The Junto assignment this week is to "Make a song from just one sample."
Since my name is Bassling, I thought to use a bass sample.
The kick, snare and percussion, as well the screeching guitar part and bass -- they all come from the one plucked open E string.
For better or worse the Black Friday phenomena has taken a place in my calendar in recent years.
The upside is finding something cheap and then selling it when I realise that I don't need it, which happened last year with a delay pedal that I sold for a small profit.
The downside is missing out on something and then becoming obsessed with owning it, which led me to buy a synth that I've only used once and keep thinking I should do more with it.
This year I have been thinking about the Mystery Box a lot more than I need.
It's a clever pitch from a company that has been innovating guitar pedal effects. (Edit: I have since learned that Wren and Cuff had the idea last year.)
I had been patiently waiting for months to buy their Onward pedal and last weekend let myself visit their website, where I became curious about the mysterious link and arrived at the video above.
Over the weekend I kept pondering the offer and checked in on their social media, where the pitch became even more irresistible.
Some boxes will contain effects pedals from other companies, while a few will contain a Willy Wonka-style golden pin for future pedals.
Within days it became clear that Chase Bliss had hit a sweet spot in marketing, as they closed the offer.
It looks like it took three days for the company to generate so many orders that they expect to be still fulfilling them for the coming months.
I'm surprised this hasn't been observed on one of the many websites that promote musical gear.
Then again, maybe it's common for a Black Friday sale item to sell out.
However, I am now wondering how many other businesses will pitch a Mystery Box?
In many ways it's perfect for people who are difficult to buy gifts for, or who don't get the gifts they want.
The cynic in me also thinks it's also a great way for companies to push out old stock.
Seeing that Chase Bliss are in the process of redeveloping much of their product line, as the EU won't allow components that contain cadmium, I worried that I was going to find a boring flanger pedal when I opened my box.
(Then again, maybe a MIDI-synced flanger is exactly what my drum machines need?)
Anyway, seeing how CBA pedals are ridiculously expensive -- $719 retail in Australia -- I expect the secondhand market will soak up a lot of these mysteries.
And I really love the concept.
I think it packages a kind of lucky dip experience that consumers will find appealing, at least until it's diluted with disappointments.
And I am thinking almost obsessively about when my Mystery Box might arrive as Chase Bliss' social media spruiks a huge variety of possibilities.
The assignment this week is to "Make the quiet part loud, and vice-versa."
This track started as a riff for my class to practice writing raps, so it's sparse and gives scope to speed it up.
The keyboard part was an afterthought, but I realised it was perfect to take the foreground for the Junto project.
As a result, I've pushed the drums and bass into the background, which is the opposite of my usual approach.
Meanwhile, the kids in class have been happy to practice along with a mix by Bobby Corridor instead.
My track is busier than the poem might suggest, but I like to think the bubbling bassline reflects the dreams of the raptors.
