More field-recording fun

Does anyone read this? Oh well, I'll blather anyway.

The most recent excitement is that I did five weeks in Europe and Japan and came back with a swag of field recordings. So far I've made two proper tracks from what I collated.

The first features field recordings …

Divestment

Last weekend I passed on my old music gear to a young friend. The feeling is something akin to relief. The gear is a sort of who's who of middling ancient synths.

• Item 1: Yamaha CS-5. Monophonic, 1979. Better model: CS10, CS80.
• 
  
• Item 2: Yamaha DX100. FM synthesis, …

Shock of the Old

The last Malty Media radio show (December 30) was a lot better than the previous one - I was worried that we were losing our mojo. Because we were on leave, we did a bit of last minute work, including construction of a drum and bass tribute to Children of the Dog Star, …

Continual reinvention

Of late I've done some reworkings of older tracks, particularly two from my debut albatross, International Travel. It's funny what a difference a couple of years make. While keeping some of the original loops the same, I've otherwise taken a different take …

Update

Well, fan, it's been a while since I last wrote. Been very busy with Malty Media and releasing the Angry Rabbit compilation cd Apropos of Nothing.

I had a hand in three tracks: Jack Frost and Brown Lawn as Aquaboogie, and Mescaline Man as part of Malty Media. …

'Real' musicians and 'producers'

Lately I've been trying to get two tracks finished for a compilation on the label I sort of run with two friends. They're fairly good tracks. Not without their flaws, but serviceable. I've noticed that both of them follow certain characteristics - heavy (and perhaps …

The amateur code

What's up in the world of Aquaboogie? Well, as well as playing several Malty Media gigs, I've come up with numerous new tracks. It's been a fertile time, in which even as a new idea becomes untenable, ten minutes later a better one will come along. Or, I'll pick up an …

Padding things out

I have put together a track with those cicada recordings I mentioned earlier. It's what you'd call 'classic ambient' - basically an augmented major chord sustained for about 80 bars with various phasing and reverb effects to make the chord shimmer and fill up space. I …

Pass the mic

In recent weeks I've been trying to put together a track for a comp. The pressure is on! It's a bit tough trying to assemble something 'good enough'. Whacking off (er, as it were) something efficient is easy enough, but making it count is difficult.

It's good to make …

Craft improving maneouvres

Lately I've been trying to improve the way I do things. Here's a catalogue of how it's been done. The first year I did music, I mucked around with a synth with a friend and made feedback noises using a borrowed tape recorder of my grandfather's. Despite how primitive …

2007 in review

Firstly, I am making virb my primary location for music ponderings. I have another blog, but I've decided for keep that separate for personal, off-message rantings. Just to confuse things, now that I'm in partnership with Michael Upton (aka Jet Jaguar) through our Malty …

Post match review of the gig last Friday

Andy's New Science gig went well. My set was the best I've done I think, despite accidentally turning my computer off halfway through. Oh noes!

As always after these events, I get to thinking 'where to from here'? The audience was good, if you ignore the fact that …

Gig next Friday

Andy (Group Five)'s down from Auckland and is putting on a gig at Room 101, which is underneath (and part of) Bar Bodega on Ghuznee Street. It's a good space - easy to fill will with small numbers and has a good vibe.

Shanan (Octif) will also be playing, along with a …