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freeradicals - deep tides (2)

This is the second track off “Deep Tides,” the new album by freeradicals, my drone/ambient/noise project. In a lot of ways, it is a follow up to the piece I wrote for my composition thesis at St. Mary’s, “la conscience engloutie,” though I think this work has much more of a subtle sophistication than that piece.

“Deep Tides” takes its name from the track that I used for much of the source material- an old and dusty vinyl of music by Henry Cowell, an early 20th century composer who wrote some of the most beautiful piano pieces I have ever heard. The record has an intense crackle and hiss that almost overcome the music at times, all of which is over in just four minutes . I knew from my first listening a year ago that I needed to take these sounds and transform them into something new, something that captured the intensity with which I was struck by Cowell’s music. 

My process was fairly simple for creating this, as it involved me making decisions and changes in real-time rather than doing meticulous editing in the computer (though there was also a fair amount of that towards the end when I started mixing it all). I recorded the vinyl into a tape player at three different speeds- slow (about 2x slower), normal and fast (about 2x). I only ended up using the slow and normal speeds. I would then play sections into my effects chain and create a short loop of 1-5 seconds. I played this loop back, recording to computer while I would ‘perform’ long-form changes with my different effects processors- I would spend maybe 10 or 15 minutes slowly changing delay, gain, distortion, detuning, etc. To create a sense of depth, I would do the same thing again for the same section- create a very similar loop, though different enough so that when the two loops were played together, they would come in and out of phase, syncing up for brief seconds and then parting again. I also added sounds of my own- the reappearing deep droning bass sounds that seem to be on the brink of collapsing.

Tho whole album, an hour long, flows continuously through each section.

You can download it for free from bandcamp:

http://free-radicals.bandcamp.com/album/deep-tides

Each download also includes a copy of Henry Cowell’s original recording.

 

I’m super happy about the way this album turned out. If you’re at all a fan of ambient/drone, you should download this and save it for a time when you have an hour to spare.

http://free-radicals.bandcamp.com/album/deep-tides

<3

Wowweee, very nice, very fun.

Mister Lies - Hidden Neighbors (For Beverly)

Really wonderful EP, go buy it at his bandcamp, or listen some more at his soundcloud, and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Some very beautiful work. He says it better than I do:

listener, 
these four songs are for all those who put up with my drastic changes in the weather. it is certain that all these years we have been living a lie but we are slowly shifting closer to the truth. 

from chicago with love, 
mister lies

I would not have written it any better myself. Work like this is what inspires my love for this music. Warren put together a really, really great mix.

“This mixtape is a collection of some of my favourite instrumental and ambient music that I’ve come across in the past few years. I usually reserve a lot of this stuff for periods when I’m feeling especially stressed and strung out. As I’m sure is the case with a lot of people who enjoy this kind of music, I always find that binging on ambient music helps me to relax and retreat into my own mind and process whatever thoughts that I have endlessly rattling around in my head. I also tried to sequence all these songs in way that would work best for the kind of music that it is and the kind of energy each song has as to not be completely boring. I hope you enjoy these recordings as much as I do and attach your own memories and meaning to each of them.”

- Foxes in Fiction

From http://deeplistening.org/site/content/about:

“Deep Listening is a philosophy and practice developed by Pauline Oliveros that distinguishes the difference between the involuntary nature of hearing and the voluntary selective nature of listening. The result of the practice cultivates appreciation of sounds on a heightened level, expanding the potential for connection and interaction with one’s environment, technology and performance with others in music and related arts.”

1. Memoryhouse – Minor White
2. RxRy – Baulkn Slihts
3. Bradford Cox & Locket Pundt – Urbana Library of Electronic Music
4. Gas – Untitled #4 
5. Casino Versus Japan – Untitled
6. Foxes in Fiction – Static Cults
7. Benoit Pioulard - I Emptied My Lungs Into The Dirigible.
8. Balam Acab – Big Boy
9. The Sight Below – Dour
10. K.C. Accidental – Residential Love Song

http://foxesinfiction.tumblr.com
http://www.handsomeclothing.com

Grey Ghost - Hot Mess

I picked up this tape in the middle of last summer and fell in love with it. The album is called ‘Songs to Wake Up To’ and it’s absolutely perfect. In a weird association, the music reminds me most of the soundtrack to the N64 game ‘Body Harvest’ but much more calming. Regardless, it’s because of this association that this music makes me feel especially melancholic. Something perfect to laze about with for a few hours before setting off into the summer heat (which I am beginning to miss in these cold months)

J.D. Emmanuel - Wizards

I can’t even remember how I found out about J.D. Emmanuel and his awesome synthesizer work. All I remember is jumping onto his amazing website and seeing the headline: “Time Traveler J D Emmanuel Presents His Electronic Music and Guided Deep Relaxation and Meditation.” from that point on, I knew I was hooked. The only place to grab his work was directly from the man himself, so I’m now the proud owner of 3 J D Emmanuel tapes, the favorite of which is titled, amazingly, ‘Wizards’. If you can, buy some of his tapes/CDs/LPs. He is really gracious, very nice, and definitely a down to earth dude.

More videos of time travel

I implore you to read all the amazing stuff on his site about expanding consciousness and meditating through the use of music. Great stuff.

William Basinski - The Disintegration Loops (1.1)

By chance discovery I found William Basinski’s ‘The Disintegration Loops’ way back in High School, before I was even interested in ambient or drone music. I was fascinated with the story behind these pieces, and hearing them was a real experience, unlike any other music I had heard before. They are, in a word, melancholic. Great for a rainy day where you’ve got nothing to do but think.

The perfect Companion Piece to The Caretaker’s An Empty Bliss Beyond This World, which I will post soon.

Eluvium - The Motion Makes Me Last

I don’t usually like vocals in ambient music, I think it takes away from the rest of the song. But this. This. I love Matthew Cooper.

Loscil - Brittle

One of the first ambient acts I got into, Loscil definitely shaped a large portion of my love for this type of music. I would really like to see him live someday (though I did in some capacity, he is drummer for the band Destroyer). Go get First Narrows, or Endless Falls, or Plume, or Submers, all of his albums are amazing.

(Source: youtube.com)