Saturday 28 April 2012

:(

Not a lot to blog about recently! As i've started getting a bit more serious about my school work, i've not worked on any music! Although I am gonna buy some concert tickets soon. Peter Hook and the Light are playing in sheffield! I can't wait haha. I'll just post this for people to listen to, maybe get a bit more feedback on it! I'm Still working on ideas for it.

Sunday 22 April 2012

Reached 500 pageviews!

First Grime Beat I ever produced!

Arguably one of my best.. used cubase instead of reason. Let me know what you think. Inspired by 'Kidulthood to Adulthood' by Bashy, produced by Maniac. Compare them, see if you can hear the influence!

Friday 20 April 2012

LCM Audition Piece

I produced this for the LCM Audition. They gave me the little violin sample, the piano sample, the acoustic guitar sample, and that organ sample, and I had to use that in my own piece, and this is what I made. Definitely some dubstep influence in there, you can hear it in the drums, and obviously the wobble. Let me know what you think cos I really like this, its unlike anything I've done before!

Thursday 19 April 2012

Not posted in almost a week

Sorry guys! Been so busy with work. But i noticed i'd not posted (and i'd made nothing with google adsense :P) so i thought i'd do a quick update. I've got History COursework and EPQ deadlines in the next week so thats why i've not been posting! Once they're over I can get back to recording/writing little ditties. Alex (who is one day gonna be part of my chart topping band) said we need to start writing stuff together, and he has a point. I come up with all these little ideas but we need to form stuff together so it's actually a band thing. Check my last post though to hear my latest idea. Also, RIP Levon Helm, drummer for The Band. Don't listen to them myself but my mum loves them and she always watched The Last Waltz DVD, so it's pretty sad to hear he's died.

Sunday 15 April 2012

The new project i was talking about!

Sounds very much like Miles Kane, The Last Shadow Puppets, and Humbug-era Arctic Monkeys. Which is not a bad thing. I'm taking this off soundcloud tomorrow until I finish the song so y'all best listen quick! I'm gonna add another section, vocals and harmonies, and maybe another instrument at some point!

Virtual DJ Home

Anyone ever had a play on this? It's so good once you get the hang of it. Definitely think I could be a real DJ!
Not got much to blog about today - got a history essay to do! Otherwise I'd be working on the new song. So i'll post an oldie. I made this back when I was really into Grime, Garage etc. Couldn't stop listening to Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, More Fire Crew.. More Fire Crew - Oi used to get played about 30 times a day in my house. Was an amazing tune at time! Anyway, i basically recreated the beat. Oi 2 or something like that, it's not the same but its very similar. Leave any feedback you want! I'm aware this is probably one of the worst things i've ever done! just thought i'd share it incase anyone likes more fire!

Saturday 14 April 2012

New Project is coming along nicely!

Going for a The Last Shadow Puppets/Humbug-era Arctic Monkeys sound on this one! Will work on this for the next few weeks and post it as soon as its done!

Thursday 12 April 2012

Revenge

One of my favourite songs i've produced! Sounds pretty sinister. Its intended to be like, a soundtrack. Was watching the TV series 'This is England 86' and the scene where Lol kills her dad i thought was ace. And i know the series has some pretty dark sounding piano songs in there so that inspired me to make this track. There's a drum loop i sampled from a Slipknot song in there - its a loop I made years ago, and this is the first time i've been able to use it in a song and it fit well! I also took this to my Leeds College of Music audition, but they never listened to it! :( I always think if I had played it to them, they might have accepted! Anyway. As always, leave your feedback in the comments, always greatly appreciated :)

...

People should let me know what they think to the Kasabian covers from yesterday! Think i'll leave it a day or two before i post anymore new music, otherwise ill have posted my entire repertoire by the end of the week! But yeah.. anyone whos not listened to them should. And anyone whos never heard of them, because im not sure of their popularity overseas.. well you should. Just one of their many songs. I've not covered this one, but its one of their best! One of the top 5 modern british bands.. they have loads of anthems. Songs that just make you wanna sing! Can't wait to see them headlining leeds festival!

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Kasabian Covers

2 Kasabian covers i've done! If you like kasabian, check em out. The switchblade smiles one is loads better. neither are finished but I just did them to see if I could recreate the sounds in them at all. Also id never played guitar on a track like this so i wanted to try it! :)

Not much to say..

I don't have much to blog about today! The only musical thing I have done is practice my performance pieces. I'm definitely getting better! Now i'm just having an hour listening to the music channels, chilling out, then i'm going to bed. But I could post you something and write a bit about it.. ok then. I'll showcase some of my remixing work :P Jme and Tempa T - CD is Dead. They released this with an acapella and encouraged people to remix this. There were hundreds that I heard, each taking the song in a different direction. This was around the time Tinie Tempah brought out Pass Out, and I was listening to that a hell of a lot. So i added a Drum n Bass breakdown at the end. I basically wanted to give the song a grittier, darker sound, and I think I achieved it. What do people think? The original is here: Let me know what you think, which you prefer etc. Remember this was one of the first songs I completed!

Sunday 8 April 2012

2 of my songs..

Ok, so I thought i'd post 2 examples of my music and write a bit about them. Firstly, i'm not just a guitarist. I don't just play and write in a rock style - here's a piece that still has some of my guitar playing in. It's called Ocean Breeze, because i'm terrible at naming songs and the organ sounds reminiscent of the seaside (to me anyway). I wrote this for the failed LIPA audition back in January. I really like the echoey guitar sound i used - again, sounds like a surfer sort of guitar. I never know wether I actually like this one, so people will have to let me know what you think! Anyway. Here's a second track - completely different style, uses different skills - I produced this in Reason. It's called Deep Forest. Its called that because it sounds a bit mysterious. A bit fantasy-ish. Again, terrible at naming songs! But i used to produce little grime beats which I intended MCs to rap over, and this was one of my original ones. But i added to it, expanded it and added another section - and I think this is one of my favourite songs I've produced. What do you think?

Squier Telecaster (Classic Vibes series)

Someone asked to see my guitar so here it is :). Plays amazingly, I love it.

Saturday 7 April 2012

Tables Turning

My Girlfriends taking me out for a Nandos tonight! So happy :) I love that place, best restaurant ever. Got a history essay to do though, if i wanna go out :( i wanted to spend today working on music! Decided I don't get that done enough.. although a new song I'm working on is starting to come together a bit. I'll upload then when I get it recorded - for now have an old track of mine, 'Tables Turning'! :) I recorded this for a LIPA audition - i got rejected :( - but it was just a little guitar idea i had. the first second of the song basically, was just something i did whenever i picked up a guitar, but i just developed that into probably my best guitar song. Which reminds me, I have another little riff that I wanna build a song around. Maybe get that recorded next week too!

Thursday 5 April 2012

Tomorrow

Going to bed now. Tomorrows plan includes practicing Alka Setzer and X Blues III with a band.. and that's about it. Family are away so house to myself! Might use the free time and empty house to record new music. It's something I need to do - apart from Ballad of the Banks, i've done nearly nothing for a long time.

Wednesday 4 April 2012

My AS Composition.

Stuck in doing revision/work all day again! Working on a composition for my AS level music resit.. I'm not going to post it on here because i don't want anyone else copying any ideas, this is months of work! But it got marked pretty badly even though it should have been marked hihgher. Apparently there's lots of problems with marking when it comes to music composition, and even towards the arts in general. It can be very subjective, and it'll be marked on wether the examiner likes the sound, rather than the techniques used and how complex it is etc. Basically, a grade 8 trained musician could be marked as a D while an untalented musician could get an A. Basically though, my composition is a piece i've written for flute, clarinet, bassoon, 2 violins and a cello. I think it's pretty good, it used loads of techniques. There's 2 key changes, 2 tempo changes. There's 2 definite motifs/themes that occur throughout the piece, varied at different pitches, speeds, on different instruments, but always definitely there. Plus theres plenty of dynamic markings, there's both Pizzicato and Arco strings. I personally think the piece is a B grade.. I'll post it when i've finished tweaking it and it's been sent off etc. But everyone who has listened to it, including my teacher, is very impressed by it.

Ballad of the Banks

A link to my latest musical project. Did it as part of the EPQ at school. Basically it's a folk song that i've written and recorded. I researched and analysed loads of different folk to make it as typically folk as possible - I think it was relatively successful!

Think i'm gonna start using this blog again!

Just blog about everyday things, what i've done with my day etc. May or may not be interesting.

My last pos was about a year ago, and that was complaining about sixth form. God, sixth form wasn't even that hard back then. Today I've been filling out my EPQ log, and reflection. Also I learnt 2 guitar pieces for my exam when i go back - alka setzer and X blues III. Need to perfect these for the exam!