Getting things ready to release the Original Words EP next month. I made a video for Boys, originally by Bauhaus.
The songs were recorded for a benefit for Blue Sunshine, an experimental film center in Montreal and are being released on CDr and as a digital download. More details to come!
Edit: I will be merging this blog with my main website over the next two months but will be back to a semi-normal update schedule.
Here are two comps for a short film by Samuel Hilton who had a showing in a recent Kino Kabaret in Montreal called Kill Him. I was asked to make something akin to the soundtrack from Drive and came up with these two pieces:
Mondo Mondo (2011, music for Kill Him)
Uomo Uomo (2011, music for Kill Him)
The two songs picked were Tick of the Clock by the Chromatics and A Real Hero by College. For bass and lead synths I used the Novation Bass-Station and Tal-Bassline. I would also like to take this oppurtunity to share with you the wonderful world of freeTogu VST’s. I tend to use their generators sparingly in my own music but their reverb and delay effects are great to work with.
When people think of David Bowie’s Berlin period most will turn to “Heroes”, no doubt due to its familiarity. James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem reproduced the single’s signature guitar on All I Want off of This is Happening but to me, his most interesting homage to Bowie and Eno came from the album’s first single, Drunk Girls, pulling from Boys Keep Swinging off of Lodger (not to mention the album cover). Lodger saw Bowie’s return to a percussion driven album, a more pop oriented sound and the start of a long hiatus from collaborations with Eno.
My favorite song on the album is without a doubt, Move On. Bowie’s voice leads us to a pain stricken climax as the traveler cries for a love he left behind. Something always struck me about his delivery and how controlled he sounds all while appearing to be losing his thread. Songs like Red Moneyand DJ could have been found on other albums but I think this track is what pulls this album together as something different and the perfect end to the trilogy and partnership.
Move On (2011, unreleased)
I tried to make this my own but I soon came to the realization that Bowie songs are good for a reason. You change too much and it just becomes another crummy cover so I’m hoping my delivery sets me apart at least a little.
A new version of Battle Capacity is being released this weekend and I was asked to create some new menu music. This seemed like an appropriate follow up to last week’s post as we have two completely different styles of menus. Trying to accentuate the bright colours and characters of a game is important and as I tend to lean towards moody and broodier themes I always appreciate working on something different.
Battle Beach (2011, main menu theme for Battle Capacity)
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Not much to say about this piece other than taking a lot of inspiration from later Sonic game menus. I used one of the main bass riffs from the Battle Capacity boss battle music and built from there.
The rest of the soundtrack, including Battle Beach is available for free on CharlieTwitch.com.
Listening to The Man From New Guinea by The In-Crowd I stumbled upon Reggae Groove, an easy going dance-hall track with some simple “Hey yeah!’s thrown over it. I’m not usually keen on direct sampling but this was too much fun to pass up.
True Feelings (2011, unreleased)
Everything else was recorded in a day meaning there are still quite a few changes I’d like to make but I’m still pretty happy with how it turned out.
In other news I will be performing for OFF Interarts upcoming Inside Out show in Montreal on Saturday the 24th of September at 12pm. It will be another ¡FLIST! set along with a few new songs from here and there.
Been having some really serious computer problems and found it was time to replace my PC. It’s put a bit of a strain on my record release but I’m still optimistic about my original deadline! I don’t have much to say about this song. Recorded it over the last few days while I wait for my new workstation.
Concentric Squares (2011, unreleased)
So long my faithful companion, I’ve saved you a nice space between my IIvi and C64.
