BIRDS :: Take One

 

 

Brand new track up on the Bandcamps again today. 

Based around a couple of field recordings of the dawn chorus, with a few carefully chosen acoustic instruments to keep that fresh early morning "live" feeling. The dawn chorus where I live has a richness and intensity like black strong coffee. In the summer, there are often as many as 20, 25 different species of birds audible from my back garden. And then there is the rookery just down the road which is well-established and home to maybe upwards of 200+ birds. It's a far cry from the city centre where I used to live.

On this track, I started with two early morning recordings of birdsong during the dawn chorus. To this I added synths and strings, acoustic guitar, kalimba and flute. All played by me. There is no AI on this recording. It's all me blowing and plucking and strumming and playing synths and literally waving a microphone at the trees

The image is the earliest I could find of the birds I used to make by recycling used disposable bbq grills that I collected from Southsea common.

That all feels like a lifetime ago, and I think that a little of that feeling comes across in the music.

And I think I can say this here, I am more pleased and happy with some of the music that I've made in the last ten years, than I am with any of the pictures I've made in the last forty.

On - A Path From The Floating World

 

New track on the Bandcamp. An excellent remix by Rusty Sheriff of the most recent Caustic track.

The original track was made on my old Moto G6 using the long obsolete Caustic 3 synthesiser app. I love using this app. It's got an astonishing depth and detail to it and yet, it's amazingly easy to use on the most simplistic level. Caustic is akin to an audio form of Photoshop or an MORPG, in that as you use it and develop your familiarity with it, you are drawn deeper and explore and learn. I have learned more about music and music production... Don't get me wrong, clearly I am not Ed Kramer or Steven Wilson... I have no delusions about being actually good. But I have (ridiculously) high expectations of my self and my art, and I publish work that I feel I can be justifiably satisfied, even pleased with. Or, at least, I like to think so. I very rarely get any honest, truthful critical feedback, so it's hard to tell.

This track clearly shows the progression I have made since I started to make music of  my own.

 

 **Side Note: :> "Instant Artwork"

 

The artwork was produced by working directly into a scanning scanner with a lit torch and a sheet of handy printed ephemera.

It took a few goes to get the composition, then edit it (crop) for uploading. Total time for the entire process, maybe 30 minutes - including uploading it to Bandcamp.

* No Photoshop (or equivalent)

* No AI

As long as there is oxygen in my lungs, and music in my heart I will sing to the stars.

To All Of My Friends In Portsmouth

Saturday 11.th April

I'll be having a quiet pint in the Northcote with some friends from about 7ish.

My last night out in Pompey before I leave you all in peace,
and my last chance to thank you all, in person, for the last 33 years.

If you can make it, even if it's just dropping in for a couple of minutes to make sure I'm
definitely going, I'll be happy (and sad!) to see you and say cheerio.

Thanks for some spectacular memories Pompey people.
I'll miss ya!

X
D

On - Erik Satie - Gnossienne in Asia Minor.

Inspired by Forgotten Fish Memory Orchestra

Shared from @harrypartch on YouTube

Enjoy