Sometimes a public figure says something you just have to respond to, and that's what this track is all about.

Keir Starmer said he wanted "baseline protections" before opening up everything again, and it occurred to me this is exactly what club culture HASN'T had since March 2020, so this just seemed like utter hypocrisy to me, when he'd previously said nothing about an important part of our culture, which has been left to fend for itself.

So, this one's for you Keef.

The hook was inspired by the #LetUsDance hashtag that's been doing the rounds on Twitter, and the way that even now dance music still gets stifled by the establishment, despite it being a multimillion pound industry.

The all important bassline in this track was me making something a little more Afrobeat influenced, and was hand played to get the right kind of swing to it.

INSTRUMENTS/KIT USED IN THIS TRACK
================================

Roland Juno-Di
Roland VT-3
My Voice!

Bassline Protection

It occurred to me a couple of weeks ago that if you do a bit of lateral thinking you suddenly realise that there are commonalities between old and new electronic music forms.

Acid House used exactly the same TR 808 drum sounds that Trap is now using, and because of the half speed speed drums in Trap lots of space is created in the groove to experiment with double speed patterns on top.

The phrase "Acid Trap" is already in circulation, but (to my knowledge) nobody had REALLY pushed the sound in this direction, despite that name.

So...

Why not combine Acid riffs and Trap to hear what it sounds like? 

BOOM!!

BRAND NEW SOUND!!

...And 3DM's a very happy bunny indeed.
:-D

Trapped In Acid!

The illusion of change, but underneath everything remains the same.

If any of you out there are experiencing a form of cognitive dissonance during the changeover period from one British Monarch to another, this is because deep down you too have come to the above realisation.

Beneath all the pomp and ceremony, although we will see a change of personnel (so to speak) from Elizabeth II to Charles III, inherently nothing will actually change, as all the underlying institutions - the "Establishment" - will remain exactly the same, and in many respects it is almost irrelevant who is sitting on the throne, so long as *somebody* fills that seat - Continuity At All Costs is ultimately what really matters.

In fact all the pomp and ceremony's real purpose is to make it explicitly clear that nothing has really changed at all.

Keep Calm And Carry On...

And that right there is what my new track is all about, and it is also why the whole form of the track is not only funereally slow, but very deliberately, hypnotically repetitive to emphasise that actually we are all in an unchanging loop.

In this instance, a more 'robotic', electronic sound was also very useful, as that too infers just how artificial these institutions really are.

Yes, I am well aware of another song by a certain well known Mancunian, but given just how far their politics seem to have veered away from when they wrote their track, it felt like a good time to fill that (head)space with something new (and timely), but in a similar intended spirit!


EQUIPMENT USED IN THIS TRACK
============================

A Biro Pen
A Notebook
My Voice
Fostex MR8 mkII Portastudio
Roland Juno-Di

The Queen Is Dead

This version is BRUTAL, but also (in my humble opinion) the best one.

The most uncomprising and experimentalist version yet!!
This really is like nothing you've ever heard before...


Short Hair and a Suit (Heavy Steppa Version)

I am unashamedly a Lockdown sceptic.

There, I've said it, and this track is me as an Artist and a Human Being not only attempting to document in words and music what is happening in the year 2020AD, but also find a way to respond to the madness we are currently experiencing.

As a rational, scientifically literate person it is hard for me to take seriously any of what this government is inflicting upon us, and therefore I feel it is my duty as a creative, thinking person to Speak Truth to Power in my own work, starting out by saying;

"I've had about ENOUGH of all this Crazy Stuff!"

Musically, this is version 2 of the track, with the only remnant from version 1 being the sung vocals and surrounding arrangements in that key, which while being recorded/created in a different key to everything else I decided to keep that way, as this "illogical" musical change seems to very nicely recreate the jarring effects of our own current experiences. There's also some more subtle dissonances thrown in elsewhere, to continue making this Uneasy Listening.

The arrangements are deliberately sparse in this track (for example the only percussion is the drum break), as I didn't want anything else to distract from the lyrical message.

At a mere 2 mins and 25 secs it's also the shortest track I've made this year(Punk song length!), but I hope you'll agree it's power is undiminished for that.

As ever, everything was assembled, arranged and produced in Fruity Loops.

THE PHOTO
==========

This was shot by my friend Richard Atkinson and depicts 14 discarded face masks, which he found on ONE afternoon length round trip of Cambridge!

Strange New World...

Keeping it simple (but still sophisticated) with this latest track, by letting a simple groove roll out, but this being a 3DM track, it's not your typical 'simple' groove, as this is Techno in 6/8!

What goes on top of that groove is just as important, hence there's some strong melodies as well, including some off-kilter syncopation-as-thought-experiment, the thought experiment being "What would Jazz style syncopation sound like over a Techno beat?"

This track also poses the timely question "Are we living in a Technocracy?"

Have the Technocrats already won?

Teknocracy

Do You ever feel that
Things will never be the same again?

I'm sure this has been a burning question in the minds of many of you over the past few months - will things ever be the same again?

This one simple, apparently innocent (but now very loaded) question is it seems is a question that very few 'journalists' have dared to ask, and yet in many ways it goes right to the core of our experiences - and fears - about events of the last year.

I put it to you we need to have the courage to say that NO, things will NEVER be the same again, because too many vested interests rely on things NOT going back to how they were before February 2020 - "Vaccine Passports" anyone..?

I wanted the vocals and the words to not be swamped by production or arrangements, so kept things very sparse and simple this time, opting for a 2Step/UKG style  to underpin it all (haven't you heard, UKG is back).

The vocal parts came moreorless fully formed into my head one day (I didn't even need to write anything down), and it's always a gift and a blessing when that happens, never take it for granted, and do make sure it gets recorded ASAP before disappearing again into a mist of forgetfulness.

The photo was shot by me and is possibly one of the bleakest looking entrances to anywhere I've ever seen (those walls are plain white all the way along), even moreso because of that so-called "Welcome" message that 'greets' you when the door opens!

Never The Same

Freedom... Slipping Away!

This is the situation we find ourselves in at present, with governments everywhere curtailing all of our personal freedoms under the pretext of a virus which is known to have a 99.9(+)% survival rate.

Don't believe me?
Do your own research, it's not difficult.

The big questions we need to ask ourselves is when will this all end (ten months at the time writing this and counting), and how much longer are we as *Sovereign Citizens* going to put up with it.

Never forget that WE HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THINGS.

This track also represents an 'audition' of my own Minibrute synth, with many of the main parts (a bassline, lead, rhythmn parts)being played by hand to a click on it, although it's a swine to keep in tune!

I was deliberately going for an "Electro Blues" feel on this track, as never has there been a time in my life when we need to sing The Blues more and mean it.

As ever everything was assembled and arranged in Fruity Loops.

The Photo used for this track was shot by me and is how our local Market Square currently looks, as Cambridge City Council in their infinite wisdom had it all fenced off!

EQUIPMENT/INSTRUMENTS USED IN THIS TRACK
=======================================

My Voice
A Pen and Notebook
Arturia Mini Brute 2
Basicbat Drum Synth Plugin

Slipping Away

There appear to be several 3DMs here on Soundcloud now, so I have to point out...

      ***************************
      *I AM THE ORIGINAL 3DM!*
      ***************************

I've been using that artist name *for at least 20 years*, and that's all I'll say on the matter.

DELIBERATELY DIFF'RENT DANCE MUSIC: a moniker and a manifesto since day one and still continues to be so. 

Not only do I sit outside of genres I strive to actively create new ones all the time - and then move on!
;-)

Just a quick message to all my new followers - THANK YOU! :-D

I can't always reply individually, but your support is **absolutely respected and appreciated**, so please keep hitting the 'Follow' button when you can!

Respect One and All,


Marc (aka 3DM)


****************************************************************************


ABOUT ME...

I chose the name 3DM because it gives me the freedom not to conform to any specific styles or genres as well as room to experiment and try out new and different ideas. Of course as with all experiments some are better than others, but hopefully you'll like most of them!

As such it's my 'mission' to never just become entrenched in one genre, as electronic and electro acoustic music offer unlimited possibilities, so why tie yourself down?

At this stage I should point out I am available for production, remixing and remastering work!

Don't be offended if I don't reply/chat to all of you, as I'm busy living my life outside of "Cyberland" too, although that doesn't mean I'm not paying attention!
;-)

3DM - The Original!

Popular tracks