Emerald Web

Just when I think I've listened to everything that is 'so me', I find something else that fits the bill: this time it is the music of 70s/80s analog electronic/ folk duo Emerald Web.

From the first notes of that crackly arpeggio, I just knew I was going to love it. Intrigued to hear more!

The ''heart-wall'' and alternative medicine

The other day I had a peak at a book that my Mum's friend got for her; it's called The Emotion Code. I can't really tell yet if it truly provides what it aspires to  - a ''future medicine''- but as I was reading I found one concept to be really accurate and credible.

Nelson writes about the existence of a 'heart-wall', (in detail here) which the body builds after trauma in order to prevent the heart from further emotional injury. This 'wall' can sometimes come up very unexpectedly and can 'block us from fully opening our hearts to others.'

I know, I know: most people would dismiss this, and other forms of alternative medicine, as 'pseudo - profound bullshit'  (I was extremely surprised at the narrow-mindedness of that Independent article by the way). but Bradley Nelson really seemed to hit the nail on the head with that observation. Who can really say they've never experienced a sudden numbness, defiance, even carelessness after trauma resulting from the heart-wall?

Anyway, my criteria for good art now is that it has to pull down the heart wall. Not just tug at the heartstrings holding it up but pull the whole damn thing down till you feel utterly defenceless, vulnerable, but alive.

 A Tarkovsky film, Astrid Lindgren's short stories, a Bach prelude.. they all do the trick. 

Tash Willmore - Wear Eyes Closed

Love the intro for this. String sound is heavenly.

Bonding

Picking up an RM1X in Cash Converters for £140 was admittedly a bit of a gamble, and of course half the pads (including the play button) aren't working, but it's still amazing what this thing can do.
A YouTube search of 'RM1X' yields nothing but endless techno and house remixes which completely lack development and seem entirely to ignore all the onboard programming possibilities, as well as all the effects units. There's an uncharted territory with this sequencer that somehow no one seems to have thought of accessing yet, the territory of simple melody-driven pop songs.

Anyway,  for an advocate of underrated things and an opponent of excessive spending on music gear, the RM1X is ideal. I just wish I can get those pads and buttons fixed quickly.

All this also got me thinking about equipment videos - why are they often so remarkably unappealing? Why aren't there more like this one with Adrian Utley? That Minibrute sounds completely out of this world.

When Will You Come Home

'Making noises like a dog,/
making noises you can't hear'
....has got to be one of the saddest lyrics ever.

Also, this song should end at 2:15 - it'd be better that way.

МАЯК

... Nope, that's not supposed to be 'MARK', and that letter is definitely the right way round. Маяк means lighthouse in Russian. "Маяк" was (they are no longer active) a Ukrainian band from Kharkov.

                                                           

(Im)practical tips and (un)sound advice

We're over half way through February! This means it's time for the Mid-Month Motivational Message:
You're an amazing person. You do amazing things. And if you don't, then you will do amazing things in the future. Just keep at it.

Now, if the following picture applies to you, please read on...

So you really want to make some cool sounds but for one reason or another you don't know where to begin. You have a really bad digital keyboard that you got at a carboot sale (or maybe your grandma, thinking you'd be in raptures over it, gave you it for Christmas).

Now you happen to have an alright DAW (that means anything that isn't Audacity). And in that DAW you notice an intriguing little option:

If you enable this option, you can hear yourself while recording. So far, not so good. What difference does it make if you hear your trashy keyboard going through your DAW or not?

Well, your DAW happens to have another inconspicuous button mysteriously lit up with the green light of success:

 Clicking on it, you find filters, a dozen choruses, several reverbs, and a range of delays. Add as few or as many as you like to the 'FX chain'. Make sure 'Monitor Input' is on. And this is when you will bless the fateful carboot sale (or your grandma) a million times, because the keyboard will sound nothing like its trashy pre-FX self.

The basic equation is
trashy keyboard + FX + monitor input = sounds unheard by human ears

...
All of the above might be complete codswallop. But you're not doing it wrong if no one knows what you're doing.