#240804: slowing down, handy one, #20songs
⎋/~
After very productive last week (as I wrote in #240728), this week feels like I did much less. But did I really? To be honest, I don't know. Reflecting on your own productivity in capitalism is quite tricky. Especially for myself as procrastination is pretty much on the top of my life challenges.
For Mad Jakale album I did record vocals with Loup for the song Heaven. I have yet to decide if this recording contains a better perfomance (in the studio) than the less good live recording from the stage performance. One thing is how many additional sounds are in the recording and what kind of microphone is used, and another what kind of intrepretation is there and pitch control. Perhaps the energy, physical activity and adrenaline on the stage simply create better bodily state for realisation of tone, pitch, resonance... For Heaven I also need to get M. into the studio to record her part (it's a text in Slovene which is interspersed within the song - somehow exchanging with Loup singing in English), and I'm also wary of this interweaving, so we need to record an alt version where it is like a prologue to the song. I might share both versions next week with you.
The presentation (concert) of the finished album is nearing, and I sent the 6 tracks to the organizers of the concert so they'll better know if and how it can work within the evening. I also listened to them all and I had a weird feeling that they are quite gentle-sounding, perheps even too soft somewhat - but I'm probably being extremely subjective here.
Another thing that's been moved a step forward is that I met with Metod with regards to liner-notes in the USB booklet. He was very up for it, once I explained him the imagined workflow where we would together write the essay, somewhat.
For a goodie this week, I'm attaching a work in progress track that I need to work on tomorrow - it already has vocals recorded by Veronika, but this needs quite some work in some way or another. It's called Handy One and it's at this stage much more a work in progress then what I sent you last week.
I've been thinking a lot about my vision (utopic fantasy?) of tools for a music performance - I've had something in my mind for years now and it's also transforming itself from month to month. And this thinking goes to a lot of places, to a lot of different places. But in my mind it's one big pleasure and joy. It's a situation - a music performance - that is highly spiritual, and somewhat ... erotic (in its effect, not presentation) at the same time. It's sonic and visual and corporeal all at once. Sonicaly, rhythmicaly and harmonicaly engaging. Probably too "eclectic" for many, but perhaps I can (and this is where I am confident) weave it into convincing whole, including improvisational and aleatoric (random?) parts.
I'm dancing about architecture, right? I'm describing a possible sensorial (sensual) experience that can and should only be experienced. One of the challenges is that more often then not this vision is quite grandiose, and hence very much overwhelming.
In other (musical) news, there's a trend on fediverse/mastodon, where people are posting everyday a book for 20 days called #20books:
"20 books that have had an impact on who you are. One book a day for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, just book covers"
and then there is of course the #20songs:
Song Challenge: 20 songs that changed who you are. One song per day. For 20 days. Just titles and maybe covers/links.
So I tried to create my own list of 20 songs that changed who I am, but I got two times as much. And I think one should post just tracks, upload music/video directly. Here is the full list while I will be posting them next 20 days on my mastodon at sonomu.club:
- Kraftwerk: Boing Boom Tschak/Techno Pop/Musique Non Stop (Electric Cafe, 1986)
- Art of Noise: Moments In Love (Who's Afraid Of, 1984)
- Jean Michele Jarre: Oxygene (1976)
- Borghesia: 133 (Venceremos Mix) (Njihovi Zakoni, Naša Življenja, 1986)
- Willesden Dodgers: Gunsmoke Breakout (1984)
- Pet Shop Boys: It Couldn't Happen Here (Actually, 1987)
- Prince: Anna Steisa (Lovesexy, 1988)
- Rob'n'Raz feat Leila K.: Acozawea (1990)
- Keith Jarret: The Köln Concert (1975)
- Chick Corea: Nite Sprite (The Jazz Rock Album, 1979)
- Weather Report: Mysterious Traveler (Mysterious Traveler, 1974)
- The Beatles: The Long and Winding Road (1970)
- Dvořak: The New World Symphony (Antal Dorati, 1967)
- Neil Young: Broken Arrow (Decade, 1977)
- Jimmy Hendrix: Power To Love (Band of Gypsys, 1970)
- Red Hot Chili Peppers: Suck My Kiss (Blood Sugar Sex Magik, 1991)
- Faith No More: Zombie Eaters (The Real Thing, 1989)
- Eboman: Donuts With Buddah (Hardhop + Trypno, 1996)
- The Prodigy: Poison (Music For The Jilted Generation, 1994)
- BT: Madskillz-Mic Chekka (Movement In Still Life, 1999)
- Vim vs. Awful Dodgy – Rehash (No'Mo 13, 2000)
Each one of those tracks has a story behind, or at least a personal meaning for me, why they have changed or influenced me. Perhaps I find time to write those notes down. Let's see.
That's all for this week. Can I keep the streak going? I hope to write again next week!
As always, thank you for your generous support, patience, and being part of The Backstairs Tone journey. I hope next week treats you well! 💚