Full Contact

A little sneak peak of a track I've been working on in the fresh concrete jungle of LA's Art District.

Nouela&Bethurum EP to be released later this year.

Of Night (feat. Nouela)

I'm calling the fire chief
I'm calling the TV station
Bring out your cameras please
I did it to watch it burn.

I don't want to make a statement
I just want to cause a scene
I'm tired of doing nothing
I figure that it's my turn

And If they ask me
Well I'll tell them everything you did
And if they ask me
How I save with everything you gave

I did it to watch it burn
I did it to watch it burn
I did it to watch it burn
I did it to watch you burn

I used all the words I could
I've used tempered voices
And I won't ever get them back
So I won't ever let you use them

And If they ask me
Well I'll tell them everything you did
And if they ask me
How I tell them everything you gave

All of this wasted time
I'm gonna make it
All mean something

I'm calling the police station
I'm calling the TV crew
And baby it's all for you

I did it to watch it burn
I did it to watch it burn
I did it to watch it burn
I did it to watch you burn

And If they ask me
Well I'll tell them everything you did
And if they ask me
How I say with everything you gave

All of this wasted time
I'm gonna make it
All mean something

I did it to watch it burn
I did it to watch it burn
I did it to watch it burn
I did it to watch you burn




[Bethurum] Watch It Burn (Feat. Nouela)

Of Night - Extended Rework

I'm in the dark.
I'm in denial.
I'm in the wrong.
I've been down in the deepest depths since you've been gone.

Together we're rebels.
Alone I'm a criminal.
No better than the common thief. 
No better than who I was before...I met you.
You-You-You.

Call me mad, call me weak and I hit the floor.
Lift me up, send me flying cause you called me yours
Don't need to take a breath or breathe what a waste of time.
It was just the smoke in your eyes clouding up my mind.

Don't leave me.
Don't leave me down here.
I need you - want you more than I want air.


Depths (feat. Nouela)

Nobody - Dark Remix - (feat. Nouela)

Nobody - Light Remix - (feat. Nouela)

Nobody wears a scar like you do.
Nobody else calls bad deals a fresh start.
Nobody holds my hand without asking
How do you know what I want before I do?

Nobody sings bad notes like you do.
Nobody else has ever come close to -
matching the look in your eyes as you say goodbye.
I’ll believe in love for the last time.

And it’s as simple as that you see
The smallest sign of affection and I believe   
That everything you say is true
That you would never lie 
and you would never hurt me like the other boys do.

Like those other boys. 
All the other boys do. 
Like that other boy.

Nobody hides bad days like you do.
Nobody else has ever made me laugh 
By pointing out the flaws in our romance
We’ll never have to long for things we’ll never have.

And it’s as simple as that you see.
Turning all of your “I’s” into our “We’s”.
And I promise promise this
That I will never lie .
I will never scar you like the other girls did.

Like the other girls.
Like those other girls did.
Like that other girl.

Nobody wears a scar like you do.
Nobody else calls bad deals a fresh start.
Nobody holds my hand without asking.
How do you know what I want before I do?

Nobody sings bad notes like you do.
Nobody else has ever come close to -
matching the look in your eyes as you say goodbye.
I’ll believe in love for the last time.


[Bethurum] Nobody (Feat. Nouela)

Gogoro - Color Cycle

Gogoro - 24 Hours

HTC Droid DNA - Verizon - TVC

HTC EVO 4G LTE - Sprint Pin Drop - TVC

HTC Beats Audio - Verizon Rezound - TVC

A collaboration based off of the reveal theme between composer Luc Burson and I

HTC Rhyme - Soundtrack

HTC Titan - TVC

HTC Radar - TVC

A collaboration between Luc Burson and I for a stage warmer.

HTC Titan/Radar - Soundtrack

HTC Sensation - TVC

HTC Sensation - Soundtrack

HTC Touch Diamond - TVC

Gogoro - Urbano TVC

Gogoro - Street Trap

Gogoro - Saturdays

Oh no! Not this dance again.
I’ve grown tired of the rhythm.
Oh no! It’s just forced fed.
I’ve lost the heart and the patience.

Now I’m teary eyed from all the smoke and the mirrors.
Called out
Every love of mine 
God I hate the way I sound

Pardon me, isn’t this where we fall in love?
The best a-way to feel your heart is to feel it torn apart.

I’m not one to be still so if you want to / need to / go on and leave me here.
I’ll smile and I’ll wait and until all the bitterness fades I’ll keep dancing with your ghost.

I’m not one to be still so if you want to / need to / go on and leave me here.
I’ll smile and I’ll wait and until all the bitterness fades I’ll keep dancing with your ghost.

Oh no! Not this dance again
I’ve grown tired of the rhythm  
Oh no! It’s just forced fed
I’ve lost the heart and the patience 

I keep dancing with your ghost dear
I keep dancing with your ghost
I keep dancing with your ghost my darling 
I keep dancing with your ghost

[Bethurum] Dancing With Your Ghost Remixed (feat. Nouela)

An alternative extended remixed version of Bethurum's title track "Dossier" off of the new release Dossier


[Bethurum] Dossier : Dossier Extended Mix

Live remix of "SpeedTrap" from Bethurum's double disc release "Dossier"

Original version available on iTunes: 
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=319157509&s=143441

[Bethurum] Dossier : Speed Trap Remixed

From Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia#Sound_.E2.86.92_color_synesthesia

"Sound → color synesthesia
Cytowic calls sound → color synesthesia "something like fireworks": voice, music, and assorted environmental sounds such as clattering dishes or dog barks trigger color and simple shapes that arise, move around, and then fade when the sound stimulus ends.[3] For some, the stimulus type is limited (e.g., music only, or even just a specific musical key); for others, a wide variety of sounds triggers synesthesia.
Sound often changes the perceived hue, brightness, scintillation, and directional movement. Some individuals see music on a "screen" in front of their face. Deni Simon, for whom music produces waving lines "like oscilloscope configurations—lines moving in color, often metallic with height, width and, most importantly, depth. My favorite music has lines that extend horizontally beyond the 'screen' area."[3]
Though individuals hardly ever agree on what color a given sound is (composers Liszt and Rimsky-Korsakov famously disagreed on the colors of music keys), synesthetes show the same trends as non-synesthetes do. For example, both groups say that louder tones are brighter than dull, soft tones, where as higher tones are smaller and lighter than low ones. Low tones are both larger and darker than high ones."

[Bethurum] Dossier : Synesthesia

One of the most favored tracks on the album.



Try and catch the something that just slipped away.

[Bethurum] Dossier : Running

Vocals by Maggie Godwin of Chassis
www.soundcloud.com/chassis

Lyrics:
Did you mean to leave me lonely?
The night is darkest before dawn.
Weakly greet me and besiege me.
What’s good is good the second time around.

Before I say these words to you...
Open your eyes. 
Open your ears.
I love(d) you.
Don’t hate me.
I’m sorry.
But it's not here and we weren’t there.


[Bethurum] Dossier : After Dawn (feat. Chassis)

A clever rework of "Proof Of Muse" from my previous album "Versa Vice".
The original vocals were pushed backwards and now sound like "Destroy your world".

"Future Proof" is about strengthening yourself for the future by burning yourself down and building yourself back up.

Lyrics (Female vocals):
...Destroy your world...

Cry my eyes out.
Hit the floor.
You can't hold me anymore.

I can hear my racing mind.
Running backwards to the starting line.
Wishing I could redo the time.
With me and someone else.

I only fear inaction.
From myself from myself.
I only fear inaction.
From myself from myself. 

[Bethurum] Dossier : Future Proof

At the end of the Dossier's day I came up with this one. This is the last piece composed for Dossier.

A beautiful swelling track about literally running your thoughts into the ground. 
I like to burn asphalt after work and clear my head of nonsensical things and any negative energy that may have conjured that day.
At the end of my main loop locomotive rhythms usually reset my tempo to a speed which is usually unbearable and help me home. Late one night I sampled the iconic sounds of the rails and added them to this one.  The boys choir is from an amazing soft synth called Omnisphere (so fun to play chords with) they even sampled a burning piano!

[Bethurum] Dossier : Train Of Thought

Throw some spats on and dance around as if your plane was in imminent doom. 

When I was young I used to blast "Sing, Sing, Sing" on repeat in my room and dance around as if I was Benny Goodman himself. Damn that drum solo! Definitely seeped into my bloodbeat.


Contrary to popular belief - all percussion was hand tapped|sequenced by yours truly.  No drum samples on this swing track.

Haute Tip: Over compress your organic instruments + Throw a separate hi and low pass filter on them to taste = Your listeners will appreciate a true-fake vintage perception of the recording and think it is a sample.

[Bethurum] Dossier : Turbulence

Originally named "Father's Path" the intent of this piece was to tip my hat to my father's strong guidance and gentle grace.  The beat is steadfast and strong. The melody is unwavering and simple to understand.

I was going to record vocals on this piece but opted out for simplicity sake.
I thought the title "Father's Path" would not be understood without lyrics so I renamed the piece Culverin. 

Here is how i came to this title (not that you really care - but it should be documented somewhere):
The idea of "learning" from your father's rules/guidance could maybe be interpreted from the "Cannon" alone - assuming the audience knew the definition of a musical Cannon.

The Cannon (wiki-style):
The Old French canon, which meant "learned", was taken from the Greek kanon for "rule" or "law", which eventually came to mean "an accepted rule" in English. This term was first used to refer to the rule that describes how the voices relate to each other. (i.e. how my voice/footprint relates to my father's) 

Instead I decided to label the piece in a super abstract fashion and name the track "Culverin" which is essentially the first Cannon ever invented - as an added plus titles as weapons fit well with a Dossier (right?!). 

"Hurrah! the foes are moving. Hark to the mingled din,
Of fife, and steed, and trump, and drum, and roaring culverin."
Macaulay, Ivry, 31-32


[Bethurum] Dossier : Culverin

The steam factory explodes on a cold winters night.
This track contains the pivotal melody of the Dossier.

Blackspeed was originally recorded at twice the speed and then reduced to an apocalyptic swimming tempo of 72.5bpm. This technique boils off the high frequency range of the piece and seasons the wasteland-style of the movement.

[Bethurum] Dossier : Blackspeed

Warm night drives.
Passing cars in stealth mode from the left lane. 
Red lining tach. Blue lining brain.
Fast lines. Motion blurred time shifts.

Originally composed as the final solo movement for Tokyo 2025 - a modern dance exhibition.

[Bethurum] Dossier : Left Lane

[Bethurum] Versa Vice : Versa Vice

[Bethurum] Versa Vice : Snow Blinded

[Bethurum] Versa Vice : Proof Of Muse

At age five, one minute of piano earned Benjamin Bethurum one minute of video gaming – and so was honed his button-pushing dexterity. Spared from a coding vocation by his second album (Versa Vice), which caught Microsoft’s attention, Bethurum began his career as a sound designer and spent three years creating audio strategies (and beeps, blips and clicks) for the The Man. Today he lends his two ears and ten digits to the international mobile-hardware company HTC (creators of the Google phone). Senior Sound Designer by day (depending on the time zone), he scores marketing campaigns, creates sonic brands and makes ringtones that chime on millions of devices worldwide. Enjoy them in symphony the next time you leave a show or land at an airport. Nights find him in a home-studio – surrounded by vintage James Bond vinyl, Vonnegut novels and an antique radio – creating soundscapes for full-size speakers. A private background in music theory, and the left-brain of an engineer let Bethurum compose, manipulate and master organic elements that he stacks into songs like card castles of sound. Counterbalancing cinematic swells and endearing melodies with gritty beats and obese bass lines, Bethurum’s music is a portal to the peaks and valleys of his inspiration: love, youth, mortality and momentum. As compelled to create as most of us are to eat, his exponential output is squared by his most recent release, Dancing With Your Ghost. Benjamin is now the creative director of Gogoro - A startup which we revolutionize the way cities use energy.

Bethurum

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