The Wall

Hello again. It’s been an odd couple of months; the transition from Winter to Spring has been hardly discernible here in the UK. The temperature has risen slightly, yes, but the rain and wind hath not abated.

My job is taking up most of my time, focus and energy at the moment and has done for the last month or so; leaving little time for music-making. With this hiatus has come the odd doubt or two and much self-questioning. I’ve done a couple of remixes for people and the occasional ‘live’ mix, etc; but nothing new that could be released as an EP or album.

In fact, when I have tried to write/record stuff, I’ve been really unhappy with it. Yep…I’ve hit a dead-end. Part of the problem has been knowing where to go with my next release. I’ve trawled around my brain (and my music collection) for new ideas and themes, but have come up short. 

Anyway, a symbolic ‘spring clean’ is what normally works in order to give me a spark. So, I’ve downsized my releases; discarded the CutMat Recordings moniker and I’ve re-instated an old favourite EP over at Dementio13.com. Next I might re-arrange the music room or get rid of some instruments (and buy some new ones).

Anyway: here are the remixes I did recently for Northcape and Old Tramp.

And here’s the re-issued EP of bouncy electro:

I’ve also got a backlog of Cwtch tunes to attend to and a collaboration with another muso; both are being very patient.

I’m still stuck……rather than recording seeming like a new sonic adventure, it seems like an onerous task at the moment. So it might be quite some time before I record anything remotely worthy of release. Or maybe I’ll suddenly be hit by the music bus and record 15 tracks in a week.

 

Stuff, Stuff And Some More Stuff

Well, it’s been a pleasant and productive break from work, this last fortnight. Done some catching up with old buddies, new buddies, family and music. I feel rested but, as usual, am not ready to return to work just yet! There’s no pleasing some people, is there?!

Anyhow, I have released a little mini-album type of affair unto the world. It was intended to be an EP of about 5 or 6 tracks, but quickly developed into a 9-track collection. I also intended it to be a major (for me) album release. However, as it was completed well before I planned and really doesn’t fit in with the rest of my music at the moment, I thought I’d release it as an “aside” or an ‘interim album’, if you will.

So, “Short Circus” was born…..recorded solely on my iPad using Retronyms‘ marvelous Tabletop app. Arturia’s rather brilliant iMini app and Retronyms’/Akai’s iMPC app are also in there, as they can be used as part of Tabletop’s environment, as plug-ins. A truly mobile album; created on the train, while visiting my family, on my bed and at my dining table. The only drawback being the difficulty of playing a touch-screen keyboard…..which I may rectify soon by purchasing this.

Anyway, in a nutshell, the album is a departure for me as it comprises of tracks which are rather similar stylistically…..a re-visitation to my earlier acid and techno-influenced tunes: minimal; very electronic; bouncy.

See what you think…it’s free/pay what you want at Dementio13.com, as usual.

Incidentally, many thanks to Greg Healey (HealeyIsland) and Jim Furey (Solarno) for their advice and feedback.

In other news, I went to watch Matt Stevens play in Cardiff….that was great (and also good to catch-up with him and meet his bass accompanist, Alun Vaughan, over a curry. Music, of course, was the main source of discussion and I think we set the world to rights!)

Also, Churn Milk Joan have released an excellent new album this weekend……free/pwyw and thoroughly recommended.

That’s all that’s fit to print, really.

I started this post with a pretty picture, so here are some more to end…… The Mumbles yesterday, on the first really Spring-y day we’ve had.

Fin.

Next!

Hello you. Been a while, but I now have some time to do the things I want to do. Mainly this involves music, family, friends, food and some alcohol. However, I’ve been having a little think about the next release.

On my previous albums (well, for the last two or three years, at least), I’ve been exploring my obsessions: with Factory Records; with Krautrock; with ‘dance music’ (of a sort); and with ambience & noise. All the while I’ve tried to mash things up and deliver a bit of variety on the albums. I think this may change….judging by the way my recent noodles and tests are working out.

The next album, when I start to record it, will be less of a mixed bag I think. I’m thinking electro, unorganic, noisy, beat-laden simplicity and…dare I say it….minimalism. Old-skool, perhaps. Generic, maybe. Possibly recorded using totally different means than previous albums.

Also, the plan is to release three ‘singles’ as free downloads…one a month in the run-up to the new album (July perhaps….maybe on my birthday just for the hell of it). I will, of course, tweet/post the hell out of it in the run-up to the release!

In the meantime, here are some little throwaway tracks I did on my iPad using Retronyms‘ brilliant Tabletop app. I think I’ll be making more use of this in future. The future is simple, the future is mobile. These tracks are nothing to do with the album and probably sound totally different.

In other news, the Laurence Made Me Cry album launch gig went ok. Gave me lots of ideas. Going to see Matt Stevens play on Friday, which will undoubtedly be great.

Anyway…..time to go. That Moscow Mule won’t drink itself.

Reflections and News

As I’m all lethargic and feeling a bit unwell, I thought I’d take some time to update you on stuff that has happened recently.

On Saturday, I briefly performed onstage in Cardiff. Jo Whitby (Laurence Made Me Cry) had her album launch at Bar Buffalo and played almost all the tracks off her rather great new album ‘The Diary Of Me’. I played on two of the tracks, along with James Reichelt (Alone) and Salwa Azar.Now, this was a big deal for me, not only because it was great to be asked to join such an ensemble of talent; but also because I’ve not played live in front of an audience for about 20 years. My music kind of makes playing live, on my own, rather difficult and it’s only during the last few years that I’ve collected the technology to actually consider doing it.

Anyway, it went well and has made me consider doing more, either on my own or with guest musicians.

The gig was a big event for Jo, as it marked the release of her first ‘proper’ album and was the accumulation of her many hours preparation, some personal expense and lots of gigs/promotion. Her organisational skills are impressive. Check the album out, it’s really good (and I’m not just saying that cos I’m on it!)

Here’s a video of one of the live tracks:

In other news, I’d like to say a rather large thank you to all of you who keep downloading/buying my music, sharing links and ‘liking’/etc my various interweb pages and sites. One such example is over on Reverbnation (admittedly a site I don’t use often as it seems to still be stuck in Internet v1 mode….”party like it’s 2006″!). However, I seem to be maintaining a number1 spot in their ‘rank’ for Cardiff and South West electronic artists. People are discovering my music there and on Soundcloud (a better bet for free downloads, remixes and oddities), Twitter and Facebook; it’s cool and much appreciated. This is my latest album, which some people seem to like.

Incidentally, tracks off the album are being played on Dandelion Radio throughout the month and last month’s shows can now be listened back to on their Mixcloud.

All Mixlr-ed Up

Am starting to make headway with the logistics of ‘performing’ my music. As many parts within my tracks are played, rather than sequenced (there are many sequenced bits as well, mind), it’s been a bit of a headache finding a way to actually do something other than just press ‘play’ and let the prerecorded tracks play themselves. There are plenty of artists who just ‘push buttons’; but I want to actually do something and give more of a performance.

I bought an Akai APC a while back in order to partly get around this. Triggering pre-recorded parts and sequences enabled some form of improvisation and difference from the album tracks. But, it’s a bit difficult to play bass and mess about with the APC; not so much of a problem when I’m playing the keyboards and using the APC though.

Anyway…..here are a couple of experiments, where I’ve ‘played’ the APC and done a few Monotron fiddles. Still working on the bass/APC conundrum, but I’ll come up with something, I’m sure.

Incidentally, here’s someone who has done the multi-tasking thing quite well….a favourite and fantastic musician.

This Is The Past

Hello again. I’m enjoying the week (I have the week off) and hope you are too. So far, it’s been a week of music and relaxation, of catching-up with old friends (more meals involved, which isn’t helping my health-kick!) and trying new musical experiences.

Today I did a bit of an overhaul of Dementio13.com, which is actually hosted by Bandcamp. Some old albums re-instated and a couple of ‘new’ collections of very early Dementio13 tracks. Take a look, see what you think……. I’d be interested if you find having all the releases on the homepage better than having the individual album page as the site’s ‘front-end’….if that makes any sense!

Anyway, the two retrospective albums are really a journal from 1999-2002 and they may have more significance for me than for you, but hopefully you’ll like the music. It’s mostly mellower, genre-led and a little more lo-fi than my stuff from the last 5 years. Both albums are free anyway, so knock yourself out.

Cheers

What is Last Test?

For those of you who care about these things, here’s a quick rundown of ‘Last Test’, of some of the tracks anyway. I like to call it ‘no more ambient bollocks‘…..

A Beat Called Don – not sure where the title came from. I was going to call it A Beat Called Graham, but as I know a couple of Grahams, I figured they might think it was about them; which it’s not. I don’t know any Dons, so….

The album’s all about sensations really…..of numbness, of repetition and of blankness. I’m listening to so much music which lulls you into a kind of submission through repetition (repetition) and walls of sound, I wanted to try to do the same, without the brutality of sheer noise (though one or two tracks come close to that). Anyway ABCD (yes, I know) packages that up in a familiar structure and I wanted it to groove a bit too.

Pen Y Fan – this is purely about the sensation of standing, looking out over South/Mid Wales from the top of a fairly big hill/mountain, with wind and cold moisture blowing up into your face. When I used to share a house, some time ago, we used to drive up to the Beacons early on a Sunday morning as a hang-over cure. Walking to the top of Pen Y Fan was the best cure we could think of, followed by a return to Cardiff and a fry-up at Taste Buds in Roath. Did the trick. Anyway….piano and drones seemed vaguely ‘uplifting’.

Really Far Away – For several friends who are really far away; and one who is gone forever. Dark to light in 8 minutes….when I find it hard to find inspirational music, I try to make my own.

Version 3 – this is version three of a really old track (first recorded in 1999, around the time of the original version of ‘Snackshack’) which I may, or may not, post again just for curiosity. I always liked the track and thought it might be interesting to update it, but I kept putting-off rerecording it. I did eventually in November, which kinda got the ball rolling for this album. It’s a little naive and melodic number.

Anyway…..in other news, I had a first rehearsal with Jo Whitby and James Reichelt for Laurence Made me Cry’s album launch gig. We met up in a local practise studio and had a productive, funny and enjoyable practise. This is what it looked like.

Reviews……This Makes Me Happy

There have been some really flattering reviews of ‘Last Test‘. It’s so encouraging and thrilling when people ‘get’ the music and decide to tell the world about it. They also give you a flavour of the album and what I was trying to achieve, y’know, just in case you prefer reading to listening……

Dukla Prague Away Kit review

Music To Wash Up To review

Unwashed Territories review

Sounds Of Solarno review

Also, just a reminder that the brilliant Dandelion Radio feature two of my tracks in their monthly schedule (on Pete Jackson’s and Mark Whitby’s shows).

Please keep on posting and recommending. I know it’s irritating when people keep repeating the same tweets, etc over and over again. But us DIY musicians rely on word-of-mouth promotion. You are part of the process yourselves and really do make a difference. Thanks.