Studio Synth Jam – Elektron & Arturia Machines

Here I am practicing my live set for a performance next weekend. Stick around until about 9 minutes and you will see my reaction to realizing how many times I made mistakes….that is why I practice! Some of the sounds can be found over on the sample download page for your own use.

Fred Again’s favorite piece of gear…the one in your pocket.

This interview was another excuse buster for anyone out there who says they need x y or z piece of gear, fancy plugin, studio time, or any other reason you can’t make music.

Fred’s excitement is infectious when he talks about how mental it is he can be anywhere in the world, capture samples, sounds, and inspiration on his iPhone, then go sit in the park with his laptop and make a record.

He recommends listening to your sketches on the built in phone speakers, which forces you to make decisions about the actual track/feeling of the song, and not get technical about how your kick drum sits in the mix.

He also raves about the compression algorithm in the iPhone voice memo software, specifically the one in the WhatsApp voice memo, and overall just exudes creativity and a passion for his work.

Check out this interview and then stop procrastinating and go make some music! Speaking directly to myself.

Constantine Markopoulos – Falling into Meditations

This is a 30 min mini mix from last year that was spontaneously recorded one sleepy morning. I was in the orchestra for a decade and whenever I compose these classical/electronic/textured/ambient style selections it transports me to the concert hall. Put this one on if you want a half hour of southing sonics.

Elektron Octatrack/Sequencer Training – EZBOT

If you have one of the sexy Swedish Elektron machines you know how powerful and fun they are. More importantly, you know how much of a pain in the ass it is to figure out how to use when you are an Elektron workflow neophyte.

First, RTFM. Finished? Excellent! When you want another resource I can highly recommend EZBOT’s YouTube channel.

He is articulate, clear, concise, and a major resource for the “Elektronauts.” He is helping reframe my use of the Octatrack in live performance and studio settings. I speak for all the silent viewers when I say: “Thank you Matt!”

Burial – Untrue

In Untrue, Burial transports you to his personal sound dimension. It is so creative, so textured, so spacious, so foreign, yet also somehow familiar. The use of field sounds spoke to me deeply. I love that I can play certain tracks at a chilled out moment or flip an audience on their head with one of the more energetic songs. Tasty, tasty, tasty beats.