lol.
i've remarkably managed to remember the initial song. so, this doesn't have to be a reinterpretation...
it is going to need massive overdubs, though. i drastically reworked this for a reason. and i guess the drill guitars are more ministry than tool, but what the hey....
Friday, July 25, 2014
ok, so, as i've alluded to, i've reached a pause. there will be further jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj material to complete the one or two volume (not sure yet) cd (which will then comprise my fifth "proper record" in this sea of extended conceptual eps), but i really wanted to focus on going through sequentially so i'm going to go through sequentially. i've completed up to the end of june, 2001. the next jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj piece won't work it's way in until september, as a polished version of the first rabit is wolf track which had this weird sequencer part that freaked everybody out. so, i'll take that sequencer part out and blow it up into it's own thing. but that leaves a few months of stuff, which consists primarily of a rather detailed drum pattern that never found a home and an array of guitar parts that i didn't write and wouldn't claim as my own but would feel ok about raiding as a sample source in a creative, interpretive way.
i've been considering doing something with those riffs for a while, anyways. they're not the greatest on their own, but they had some potential - it's raw material that isn't really good, but is more than interesting enough to work with in warping it into something completely different. see, the project never created anything. that just doesn't sit with me. if i can get it all into a cohesive statement, it accomplishes a lot of things all at once.
the song this drum pattern was written for has a long, convoluted history. it was written as a short radio friendly five minute track (heavily tool influenced) over the summer of 2001 for inclusion into this radio rock project that spawned rabit is wolf, then became a rabit is wolf song, then went through several revisions before it became this sprawling 25 minute mess that i call my fourth symphony, the trepanation nation. this fourth symphony is probably going to need a double disc to house all of the versions. and i'm a little cautious about creating yet another one.
but the drum sequence was completely ignored in the process of the track changing from one nature to another, and i'm listening to it now and thinking i need to do something with it. it's complicated by the fact that i remember reordering the riffs, but don't remember the order they were in. i have a vague concept, but...
so, i'm going to reinterpret this somehow. how, i don't know yet. it's going to be something like the trepanation nation, but not quite. and i'm going to see what i can do about sampling those riffs in.
so, this is going to be a little different, and it could be a while before it works itself out.
to be clear: the intent with this thing was for it to be marketable. i've got spatterings of riffy stuff around, but it tends to get abstract. i'm going to try to avoid that with this. think soundgarden, tool....
i've been considering doing something with those riffs for a while, anyways. they're not the greatest on their own, but they had some potential - it's raw material that isn't really good, but is more than interesting enough to work with in warping it into something completely different. see, the project never created anything. that just doesn't sit with me. if i can get it all into a cohesive statement, it accomplishes a lot of things all at once.
the song this drum pattern was written for has a long, convoluted history. it was written as a short radio friendly five minute track (heavily tool influenced) over the summer of 2001 for inclusion into this radio rock project that spawned rabit is wolf, then became a rabit is wolf song, then went through several revisions before it became this sprawling 25 minute mess that i call my fourth symphony, the trepanation nation. this fourth symphony is probably going to need a double disc to house all of the versions. and i'm a little cautious about creating yet another one.
but the drum sequence was completely ignored in the process of the track changing from one nature to another, and i'm listening to it now and thinking i need to do something with it. it's complicated by the fact that i remember reordering the riffs, but don't remember the order they were in. i have a vague concept, but...
so, i'm going to reinterpret this somehow. how, i don't know yet. it's going to be something like the trepanation nation, but not quite. and i'm going to see what i can do about sampling those riffs in.
so, this is going to be a little different, and it could be a while before it works itself out.
to be clear: the intent with this thing was for it to be marketable. i've got spatterings of riffy stuff around, but it tends to get abstract. i'm going to try to avoid that with this. think soundgarden, tool....
just to keep you up to date on what i'm doing
i don't suppose you care, but i think i have a moral if not a legal responsibility to inform you of what i'm doing. the plan is pretty much set. it'll take a few weeks at least to complete what i've set out.
i've now run through the material for the first half of 2001. i think it's interesting, but it's not really related. you can explore the page if you want. it's arranged chronologically moving down, meaning the oldest stuff is at the bottom.
1) as far as cynicide material is concerned, i have an aborted drum sequence for the song that you know as "the day you saw me cry" and a bunch of rough demos from jon. i was considering raiding jon's guitar parts and cutting them up into samples, but i don't hear much of interest. i may still do this. but, i'm going to be completing that song the way it was initially written as a heavy radio rock tune that's somewhere between tool and white zombie. that will be here:
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/to-spin-inside-dull-aberrations
as far as the actual rabit material is concerned, i'm splitting it into five conceptual chunks.
1) the first few tracks all have a post-punk vibe. i'll be uploading this in the form of a single for "me, myself..." that will include multiple mixes of the track (including an instrumental one) and a completed version of the joy division cover (i'm going to go to town with some screwy drum overdubs, and some weird synth work. it'll sound weird. it has to.). i'm undecided on "we're gonna kill someone tonight".
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/me-myself
2) the next couple of tracks have a sort of goth undertone. that includes an instrumental version of clarity, a few takes of #9 and the short version of the wave with the vocals that i couldn't get my processor at the time to process (it's no problem, now). that will come up as a single for clarity:
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/clarity
3) i'm going to upload the instrumental version of the wave. i've been referring to this lately as my third symphony.
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/the-wave
4) the existing rabit demo, unaltered
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/rabit-is-wolf
5) a "live disc" containing the various acoustic versions that exist and were planned to be performed. me, myself. day. 9:46. psi. jumped up and down. i think there's a few more. obviously, i won't upload it unless it sounds "proper". there's a few things that i may redo the guitar parts on.
also,
a) i have many, many versions of the song you know as "day". they will be compiled into a comprehensive remix ep. the vocal mix will be included there.
b) a few of these tracks are going to end up on a double-lp chiptune project i'm putting together. like, the sequencer at the beginning of "me, myself" as well as a version of #9.
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/thru
i believe that's comprehensive. 9:46, time and psi will not have instrumental versions, as they are pop tunes that require vocals.
if you have any questions, comments or concerns please bring them to me. in the end, my answer to these concerns is going to be to go fully instrumental on the tracks, if i have to. but i'm concerned about the integrity of the tracks first and foremost. and you know i'm very reasonable about shit.
j
i've now run through the material for the first half of 2001. i think it's interesting, but it's not really related. you can explore the page if you want. it's arranged chronologically moving down, meaning the oldest stuff is at the bottom.
1) as far as cynicide material is concerned, i have an aborted drum sequence for the song that you know as "the day you saw me cry" and a bunch of rough demos from jon. i was considering raiding jon's guitar parts and cutting them up into samples, but i don't hear much of interest. i may still do this. but, i'm going to be completing that song the way it was initially written as a heavy radio rock tune that's somewhere between tool and white zombie. that will be here:
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/to-spin-inside-dull-aberrations
as far as the actual rabit material is concerned, i'm splitting it into five conceptual chunks.
1) the first few tracks all have a post-punk vibe. i'll be uploading this in the form of a single for "me, myself..." that will include multiple mixes of the track (including an instrumental one) and a completed version of the joy division cover (i'm going to go to town with some screwy drum overdubs, and some weird synth work. it'll sound weird. it has to.). i'm undecided on "we're gonna kill someone tonight".
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/me-myself
2) the next couple of tracks have a sort of goth undertone. that includes an instrumental version of clarity, a few takes of #9 and the short version of the wave with the vocals that i couldn't get my processor at the time to process (it's no problem, now). that will come up as a single for clarity:
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/clarity
3) i'm going to upload the instrumental version of the wave. i've been referring to this lately as my third symphony.
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/the-wave
4) the existing rabit demo, unaltered
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/rabit-is-wolf
5) a "live disc" containing the various acoustic versions that exist and were planned to be performed. me, myself. day. 9:46. psi. jumped up and down. i think there's a few more. obviously, i won't upload it unless it sounds "proper". there's a few things that i may redo the guitar parts on.
also,
a) i have many, many versions of the song you know as "day". they will be compiled into a comprehensive remix ep. the vocal mix will be included there.
b) a few of these tracks are going to end up on a double-lp chiptune project i'm putting together. like, the sequencer at the beginning of "me, myself" as well as a version of #9.
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/thru
i believe that's comprehensive. 9:46, time and psi will not have instrumental versions, as they are pop tunes that require vocals.
if you have any questions, comments or concerns please bring them to me. in the end, my answer to these concerns is going to be to go fully instrumental on the tracks, if i have to. but i'm concerned about the integrity of the tracks first and foremost. and you know i'm very reasonable about shit.
j
publishing the intersection of two identical particles moving in completely opposite directions (inri047)
ok...
so, to understand this piece, it's necessary to go back to 1998.
i was working out primitive sequencer parts for the first inri demo and it just sort of crossed my mind that there was really nothing stopping me from composing symphonies except for a lot of music theory. well, if i could write electronic music without training, why couldn't i write symphonies without training? i mean, the score writing program exists in front of me. it was just a question of experimenting with it. i could do it myself...
...but i actually already had a pretty hefty disdain for music theory by the age of 17. i'd managed to come across a music history textbook that traced the deconstruction of western theory from beethoven through to schoenberg and this, combined with my experiences as a guitarist, was enough to prevent me from taking it seriously. the perception i had was of modern composers viewing music theory sort of like how biologists viewed creationism. i use that analogy fairly frequently. it just didn't strike me as relevant.
now, i've softened a bit over time to a view that music theory is best understood in terms of the underlying physics. this renders the theory useless, but upholds the basic relationships between tones as physical, mathematical realities. the thing is the next step of abstraction is understanding that these mathematical objects can be arranged and analyzed in any arbitrary way, and the conventional theory really *is* a fallacy akin to creationism. so, i still hold to the general thesis. this is actually the first serious example of me putting that disdain for the idea that music should have a theory into real action. i remain adamantly of the view that art is not a realm where theories should exist or be viewed with anything other than scorn. theories are rigid, formal things; art is informal, chaotic.
so, it's 1998. i have a scorewriter and a very basic soundcard and i want to bullshit a symphony out of it. i did this by composing a single brief melody by randomly mashing notes into a scorewriter. i then took that melody and pasted it over top of itself at differing speeds (64th, 32nd, 16th, 8th, quarter, half, whole notes). i then took that, cut it off near the end of the half notes and pasted it over itself, backwards.
that might sound like it's going to sound awful, but it actually sounds quite lovely. one could analyze it quite easily, but it's creation is beyond the realm of any rules of construction.
which is where art belongs.
...excepting the algorithm i used, of course. i suppose it's more reich than schoenberg, but kind of more xenakis than either.
the initial version ended up subsumed underneath a messy noise collage that i created independently and have lost the source material for. that messy noise collage was eliminated from the track for the 1999 version, which was reconstructed by reproducing the algorithm. these are tracks 19 and 20 on this systematic exploration of the theme.
in 2001, i ran the midi file through my soundblaster live!, which as primitive as it is, has a much nicer wavetable in it than the primitive soundcard i used in 1998 and 1999 (i don't remember what it was). this is track 21. i also slowed it down by about 20 bpm and allowed the full file to "intersect", which let it breathe more. i've previously not done anything with this mix other than append it to some mix cds. the guitars on the soundblaster are notoriously bad, so there wasn't a lot to do with it....
why? well, i was writing a lot with scorewriters at the time and was just experimenting with the old file, really. but i was also finishing up what would be the only year i would spend in the math-physics department, and thought it sounded like i would imagine intersecting particles *should* sound like. i was generally interested in finding ways to combine science with music then - an interest that is present in older tracks as well and that has stuck with me. i may explore these themes further in time. one of the ideas i really wanted to accomplish was a physical modelling of the universe, to actually simulate the music of the spheres, as pythagoras imagined it. i think i underestimated the complexity of such a task....
of course, i never expected the music of the spheres to be tonal. and i wouldn't expect the sound of particles intersecting to be musical, either. but, we can take some artistic license. if intersecting particles are to make a sound, it OUGHT to be something like this!
now, the place to work out the actual intersection is rather arbitrary. i had initially cut off the entire section of pure whole notes, back in '98. what i wanted to do in '01 was create a sequence where it's cut off incrementally, creating shorter and shorter pieces. i didn't actually do that then, but i have now.
as for the piece, i haven't changed it much. i've doubled the guitar with a pizzicato string section, and put it through a better guitar synthesizer (and amp simulator, and effects). the sound fonts are otherwise identical, just updated mildly to a better synthesizer.
i've included the midi files of the original composition, if you'd like to mess with it on your own.
written june, 1998. reimagined june, 2001. slightly rearranged and re-rendered at the end of july, 2014. the renders here are from june 1998, june 1999, june 2001 and july 2014. as always, please headphones.
credits:
j - programming, digital effects & treatments, digital wave editing, composition.
the rendered electronic orchestras variously include piano, electric guitar, orchestra hit, synth pads, pizzicato strings and pc card.
released june 18, 2001
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/the-intersection-of-two-identical-particles-moving-in-completely-opposite-directions
so, to understand this piece, it's necessary to go back to 1998.
i was working out primitive sequencer parts for the first inri demo and it just sort of crossed my mind that there was really nothing stopping me from composing symphonies except for a lot of music theory. well, if i could write electronic music without training, why couldn't i write symphonies without training? i mean, the score writing program exists in front of me. it was just a question of experimenting with it. i could do it myself...
...but i actually already had a pretty hefty disdain for music theory by the age of 17. i'd managed to come across a music history textbook that traced the deconstruction of western theory from beethoven through to schoenberg and this, combined with my experiences as a guitarist, was enough to prevent me from taking it seriously. the perception i had was of modern composers viewing music theory sort of like how biologists viewed creationism. i use that analogy fairly frequently. it just didn't strike me as relevant.
now, i've softened a bit over time to a view that music theory is best understood in terms of the underlying physics. this renders the theory useless, but upholds the basic relationships between tones as physical, mathematical realities. the thing is the next step of abstraction is understanding that these mathematical objects can be arranged and analyzed in any arbitrary way, and the conventional theory really *is* a fallacy akin to creationism. so, i still hold to the general thesis. this is actually the first serious example of me putting that disdain for the idea that music should have a theory into real action. i remain adamantly of the view that art is not a realm where theories should exist or be viewed with anything other than scorn. theories are rigid, formal things; art is informal, chaotic.
so, it's 1998. i have a scorewriter and a very basic soundcard and i want to bullshit a symphony out of it. i did this by composing a single brief melody by randomly mashing notes into a scorewriter. i then took that melody and pasted it over top of itself at differing speeds (64th, 32nd, 16th, 8th, quarter, half, whole notes). i then took that, cut it off near the end of the half notes and pasted it over itself, backwards.
that might sound like it's going to sound awful, but it actually sounds quite lovely. one could analyze it quite easily, but it's creation is beyond the realm of any rules of construction.
which is where art belongs.
...excepting the algorithm i used, of course. i suppose it's more reich than schoenberg, but kind of more xenakis than either.
the initial version ended up subsumed underneath a messy noise collage that i created independently and have lost the source material for. that messy noise collage was eliminated from the track for the 1999 version, which was reconstructed by reproducing the algorithm. these are tracks 19 and 20 on this systematic exploration of the theme.
in 2001, i ran the midi file through my soundblaster live!, which as primitive as it is, has a much nicer wavetable in it than the primitive soundcard i used in 1998 and 1999 (i don't remember what it was). this is track 21. i also slowed it down by about 20 bpm and allowed the full file to "intersect", which let it breathe more. i've previously not done anything with this mix other than append it to some mix cds. the guitars on the soundblaster are notoriously bad, so there wasn't a lot to do with it....
why? well, i was writing a lot with scorewriters at the time and was just experimenting with the old file, really. but i was also finishing up what would be the only year i would spend in the math-physics department, and thought it sounded like i would imagine intersecting particles *should* sound like. i was generally interested in finding ways to combine science with music then - an interest that is present in older tracks as well and that has stuck with me. i may explore these themes further in time. one of the ideas i really wanted to accomplish was a physical modelling of the universe, to actually simulate the music of the spheres, as pythagoras imagined it. i think i underestimated the complexity of such a task....
of course, i never expected the music of the spheres to be tonal. and i wouldn't expect the sound of particles intersecting to be musical, either. but, we can take some artistic license. if intersecting particles are to make a sound, it OUGHT to be something like this!
now, the place to work out the actual intersection is rather arbitrary. i had initially cut off the entire section of pure whole notes, back in '98. what i wanted to do in '01 was create a sequence where it's cut off incrementally, creating shorter and shorter pieces. i didn't actually do that then, but i have now.
as for the piece, i haven't changed it much. i've doubled the guitar with a pizzicato string section, and put it through a better guitar synthesizer (and amp simulator, and effects). the sound fonts are otherwise identical, just updated mildly to a better synthesizer.
i've included the midi files of the original composition, if you'd like to mess with it on your own.
written june, 1998. reimagined june, 2001. slightly rearranged and re-rendered at the end of july, 2014. the renders here are from june 1998, june 1999, june 2001 and july 2014. as always, please headphones.
credits:
j - programming, digital effects & treatments, digital wave editing, composition.
the rendered electronic orchestras variously include piano, electric guitar, orchestra hit, synth pads, pizzicato strings and pc card.
released june 18, 2001
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/the-intersection-of-two-identical-particles-moving-in-completely-opposite-directions
the second phase is now entirely completed.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3JSjmqp0cbtYmywctLw8KaXgXG3A2ZOF
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3JSjmqp0cbtYmywctLw8KaXgXG3A2ZOF
nexus card arrived in the mail today.
first show over will be the seminal kraut-noise act, oneida.
i'm learning that detroit has a show i'd spend $10 on pretty much every day. i don't have $10 to spend every day. if i were to somehow find a job, i'd not be able to go to a lot of the shows, so it's a catch-22. worse, it costs $9 (maybe $7, i'll find out) in tolls to get back and forth. that's going to mean i'm going to not buy very much beer when i'm over. going across 4 or 5 times a month (which is roughly the current plan) is going to add up to substantial border tolls, unfortunately. i mean, the cost of a $5 show is actually $15. that's a big difference. i can't resolve that, i just have to eat it.
so, that means i'm going to be picky. but, the flip side is that i have a huge array of options. as i'll be keeping a close eye on things, i'll also point out here shows that i nearly attended but didn't. unfortunately, these are probably going to be a lot of the up and coming acts i'd otherwise take a chance on. and i will miss some things in person.
for the next few months, i have an increased amount of disposable income. i will be over quite often.
oneida is a good first show. first update on the first of august.
first show over will be the seminal kraut-noise act, oneida.
i'm learning that detroit has a show i'd spend $10 on pretty much every day. i don't have $10 to spend every day. if i were to somehow find a job, i'd not be able to go to a lot of the shows, so it's a catch-22. worse, it costs $9 (maybe $7, i'll find out) in tolls to get back and forth. that's going to mean i'm going to not buy very much beer when i'm over. going across 4 or 5 times a month (which is roughly the current plan) is going to add up to substantial border tolls, unfortunately. i mean, the cost of a $5 show is actually $15. that's a big difference. i can't resolve that, i just have to eat it.
so, that means i'm going to be picky. but, the flip side is that i have a huge array of options. as i'll be keeping a close eye on things, i'll also point out here shows that i nearly attended but didn't. unfortunately, these are probably going to be a lot of the up and coming acts i'd otherwise take a chance on. and i will miss some things in person.
for the next few months, i have an increased amount of disposable income. i will be over quite often.
oneida is a good first show. first update on the first of august.
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