“Solfeggietto” was composed by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach in 1766.  One of the many talented sons of composer J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach wrote in the transition period between the Baroque and the Classical style that followed it.  The work is unusual for a keyboard piece in that the main theme and most passages are fully monophonic, that is, only one note is played at a time.

Nearly 220 years elapsed between its publication and my first encounter with it.  The monophonic and easily loopable nature of the piece made it ideally suited for the soundtrack to an early video game.* I immediately pressured my piano teacher to let me learn it, and she managed to locate the sheet music. (Quite the feat in the days before the internet, especially given that the music in the game was uncredited)  I tackled it with gusto, and for many years it remained one of my favorite pieces of music to play.

These days the piece is usually performed on a piano, and is commonly assigned to piano students. It appears in many anthologies; pedagogically it fosters the playing of even sixteenth notes by alternating hands. 

Over time, the Solfeggietto has been subjected to a variety of renditions. It has at least once been given a jazz treatment,** and it has been arranged for heavy metal guitar.†  An adaptation for a player piano exists,‡ and many other permutations, disfigurements, and manglings have been fabricated as well.  

It therefore brings me great pleasure to be able to bring the composition back to the original electronic setting for which C.P.E. Bach intended it to be performed.

 
* “Protector II” from ATARISOFT, © 1983 Atari INC, for the Texas Instruments TI99/4a Home Computer

** “Solfeggio in C Minor” by Eugen Cicero, from “Swinging the Classics on MPS.” (Fun!)

† “Solfeggietto / Pat a Pan (Instrumental)” by Symphony North, released 2019. (Not really my thing, but entertaining nonetheless.)

‡ “Solfeggietto a Cinque” by Marc-André Hamelin, (a goddamned crime against music, in this author’s opinion.)

Learning A Bit More

Solfeggietto in C Minor

It’s 10:30pm and your walking the freezer isle at Thiftway looking for a frozen pizza, 
As you turn the corner, you look up and there she is. “Shiva - goddess of destruction, I haven’t seen you since our 10 year high school reunion, how the hell have you been?”

Shiva In The Freezer Isle

(It always frightens me to see the occasional song that severely underperforms, compared to all of the other daily posted Interbay tracks--and yesterday's "Look Out For What?" is still, as I type this, in the single digits of plays.  Y'all don't like Stephen A. Smith yelling at you?  ;)  Actually, you'd have had to have listened to the track to know that it includes Stephen A. Smith on it.  If you have the time, could you do me a favor?  After you listen to today's posted track, "Ominous (Our World Will End)", could you give yesterday's track a spin?   Thanks!) 

One of the self-imposed "rules" I have with posting Interbay tracks to SoundCloud is that they must have some sort of vocal element.  One of the criticisms of the Interbay experiments I posted in 2023 and early 2024 on Facebook, was that the songs that I posted that were simply instrumentals were difficult for my Facebook friends to pay attention to...  

Plus, always having to incorporate a vocal element pushes me to giving these tracks more structure. An instrumental can go just about anywhere.  

Today's track was once an instrumental that I intended to be posted on Facebook--but, it was still in the Vault, waiting its turn, when I stopped posting on Facebook and started posting (every day--so far!) here on SoundCloud.  

It was an ominous and moody instrumental--and though I have rescued a few tracks from the Vault, this one had me stumped--as I didn't know how I could incorporate any vocals on to what seemed like a completed piece.    

...but, I have far too many unfinished projects at the moment, and I needed to have a track done for posting today, I decided to give "Ominous" a second look, late last night.  

It needed vocals--and I wanted singing--but the idea of risking Icarus (yet again) didn't appeal to me, and despite owning far too many royalty-free sample packs, none of the vocals I previewed gave me "Ominous" vibes.

I first thought about some horror movie samples--but none of them matched the tone of the track.  (It's not "Spooky Week" after all.)  I also thought about something from underrated Michael Shannon/Jessica Chastain film, "Take Shelter".  It fit the tone, but I couldn't find good Interbay snippets.   

Instead, as I so often do, I turned to vintage sci-fi and found a perfect source for a general narrative and some classicly ominous bits of dialogue.  (If you have anny affinity for vintage sci-fi, you'll probably recognize the source soon enough--I didn't put any filters on it this time.)    

You're basically getting the original instrumental track, remixed...with two bridge parts (and a short section at a different tempo.)  And samples.

This is another Interbay track inspired and influenced by Public Service Broadcasting (a British band that is one of the stronger influences on my work with Interbay.)

...and, I'd say, this track lives up to its name.

Tomorrow, there will be another track posted, as I am posting never-before-heard original Interbay tracks EVERY SINGLE DAY (so far!)  You might want to follow the page so you don't miss out on any of them.

As far as today goes, again, it would--as always--help me out a great deal if you could give this track a listen...and, if you like it, give it a like...a repost...put it on a playlist...share it with a friend...leave a comment, if you have one...  

AND THEN, do the same for yesterday's track, "Look Out For What?" which could use a little love.   

"Ominous (Our World Will End)" *SoundCloud Exclusive*


Colmen Hells only stipulation was that we deliver a hand sketched picture of Julia Louis Dreyfus.

This. Is. Out.

DO YOU HAVE A SHINY?!? This Shiny Lil track was made mostly in #WaveEditor for android  polished or a couple cents here in bl tho.

IamZIMO - SHINY!

All the way back on August 19, 2024, the Interbay track that was posted on that day was a DJ Icey meets Josh Wink meets Nitzer Ebb meets Faith No More sort of thing that I called "Enthusiasm."  I mentioned in the description for that...that it wasn't the track I thought I was making.  

The track I thought I was making had a temporary project title of "Lottery."  (No, I have no idea why at this point...)  After spending too much frustrating time on what I thought "Lottery" was going to be, I realized that I really had two very different tracks that were fighting each other.  So, I took half of the track and that became "Enthusiasm"...while the other half of the track is what today's track is, "Discontinuity."  

(I dare you to go back, listen to "Enthusiasm," and then come back here and tell me if you can find ANY similarity between these two Interbay tracks.  I made them and I can't!)  

So, what is "Discontinuity", then (if "Enthusiasm" was acid breaks big beat with rock samples)?  I'd say that it is...Robot Voiced New Romantic synthwave tech house with touches of electronic body music...  (Which...as usual...isn't a thing.  Except when it is...for Interbay.)  

It starts out with some Moroder-bass that completely reminds me of "Quiet Life" by Japan, "Planet Earth" by Duran Duran and even "Angel Eyes" (single mix) by Roxy Music.  (And yes, as a DJ, I HAVE mixed all three of those songs together at some point.)  There is some rather precious poetry (of sorts) being read through a very robotic filter--those are your vocals.  The rest of the instrumentation verges on Doctor Who sounds, Numan-y distorted lower sounds, grinding bass, echoed bells and vibraphones.  

Is there a meaning to the title "Discontinuity"?  If you worked hard to decipher all of the words through the obscuring filters...does it signify anything important or personally significant?  Are these even questions that anyone other than myself even think of asking? 

I'll have to check, but it feels like this might be the first Interbay song that both fades in and fades out.  Maybe?  

It's also about half the length of both "Quasars" or "XL5"--so, you can get your daily dose of Interbay in half the time!  

As always--thank you for paying attention to this crazy Interbay adventure.  More music to come, in various styles--as I continue to upload brand new tracks EVERY SINGLE DAY (so far!)    

Even more thanks to anyone who listens...who likes...who shares...who reposts...who comments...who adds this to their playlist...and the most thanks possible to those who follow this page!

"Discontinuity" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

Skippin rocks at Car Body Hole with my Grandma and my best friends, Cousin Patrick and Balou. 
They all now skip them across the clouds.  

IamZIMO - Skipper Rock Stars

"Ya know what I mean?"

"I know lots of things.
      I know one thing for sure!
          I have no idea what you just said."

IamZIMO - Know what I mean

Once again, I find myself cursing the almighty algorithms.  (Please take a moment to listen to yesterday's track, the slow gothy post-punk drum pounder known as "You're Not Around."  For whatever reason, it has--so far--received far fewer listens than the average Interbay track.  I don't know why this happens, but it does seem to happen regularly to tracks that I'm especially proud of...the tracks I want to be heard by MORE people, not fewer!)  

OK--I assume you were willing to help me out by listening to "You're Not Around" (and you might as well go ahead and follow this page, since you are exactly the kind of person who I make music for), NOW, let's talk about TODAY'S track.  

It's a harder than you'd expect piece of digifunk cyberpunk, telling the story of a woman who is tired of accepting crumbs and scraps and is finally putting her foot down to demand what she deserves.  It's got some dubsteb bass, lots of synths (including one that sounds like a guitar), spoken word and, making their third appearance on an Interbay song...a trio of backing singers that aren't sampled, but were recorded live at Phantom Laboratories West.

The title "Just Enough", in addition to reminding any 80s fan of the Depeche Mode Song, "Just Can't Get Enough"--specifically was inspired by a far less well known song from the same era--a song I was so glad I took a chance on the 6-track ep it came out...because they immediately vanished without a trace.  The band who did that song, named "Just Enough," was Illustrated Man (after the classic Ray Bradbury tale.)   They were a supergroup of sorts, as it featured Hugo Burnham from Gang of Four, Rob Dean from Japan (the band, not the country), Rob Mason who was a tour musician for Gary Numan, and Phillip Foxman who had been in the glam rock band Supernaut...and they were said to be an excellent live band, and many thought they'd be the next big thing.  

They were brought from the UK over to New York...and promptly disbanded.  

Many of the songs on that 6 track mini-LP, including "Just Enough," were secret weapons that I put on so many mixtapes.  They had a Simple Minds, Japan, Duran Duran, The Fixx sound and deserved better.  

Their song "Just Enough" is, lyrically, the polar opposite of this, the new Interbay track.  While the singer for Illustrated Man wanted just enough love to get them by, the Interbay track wants you to know that just enough isn't good enough anymore.  

The phrase was something my late wife would  share with our kid, to motivate them into wanting to do extra credit, to do their best in class with everything, and not to take the easiest path.   

Had she stuck around longer, I bet she'd have made it stick--but I think both the kid and I are too often settling for "just enough."  Perhaps this song can serve as motivation for me, then?

I don't want to condemn this song to the minimal listens by saying that I like this particular track...(but...well, I think you can guess and not bring down the wrath of whatever from high a top the thing, if you happened to guess correctly...)  

As always, the best way to help this Interbay music project out is by listening to Interbay tracks, giving them a like, reposting them, sharing them, commenting on them, adding them to a playlist...and to follow this page for more.  This is the 356th original Interbay song posted over the course of the last 356 days--one new track every day (so far!)  Getting close to a year!  

"Just Enough (Isn't Good Enough)" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

The second official collaboration in the SoundCloud Exclusive era of the Interbay music project is the result of my tendency for defying the YouTube algorithm and watching things I never knew I needed in my life--and getting inspired from that...  

I found Rex Brown's "Zen and the Art of Lawn Maintenance" and found it charming.  As a goof to share with my therapist, I took Rex's audio, chopped it up and made my own remix of it--knowing that my therapist would appreciate the "therapy speak" that Rex cleverly incorporated into his "Tao of Pooh" like tribute to summer lawn care.    

But, as the words were not mine (neither was the guitar playing on the original piece), I assumed this would just be one of those tracks that get locked up in The Vault.  (Like the version of "Kicks" with more Feargal Sharkey in it...or the version of "Walk" with the Reids on it--some ideas, though wonderful, are bound to murder Icarus and run foul of reasonable intellectual property protections.)  

...the track was made back when I was still posting my tracks on Facebook...and it has sat in the LOCKED section of the Vault ever since.  

...well, until a few weeks ago.  I saw the file for it in the locked section of The Vault and thought, you know...I COULD find out how to contact Rex, let him know this crazy thing I did with his content, and see if he'd be up for letting it be released.  I figured, the worst that could happen would be that I got to share it with another person, even if Rex chose to keep it away from the public.  

To my delight, Rex has granted permission to share this track with you.  Now, pulling it out of The Vault, I decided to replace Rex's vocals--which were rather noisy and, with all of the Interbay I was dumping all over the track, I wanted the words--the best part of the track, by far--to be heard clearly and understood.  So, I had those re-voiced (and quite dramatically, too!)  I also tightened up the structure so that it feels (more) like a song instead of a tone poem.  

You will occasionally hear some of the guitar that Rex put on his original video...and, though I'd love to take credit for the words, I can't...as those also belong to Rex.  

Cheers, Rex!  Welcome to the rollercoaster madness that is Interbay.  

This song has important life advice, a lo-fi shuffle beat, synthesizers, guitars, a sitar (or, a sitar-esque like sounding thing)...and I hope you give it a listen!  And a like!  And a repost!  And a share!  And a comment!  And add it to your playlist!  But most of all, I'd love it if you give this page a follow.  We've got some very important and special days coming up here...and you wouldn't want to miss out on the fun!

Solfeggietto in C Minor

Cadence Errata

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