Synthesthetics recently posted a remix of a tune by John Coltrane and Duke Ellington on his soundcloud. Eventually, it was taken down due to ‘copyright infringement,’ but the remix currently rests, safely, at a Bandcamp page Synthesthetics set up.
I really enjoyed the remix, and I saw a description on the site about how Synthesthetics made it to honor his late grandfather. It seemed like a touching thing to do, and I was curious about it, so I asked this talented musician if he could explain the whole story to me. He did, and instead of wasting time paraphrasing, I’ll just post what he wrote about it:
“Well, the reason that I chose that song, was because a number of years ago, my grandfather took me to a local restaurant that had live jazz every weekend. So we went, and a jazz quartet from the local college was there and they were playing mostly what my friend nick calls “snobby jazz”, in that only music snobs can appreciate what they are throwing down. I would call it non-melodic jazz.
“I am not a huge fan. My grandfather who was a jazz saxophonist was also not a huge fan. However, they broke into Coltrane’s In a sentimental mood, and I immediately got that feeling that I get when I hear good music (almost like goosebumps on the back of my neck). and as if he got the same thing, he leaned over to me and whispered “This is real jazz”…, words that keep with me. A few years after he passed away I had a dream about said dinner, and I woke up and made the remix.
“It took 1 day to make the song. I started with chopping out piano lines that I liked on one audio track, and sax lines that I liked on another track. Then without a drum track or click track I started to chop up and arrange something new that sounded nice. In my head I was trying to create a conversation between the 2 instruments, and when I got something that I liked, I muted both tracks and started writing the drums. When I got a nice groove going, I added in the sax and piano tracks back into the mix and it sounded great!
“The rest of the track came together very quickly, or what felt quickly….I soon realized it was dark out and I started in the morning. I though it was a day well spent. I kept the original intro, and added some restaurant ambiance samples to keep to the feeling of the memory/dream. On a mixing/mixdown note, it was nice because the piano and sax were already panned to left and right in the original recording so the mix came together nicely.”
It’s mixed well, it’s fun, and after considering the story behind it, I would say it’s a very touching way to honor someone you care about. I hope you guys enjoy this one as much as I do! This remix has some of that “real jazz” in it :)
By the way, you can download this mix for free from Synthesthetics’ Bandcamp page!
Thanks for posting this awesome track, Synthesthetics !
So if you’re a neuro-fan, a neuro-producer, a neuro-curious well wisher, or just a vapid anti-neuro douche, you should head on over to Neurohopforum.com, a place for folks to discuss this fun new style of electronic dance music!
I asked Tex, the man who made this new forum, to give a couple words about the whole project. He described it in great detail, saying:
“I’m planning on growing the forum into a place where neuro listeners have a place to discuss the music and non-neuro listeners can be converted. A place where there’s no confusion on how to get those punchy drums and ripping Neuro basses that are talked about only briefly on other forums but it’s the stuff a lot of people are into. Lastly, a place with a great community feel where everyone helps each other and gives feedback on each other’s tracks or mixes so that everyone benefits and can improve their production, mixing or just general knowledge. At Neurohop Forum we discuss all things neuro and aim to further the neuro understanding of all members in a positive community feel…”
So, if you’re interested at all in getting in at the front lines of this exciting forum, head over to Neruohop Forum. I always think it’s fun to get involved in forums when they’re new. You can really see things evolve, knowing where they began. I’m hoping Tex and his small community (small, for NOW…) really get this site off the ground. It definitely can’t hurt to have a resource for musicians like this, and I personally know for a fact there are a hell of a lot of neuro fans (an producers) out there.
David Mårtenson is the Swedish EDM funkateer who hails by the moniker, Vudvuzela, and has recently released a glitch hoppy neuro-bass-heavy album on Adapted Records called, ‘Zombi EP,’ – and you’re definitely going to want to check it out! It’s as exciting as a KOAN Sound release, except… uh… shreddier?
What I mean is, David plays in a metal band, and comes to electronic music from a different perspective than some. You can definitely hear it in his electronic compositions; his tunes are funky, bouncy, extremely easy to dance to – and yet they lean, here and there, on some very intense and hardcore sounds and noises.
Vudvuzela: “Yeah that’s right about metal music. I enjoy ‘shredding’ and more progressive stuff like Periphery, Animals As Leaders, The Dillinger Escape Plan to mention a few.”
I’m not personally a sports fan – European or American – but I thought Vudvuzela sounded familiar, so I asked David if that’s what they call those horns people blow in Futbol games…
“Nah,” he said, “that’s a ‘Vuvuzela.’ So my name is more like a pun or mixture. I’m sometimes called ‘Davud.’ Vud is also Hebrew or something for the word, ‘crazy/mad,’ I believe I’ve read that somewhere.”
Ok, well, my mistake. I told ya I wasn’t much of a sports fan…
V: “No worries, man. I hate fotball/soccer. So it’s a bit ironic that my name is what it is.”
Anyway, I love that the track “silly,” has a fun swinging funky neuro sound, are you going more into that direction with your new one?
V: “Thank you. Silly is my favorite track from that EP. I guess some of the tracks is a little bit more to that direction. The most important part for me with my songs is that they have some sense of playfulness to them, if you know what I mean?”
Yea definitely, they seem playful and fun.
V: “It’s supposed to sound fun, interesting and colorful. Also preferably with a sense of “hit music” since I come from that background a bit.”
Hit music? You a top 40 supastaaaaa?
V: “I’ve been playing guitar in a radio friendly metal band. Also built with a lot of layers and stuff, so it’s pretty closely connected to each other. I enjoy the “science” behind top 40 music, hahah.”
So I was wondering about the sound of the really punchy synth that keeps showing up in the mix, are you sidechaining to a kick, or is it just a secret ultra-punchy synth ? …and that snare, too. Any hints for producers trying to make fun, punchy colorful tunes in the Vudvuzela tradition – as far as types of drum machine used, fx/automation?
V: “I do a lot of sidechaining and volume automations on everything usually… Hmm… Tips for making punchy colorful tunes? I don’t know, really. I try to keep it interesting by doing small variations on bounced basslines using Ableton’s Warp Engine, using a lot of different filtering automations. Mostly Sugar Bytes Wow. Macros is also great. I usually have about five automation lanes for every bass/synth-track. But as far as getting it colorful and fun I guess it’s mostly about finding what works best for you! Do a lot experimenting and keep trying new things is my advice.”
So what is your setup, your DAW, etc?
V: “I only use my old Macbook Pro from ‘09 and a pair of bad Sony headphones. I think that in these days when you can do so much with plugins, that’s pretty much all you need. Look at Koan Sound and Skrillex. That’s only laptop and headphones. Or at least it used to be. I hear they are both building proper studios on their own now. But there’s still a lot you can do with a simple setup like that. The most important thing is just to know what you’re doing with the things you have.”
How long have you been making electronic music – and music in general?
V: “I’ve been making music all my life in different forms. But I guess my more serious attempts started in 7th grade when I started to do hiphop and downtempo ambient stuff. That ended up in two full length albums. But they were really shit, to be honest . Just found the cd’s a few weeks ago when I moved. After that I started playing in more serious bands and my focus was more on metal and stuff like that. But I still did different forms of EDM on the side.”
Ah.. Yea, I think we’ve all got some shitty hip hop from 7th grade we can’t believe we made..
V: “Hehe yeah. It’s pretty classic. But I also did a lot of drum and bass back then. That was my biggest fascination. But it was a lot more difficult to make than hiphop.”
So making music is a passion of yours – do you gig, or go for strictly releasing music?
V: “yes it’s definitely my passion in life. I haven’t played out much with Vudvuzela yet. Just some local smaller club gigs as a regular DJ. But Im planning on making it a live show. I’ve done a whole lot of gigs with my band though. Over a 100 shows, so that’s a situation Im more used to.”
So, what are your favorite artists right now, if you could bump anyone’s music?
V: “Hmm let’s see… In EDM music, Savant is definitely one of my favorites right now. Truly inspiring guy and talented as fuck at everything he does (you’ll love him. He’s the next big thing. Released four full length albums and five EP’s last year. All of them great.) Justice and Daft Punk are my all-time favorites, though.”
Hmm.. I’ll have to look that guy up.
V: “Yea, he’s awesome… (talking about Savant, I mean, not DP and Justice…)”
Ha, ‘DP.’
V: “Hehe… I’ve also been listening to a lot of trap recently. It’s fun with “new” genres. I know some people feel it’s just an evolution from southern hip hop, but as long as it feels fresh and interesting it’s always nice. I enjoy everything by Hudson Mohawke. And his new project TNGHT is fucking awesome!”
Fuck yea man, TNGHT is the shit!!
V: “I’ve actually remixed ‘Higher Ground’ by them, so that’s available right now.”
It just came out a few hours before this posting, so I figured I’d post a video of it, as it REALLY does show how David gave TNGHT a sonic workout.
It really is a remix in a much grander sense than what we’ve seen so much of in the last few years – namely, some moombah beat thrown atop a tune, “remixing,” it, or adding a couple of wobbles and a drop, dumbstepping it out…. Vudvuzela’s remix of ‘Higher Ground’ by TNGHT really adds Vud’s characteristic bouncy but thrashy (and tripped out) aesthetic, and sucks up Lunice and HudMo like a goddamn vacuum, spitting out their material in a whirlwind of funk and controlled chaos. Spectacular!
So you think you might be going in a trappy direction then?
V: “I’ve been experimenting some with trap lately. Not sure how Vudvuzela-related it’s gonna be though. But I have a few remixes coming out under that genre. I released a trappy/hiphop-remix of Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pools a few days ago. It’s up on youtube. Im also working on a more proper trap remix of a Die Antwoord song.”
Nice. So, I wanted to ask you about the cover graphic for your last EP – I love the cartoon graphics! Are you going for the same style with your new release as that cartoon city you had – and did you do that graphic work yourself?
V: “No, I have a few friends who does that for me. But the new EP is gonna be in the same cartoonish-style. Also introducing a new character to the Vudvuzela-Universe. I feel that cartoons really fit my music; the playfulness of it, and all the colors.”
Oooh a new character! Nice. Those cartoon images remind of Parliament Funkadelic . I’ve been hearing that funky sound more and more lately too, which I’m excited about.
V: “Yeah it’s really growing.”
So, here’s, ‘Silly,’ off of ‘Zombi EP,’ by Vudvuzela. It’ll give you an idea about what I’m talking about when I say it’s grindy and thrasy – but that it’s also a bouncy, funky ravey groove.
Alright, so, here are some of the places you can go to find Vud’s tunes:
So, I admittedly do no have a top ten ready, or a thorough analysis of the chill wave bass heavy post-dub downtempo instrumental hip hop whateverthefuck stuff right now… But, what I do have is this mesmerizing tune from Mister Lies (a Chicago native) to show you… It’s called, False Anatomy, and it feels like a very special tune. I’ll have to post some more of this type of music soon; there have been a hell of a lot of ambient, soothing, colorful, and overall just beautiful vibes ‘n breaks tracks coming out lately… And when it comes to showing the world a track like this, I feel I don’t need to have any other reason to post – other than the fact that it’s really beautiful :) Some of you might’ve heard this, but even if you have, take a second listen! It’s well worth it, I promise.
So what the fuck, StrangeFlow? What’s been up? What’s fucking happening in fucking February? Come on!
First of all, there’s no need to curse at me quite so much; chill the fuck out… Second of all, yes, there’s quite a lot of madness going on in February! Let me explain…
January, for me, was a BIG month. I moved out of my apartment in the Seattle area, and headed down south a ways to Mountain View in the Bay Area of California. I moved in with an old Michigan buddy of mine who was living in the area; we found a really decent two bedroom apartment that actually DIDN’T cost ten trillion dollars per month, which was a spectacular miracle.
Also, I’ve finally gotten over a cold that I brought over from Seattle. I remember while I was on the road I saw a news report on TV about how the whole country has gotten sick, but for whatever reason, California remained mostly unaffected. Well – that is – until I got into town and singlehandedly infected EVERYONE IN CALIFORNIA with my vicious cough/headache/general-ill feeling symptoms! Yes, it was a very ambitious task, but I successfully brought the winter cold to the Bay Area. You’re welcome, Norcal.
I’ve been working on a lot of projects in the last month or two, including new sample packs, a new album, an ebook designed to help the independent musician with motivation and financial applications – ah, and speaking of applications, I’ve been getting into app design lately, as well. I’ve been busy, but am getting ready to show the world some of these new projects I’ve been working on. I’m very proud of ‘em, and I hope everyone is as delighted as I am about them!
Ah, and I also discovered what it means to ask for an ‘Animal-Style,’ Double-Double Burger at In-an-Out Burger…. (try it, it’s fun)
So what the fuck are these fucking sample packs about?
The electo swing one is getting closer to completion, and the second it’s ready, I’ll be showing the world! It’s a sequel to Bassadelic’s most popular audio tool, “StrangeFlow’s Authentic Electro Swing Samples,” and the sequel takes a somewhat similar form as the first one, but with a hell of a lot more beats, and I think it’s something that will prove itself as being a vital tool for the electro swing artist / DJ / producer in 2013! Still no products exist on the market QUITE like it – which makes it a powerful niche to fill. (OK, there IS, to my knowledge, ONE series of products like it, but that series is way more expensive – WAY, WAY more expensive – and it is not filled with authentic ol’ school samples, just new ones… So, as I said, no other product QUITE like SF’s ‘Authentic’ pack exists…
Wasn’t there gonna’ be a Chicago juke beats sample packs?
The juke sample pack! Ah, the story of this one is interesting… So, I actually started it about 4 months ago, and had 70 beats completed… Not a full pack – but a hell of a start (as well as 70 wonky beats for a separate sample package) and all was going OK until my computer crashed and I lost fucking ALL of those loops!!! I didn’t back up my shit because my external hard drives had recently been stolen (right outta’ my damn car) and so the juke beats sample pack (as well as the original wonky samples) were destroyed forever… So, angrily, I spent three days and created 100 wonky beats pack (and damn, that’s the best series of beats I’ve ever done in that short of a time period) but the juke beats got pushed back in development for a little while.
Well, I’ve been working on them a lot lately, and as soon as they’re done, I’ll be sharing them with the world for a very fair price. I’ve been really falling in love with juke the last year or so, and I’m very excited to help out new producers as best I can… (I really want to do more tutorials on juke, too…)
The other sample pack that MIGHT get released in February is a trap production kit, which will include a ton of quality beats and enough one-shot drum samples to strangle a sloth in the broad daylight! (Sloth-strangling… typical violent trap imagery… )
So, aside from everything mentioned above, I also plan to put out more quality articles, and more tutorials, as well…. And, some more of those fun bass and glitch hop memes. Because they make me laugh, and people seem to enjoy them :) Oh, and Yuri wants to do some videos, too…
Also, I really want to thank everybody who has supported this site in every way!
I’ve received such positive feedback in the last six months or so from people who are enjoying the Bassadelic site, and that makes me VERY happy, and encourages me to keep trying hard and doing what I can to try and help out and provide as much useful content as possible! So, thanks everyone! It means an awful lot to me, and I’m so glad to find that love is still VERY much alive in rave culture!
Hmmm… No, I’m not sure that last image REAAALLLY exemplifies what I actually meant to describe when I was talking about LOVE in the Rave Culture… uh….ah well, fuck it. I couldn’t find a decent image right away for ‘LOVE,’ and then I saw that robot-69 one (the same one used for Gentleman Bastard’s Sample Pack that was released last year on this site) and decided, “Meh, that’ll be funny…” So, my hip hop instincts kicked in, and I sampled the shit outta’ that old robot pic…
But anyway, yes, thanks again, everyone. The love and positivity is VERY appreciated, and it helps keep me focused on this site and on music production and trying to offer what I can, as I said earlier. I find it good to constantly have creative and time-consuming projects in front of me, or else I find myself feeling unfulfilled. It also is a great way to meet new friends and get in touch with folks from all over the fucking globe that I might not have ran into otherwise! And I’m NOT talking about Yuri. If anything will destroy this site, it will probably be him ;)
So, I’ll get to the mixes in a second—but first, here’s the scippety-scoop: I was getting ready to do a ‘Top Ten Juke Songs,’ and then decided, ‘OK, how about a top ten for the LAST SIX MONTHS…,’ and then, in the process of discovering some new juke, I was tipped off by Keri Bellybelle about DJ Spinn’s new release, ‘TEKLIFE Vol. 2,’ which I proceeded to listen to – and it is REALLY good! I recommend checking this one out! Its got some dope material from DJ Spinn, DJ Rashad, & DJ Manny.
….and what good would this fucking site be if I only told you about it but didn’t provide you with a LINK!!!! <–!!!!
Here’s one of the trax, She Turnt Up, from the album:
OK, so what else is there from DJ Spinn, beyond this awesome new release? Well, seeing as he is a DJ, he has lots of mixes to listen to, and here are a few of them from the last couple of years..
RASHAD SPINN WE TRIPPY MANE MIXTAPE pt1
The wire mix snip 12 Dj Spinn part 2
DJ Weekly Podcast 22: DJ Spinn
Math + Science: DJ Spinn Guest DJ Set & Interview
That last one is pretty interesting, too; a long mix + a great interview with DJ Spinn. Very fun! Hope you enjoy these great mixes from one of Chicago’s dopest juke DJs!
I’ll be posting a lot more juke in the next few weeks, definitely. But for now, have fun with these DJ Spinn trax!! They should keep ya goin for a bit!
If you’re a juke producer, or want to put some juke flavor into your tunes, consider the juke samples pack by StrangeFlow, on the graphic link just below.. One hundred and fifty beats, and lots of greats melodies and other goodies, and it’s on sale for sixteen bucks! Check it out :) (there’s also a free demo pack with a few of the sounds, to give you an idea of what’s in it, as well as a demo track I made.)
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