Different Use well-received

It's been great to see a positive response to the most recent Shinobi Cuts remix chain.

It was the sixth album in the series that I've been coordinating with Ben Coffer.

Our musical heroes Coldcut, who pretty much invented remixing, mentioned it on social media.

And the website Bandcamp included it in their "The Best Electronic Music" for February:

This is what the internet was always supposed to be about: not filter bubbles and corporate domination, but ready collaboration, international linkage, and expecting the unexpected. Coordinated by Brit in Macedonia and leftfield electronica veteran Martin “MDK” Wood, this is a musical game of pass the parcel: each track is a remix of the previous one, starting with Wood’s own tune, which was handed around the planet until finally, it ended up back with him in Skopje, 15 generations on, completely unrecognizable and ready for him to remix once again. The names are unfamiliar, the sounds go from dub reggae to processed rock drumming loops to large quantities of Aphex Twin-influenced braindance. The quality is high throughout, but the joy of this is in hearing the whole album, watching an idea as it passes through many minds, and feeling the absolute joy in the process.

Disquiet Junto 0373 Copernican Music

The Junto this week involves communicating with aliens.

My idea was to use the human voice, as a way of familiarising them with people.

Then I thought about the messages I'd want to share, so I've welcomed them "Down under" and introduced "homo sapiens".

Each message ends with an affirmative "Alright!" when the aliens make the connection.

And, since it's a piece of music, I've added percussion and bass line.

Hope they like dancing!

The raw material comes from my recent track 'Alright'.

When your mix is fallin apart

Alright!

Since the Disquiet Junto found a home on the Lines forum, I've spent a little time looking through their threads.

Recently there was a call for people to contribute a track using only sounds from their mouth, which I thought might be fun.

After considering a couple of ideas, I settled on using a rap I wrote around 20 years ago.

It feels a bit dated but I updated a few parts and hopefully it works.

Disquiet Junto 0372 Honeymoon Phase

The Junto this week asks for

a piece of music with (only) your most recently obtained instrument or music/sound tool.

This week I received my second Kaossilator, which are a synth with an XY controller.

They're going cheap since an updated version came out, and I had one of those but it wasn't as solid and broke quickly.

For the Junto I recorded for about 12 minutes, then spent an hour editing it back to a bit over 5 minutes.

The editing was done in Final Cut, which probably contributed to the time required.

You can see I layered a couple of earlier parts toward the end, and also repeated the drum loop without the bassline.

One drawback with the Kaossilator is the loops are short, which makes it tricky to incorporate a chord progression.

I want to be a musician

naviarhaiku266 – neon boulevard

Wasn't sure I'd respond to this haiku shared by Naviar Records.

It's a ripper but it wasn't until I remembered the footage from Christmas that I was moved to create a track.

That's the problem with using Youtube to publish music, I guess.

The music came together very quickly, repurposing a few minor chords.

Wish the video was more interesting but there aren't many neon lights in Leeton.

My knowledge of music theory

Disquiet Junto 0371 Concrete Ambience

The Disquiet Junto this week asks for music in the style of concrete wallpaper.

It prompted me to reply with a haiku that I think conveys the spirit of Junto projects.

Then I remembered the video I'd shot of my son playing a concrete xylophone outside the Questacon.

I'd sampled this video for a previous Junto but this track is more upbeat.

The concrete wallpaper is reflected in the sampled concrete and the repetitive pattern of the song, which loops once.

What makes Ringo a Great Drummer

Burnt Friedman on musical freedom

"...Generally speaking, electronic music gives you freedom —- the freedom to get rid of musical idioms."

naviarhaiku265 – dark moon

The haiku shared by Naviar Records this week brought to mind a song I wrote last year, Closer To Knowing.

I recorded this version quickly on the ukulele and expect there'll be a polished, proper version on my next album -- which will be called SING for the vocal-driven songs it'll contain.

Different Use

Great to be part of another Shinobi Cuts remix chain



It starts and ends with tracks by MDK, who was on the Spymania label (early home to Cassetteboy, Squarepusher and Jamie Lidell).

Shinobi Cuts is a nod to Ninja Tune. who used to have a forum on their website where these remix chains started early this century.