't use the first part of it, and most probably for the reason he mentioned, that it wasn't in time. But the part of his contribution that I did use gave the remix that extra bit it definitely needed.

ccmixter page

Blind Date (Mon, Feb 23, 2009)

This song took a long and winding road before it got where it eventually ended up. If you want to know a bit more about that then you should go the ccmixter page for it and maybe even hyperlink your way further down the road. Joe's ebow solo appeared pretty early during the voyage. Actually more than a year before I uploaded my final version. And Joe reappeared towards the end of the journey with extra solo material for the middle section, some of which I also used, in a heavily processed way, for the long closing section (if my memory serves me right).

Digging even further into my memory I seem to recall that Joe was of the impression that his ebow solo was drowning out Kaer's vocals in the intro. I disagreed. His solo for the middle section had a kind of Santana-esque quality which suited the latin-ish vibe of it perfectly. I was very pleased with it.

ccmixter page

One Time from King Crimson's live double album Vrooom Vrooom is playing at the moment. This song is one of my all-time favourites from any band and seems to be very appropiate...

Hornet (Sun, May 3, 2009)

If you know two guitar players who both have contributed to your remixes previously then why not ask them both to add lead guitar to one and the same remix. Joe also recorded some extra guitar weirdness, part of which was also used in this remix.

ccmixter page

A Vision (Sun, Feb 7, 2010)

To read a bit more about the genesis of this track I would once again like to direct you to its ccmixter page. This was actually the first time that I used a spoken word piece from Joe. To be honest, I like this one very much and was surprised that in spite of its experimental nature it still drew a decent and supportive crowd. For me personally the words and music go very well together and that's an excellent delivery by Joe (well, at least in my book it is).

ccmixter page

Empty Room (Thu, Mar 4, 2010)

This is definitely one of my favourite Fireproof Babies related remixes and one of my favourite vocal performances by Joe. Reading through the different comments I realised that I asked Joe if he could upload both the vocals and the percussion (which is also his) tracks seperately. And so he did. Exemplary for his supportive attitude and that of most of ccmixter's inhabitants.

ccmixter page

A Gust Of Wind (Mon, Apr 12, 2010)

This one started out as a string of prefab saz licks over Joe's Queer Tribe percussion piece. I once again thought "clarinet", but Joe was more in a guitar mood, so he went for that. And who was I to argue? He also rearranged the piece to make it longer and I stuck (mostly? completely?) to his rearrangement. So this is actually more of a Fireproof Babies piece than it is a Subliminal piece.

ccmixter page

5 Billion Miles From Home

Joe and I also shared an interest in astronomy. I actually studied astronomy for two years at Leiden University and I seem to remember recounting an anecdote to him involving professor Oort (the one from the cloud), who back then still regularly roamed the premises of the physics and astronomy department, and a revolving door (don't ask). The title of this remix refers to the average distance (roughly, ofcourse) between the earth and Pluto and including a sample from Joe seemed, if only in retrospect, very appropiate. I used an extremely stretched version of the strings track from his Recliner upload. I don't know if he ever heard this one since it might have slipped under the radar due to me unpublishing it after uploading and then republishing it a couple of days later.

ccmixter page

Original Sin

And so we arrive at the last Fireproof Babies related remix. This one was for the Strike The Root project and contains his A Blasted Life spoken word piece. Once again an excellent choice of words with an equally excellent delivery. I wanted to contrast the social corruption in projectQUESTION's pella and the corruption on a more personal level in Joe's piece. Perhaps this pairing seemed a bit strange at first, also to Joe, but I believe that he liked the end result.

ccmixter page

Everyone's unique, but some people are more unique than others and Joe was more unique in a positive way. You don't have to take my word for it, just visit ccmixter and read what other people have to say about him. I personally am saddened by this loss and my thoughts go out to his family and friends. I am also grateful for the music we have created together and hope that this little retrospective will add to the collective online memory of Joe Lincoln. Rest in peace, my friend.

Threads Remix Update #5

2011-06-22T21:10:00.002+02:00

This is how the light at the end of the tunnel looks like. Or in other words, the second remix of Threads is nearing its end. There is still some work to do, but with a little bit of luck (and lots of rain in the weekend), it's not entirely impossible that I might finish this one before the end of the week.

Threads Remix Update #4

2011-06-15T20:42:00.002+02:00

The start of that second Threads remix might have sounded promising, but it has turned out to be quite the struggle. There are a couple of very nice elements in it, nice enough to persevere, but I have a hard time turning it into one coherent piece. I will keep you posted.

Threads Remix Update #3

2011-06-02T20:03:00.002+02:00

A couple of days ago I started on a second remix of Threads. It's a bit too early to go into details, because it might end up in the trash bin, but things are looking kinda promising.

The first one might end up on a download ep. So I will inform you about that if and when it happens.

Threads Remix Update #2

2011-05-28T20:02:00.002+02:00

I have finished a first remix of Threads and am going to try to do another one. I will post a link to the first one once I know what Adrian (NSC's main man) wants to do with it.

Threads Remix Update #1

2011-05-22T19:58:00.004+02:00

Okay, here is my first update on the process of remixing NSC's Threads.

When I start remixing a song I mostly try to get an idea of the arrangement of the original. What are the verses and choruses and where are the bridge and solo(s)? I need to get this overview so I can more easily decide what to do with a tune. Where do I have to write my own chords, if any, and how can I re-arrange the piece? The start of remixing Threads was no different.

Before I got the stems from Adrian I already had a vague idea, which I abandoned almost immediately after loading the stems into my DAW project and figuring out the arrangement of the original. Since Threads seemed to be in the key of F minor natural and I had an unused sequence in said key lying around, I thought that it might be worthwhile trying to use that in the remix. At first I thought that it made a nice addition to the lead vocal track and some of the more spacey guitar tracks, but after introducing more elements form the original it, and the drum track I had also added, started to sound out of place. So I decided to get rid of the sequence and drum track and proceed with the selected elements from the original.

And that is where I am now. Using and highlighting some of the tracks that are less present in the original, apart from the lead vocal track ofcourse. I am also working on re-arranging the track, lengthening the intro, but trying to make the whole shorter.

I have also a vague idea in which I am only going to use the vocal track(s), trying to put them into a completely different key and heading into a equally completely different direction.

This is it for now. There is a bowl of ice cream that has to be eaten and an episode of Battlestar Galactica that has to be watched.

Swan Songs

2011-05-18T19:20:00.002+02:00

I have uploaded the Swan Songs project to the Internet Archive and also moved it to the Music page of this blog (where you can also find the link to the Internet Archive page of the project).

I am now going to work on the remix(es) of Threads from Nine Stones Close. I might even keep you updated on the progress of that process with regular blog entries.

The Swing State

2011-05-04T19:44:00.002+02:00

And here are remix 4 (by Alex, again) and 5 (by J. Lang). It's funny to see that the remix pack is more popular than many of my remixes. Not something I expected, to be honest.

In the meantime I am working on putting the finishing touches to Swan Songs, applying minor mix tweaks and messing around with a cover idea.

Too Little Too Late

2011-04-30T19:59:00.004+02:00

I have uploaded the Too Little Too Late album to the Internet Archive. I have moved it to the Music page and added the link to where in the Internet Archive it can be found.

There is also a new remix using my The Swing State sample pack. It is by fellow mixter Alex and can be found here. Check it out.

To Remix Or Not To Remix

2011-04-29T22:24:00.003+02:00

Ok, I kinda sorta forgot to mention that I somehow managed to finish my remix of The Thief's The Sorry State. Actually, I decided to abandon that idea and use the chords already written to write a song of my own that could be used as a backing track for someone else's vocals. But while I was at it I decided to try if the vocals of The Sorry State would fit. And they did! But I still uploaded the backing track as a full mix and stems to see if anyone would find them useful. And some people actually did. So here is my remix of The Thief's The Sorry State. And here are Jeris' and Snowflakes' take on my musical backing.

And once again...

2011-04-22T20:30:00.002+02:00

...I have changed my mind. So I abandoned the Swan Songs triptych idea and decided to go for (only) two projects. I kept the ambient/experimental project, which I renamed to Too Little Too Late (and which now includes the new tune Creators / Looters). The other two projects are now combined under the name Swan Songs. You can find it all on the Works In Progress page.

Strike The Root

2011-04-11T20:27:00.002+02:00

There is another remix project at ccMixter. This one is called Strike The Root and focuses on corruption in the broadest sense of the word. To be honest, I don't think that we as remixers can make a real difference when it comes to fighting corruption. It's probably not a popular opinion, but I don't want to give the impression that my involvement is anything more than musical. If there is good source material that somehow triggers me to make a remix then I am in. My first remix is called Original Sin. Here's to more good and inspiring source material.

Swan Songs

2011-04-02T19:38:00.005+02:00

I have added a new page called Swan Songs which contains a triptych of projects with my last ccmixter-related remixes. This is still a work in progress, so everything is pretty much in a preliminary stage, not in the least the artwork.

On this page are also two new remixes. Tears Gather Like The Rain, which I uploaded today, and 5 Billion Miles From Home. This last one was uploaded a couple of weeks ago, but published only recently.

The more perceptive of punters may already have noticed that there is no music for The Rain Turned Off. That one is nothing more than an interlude and I am not sure where and how it will end up. So I uploaded it to ccmixter, but have not published it yet.

A Field Of Wishes...and other things...

2011-03-15T20:27:00.003+01:00

Spring is near and so is the bi-annual Marillion Convention Weekend. Lots to look forward to, but first I have for you this slightly jazzy remix featuring Calling Sister Midnight, Snowflake and Ruggea and which is called A Field Of Wishes Waiting To Be Made.

Once again I have created quite some remixes since the last collection (Waterboarding...). However, this time I have decided to assemble three different collections, each containing more or less a certain style. This means that I have to write a couple more remixes before I have enough material for not one, but three collections. I will keep you posted on that.

I am also going to have a go at remixing a Nine Stones Close track from his/their latest album Traces. Once the multitracks are in that one is going to have top priority.

Later.

The End Is The End Is The End

2011-02-26T21:40:00.001+01:00

This one is only for the really patient ones.

Between Machine And Soul

2011-02-15T21:32:00.002+01:00

I completed a new remix and uploaded it to ccmixter. I started it way before finishing Synergy, so it took a little bit longer than just a couple of days to assemble it.

Synergy

2011-02-09T20:56:00.003+01:00

I have uploaded a new remix to ccmixter. It is called Synergy and can be found here.

I have also added a player to the Music page of this blog (which is, temporarily, renamed to Music v2). You still can go to the Internet Archive page for each album, but you can also listen to and download (in mp3 format) each individual track from said page.

The Player

2011-02-04T21:05:00.003+01:00

I have found a player that might do the trick, as in what I want it to do (sort of). So I have moved the homeless remixes (the ones that weren't released as part of an Internet Archive download album) to a seperate page, aptly called The Homeless, and added a player which enables you to play these tracks from the page itself in stead of having to go to a different page. This also means that I have removed the Miscellaneous 'project' from the Music page, which was the former home of these remixes. I am going to think of a way to implement this player on the Music page in one way or the other.

I have also added a link to the Nine Stones Close website. Nine Stones Close is the 'solo' project of Adrian Jones, a very talented english guitar player and composer who lives in Leiden and who I know from the Pineapple Thief forum.

And on top of it all, I am also working on a new remix or two. One of those is intended for the Emergence theme.

Don't Wake Me Up

2011-01-26T19:34:00.001+01:00

Guess what! Yep, here's another remix.

Not another one???

2011-01-12T19:31:00.003+01:00

Yes, my dear friends, here is another remix. This one I was already working on before creating and uploading Pour Down Like Rain last weekend. It is called Will I Be Lost?.

Pour Down Like Rain

2011-01-09T20:41:00.000+01:00

Here's a little something I created this weekend.

Regurgitate

2011-01-08T17:55:00.002+01:00

Is there a better way to start off the new year than with not one, but two retrospectives? Well, there probably is, but you have to do with what I am offering here. As already mentioned in my previous blog entry, I have collected some of my own favourite cc-related remixes and today I have uploaded them to the Internet Archive. Regurgitate Vol. 1 contains remixes of pellas, whereas Vol. 2 is dedicated to remixes of spoken word pieces and more or less instrumental tracks.

I have only picked remixes that were already released on previous albums. The newer ones will be released seperately later this year. I hope these two collections give people a good idea of what I have done in the past, without having to wade through the lesser attempts.

Ishtar

2010-12-29T19:00:00.003+01:00

And again it's been a while...

I still haven't found my creativity and motivation back. Which doesn't mean that I haven't been working on music. Today I have finished a new remix called Ishtar (The Art Of War And Love), which you can find and read about a bit more here. Another one is already well underway (if only a certain guitar player would send me his guitar solo...;-) ).

I have also been working on two retrospective collections called Regurgitate Vol. 1 & Vol. 2, together containing my least shabby cc-related remixes. Vol. 1 focuses on the song-oriented remixes, whereas Vol. 2 contains the more experimental / instrumental / spoken word remixes. All it takes is to give them one final listen and possibly some very final tweaks.

I was also thinking about using Noatikl to create a 40-minute ambient piece between Christmas and New Year's Eve. I am still thinking about doing that, although it will now (hopefully) happen in 2011. The working title for this piece is Sleeping / Drifting / Dreaming.

Well, this is it for now. Since this will most probably be my last entry for this year, I wish you all (and with that I mean both of you) all the best for the new year. I have to admit that this year ended slightly less positive for me than anticipated, but I hope for the best in the new year.

A Memory To Drown Me In

2010-11-02T21:07:00.002+01:00

The leaves are falling from the trees en masse now, so it's time for another remix to bring some joy and happiness to you in these dark times...just kiddin'! Here is a new remix. Enjoy!

Trapped By Time

2010-10-22T20:47:00.003+02:00

This was meant to be the opening of a 40-minute song-cycle, but due to a lack of inspiration I abandoned that idea and uploaded this as a separate piece over here.

Keeping Up Appearances

2010-09-30T20:53:00.003+02:00

As my two most dedicated followers may already have noticed, I have changed the appearance of my blog 'slightly' in an attempt to replace my website. I was going to add some embedded flash players so you wouldn't have to leave this wonderful place. But alas, I failed, and I did that in the most miserable of ways. So on the Music page you still are going to be linked to project pages hosted elsewhere. Ofcourse, that's only a small sacrifice for the beauty that will await you at those foreign places...

What about new music? I am working on it. Well, actually I am thinking about working on it, but that's a start, isn't it? The project I have been talking about hasn't exactly been progressing well, but it is something I am going to try and work on in the near future. I have also bought a piece of software to do some explorations in the world of generative music. So that could turn into a whole new and different project alltogether. We'll see and maybe hear...

We Have A Winner! (or The Remix Competition That Was Or Was Not)

2010-09-09T19:32:00.002+02:00

It appears that the request for remixes by The Pineapple Thief has turned into a remix competition that was not won by yours truly. Not that it takes much to not win. After all, more than one (mine) entry should be sufficient. ;-) Originally the best remixes would end up on the bonus disc of the Little Man reissue. And when that didn't happen there was talk about a possible release in the near or not so near future containing the best remixes. Now it looks like they took the best remix and put it on the forthcoming EP.

This kind of puts an end to my effort of remixing all the songs for which stems were available. To be honest I am not too disappointed by the course of events, because things weren't exactly progressing well. Today I finally managed to finish my remix of We Love You (which can be found here). Attempts at remixing some of the other songs ended prematurely.

So maybe it's time to focus on another project that has been on my mind for some time now. I will not go into any details, because chances are that nothing will come from it.

I'll keep you posted...or not.....

A New System

2010-09-05T19:02:00.003+02:00

I have managed to create one more remix for the Freedom To Share project. It's called A New System and can be found here. This is a completely different kind of beast, but a beast nonetheless. So beware!

What's next? Well, I don't have a bleepin' clue. OK, that's actually not entirely true. I have some vague ideas for a new project. But since there is a big difference between vague ideas and the actual realisation of such ideas I am going to keep it to myself for the time being.

One thing I probably will be working on in the near future is completing a TPT remix that is almost there.

Freedom To Share

2010-08-31T20:57:00.002+02:00

I know it's rather disappointing, but I am still alive and able to churn out some horrible noise. I created this piece for ccMixter's Freedom To Share project. You can read about the project here.

Waterboarding Our Way Across The Atlantic

2010-07-11T19:52:00.003+02:00

I have uploaded a new album to the Internet Archive. It is called Waterboarding Our Way Across The Atlantic and consists of 10 ccmixter related remixes. You can find it here.

Reflection

2010-06-12T21:55:00.002+02:00

I have uploaded yet another remix. This is probably my last ccmixter-related remix for the time being. I have kinda sorta run out of steam, so maybe it's time to shift my focus. Maybe I am going to continue working on the TPT remixes. After all it was my intention to remix them all, but so far I have only remixed one of them (so there are still eight to go...).

Portugese Red Wine

2010-05-31T20:04:00.002+02:00

Since I can't be arsed to write long(-ish) blog entries anymore, I use this opportunity only to direct you towards a new remix.

Make up your own bloody title!

2010-05-11T19:50:00.003+02:00

What's that?! Not another remix!!

Christmas in May

2010-05-01T08:27:00.001+02:00

Since it is the first of May I thought that it might be the right time to upload a remix of a Christmas song. If you are in the mood for some christmassy vibes then head over to this place.

A Gust Of Wind

2010-04-12T19:27:00.002+02:00

And speaking of new tunes...The percussion, lead guitar and arrangement are by Fireproof Babies, who has collaborated with me on many occasions.

I Am

2010-04-02T15:05:00.001+02:00

Here is another new tune.

Empty Room

2010-03-04T20:40:00.001+01:00

There's a new tune to be found here.

...and then some...

2010-02-25T20:00:00.002+01:00

While checking out some of Morusque’s drums and percussion uploads for my previous remix, I had the first eight measures of that remix in a loop. I liked the rhythmic character Silkwords’ voice seemed to get when looped, so I decided to use that as a starting point for a ‘new’ remix. This one is longer than The Fusion Of Differences, which was a bit on the short side. I hope this version justifies a seperate upload. It is called The Differences Of Fusion and you can find it here.

A little something...

2010-02-21T20:49:00.001+01:00

I have uploaded a new tune. You can find it here.

A Vision

2010-02-07T21:04:00.002+01:00

As I may have said before (and maybe not), I have been working on a slightly experimental five-part piece called The Hague Invasion Act. However, because of other projects, I have decided to drop that idea and use whatever I had already written for the first part as backing music for Joe Lincoln's poem A Vision. Joe (also known as Fireproof Babies) has contributed (willingly and unwillingly) guitar and clarinet to some of my tunes previously (Blind Date, Hornet and Freedom). I am very pleased to be able to include some of his poetry in one of my songs now. You can find the result here.

Three Pieces

2010-01-23T19:00:00.002+01:00

Triggered by an e-mail from Anchor Méjans and a blog entry comment by Mikael Hansson (aka Colab), both fellow members of ccMixter, I re-visited said site and ended up with a couple of samples on my hard drive. Together with source material downloaded during subsequent visits (and a short detour to Freesound) I created three little remixes, which ended up on a mini ep called Three Pieces. You can find it here, in different formats and with a cd cover for the old-fashioned people amongst us (of who I am one).

Now this is finished I am going to continue with the TPT remixes, starting with the remix of The Sorry State.

Next Please!

2009-12-31T17:46:00.006+01:00

So here we are at the end of another year. Last year I wrote a new tune on new year's eve, with some finishing touches in the days after that. This year I decided to write this blog entry, looking back at the (almost) past year and looking forward to the new one.

When considering the number of projects I have uploaded into the Internet Archive this year, one could get the impression that it was a very productive year for me. However, the opposite is true. Most of the music was already written in the years before. I had been on a creative high since I joined MI7 and especially ccmixter. Working with other people's source material, ranging from writing music to existing pellas to constructing songs solely out of different samples by others, gave my creativity the necessary boost. And the encouragement freely given by people also worked wonders. But ofcourse it couldn't last and I knew that it wouldn't last. So early this year I hit a creative low which was a pretty big contrast to the preceding years. In the end I managed to finish some things that were lying around for far too long, but I knew that I had to change what had become my routine.

Enter my decision to take a break from ccmixter. Don't get me wrong, I love ccmixter. The positive attitude of the people involved is the perfect antidote for the cynicism one encounters almost every day. The quality of the source material you get to work with is beyond expectation and the amount of talent present is simply amazing. And all this for free. A great place to spend your time. But when I realized that I was starting to take this all for granted, especially the positive reactions to my music, I knew that something was wrong. Because when you consider the number of clearly more talented people around at ccmixter, no amount of praise should be taken for granted. As a side-effect I wanted to finish remixes just for the attention it would attract. And when the remixes I thought were pretty good didn't get the attention they deserved in my not so humble opinion then I got a bit frustrated. But it was even more frustrating to see the lesser ones, again in my own opinion, getting a lot more attention. Pretty pathetic of me, I know. So time to say goodbye, but not farewell, as my plans for 2010 will clearly show.

But what next? I started working on a slightly experimental five-part piece called The Hague Invasion Act. At the moment I am still somewhere in the first part, but this is something I want to continue working on in 2010 (and hopefully finish too). And after revisiting ccmixter, I ended up with a couple of samples on my hard drive. Originally intended as the starting point for a project that was to be a counterpart to The Hague Invasion Act, it is now going to be limited to just three 'remixes'. The reason for this is that I decided to remix all the TPT (= The Pineapple Thief) songs for which stems were uploaded to their site. I started with (and finished) a remix for Wilting Violet, but since there is no more deadline I thought that I might as well remix them all. And on top of that I am going to use the chord progressions written for these remixes as starting points for some original tunes, maybe even trying to convince some people to collaborate with me on those tunes. Actually, I have some pretty big(gish) plans for that project, but I won't go into more detail until things have become a bit more concrete. The working title for this project is Days Without End.

So there's a lot to do in the new year, especially when it comes to the TPT remixes and the related Days Without End project. I hope I will manage to pull it all off. Anyway, this leaves me with wishing you all the best for the new year. I want to thank all the people involved with ccmixter, my MI7 friends who found me at MySpace and my two buddies, Buurmans & Goormans, for putting up with me.

Every Song Needs A Mellotron, Every Remix A Duduk

2009-12-10T20:33:00.003+01:00

Since the deadline was no more I gradually slipped into slacker-mode. But, I have managed to finish the remix of Wilting Violet. I am not too sure about the result. Maybe there was just not enough vocals to work with for me, or maybe I have been working on it for too long. Maybe I am going to do some minor tweaks in the future, or maybe these tweaks are going to be pretty major. And maybe this is just going to be the final version. But without further ado, here it is.

The Deadline Is Dead! Long Live The Deadline!

2009-11-27T17:05:00.003+01:00

I have been a little bit under the weather this last week, so there hasn't been a lot of progress to talk about. Not that it is of any relevance, because the bonus disc for the Little Man reissue isn't going to happen after all, so there is no longer a deadline for submitting remixes for that. However, they are still interested in remixes for a possible release later next year. Not that I was thinking about abandoning the remix, because it is too much fun and I have come too far anyway.

So, those duduk licks sound pretty nice, if I may say so myself. I am now thinking about the arrangement of the first part of the song up until the first verse. I have some ideas for that which I am going to try this weekend. After that I have to come up with something interesting and appropiate for the second verse. I am also thinking about doing another Thief remix since there is no longer a deadline for submitting these remixes, at least not in the near future. But I also want to continue with the two projects I was working on previously, so that possible second remix doesn't have the highest priority.

I decided not to participate in The White Cube remix project I talked about earlier. I have tried a couple of things that didn't sound too promising. Today I also listened to quite a lot of the already submitted remixes for this project and as expected they all sounded almost without exception awesome. And with a deadline not even two weeks away I foresee an unability to come up with something fitting for this very interesting project. I am still going to use Susan's spoken word piece for one thing or the other, because it is too good to ignore.

Pizza!

2009-11-21T17:32:00.002+01:00

So where was I? Oh yeah, the string section. Well, that didn't sound too spectacular, so that's another idea that has found its way into the trash bin. But...it looks like I have found a direction that could actually work and end up being a half-decent idea, which is what I am willing to settle for at the moment. I have taken the aforementioned guitar riff, reversed it and put it through a multi-effect (a gated filtery delay kinda thing). I have added sequenced percussion from the Compilation Vol. 1 Kore pack (using the Reaktor engine) and morphed it through its eight variations. Then I tried some prefab duduk licks, some of which sounded like they actually fitted into the key of the piece.

Tonight I am going to try and record those duduk licks so that they are actually timed right. Ofcourse there is still a lot of work to do and decisions to make, but with three weeks to go until the deadline there is still hope...

Strings, english horn and then some...

2009-11-17T17:32:00.002+01:00

Ok, that drum track sounds pretty boring, so I am probably going to replace it with something even more boring. Yesterday night, while moving from my couch to my bed, I suddenly realised that I had already used the guitar riff in another remix, ofcourse with different chords. So now I am in doubt if I should keep using it for this remix. It sounds nice, so I am reluctant to throw it away. I am probably going to use it as a template for a string section. I am curious how that is going to work out.

So you think you can remix?

2009-11-16T17:35:00.002+01:00

A weekend has passed and I haven't made any progress. The chord progression is still the only thing I have at the moment. I tried a couple of things, but they weren't to my liking so I threw them away. I am now going to try something which I haven't tried for some time. I am going to try and create a new drum track from scratch. Shock! Horror! I used to be able to come up with decent drum tracks in the past, but I got a bit lazy these last couple of years, so I often used other people's drums and percussion tracks.

I am thinking about taking on another remix assignment with an even earlier deadline. You can read abou that here. The remix of Wilting Violet still has the highest priority, but in case I have some time to spare...

Is that an actual idea you've got there?

2009-11-13T17:29:00.002+01:00

So you thought I would give you a daily update? Well, think again. Which doesn't mean that I haven't done a thing since my last blog entry. My initial idea didn't work out. Not that it was that bad, but it was threatening to head in a direction not too far from the original. So I decided to take a different approach and write a chord progression for the vocal part. After some initial problems finding the right chords to accompany the vocals, I actually managed to come up with a progression that, at least to me, could give the song a different feel. Don't worry, it won't end up being a happy tune.

Now I have to start building up the backing music for the vocals, which comes down to choosing the right sound/instrument for the chords, but also what to do with drums/percussion (always a problem) and other ingredients. After that it's a question of finding the right arrangement and maybe adding a solo. Sounds easy, doesn't it? We'll see...

So where do we go from here?

2009-11-10T17:47:00.002+01:00

Yesterday evening I loaded the stems into a Cubase project and had a listen to parts of the individual stems and the complete unmixed mix, looking for a possible approach to remixing the song. There are not that many different vocal parts to work with, which is the reason for having second thoughts about picking Wilting Violet as the song to remix, because the vocal parts are almost always the starting point for a remix and sometimes even the only original thing I use in a remix. Now I have to consider some of the other stems for inclusion, consequently running the risk of staying too close to the original. I was thinking about using some of the stuff towards the end for an intro and see how the remix develops from there. That's probably what I am going to start with this evening...

The Stems Have Arrived!

2009-11-09T18:44:00.002+01:00

It has been a while. Almost two months to be more or less precise. It's not that I haven't done a thing musically speaking, but I have decided not to set too much goals. Just working on music when I feel like it, but not feeling bad when I have let another weekend pass without any musicking. I started working on a 'slightly' experimental five-part piece. And as a counterpart to that project I also worked on a couple of more conventional tunes. The focus had actually shifted toward the latter and I am now thinking of trying to turn those pieces into a more coherent whole. But...

...today Bruce Soord of The Pineapple Thief has uploaded stems of some of his/their tunes for other people to remix. The best ones are going to end up on the bonus disc of the remixed and remastered rerelease (that's a lot of 're's) of the Little Man album. Another opportunity for me to remix one of their tunes, like I did last year with My Debt To You (which subsequently ended up being the winner of the remix contest that I wasn't aware of).

My plan is to keep you updated on the progress, or lack thereof, of my remixing attempt. I won't promise you daily updates, so rest assured, but I will try to write a blog entry at least once a week. The deadline is the 11th of December, so that amounts to at least four blog entries full of frustration, desperation, euphoria, bliss and disappointment, not necessarily in that order.

The first song I suggested for remixing was Wilting Violet from the Little Man album itself. I wanted to limit myself to songs from that album, so I wouldn't have too much to choose from, and Wilting Violet seemed to me the most suitable for remixing. However, I was informed that it was already chosen by one of the band members, so I suggested Perpetual Night Shift and as an optional second (or actually third) choice MD One, both from the second album 137. So I was surprised when I saw the stems for Wilting Violet among the stems that were uploaded today, but not Perpetual Night Shift or MD One. So Wilting Violet it is, I guess...or is it? When I listened to the original today I was wondering why I picked it in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I like this song very much, but today it sounded like a tough one to remix. I am still going to give it a try though, so stay tuned for more remixing adventures.

Duisternis of Licht

2009-09-15T19:29:00.003+02:00

At last I have managed to create a remix for Vuur, the dutch adaptation of On The Wind. The remix is called Duisternis Of Licht. You can read about Aeronaut's On The Wind - Around The World project here, listen to and read about the original version of Vuur here, and read about and listen to my remix here.

Artie Q's Collaborations

2009-09-02T19:36:00.003+02:00

Artie Q has released a new album, aptly titled Collaborations. This in itself should already be of interest to everyone, but there is an added bonus, because it features a remix of his song Belief by yours truly (called A Comforting Solution, the remix that is, not yours truly). This version is different from the one on my website. We replaced the Bunny Prayer sample by Artie's voice and Duckett's drumloop by some of my own, and everyting was expertly mastered by Mindmovie. Anyway, you can get your digital copy here.

Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants

2009-08-13T20:08:00.002+02:00

I once referred to the way my song Blind Date came to be as standing on the shoulders of giants, because of the impact other people's contributions had on the final result. However, I guess this can be said about everything I did during my time at ccMixter.

I ended up at ccMixter because of the Calendar Songs project and initially I was only interested in using Calendar Girl's pellas to write my own music to. While there I thought that it might be fun to put other people's spoken word pieces to music and create a project out of that, which eventually resulted in Orpheus In Hell. After a while I started to use more source material from other people in stead of only pellas. This is especially apparent in the songs that ended up on the EP Goodbye/Farewell.

But all things, especially good things, come to an end, and after almost two years I have decided to take a break from ccMixter and focus on other ventures. These past two years have most probably been my most productive and creative years, so it was not an easy solution to take, but I do feel that it was a solution that had to be taken. So I want to thank everyone at ccMixter for their support. It was very much appreciated, probably more than anyone imagines. But ccMixter is not only about having the opportunity to use quality source material from other people. It is also about the music created by fellow mixters, because the amount of talented people over there is something that should never be taken for granted, but should always be cherished. And all this with a positive attitude that is the perfect antidote to the negativity encountered in everyday life. That's why I have every intention to find my way back there.

Anyway, as a way of saying goodbye, I have collected all the songs (plus one) that were written there over the past two years that had not already found a home at other projects. I could, and maybe should, have named that collection Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants, but I decided to call it Backmasking My Way Into Your Heart. I hope you like it as much as I liked spending time at ccMixter.

Enjoy...

The Bitter End

2009-08-09T20:25:00.002+02:00

I have finished the last track for the Backmasking project. The song is aptly titled The Bitter End and can be found here. After having checked the running order of the tracks and possible mixing and mastering issues, I will release this last project in a string of ccMixter-related projects into the Internet Archive. Stay tuned...

Orpheus In Hell

2009-07-14T20:10:00.005+02:00

I have uploaded the Orpheus In Hell project into the Internet Archive and removed the project page and mp3 files from my own website. You can now download the music, cover and list of attributions from here. This link is also available from my website.

This project only represents a part of what I have written during my two year stay at ccMixter. Happiness In Twelve Easy Steps and Goodbye/Farewell have already been released. This leaves only one project to go, which is Backmasking My Way Into Your Heart. In a way this is a true companion project to Orpheus In Hell. Whereas the focus of Orpheus In Hell lies in spoken word pieces, for Backmasking... I use(d) acapellas as a starting point. Anyway, only one song to go before I can put that one to rest too.

Hellbound Again

2009-07-07T20:14:00.003+02:00

And as promised here is the remake of Eurydice. Next up is finalizing the Orpheus In Hell project by performing some minor mix- and mastertweaks, creating the artwork and releasing it into the Internet Archive.

By the way, my sample pack for Hornet is used for the current Remix Fight. Have a listen and vote for your favourite remix of said tune.

The Heat Wave

2009-06-29T21:25:00.003+02:00

I have finished what is probably the last song for Orpheus In Hell containing a spoken word part. It is called The Heat Wave and you can find it and some extra information here. I am also working on a remake of Eurydice, which was originally released in 2005 on Unraveling Utopia. The remake is intended as the closing track for Orpheus in Hell and will most probably not contain any spoken word parts.

Desert Song

2009-06-22T20:42:00.001+02:00

There is a new song for the Orpheus In Hell project. It's called Desert Song and you can find it here.

We're almost there...

Days And Nights (Vincent's Song)

2009-06-03T20:41:00.006+02:00

On the edge of the old part of Leiden lies a cemetary where I used to walk past every now and then. Only fairly recently I found out that nowadays it is actually a public park. So the next time I was in the neighbourhood I decided to visit it. When I was about to leave the cemetary after my visit I noticed a schematic drawing of the graves behind a window of the building that stands at the entrance to the cemetary. To my surprise I saw that the mother of Vincent van Gogh was buried here. Ofcourse I was familiar with the fact that that other famous painter, Rembrandt, was born in Leiden. But I also knew that Vincent van Gogh was born in a small village (Zundert) in a different part of The Netherlands, hence my surprise. Anyway, I decided to try and find her grave, which I did. The photograph you see was taken on a subsequent visit to the cemetary.

When I heard Anchor's pella Days & Nights (Vincent’s Song) I knew I wanted to do something with it. Unfortunately, it took me quite some time before I managed to come up with something satisfactory. That was partly due to the fact that I am seldom able to write a song in a short period of time, and mostly due to the fact that I experienced a creative dip during the first couple of months of this year. So I want to thank Anchor for his patience and his willingness to re-record his vocals (and record additional cello parts) to my version of the song. Anyway, you can find it here.

Days & Nights (Vincent’s Song)
Original lyric by Anchor Méjans - A song inspired by St. Remy, Provence and artist Vincent Van Gogh.

In Ancient fields of old
The golden sun I hold
And the olive trees are bowers
And the blue cloth sky
birds that fly so high
Come to rest on beds of flowers.

days and nights
nights and days……….

There is time for love
time to rise above
All those taciturn marauders
Leave the sad cafe
For some other day
And the darkened book of hours.

days and nights
nights and days……….

The two sides of Fate
arrive early and leave late
As the river flows ever onward
But for now in Grace
Let’s enjoy this place
If but for a single hour.

As the colors blend
mix and merge as one
days and nights upon a canvas
hung upon a wall
framed as dreams are framed
where no fears can ever trespass.

days and nights
nights and days…….

Jax

2009-05-28T21:48:00.001+02:00

I have 'remixed' John Anealio's Leodora. It's called Jax and you can find it here.

Sandbox

2009-05-12T19:54:00.001+02:00

I have uploaded a new track. You can find it here.

Hornet

2009-05-03T19:38:00.005+02:00

While listening to the Cool Music Show a couple of weeks ago, I heard Magmavander’s very fine take on Duckett’s spoken word piece Hornet and was reminded of how much I liked Duckett’s voice and words in Close My Eyes, which I used in this tune (shameless self-plug). And Hornet was no different, so I thought (and mostly hoped) that it might fit in with an old and unfinished song of mine called Drowning In Shallow Waters.

However, there were still some pieces missing so I called in the help of not one, but two guitar players, who both had helped me out previously. Edwin van Buuringen has been saving my musical butt for twelve years now and two of such examples can be found here and there (shameless self-plug #2 and #3). For Fireproof Babies it is (only) the third time that I have bothered him with a request to help me out. The first time was with this tune (where he played the clarinet, by the way) and the second time it was with that song (shameless self-plug #4 and #5). FB also send me some additional weird stuff, part of which ended up in my take on Hornet (the rest will most probably find its way in another song).

And finally, I also used two recordings of this angry little fellow by Greg Baumont. It’s maybe a bit too obvious to use it, but that’s the kinda guy I am. Apart from the fact that no one else had done it (at least not at ccmixter).

Anyway, you can find the result here.

Goodbye/Farewell

2009-04-30T17:52:00.003+02:00

I have released an EP, called Goodbye/Farewell, into the Internet Archive. It contains a couple of tunes written in the last four months and almost only consisting of samples from other people. The other songs that were conceived in the same way, Tell Us Where You've Been and Girl At The Bus Stop, were written for the Orpheus In Hell project and will end up there.

I have decided to release this EP for two reasons. First of all because I am an old-fashioned guy who still likes the idea of albums where individual songs can find a home. Secondly, because these songs stand apart from the other ones that were not written with a specific project in mind (like Orpheus In Hell). These other ones have been moved to a seperate project that I have created recently, called Backmasking My Way Into Your Heart (excluding those songs that cannot be included for licensing reasons).

And speaking of Orpheus In Hell...I have been working on two songs for that project. Both use backing music that originally was written quite a while ago, but was never completed. One of these songs even includes lead guitar parts specifically recorded for it, by two seperate guitar players. That one will definitely see the light of day. It's just a question of finalizing the mix (and maybe adding a part or two). The other one turned out to be a bit of a struggle, so I am not sure if I will manage to finish that one. But it looks like this project could also be completed this year, because it is really taking shape now.

Anyway, this is it for me right now. I hope you like the EP.

A Two-Part Piece

2009-04-16T21:07:00.003+02:00

I have uploaded a two-part piece called Nothing Stands Between Us Except The Darkness In Our Hearts. You can find both parts as separate tracks here.

New Song/s?

2009-04-02T21:05:00.002+02:00

I have uploaded a new song. Well, actually I have uploaded two new songs since my previous blog entry. So, actually one of those isn't really that new anymore. Anyway, here is one of them. And there is the other.

Blind Date

2009-02-24T03:19:00.005+01:00

For me ccMixter is like standing on the shoulders of giants, hoping that I do not drag them down in the process. Blind Date is a perfect example of that. Part of the history for this song can be found here. An even older part can be seen on the left, which is a schematic drawing of the kalimba parts that open the song.

Anyway, for this song the giants whose shoulders have been trampled on by yours truly are:
Kaer Trouz: vocals and lyrics
Fireproof Babies: ebow and lead guitar
Radiotimes: percussion

With a big thank you to DJ Rkod for breathing new life into an unfinished and abandoned idea and to Anchor Méjans for his time and effort.

Happiness In Twelve Easy Steps

2009-01-25T18:02:00.002+01:00

I have addressed some slight mix issues of my Calendar Songs remixes before submitting them as an album to the Internet Archive with the title Happiness In Twelve Easy Steps. I had finished the writing process quite some time ago, but did not seem to find the motivation to perform the final mix tweaks. That is up until now. I have to admit that once I have created a preliminary version of a song I rather work on something new than try to finish something old(ish) that has practically reached its final stage. But a lack of inspiration for the songs I am working on at the moment and some new projects that are well underway or could be completed in the near future prompted me to finish Happiness...

In a way this was a special project for me to be working on. Not that it was the first time that I had worked with (existing) vocal tracks (also called 'remixing' by some, but to me this word does not do enough justice to the creative input of the 'remixer'), because I already had made a couple of attempts in that direction. But because I had set myself out to remix (there is that word again) all twelve Calendar Songs, I could not dismiss a pella (that's another word for vocal track) just because of a lack of decent ideas to go with it. Which is exactly the way I work normally. When something does not work, I am so stuck in a certain directon that the only solution is to throw everything away. So I am the first to admit that some of these songs may be a bit flawed. But all in all I am pretty pleased with the album as a whole and I hope that someone out there likes it too.

Tell Us Where You've Been

2009-01-06T20:04:00.004+01:00

I have created another piece using only samples from the ccmixter sample pool. This one puts Narva9's most beautiful spoken word piece Tell Us against a backdrop created by some very fine guitar playing from Neurowaxx. And to top things of I have added the Dhyanaslokas chant by Cherry Gollogoly, which was provided by Anchor Méjans. The only thing I did was to throw things together, apply some effects and hope for the best (fingers crossed and then some).

Eve

2009-01-03T22:34:00.001+01:00

On New Year’s Eve I wrote a piece using only samples from sample pools available at ccmixter. Because of the length and file size limitations for uploading, I decided to create a ‘single’ edit. However, in stead of cutting a 4 minute piece out of the full version, I shrank the full version into a 4m16s track, which is what you can listen to here. The full version can be found here.

Summer Glau

2008-12-12T20:44:00.002+01:00

How could I not remix a song dedicated to Summer Glau? So here it is. The original is by John Anealio (whose vocals I have used) with lyrics from John DeNardo. Also used are the ethereal background vocals from Trifonic’s Sooner Or Later and the Industrial Drum Kit from PorchCat.

And the winner is...

2008-12-11T19:27:00.002+01:00

Well, ofcourse I already have talked at lengths about Get The Balance Right, my remix of The Pineapple Thief's My Debt To You. But what I have not mentioned before is that I have won the remix competition that featured said song. To be honest, I was not aware that there was a competition. I just took the stems that they had made available on their mini-site, featuring their new album Tightly Unwound, and had some fun with it. Nice to know that they liked it. Anyway, you can read about it here (scroll to the bottom of the screen).

Remixing The Remix

2008-12-06T20:29:00.003+01:00

Some time ago I remixed The Pineapple Thief’s My Debt To You. Some of the band members seemed to like it and their record label (Kscope) send me a couple of their cd’s for my effort. But because the vocal tracks (which was the only thing I used from the original) were not released under a creative commons license, I was rather limited by what I was allowed to do with that remix. Therefore I decided to upload the backing music as a remix pack for others to add to/remix/use.

You can find VBR mp3 files here and other formats (like FLAC) here. The only thing not present in the remix pack (apart from the vocal tracks) are the drumloops, which were taken from A Minor Theory’s Wait and can be found here. You can listen to my remix here.

Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon

2008-11-16T21:03:00.004+01:00

Ok, ok, so I should have been working on Blind Date, but I got distracted by a new feature from ccmixter, which you can find at the bottom of this blog. It's an (too) extensive overview of remixes made using source material from me and links to that source material. The overview is too extensive, because it also lists remixes made for a collaboration in which I was involved, but that were not made using source material from me. Therefore, I kept the Subliminal Remixed player. However, I removed the Plus from it, which means that I removed Oh My Antonia and Welcome Home. I moved the latter one to the Sublimal´s Favourites player. The first one I will probably add to the Miscellaneous page of my website. These changes are also reflected in the same players on my website.

I have also started fooling around with demos of Celemony´s Melodyne. I am seriously thinking about buying the plug-in version. But when I will start working on music again, it will definitely be on Blind Date...I swear....honestly.....

Atlas Reshaped

2008-11-13T20:57:00.003+01:00

At last, I have finished my remix of Anchor's Atlas. Now, it may seem that I am on a roll here, but I started quite some time ago with both Atlas Reshaped and A Comforting Solution. Not that I have been working on both these songs all that time, but still, both were not exactly created overnight.

Next up is a serious attempt at completing my version of Blind Date. This one I have been working on when I got stuck with everything else, but now it is time to try and finish it.

Freedom

2008-11-10T20:51:00.002+01:00

I have finished another track for my Orpheus In Hell project. This one features Snowflake's spoken word piece Freedom, which is therefore the title of my song. You can also hear some excellent clarinet playing by Fireproof Babies, which he recorded specifically for this song.

The track opens with a flute solo, originally called Still Life, which in its final version was inspired by the Dead Can Dance song Piece For Solo Flute from their splendid live album Toward The Within. I used a stretched and reversed version of my flute solo as an extra layer in the second part of the song.

A Comforting Solution

2008-11-05T20:16:00.002+01:00

There is a new remix to be enjoyed. It's called A Comforting Solution and it's a remix of Artie Q's song Belief. I could waste your time by talking at lengths about it, but Artie has said it all here. The only thing I would like to add is that it was Duckett's drum loop which got the creative juices for this remix flowing again. So, thank you Duckett!

Welcome Home

2008-10-22T20:16:00.002+02:00

Last week I have been working on the mix of a song called Welcome Home, with music from Ditto Ditto, lyrics and vocals by Anchor Méjans and additional vocals from Kaer Trouz. It was actually a housewarming gift from Anchor to Kaer. It was fun working on only the mix of a song for once. My initial intention was to add something more of myself to it, but a lack of ideas and the suspicion that it was not what was expected kept me from doing it. Radiotimes also created a mix, although that one was closer to a remix, adding some very tasty ingredients of his own making to the mix. I hope he will upload that version, because it's well worth listening to.

...With Friends Like These

2008-10-04T20:25:00.003+02:00

As mentioned in my previous blog entry, I have uploaded the individual tracks of With Friends Like These for others to remix. You can find VBR mp3 files here and a plethora of different file formats (like WAV and FLAC) here (where you can also find the full mix).

I also want to use this opportunity to thank Steve and Edwin for their valuable and valued contributions. Their willingness to contribute to this song should not be taken for granted and deserves the highest gratitude.

Who Needs Enemies...

2008-09-30T21:29:00.004+02:00

There is a new track available for you to enjoy. It's called With Friends Like These and it features Synthetic aka Steve Engler on vocals and Edwin van Buuringen on lead guitar. I am planning to release the individual tracks for others to remix. I will probably upload mp3 versions to ccmixter and wave versions (including a wave version of the full mix) to the Internet Archive. But more on that later.

The End Is The End Is The End

2008-09-10T21:47:00.003+02:00

With the completion of the remixes for August and September (and the last one even before the August remix) I have managed to remix all twelve of them. Not all of them have my seal of approval (whatever that is worth), but once I am stuck in a certain direction it is hard to break out of it. Normally I would delete such a project, but now I had to persevere, because I had set myself the goal to remix them all. All in all it was a lot of fun, although sometimes a bit frustrating. But most importantly, it gave my creativity the necessary boost and introduced me to ccmixter.

So what's next? Well, I have to perform some last tweaks to the mix and maybe even the arrangement of the CS remixes before I can call the project officially completed. And I also have to finish the artwork. But before that I will probably have a go at my version of Blind Date and one or two ideas for my Orpheus In Hell project.

Stay tuned for another installment of the continuing saga of the wonderful world of Subliminal.

The Hole Has Moved

2008-08-24T21:20:00.002+02:00

I have moved The Hole In The Universe from my website to the Internet Archive to free up some space on my website for future additions. I will probably do this for all completed projects. It automatically derives a multitude of audio file formats from the format you upload, so there should be something for everybody, from Wave to 64 kbps MP3. If you click on the project image on the Projects page on my website it will take you to the page on the Internet Archive with all the relevant files, including the artwork. You can also use this link.

Pigs In Hell

2008-08-11T22:05:00.003+02:00

After the rather easy June, July proved to be a more difficult piece to turn into something half-decent. And ofcourse I failed yet again. But what can one do, except hope for more luck the next time around. Anyway, 10 down and still 2 to go. I was hoping to finish the writing before september, which would mean that I would have been working on it for a year (well, more or less anyway), but the way things are going now I have serious doubts about making such a deadline. Not that it really matters.

Barbie Stew

2008-07-31T21:08:00.002+02:00

What can you do with source material like this or this? Well, maybe you could do something like this.

Three Friends (left...well, actually two.....)

2008-07-16T22:48:00.002+02:00

After using Ruggea’s Where Earth Meets Sea (a love story) as a backing voice to part of my version of Anchor’s O(h) My Antonia (and lets be honest, you could do worse than that), I thought that it would only be fair to do her voice and poems a bit more justice and base a whole song on her poem Three Friends.

As musical background I used an adaptation of an ‘old’ song of mine, called Which Way To Leicester Square, which was based on an acoutic guitar loop taken from a recording I had made of a song written and performed by Edwin van Buuringen (which kinda sounds as Edward van Halen, but ofcourse isn’t the same, although they both are born in the same part of the country…but I digress).

This means that I have deleted Which Way To Leicester Square and it's ugly little brother Which Way To Leicester Square - Return, because both had become obsolete.

By the way, a message for all of my blog-reading friends at VIRB. When I talked about players in my previous blog, I was obviously referring to my blog at blogger.com which gets imported into my VIRB blog. You can head over to that blog or my website to gain access to said players.

Press Play

2008-07-15T20:25:00.002+02:00

I have added two players to this blog, as the vigilant visitor of my virtual visions most probably already has noticed. All the other people should look to the bottom right of this page...A little bit more to the bottom...yes, there they are...

Both players use playlists created over at my ccMixter profile. The first one, called Subliminal Remixed Plus, plays songs/remixes by others using source material from yours truly. I thought that it would be a nice idea to collect those songs for others to hear. Added to that player is my version of Anchor's O My Antonia. Because my involvement wasn't that big, I decided to add it to my ccMixter profile only. But now you can also listen to it using this player.

The other player contains some of my favourite ccMixter songs/remixes by others (hence the name Subliminal's ccMixter Favourites). I know, the playlist is only two songs long at this moment, but that doesn't mean that there isn't enough quality stuff out there. It's just that I only started using this playlist feature recently, so come back every now and then and be amazed by the sheer quality of some of the other 'remixers'.

Oh by the way, both players can also be found at the bottom of the links page of my own website. Not that anyone ever visits that one.....

Monsoons

2008-07-08T20:59:00.002+02:00

Well, that went rather quick, at least for me. Normally it takes me ages to come up with a half-decent result, but now it only took me four evenings…;-) Anyway, as you may already have guessed, I have finished another song. It's the remix of CG's June and it's called Deserts And Monsoons.

Credit where credit is due, so here goes…

Vocals: CG
Guitars: VG II
Drums: probably Tomas Haake
The rest: Yours Truly

9 down, 3 to go.

This is a happy song.

2008-07-03T22:00:00.002+02:00

After trying a zillion different last things to add to the song and deciding on only drums from Trifonic's Broken for the chorus, and after freezing instruments, muting tracks, bypassing fx and exporting the song more times than was good for my mental health, I finally can offer you my remix of CG's May, called Hide The Fuse From The Fire. Sometimes I wonder if it's all worth it.

Autumn Thoughts

2008-06-20T21:14:00.001+02:00

There is a new song for the Orpheus In Hell project, called Autumn Thoughts. You can find it in the usual places.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day

2008-05-22T20:43:00.002+02:00

I have remixed CG's February and called it Every Breath The World Takes. You can find it at the usual places.

Hardcore

2008-05-09T22:09:00.001+02:00

The dedicated followers of yours truly should click this link.

When It's Seeding Time

2008-05-06T19:42:00.004+02:00

I have created a little 'remix' of CG's April, called When It's Seeding Time. I did try to add some extra elements to the remix, but nothing really worked, so I decided to leave it in the state in which you can now listen to it. You can find the remix at all the usual places, but for a direct link you can use this.