Crow Devol

This was a home studio recording where I was experimenting with vocals, which only has 1 track of vocals and 2 tracks of keyboards to create an Ambient atmospheric sense of calmness.

Experimental Voice

Everyone Everything

William A Ferguson: guitars, bass, synthesizers, electronics, electronic percussion.

The Incredible Sasha Wrist: vocals

Produced by DECIAN.

El Mar feat. Sasha Wrist

Bend Sinister

Ed: Drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, percussion, voices

Ever wonder about the name TAPKAE? This is the start of it all, folks! Actually, TAPKAE is an unfortunate nickname for my real moniker, The Artist Presently Known As Ed. But rare are the times when all that is permitted to be entered, nor is is convenient!

At the time, I only intended that name to be the name of the released product. Prince had recently ditched his name and become notorious for that, and yet, I retained my own name and so went by "presently" instead of the pretentious sounding "formerly." Otherwise, I was just some dude named Ed Lucas.

This was the first project that happened squarely in the 4 track portastudio era. One before it, Aural Sects, had been done on that machine but used a considerable amount of material that was already done on regular cassette. This was also the first appearance of a new Mackie 1202 mixer, an Alesis 3630 compressor, and a Digitech Studio Quad processor--all of which took my recorded sound to a whole new place. Unfortunately, to finance some of that, I sold a piano my grandmother gave me, and wish I hadn't. But at the time, this was exciting stuff.

I was extremely under the influence of Mike Keneally in the winter-summer of 1996 when this took shape. I'd also been knocked flat by the newest version of King Crimson the year before. A mix of Keneally's Hat and Dust Speck- era goofiness and collage, and the edgy guitar and soundscapes of KC was part of what I felt I could emulate in my own way. A few things are rehashes of other earlier ideas but all told this was the first thing I did that was recorded in a way that sounded almost listenable.

I originally mixed the project in stereo, but because of economics and having no established backup practices, the very tape I mixed tracks to was used to archive the digitally composited project done at an editor's place. Unfortunately, neither of us noted that on input of the DAT, or somewhere in the workflow, the thing was turned to mono, and was archived back to my DAT mixdown tape as mono. So since that August 1996 day I have never heard it in stereo :-(

This cassette was given out or sold to a number of folks during the Mike Keneally tour I worked on while he himself did double duty in his own band opening for Steve Vai's band where he was a sideman. Mike's own copy I have once again, in a plastic bag. See, it was sitting on the table in the Steve Vai bus when it caught on fire on that tour. The bus and a lot of their personal property was destroyed. The tape somehow was not, but the five sides that were exposed were smoke damaged with pitting. It was remarkable.

07 Sailing The Seven Cs

Disco house and beyond, tracks that matter to me in dark times


HOT STUFF  - Disco and Beyond

Acoustic cover of Shellac's "Prayer to God". 

Prayer To God (Shellac Cover)

In the Air Tonight -- Big mix (Phil Collins cover)

Horrorshow

Hand In Pocket

Hallowed Ground

Nine Five

Waves2demo

RobotsOne ("Arm the Laser") - Rough Mix 1

A minimal sketch...Basic vocal idea...Lyrics:

You get inside the heart of things
No place to hide you're in my dreams
You work your way down to the core
All of my fears, dead on the floor

You see everything that I conceal
You steal my lies and you make them real

Make it real...

Your body glows, your blue eyes shine
You overflow with the divine
Do as you will you sacred sender
Oh what a thrill, this sweet surrender

You see everything that I conceal
You steal my lies and you make them real

Make it real...                  M. Mattice 2020

Make it Real

Some tracks are new and some are 30 years old (the ones where you can hear the hiss of a cassette right before the song starts). Some are home studio recordings and some are professional recordings. I've decided at age 60 to get back into music. What would my parents say if I didn't use that classical guitar training they paid for - for 8 years? Looking at some sheet music, I forgot how many sharps the key of F# had (but got a cheat sheet). Oh, I hope F# didn't turn into a hashtag! I'm all over the board, so please don't expect any one style. I've done them all.

Bend Sinister

Crow Devol

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