ElectroLand Connection: Trip hop/Jungle/and Beyond

[Curve Dominant]

It seems like we suddenly have a lot more folks here who are into electronic dance styles than when I first started posting. Especially our new friends from EuroLand and Canada. How about y'all introduce yourselves and tell us what you're into, what kind of tools and techniques you use, who you like, and what directions you see the music going in.

 

curvedominant

[hiraga]

Allrighty Mighty CD.. U got me..

 

I'm in the lab, whitecoat and all, and here's the stack of CDs I brought tonite for pure pleasure;

 

Kruder & Dorfmeister "G-Stone Recordings" (Masters of the Vienna sound, laid back jazzy trippy thing. They've done a shitload of ultra cool remixes from the likes of Madonna and Depeche Mode, but it's their own stuff that truly sets them apart from.. well, just about anything these days..)(This CD is a few of their productions and a 280 page book.. funny stuff!)

 

Tosca "Opera" & "Suzuki" (Same shit, 1/2 of K&D (Richard Dorfmeister))

 

Peace Orchestra "Peace Orchestra 1999" (Well.. uh.. same shit again - 1/2 of K%D (Peter Kruder) Inside there's a gigantic poster of a lot of naked people in a field.. hippiiya!!)

 

These folks are my main inspiration these days.. check out www.g-stoned.com and www.soulseduction.com and www.studio-k7.com ..

 

I can recommend the "DJ-Kicks" with K&D.. a classic that now have shifted a million copies (+ the napster shit... grr)

 

More..

 

Crammed "The World According to Crammed" (A compilation from Crammed Disc 1993, trippy stuff to jazzy to bossa to to stuff recorded in 1955..)(Go get the 6 "FreeZone" compliations!! MUST have..!!) www.crammed.be

 

Thievery Corporation "Abductions And Reconstructions" (Your very own duo from DC! One used to be an intelligence agent before he turned producer, I read.. remixes from; David byrne, Stereolab, Gus Gus, Pizzicato Five, Rockers Hifi.. and more). On the Eighteen street lounge

 

The Baby Namboo S "Ancoats 2 Zambia" (Tricky's brother, same ballpark). On the Palm Pictures label.

 

Fruitloop "To Be Or Not To Be" (Loppy stuff (surprise!), funky..) Cup of Tea Records.

 

Akasha "Cinematique" (Nice..) Wall Of Sound.

 

Thievery Corporation "DJ-Kicks" (They just rock all those DJ-Kicks!). !K7

 

Presure Drop "Elusive" (Haven't heard it yet..) On Higher Ground.

 

Bosco "Paramour" (Wierd Disco??!!)

 

Wagpon Christ (Luke Slater) "Musipal" (Really funny record - Greatway to start a day. Just out, record of the month, imho..). On Ninja Tune (My fav label! - I got pretty much every thing released there.. www.ninjatune.net

 

Mekon "Welcome To Tackletown" (Sloppy trippy electric guitar trip thang..) Wall of Sound.

 

Max Reich "Few Hours Left" (Styllistch house/jazz). On Millenium

 

Tek 9 "It's Not What You Think It Is!?!!" (Double CD, sampled/programmed jazzy stuff, very interesting!) On Crammed Disc www.crammed.be

 

Bentley Rythm Ace "Bentley rythm Ace" (Crazy stuff from UK, kinda big beat. Highly enjoyable!) On Skint Records.

 

Denz Da Denz "Fourth" (Hippity hop compilation - grooovy) On Basic Beat.

 

The Pair Of Invisble Hands "Disparation" (The bassplayer from Portishead, same kinda stuff, but played with acoustic instruments. kinda like Red Snapper and Herbalizer, which I really dig). On Cup Of Tea Records.

 

Mulu "Smells Like A Shark" (Trip Hop a'la Massive Attack (luv them fer sure!)). On Dedicated

 

Estereo "Breath From Another" (Like above, but more powerfull, I wonder why they didn't make it big - quit easily to swallow).. even on Columbia.

 

Desert Eagle Discs "The eagle Has Landed" (Dubby reggea trip) On Arista.

 

Delancy Street "The 13th Sign" (Haven't heard it yet..). On Vital

 

Jacknife Lee "Muy Rico!" (Really wierd speed mexican party electronic, cut up'n'pasted into oblivion)

 

Dick Schory's New Percussion Ensemble "Music for Bang, Baaroom & Harp" (A Living Stereo from the '50s, a kewl version of "Misirlou" (That surf song from Pulp Fiction.. Dick Dale, I think.. here's it's *just* a percussion big band.. hehe.. great sound, btw). BMG/RCA.

 

...

 

Ohh yeah, Chrias Isaak "Wicked Game" & PJ HArvey "Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea".. those two make me cry..

 

So, whatz ya player, Curve????

[hiraga]

Uh.. sorry for the spælling errorz, but the urls becomes messy, if I screw with 'em.. lotsa editing.. hey where's my ProTools when I finally need it!

 

I meant "So, whatz ON ya player, Curve????"

 

I have to answer the other qs later, but here's a teaser; 50's mono tape machines, 24/96 Genex, lotsa tape ekkooo..oo..o., Eventides working overtime, stompz & more stompz, Telefunkens everywhere, Calrecs, MU comps, distortion, 1/2" @ 60IPS (yarz, 60), crappy ol' Teisco organs, 5 feet chimes, a machine that only works backwards, 12 bit sampling, TB303 that never really did work properly, and a lot of custom stuff I did myself, from mic to pre to comp to eq to desk to monitors.. I *like* my own gear!

 

Oh yeah, don't have any of those fancy komputarz.

 

"Where music is going?" Don't care! I'm going the same way, anyway..

[Max Ventura]

Ciao Curve.

Actually, the genres you mentioned in the topic are all pretty much passe', along with techno and trance and electronica itself. Anybody getting into it just now would probably step thru the usula TB-303/ TR-909 workouts, only to find that labels are not buying that anymore, and rave parties are a thing of the past.

The new direction electronica took is retro/mellow/jazzy/brazilian. You can hear the results in Bertrand Burgalat "The SSSound of MMMusic", and in any record by Air. Air, in fact, is the band that are considered to be at the very top of the wave since 1998' "Moonsafari"; more than K&D, more than Dimitri, Daft Punk (bleah! -fukin' commercial shit) and anybody else following that thread, which, incidentally, is led not by Brits or Americans, but by Frencmen and Austrians and the like.

[Sofine]

Nice thread curve,

 

This is my first post in this forum (Homerecording & DUC up to now). This forum looks great. I digress...

 

I come from a guitar / non-electronic background and have only really begun to appreciate GOOD (opinions, opinions) dance / electronica in the last 3/4 years. I have geared most of my studio setup towards attempting to record house / acid jazz dance tracks with a noticable presence of guitar hooks and licks bla bla bla.....

 

As long as electronica has a good groove or melody or makes me tingle and tap then I like it. I try and avoid stomping (not all) techno because I continually fail to enjoy it.

 

At the moment, I have written around 15 / 20 hooks and snippets of songs but haven't quite finished one song yet! Anyone got any suggestions on how to discipline yourself to actually finish a song!

 

Here's my setup....

 

Digi001 running Pro Tools LE 5.1 (and acid / Wavelab)

PIII850, 384MB Ram, 8GB 7200 HDD, 30GB 7200 HDD, 8x CD Burner

Midiman Midisport USB 8x8 interface

Roland XV 3080

Roland MC307

Akai S2800i (and Syquest SCSI Drive)

Philip Rees C16 Midi controller

Sherman Filter Bank

Zoom 1201

Joemeek C2 Stereo Compressor

Fender Strat

Old bass guitar

Takamine Semi-Accoustic

Pod 2

Alesis SR-16

Zoom 9001 (remember these babies!)

Spirit Folio 4/2/20 Mixing Desk

Rode NT1 mic

Beyer DT150 headphones

Fatar SL160 midi controller

 

Artists that I listen to at the moment:

 

St. Germain

Rhinocerose

Groove Armada

Air

Donald Byrd

Bob Sinclair

Daft Punk (I love their new albumn, albeit commercial - resurgence of 70s and 80s cheese!)

Kid Loco

Lemon Jelly (they use great samples)

Mundy (not electronica but a great Irish songwriter and performer)

Thievery Corporation

Kruder & Dorfmeister

Gomez

Beck

Herbie Hancock

Red Snapper

Beastie Boys

Acid jazz lable comps

 

The list could go on and my music is as mixed up as all of that!

 

Later,

 

Simon http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

[Curve Dominant]

Max posts:

>>The new direction electronica took is retro/mellow/jazzy/brazilian. <<

 

Did y'all know that Thievery Corporation produced a song on Bebel Gilberto's "Tanto Tempo"? I should have included Bossa in the title for this thread. Bear in mind, this wasn't meant to be an argument over what labels to use, or what's currently trendy. I was just curious to hear more from forum members who are into this music. It used to be that you would get flamed on these boards if you admitted to using a beatbox, but things seem to have opened up a bit for those of us in ElectroLand.

 

I have to run, but I'll get back to y'all concerning what you've posted so far.

 

(@)>--<(!!!)

[Jose Cobelas]

Originally posted by argomax:

that thread, which, incidentally, is led not by Brits or Americans, but by Frencmen and Austrians and the like.

 

Hey, argomax, carissimo fratello, just puzzled: what are Frenchmen, Austrians and the like? Sounds like "Dutchs, Italians and the like", or "Scots, Albanians and the like"

 

Besos,

 

JoseC.

[Curve Dominant]

OK, I'm back. I've cleaned my room, did my homework...time for a beer.

 

First off, Craig, if you're following this, perhaps you could change the title of this thread to something more appropriate to what I was going for. I don't have the access to changing the title, or else I would change it to "ElectroLand Connection" or something like that. I dunno, whatever you think would be optimal.

 

Hiraga:

I'm currently listening to Bebel Gilberto's Tante Tempo, and just today I got a hold of the first Eighteenth Street Lounge Sampler "Covert Operations." It has a few Thievery Corp tracks from before Eric and Rob knew what they were doing, plus other ESL acts such as Thunderball, Ursula 1000, and Avatars Of Dub. Interesting, lo-tech, naive...they are clearly feeling their way towards the brilliance they are now providing us.

 

I'm fascinated by the mix of gear you use, and impressed that you build your own stuff. I can barely get around to changing the strings on my guitars. What are you working on now?

 

>>"Where music is going?" Don't care! I'm going the same way, anyway..<<

Truly! This music is, after all, going where we are taking it.

 

JoseC:

I honestly don't think Max meant anything negative. I suspect he was merely touching on the contributions of folks like Peter Kruder and Dmitri Of Paris. As I stated on another thread that got into this, the thing that I luv about this music is that it is, in effect, World Music: from Sakamoto in Japan, to ThievCorp in DC, to K&D, Brazillian, and Indian Club-fusion - by the way, I would luv to hear from folks who are into the Indian stuff and who you think is hot right now. My friends who visit Miami also tell me that Middle Eastern music is pumpin' in some of the clubs in South Beach. But Jose, what's kickin' in Madrid? That's a hot spot. What are some of the interesting sounds in the clubs where you're at?

 

Sofine of Dublin:

Props back at ya, mah brutha! Welcome to our groove lounge...

 

>>I come from a guitar / non-electronic background and have only really begun to appreciate GOOD (opinions, opinions) dance / electronica in the last 3/4 years. I have geared most of my studio setup towards attempting to record house / acid jazz dance tracks with a noticable presence of guitar hooks and licks bla bla bla.....<<

You just described me to a T. We have a unique take on this music, coming as we are from a more musical background than folks who just buy a PC and a copy of Acid and think they are recording artists. Indeed, some of them may produce some interesting shtuff, but nothing beats the ability to blend electro-sequenced grooves with real-time musicianship. You know, Craig, our moderator, does some super-phatt stuff with Acid and his guitar.

 

>>At the moment, I have written around 15 / 20 hooks and snippets of songs but haven't quite finished one song yet! Anyone got any suggestions on how to discipline yourself to actually finish a song!<<

Here's my suggestion: finish the lyrics first. Listen to some classic songs that you luv, note how they are structured lyrically, and similiarly structure your lyrics so that they have a beginning/middle/end sequence. Then build the grooves and sounds around that structure. This also works with instrumentals, you just build around melodies instead of lyrics. You have an impressive rig, so you should be able to kick out some slammin' shtuff. I also play a Strat, by the way ('94 American Standard).

 

I'll post my MP3.com link so y'all can taste what I'm cookin' up here in Illadelphia. There's very little done on my current rig, which is a Roland VS880EX DAW, Korg ElectribeS sampler/sequencer for the rhythms, and assorted axes, so the songs sound kinda lo-tech. "Jus D'orange Ou Pamplamousse," the first track, was actually recorded on a Tascam 424 Portastudio, with the Alesis SR16 doing the drum loops. The SR16 is actually a fantastic sequencer; sometimes I'll program my beats on that, and send a MIDI cable to the E-Tribe as a sound module for tracking. That way I get the best of the SR16's programming capabilities, plus the ultra-sweeet sounds of the E-Tribe.

 

www.mp3.com/TransluxTheater

 

[???]>-<(peace out)>-<[@]>-<(curvedominant)>-<[!!!]

[Sofine]

Salut Curve!

 

Thankx 4 the advice. I play guitar, bass, keys, drums yada yada but I was left out of the picture when the great one shared out sweet vocal cords, so, as far as lyrics go, I have hardly ever written them. Most of my more recent DAW stuff at the moment is instrumental. So I'll try to structure around the melodies. Thankx.

 

I got quite thirsty after listening to your juicy French number. I share the same feelings about the French lingo and accent (et les femmes francaises) that you do. You should CGI Serge Gainsbourg and his young vixens into a video for that track.

 

I also had a classical training throughout school (guitar) and I really like Ancient Future. It kept my attention throughout and would have done for many more minutes.

 

How exactly did you create the funky rhythm guitar sound in Sugar???

 

I remember, Carol and Great Divide remind me of (hope this doesn't offend) an 80s band I used to listen to alot - which I just can't recall - it's mainly the vocals that reminds me.

 

Any more electronica shtuff on the way?

 

My first project, 2 months ago, with the Digi001 was with a Canadian mate of mine who used to work with me in Dublin. We have written and recorded 2 Japanese pop (J-pop, and sung in Japanese) cheeszy commercial sell-out never-put-our-names-to-it songs which I am just learning to master at the moment (using Maxim and waves). I think I have used right amounts of EQ and compression on the final mixes but at this stage the songs are so strongly etched (from far too many mix attempts)in my brain that even if they were sung backwards in Gaelic I think I'd still hear them in Japanese. So, I will have a web site prepared next week with visuals of the girl (Kim) and 2 mp3's for download. I'll post the URL when its live. One of them is in mp3 format at the moment. If you'd like to do a crit of the song let me know your email address and I'll mail it to you (3Mb).

 

As for my own offerings, well, I think I'll have to finish a few first before I create my mp3 site, but I'm really looking forward to getting feedback from my regular forums.

 

Simon http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

[Anderton]

Gotta tell ya...

 

I'm not into this concept that older music is obsolete, because new people come along who redefine music. In the early 70s, you could have said jazz was obsolete, because the heyday of the big bands, swing, and Charlie Parker were gone. Then Miles came along and blew everyone away (and arguably inventing hiphop while he was at it).

 

Techno is being reinvented by some musicians, who give it more variety and more lyricism that it used to have. As to the Brazilian tinge in some of today's music, we already went through that cycle, back in the 60s when Bossa Nova took over the world. Ditto "world music" influences, which always pop up in one form or another, whether it's the Beatles getting down with sitars, Paul Simon appropriating Soweto beats, Sting re-cycling reggae...

 

Music continuously evolves, and the flavor of the month may reappear next month, with a different twist. In the 80s, we had new age; now we have ambient.

 

I think the issue is more that people want certain types of music. Sometimes they want hard & nasty, sometimes soft and quiet, sometimes something familiar, sometimes something different. We have different ways of making those statements throughout the ages. I mean, wasn't Beethoven kind of a "stack of Marshalls" guy, just stuck in the wrong century?

 

Roni Size keeps tweaking jungle, and someday, it won't sound like jungle did back in the early 90s. That's okay in my book. We all evolve, it sure beats entropy.

[Curve Dominant]

Craig,

 

Beautiful! That brilliantly sums it up, in my opinion. Thanks for re-naming the thread, too, that's a cool name.

 

>>As to the Brazilian tinge in some of today's music, we already went through that cycle, back in the 60s when Bossa Nova took over the world.<<

I would encourage anyone who likes the current neo-bossa to go to the source. There are two particularly gorgeous CD's you could start with: Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Wave," (1968, A&M Records); and Getz/Gilberto (1963, Verve Records) if you don't already own these recordings. The most impressive thing about these CD's is that they sound every bit as contemporary today as they did in the '60s.

 

Simon,

 

Thanks for the feedback! That French number is currently being produced much more professionally. That song has been a big hit with everyone who hears it, so we may be hearing more from Mssr. Jus D'orange and Mme. Pamplamousse.

 

Ancient Future is 14 minutes in it's entirety. It was recorded in Digital Performer, and I played it on a Roland A-90 keyboard. There was a Roland JV2080 sound module in the chain, as well as an Emu sampler (can't remember which one), a DP4 fx box, all going to Mac. You should hear that piece played loud in a big theater - wow!

 

>>How exactly did you create the funky rhythm guitar sound in Sugar???<<

That's the Strat going into a Dunlop CryBaby Wah, with a quarter-note delay, which propells it into the groove. That's one of my signatures.

 

>>I remember, Carol and Great Divide remind me of (hope this doesn't offend) an 80s band I used to listen to alot - which I just can't recall - it's mainly the vocals that reminds me.<<

Not offended at all - I luv a lot of 80's music, especially post-punk, new romantic, and German synthe bands like DAF and Kraftwerk (and did ya catch the reference to Bauhaus in "I Remember Carol?). Oh, and the Sylvian/Sakamoto collaborations are sublime - that's maybe what you're hearing: the David Sylvian influence. A lot of people compare me to him. And, yes, there is PLENTY more elecronica shtuff on the way - a whole CD worth, coming soon, including the re-mix of "Jus D'orange..."

 

But, anyway, Simon, enough about me. I don't care how cheezy you think these Japanese numbers are, I'm intrigued. Do please give us a heads-up when we can hear that. It sounds like something unique.

 

Hiraga:

 

Do you really believe that sh*t about Rob Garza being an ex-spy? I thought they were just being campy, playing to the martini-set. It is funny, though. Rob doesn't look like he could stay sober long enough to keep a secret.

 

 

Who else wants to jump in, here? C'mon, don't be shy...

 

curvedominant

 

This message has been edited by Curve Dominant on 04-10-2001 at 06:11 PM

[Jose Cobelas]

Hey, Curve, I KNOW that Max did not mean anything negative. It was just that it sounded funny to me, especially from an Italian. Looked like an odd coupling. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

 

It is also funny that what Sofine is trying to do is more or less the same than I trying to blend guitars and electronica. Lyrics are a sore spot for me, too. My gear now is:

 

PIII 600MHz and Intel VC820 mobo with 128Mb PC600 RAMBUS, a couple of hard disk drives, a couple of CD drives (one of them burner. EgoSys Waveterminal2496 4 channnel soundcard and EgoSys Miditerminal interface (4x4). W98Se with Cakewalk PA9.03 (waiting for the Sonar XL upgrade to arrive)and Gigasampler.

 

A Behringer Eurorack MX1804X mixer, passive Event 20/20 monitors, a Rotel amp, a Sony MDS-JB960 MiniDisc deck hooked up both to the S/PDIF of the soundcard and analog to the mixer, and AKG K270S headphones. A Behringer Ultra-DI and an AKG D3700 mic. A Pioneer turntable.

 

A Waldorf MicroQ and a Yamaha CS2x. Line6 Pod. A Zoom 9002 (the only thing that got overlooked when thieves took away MY Strat and other gear from home last year). I decided never to fall in love again, so I bought a Levinson Blade. A Takamine EG140SHC. A Vox wah. I cannot really play bass, but a De Armond Pilot sometimes helps me to come up with ideas for synth basslines.

 

Not much, but keeps me busy.

 

About this thread, music around here is pretty much the same, clubwise. Saint Germain are getting very popular here, too. Thievery Corporation were around here not long ago, and all the K&D, Daft Punk, etc, mentioned above sound here, too. And of course a lot of trance, Ibiza stuff (Cafe del Mar and such).

 

Many people from Santo Domingo are coming, and everything Cuban is fashionable, too, so there are many Caribbean clubs, and of course all the Latin thing is in very good shape here. Flamenco is stronger than ever, both pop/jazz fussion and pure/serious flamenco.

 

We have received thousands of inmigrants over the last few years, from Africa and Eastern Europe. Spain has been Southern Europe´s melting pot in the past, and it will be interesting to watch it happen again and to see what music comes out of it now.

 

Have fun, you all.

 

JoseC.

[mr. rob]

Heya,

I dig all types of music. To me all music is fusion. Maybe acid house is tired, but what if somebody used acid house sounds and grooves with 12 tone row structures, or massive arrangements?(wich admittedly would be quite difficult since the tb 303 is monophonic)Like taking Trip Hops coolness and Jungles frenzy and combining them in ways with samba's great rhythms. Theres also Tropicallia wich has greatly influenced groups as far ranging from beck, tortoise and Air to many others. Tortoise even toured with Tom Ze if Im not mistaken.

 

An interesting set of music from around south america is by Gato Barbiery in 2 volumes:latin america vol 1 and vol 2. Its been reissued on cd as a double disk set on impulse. Barbieri also has earlier free jazz disks on esp records wich are out of print but really cool record stores will have the reissues that are in VERY small pressings released, but anything he did from the mid 70's onward is to be avoided at ALL costs unless your a dj that thrives off of cheese for $1 shots in the throw away bin.. Another artist who has great stuff on esp and impulse is Alber Ayler.

 

Lets also not forget Lee Perrry. Just the vibe from those old records raises the hair on the back of my neck. And listening to Herbie Hancocks sextant or Miles Davis's Big fun I hear the sound.

 

The beauty of music is that it goes where you tell it to. Playing live in groups is great because of the energy and interaction, and whats great about electronic music is the control you have of each element. Its too bad that in the US more composed, thought out electronic music is looked over because thats what I like.

 

Since were making lists Ill lay out some things I dig:

 

Wu tangs first joint

Old school hip hop(Pe,Bdp,Nwa,Eric B and Rakim, Slick Rick, LL cool J)

Newer underground hip hop

Plastik Man(Im a midwest guy, Ive gotta represent)

k and D

Dj Dieselboy

Mouse on mars

Merzbow

Tortoise and all its side projects

Air

Portishead

Bjork

Autechre

Amon Tobin

Aphex Twin

Dj Shadow

Miles

Herbie Hancock

King Crimsion

Lee Perry

Ornette Coleman

Tangerine Dream

Pink Floyd

Charles Gayle

Evan Parker

Medeski Martin and Wood

Iannis Zennakis

Edgard Varese

Bella Bartok

any reggae album with Sly and Robbie

Duke Ellington

Wayne Shorter

Thelonious Monk

Art ensemble of chicago

Anything where elvin Jones is playing drums

Funkadelic

Grant Green

Cheesy records with tight breaks

[Curve Dominant]

Damn, Rob, whatta great playlist!

 

Excellence matched by diversity: that seems to be a trend for the posters on this thread, and for afficianados of this music in general.

 

I saw Gato Barbieri perform at a club here in Philly, the Chestnut Caberet, many years ago, and he was fantastic. I was very young and sentimental in those days, and when he began playing "Trilogy For Last Tango In Paris," it literally brought tears to my eyes. I do think it is a shame that he fell victim to overly-slick recording techniques later in his career.

 

What are some cool clubs in Minneapolis? What are they spinning?

 

JoseC:

 

I'm glad to hear that Flamenco is still strong. My parents took me to see Andre Segovia when I was a little pup (is he considered Flamenco?), and I used to wear out their 12-inch vinyl Carlos Montoya records. Spanish guitar was my first instrument, and I still use it on some of my tracks to give them a nice "Old-World" feel. I have a wired Ibanez Spanish Classical, with a single-cutaway body, and it plugs directly into the VS. I also use it to perform live solo gigs in small clubs around Philly occasionally, re-interpreting the same songs I'm recording as full electronic ensemble stylie. It's not the best Spanish-electric axe, but I got it at a steal, and it gets the job done.

 

By the way, folks, Wednesday from 9pm to midnight Eastern Standard, my boy DJ Lorne is spinning a live webcast at www.selekta.com/substitution called Future International Roadblock - check it out. It's a regular Wednesday night thang, and Lorne is one of the top DJ's in Illy, and he's a super-cool person as well. He has a record store across the street from my crib called About The Beat Records, and it's a phatt little joint. I'm gonna be going to him for some of these releases y'all are recommending that I don't already have, like some of those Jazzanova Cd's.

 

Peace, y'all. I'm gonna go watch "Million Dollar Hotel."

 

curvedominant

 

This message has been edited by Curve Dominant on 04-11-2001 at 12:03 AM

[Anderton]

Just wanted to remind people what this type of music is about...

 

http://www.advis.de/jammer/IMG/ecran.gif

 

 

Thanks to Dr. Walker's forum for turning me on to this...

[Curve Dominant]

CRAIG, YOU GOT IT, MY MAN!!!

 

Wow, that's a trip. I never seen that on ANY of these threads. What an honor. That IS what it's all about, what it has ALWAYS been about, and what it always WILL be all about: shakin' that ass!

 

"Sexy muthafucka shakin' that ass...Shakin' that ass, shakin' that ass...Sexy muthafucka shakin' that ass...Shakin' that ass, shakin' that ass..."

 

Oh, lordy, I was depressed from doin' my taxes, and ya gone & cheered me up with that. God Bless ya, Craig.

 

curvedominant

 

This message has been edited by Curve Dominant on 04-11-2001 at 03:00 AM

[Sofine]

Hey Craig,

 

Very well put. I agree with you. IMHO, music is like a mass consciousness or knowledge. It grows (stop me if this is heading in a Spinal Tap direction but I think this makes some sense). As you suggest, music does evolve, sometimes slowly with no great change and then along comes a gifted individual who creates something powerful and new (or redefined, with a twist!) and our personal music paradigm may slightly shift in acceptance of this.

 

Our taste as music consumers have become much more sophisticated and diverse over the years and will continue to do so as long as there are artists to supply the demand.

 

Personally, I am very excited about the direction and approach that electronic music is (and has been) presently taking vis a vis incorporating real music vibes and grooves (I love Afrofunk) and musicians. However, in as much as I am excited about these developments and advances I still spend more and more time trying to discover the roots of all grooves and tunes that make me tingle and tap. I think if I can tap into the roots then I will write and play better shtuff.

 

I'm not breaking any ground here, just wanted to say so in a rare moment of reflection.

 

Curve,

 

Is the full length version of Ancient Future streamed or downloadable anywhere on the web. I would love to hear it. Also, I would love to hear the return of Mssr. Jus D'orange and Mme. Pamplamousse - squeeze harder remix!

 

The J-Pop site won't be ready until I get some free time this bank holiday weekend (in Ireland!!!) to dreamweave it. I do have one of the mp3s ready if you want me to mail it to you (however, it is 3Mbs).. Is so, let me know.

 

JoseC

 

Que pasa,

 

I was in Madrid recently. What a city! I love it. Except the bloody traffic. New York City is like a countryside stroll in comparison. Mmmmn, tapas. I went to a few clubs (absolutley 100% no recollection of where / when / why!) - I remember great dance music.

 

Can you recommend me some of the flamenco pop/jazz fusion (I love Paco and also studied Segovia for a few years) that you mentioned.

 

I used to have a really old Bacalao (sp.?) tape - know any related web sites? or any good Spanish dance acts....

 

Also, I went to Andalucia with my girlfriend last year. Arrived in Malaga, rented a car - drove to Almunejar, Ubeda, Granada, Cordoba, Sevilla, Jerex, Cadiz, Tarifa, Costa de bloody Inglaterra, Ronda, and back to Malaga. Malaga is a kickin' town - great music and party people.

 

I still got my Zoom too. Mad little things with some mad big sounds. Mr. POD2 keeps him in the shadows though. I'd love to hear some of your music - guitar and electronica. Have you listened to rhinocorese - they use some sampled guitar, some midi guitar and some real guitar too! It can get a bit hard for my liking in parts, but there's definitely a guitarist behind a large part of it.

 

One of my goals is to buy a nice place in Spain (South at the moment, but who knows) and build a kick-ass studio there.

 

Cheers,

 

Simon http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif - happier than a Frenchman who just invented a pair of self-removing trousers.

[Anderton]

>>Personally, I am very excited about the direction and approach that electronic music is (and has been) presently taking vis a vis incorporating real music vibes and grooves (I love Afrofunk) and musicians. <<

 

We also have global cross-influences. In Germany, there are a lot of Turkish immigrants, and there are these twisted combinations or ethic Turkish music crossed with house or techno. So you have these weird quarter tone scales with a 4 on the floor kick...or think of the African expatriates living in Paris, extending the traditional African vibe with synthesizers and such. We are definitely living in interesting times, and the globe truly is shrinking as communications becomes more solid.

[Curve Dominant]

Truly, Craig. I remember the chills I got hearing Bahamadia rapping with Roni Size/Reprazent on New Forms. Reprazent is so "London" sounding, and Bahamadia I totally associate with the Philly sound, and the combination of the two just makes ya go "Wow!" 'cause they compliment each other so incredibly well.

 

Simon:

 

Ancient Future, and it's companion piece, Second Nature, will not be posted in their entirities on MP3.com, but I plan on putting a CD out of those pieces just as soon as I get some issues worked out. But I may be able to get some advance copies made, and I'm going to my mastering studio tonight, so I'll ask him if he can hook me up, and I'll send ya one.

 

curvedominant

[JES]

Hi Folks --

 

I'm very much a "old school" musician -- bassist by trade, always played in rock bands, still very much enjoy that type of music. BUT

 

I was into Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd, Eno, and all that early on. I've since discovered some trip-hop I really like, and would enjoy more listening suggestions. I like stuff that's very textured, deep, and for lack of a better word (or maybe it's the perfect word) -- psychedellic. More for listening than dancing. Massive Attack, especially the last full length CD, would be my ideal band in the genre. I also like Tricky a whole lot, older Morcheeba, and some other random stuff.

 

Would you mind sending along both current (2000-1) and less recent listening suggestions for a newbie into what I'm into?

 

Also, anyone composing with Acid?

 

Thanks,

--JS

[hiraga]

YO! Back on the Block..

 

argomax, yeah the brasilian thing was big last year. I especially like Rainer Trübys records.. Air never did for me though. ESL is way kewl! My gear..?? Well, because most stuff out there is utter crap or cannot fullfill my needs. And because I can, I guess. I work only in the analog domain (with my own gear that is, I got plenty of digiblah as well).. Btw, I got some VSs as well (I know 'em better than Roland.. Hey Craig, when are you gonna put my mod manual up here, like you said???), that's why I asked you if you ever had any stuff remixed (in another thread).. hehe..

 

If I may for Craig, I could put up a pic (don't have a website myself) of some of my toys.. That is, if you tell me HOW to put up a pic, 'cause I'm a computer illiterate.. I can barely turn the fucker on!

 

I think I got Covert Operations as well.. is it that blue double LP with a close up of a turntable?

 

What I REALLY like about *electronica* (HONK! He said the e-word..), is that it's NOT genre specific.. I mean I hear traces, influences, licks'n'loops from anything that has been done the last hundred years.. Fascianating!

 

It gets people connected, breaking down barriers and tension. Important in todays multi cultural society (at least where I live) and I learn a LOT. A lot more than hearing some bitter ol' white man playing the blues.. not that there's anything wrong with dat...

 

Other main influences are; The Doors, David Byrne, Eno, Lanois, Jah Wobble (anyone?), Holger Czysak (sp?), Billie Holiday, Cypress Hill, Holst..

 

Great thread!

[Anderton]

>>Also, anyone composing with Acid?<<

 

All the time!! I use it for dance stuff, but also for videos, soundtracks, radio commercials, all kinds of things. Don't forget it has those hard disk tracks if you want to break free of the loop paradigm. Also, don't just paint in loops -- cut them, split them, delay them, overlay them -- the creative potential is there. Check out the slide show on Acid tips on this site.

[Sofine]

Thanks curve,

 

Let me know when its available. I really like it.

 

Concerning Acid, I use it a small bit (phew, I avoided the gag). It's great for short timestreches and for auditioning ideas you may have - song structure / audio compositing / loops. It's so bloody easy to use.

 

One of the most powerful uses of Acid in my particular situation is being able to use DirectX plugins on the fly. I use Pro Tools LE which does not allow for DirectX integration - so this allows me experiment with various FX for any audio tracks in my session without too much runaround - while PT is still open. Would be nice if PT could use DirectX though. MMmmnn.

 

Craig, do you use any of the sampled loops that come with Acid - or the extra sample Cds that you can buy. I bought 3 sample CDs and while some of the samples are pretty funky and original, I know that if I heard one of these samples in its raw state in someone elses composition, I would probably think less of it. I suppose if I was to use one of these samples, I would try and dress it up (or chop it up) with FX / Dynamics that fit in with my overall song. I don't want to move this thread into trampling on sampling....

 

Just used Soundiver with POD2 for the 1st time last night and loaded up loads POD patches from the web. WOW. Spent all night with my POD. Girlfriend NOT impressed. All I need is 2 tubes into my bedroom studio. One for food, the other for waste, then I'll never have to leave again...cue evil laugh to fade......

 

Simon http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif)

[Anderton]

>>Craig, do you use any of the sampled loops that come with Acid - or the extra sample Cds that you can buy. I bought 3 sample CDs and while some of the samples are pretty funky and original, I know that if I heard one of these samples in its raw state in someone elses composition, I would probably think less of it.<<

 

For some projects (e.g., where time is of the essence, or I'm not getting paid too much so I have to work fast), I use almost nothing but commercially-available samples. It's almost more like arranging than playing. But of course, if I need something in particular, I'll just go ahead and play it. I do chop, combine, and dice loops a lot.

 

When I hear samples I've made show up in someone else's CD, I actually like it a lot...brings a smile to my face to know that someone found what I did interesting enough to use. Or maybe they just had a tight deadline http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

[Curve Dominant]

HIRAGA USED THE "E" WORD!!!

 

>>A lot more than hearing some bitter ol' white man playing the blues<<

Hah! So true. Where do all those bitter old white guys come from, anyhoo? Aren't there enough meth labs to work at anymore?

 

That's Holgar Czuckay - he did a fantastic instrumental recording with Sylvian called Plight And Premonition; and Jah Wobble: yes, brilliant guy. Didn't he get his start with John Lydon & Public Image Ltd., or was he around before that?

 

Acid:

 

There's a cat at the Big Picture Alliance (where I'll be doing some soundtracks) who has just started using Acid. I'm gonna sit down with him soon and start messing with it, and then I can pepper all you Acid users with all kinds of questions about how to optimize it. Craig, I can tell you've spent a lot of time under the hood, so to speak, 'cause I listened to your CD on headphones and it has some EXTREMELY intricate mixing techniques.

 

Yo JS, welcome to the lounge. You ain't a newbie if you listen to Massive Attack and Morcheeba (I wish I had more cheeba).

 

Just returned from programming beats on the E-TribeS. Damn, this thang is sooo shmooove. I discovered this bumpin' technique: I'll program the drums with a mild swing quantization, say, 54%, just enough to take that metronomic edge off, and track the drums (synced the MIDI clock on the VS, of course). Then, I sequence the bassline, but give it a much stronger swing quantization, say, 70%, sync to the VS, and track the bassline. The result is a fairly solid but slightly loose dance beat, overlayed with a bassline that swings hard against the beat (or is it with the beat? it's been awhile since that Berklee summer school program). It kicks hard, and it feels jazzy at the same time. Has anyone else tried this?

 

curvedominant

[hiraga]

Hahaha.. my apology to the bitter ol' men. I guess it would be wrong if you played Happy Hardcore..

 

During all those FOH gigs I think I encountered just about any genre, including those christian heavy metal bands with Marshall stacks the size of the Babylon Tower.. arggghh.. wrong way to get in contact with *him*, imo..

 

Yeah, sorry for the misspelling Holgar.. I really dig his music a LOT. I'm not into PIL, but I'm sure Jah's been around before that.

 

CD that E-tribe.. Is it ussable as a sequencer only?

 

JES, I'd be happy to give you a long list of Morcheeba/Massive style music, but I'm no where near my record collection right now..

 

On top of my head I can think of Estereo, Lamb & Mulu.. I'll update when I get home in a few dayz..

[Submersible]

On top of my head I can think of Estereo, Lamb & Mulu.. I'll update when I get home in a few dayz..

 

Looking for more stuff that sounds like Massive Attack and Morcheeba?

 

Everything but the Girl

Hooverphonic

Puracane

Moloko

Goldfrapp

Sneaker Pimps

Laika

 

Some of this stuff is more or less derivative and has no staying power. In fact, I think even Morcheeba's albums are getting progressively weaker. Massive Attack, on the other hand, is a different story--brilliant. Too bad our lame-ass alternative station here in SF (LIVE 105) thinks the only appropriate place to play most of this music is either in the commercials, or in the music beds under the banal DJ chatter.

[hiraga]

Liaka ROCKS! I saw 'em 'bout a year ago here in DK. Luv their albums. Morcheeba turned pop and sucks.. their first ADAT/bedroom record is a classic though...

 

Supposely there's a new Massive Attack out late this fall.. even though they're only a duo now..

[Curve Dominant]

Hiraga:

 

>>those christian heavy metal bands with Marshall stacks the size of the Babylon Tower.. arggghh.. wrong way to get in contact with *him*, imo..<<

 

LMAO!!! That is f*cking funny, bro. Can I use that line? Poor ol' Jim Marshall is probably apologizing to "Him" at this very moment.

 

>>that E-tribe.. Is it usable as a sequencer only?<<

 

Hell, no! You must get your ass to a local distributor and demo the E-TribeS. It is...

1. A sampler; the salesman who steered me toward it could have just as easily sold me an Akai MPC2000 at 4-times the price, but he told me - get this, I quote, "The E-Tribe is a MUCH BETTER sampler than the Akai." And after having used it for several months, I concur.

2. A sequencer: take all those de-luvely samples and sequence them into bumpin' grooves. But then it is...

3. A groovebox!!! Take those grooves and f*ck with the samples every which way you can imagine. Play them backwards, add FX, motion sequence changes in pitch, rolls, slice loops into bendable tempos without changing the sample pitch, add BPM-synced delay to create levels of syncopation...

4. A sound module: Run a MIDI cable into it from another sequencer, and trigger your samples...

 

I could go on and on. It's a sick little toy for $450. MIDI compatable, SmartMedia backup, flexible user interface...it's a sound and groove sculpting tool unlike anything I could have dreamed of.

 

Submersible:

 

I could give you a big list, but I have a feeling that you will luv this one CD: Anthea, "Words And Beats," on Shadow Records. You get that, and I will check out Laika, and we'll compare notes. Fair?

 

curvedominant

[alphajerk]

NP: Fripp/Eno- no pussyfooting.. the essential fripp/eno

 

1973, damn. definately beyond.