So called because it was started on Jan 1st 2020.  
Finally came back to it 18 months later.
thanks to loopcloud and numerous vox samples.  please contact me here for specific credits.
made with Logic & mastered with Waves (Abbey Road) & Ozone for final polish.

A New Decade (I Won't Let Go)

I found some old Pro24 files from the Atari.  Which would have been c1992.  I also managed to find some wonderful people at Deep Signal Studios who were able to convert the files into .MIDI. 
https://www.deepsignalstudios.com/
30 years later, and a complete rework in Logic with mastering by Waves (Abbey Road) and Ozone.  thanks to loopcloud for samples - please contact me for any specific credits.

Back To Where We Started

This is a remake of a track that I wrote around the time I was doing my music GCSE.  Which would have been in 1992!  It was originally on Pro12 on the Atari ST.  Recovered the original MIDI files, and reworked it -  30 years later (that makes me feel old).
i loved rave piano back in 1992.  I kept it in.  though now on a steinberg plugin on Kontakt! 
thank you to Logic, NI, Arturia, Loopcloud for the samples, Waves & Izotope for production and mastering.

Long Ride (Promise)

Back in Sept 2020, Pandemic & lock-down hell.  
I'd just a contract piece of business so rewarded myself by buying an Arturia MicroFreak.  This track comes from experimenting with the different sounds on that little beauty.  And also messing around with eclectic samples from loopcloud.   There's some lovely little jazz piano in there too.

Could probably do with an edit and a remaaster.  But hey.  you've got to finish tracks at some point and share them.  Apologies for not sharing this one sooner!

If there are any samples that I need to declare specifically from loopcloud, please let me know.

So Beautiful (Freaky Brute)

This is a remake of a track originally written in 1998, the year after leaving university (24 years ago, gulp).  

The original was all ambient-ish rave piano of 4 uplifting chords with a valiant attempt to get some acid bass squelches and a breakbeat out of my digital kit at the time(which was a Korg 01 R/W module and the Roland M-DC 1 Dance module - I still have both in working order).

Anyhow, the remake speeds it up from 90 to 110 bpm, adds vocals (thanks loopcloud), proper analogue squelch, a variety of analogue and digtial drums  - with a new arrangement.

I kept the original title (even though there's nothing in the lyrics that refers to it). At the time, my job was writing algorithms for the Tesco clubcard for clever personalised offers.  Over 1 million different targeted offers to 10M+ in the UK - from a program that the 22 year old me had written.  The title refers to that wizard of oz moment of little person making a lot of fuss.  Looking back, that was probably a career high!   haha.

Beyond The Curtain

Another remake. This time from a track that I wrote around 1994 - originally just on my Technics KN650 keyboard and the onboard sequencer,  but then with Cubase on the Atari ST.

It was based around a funky bassline in the left hand with a simple chord progression on the piano with the right.  then layered on strings, bells, drums and some fx from the Technics' rather limited palette.

Wind forward 26 years and we've got pretty much the same song structure, but organised into verse / chorus with male & female vocals singing about a relationship that was never going to work.   kind of call and response.

then for good measure there's some spoken word brilliance from the majestic  Mike Russell - thanks to loopcloud.  from which comes the rename of the track. 

I used to love playing the original, so was a bit nervous about doing this remake.  but it was a lot of fun.  and whilst it could do with a tad more production polish, it's now out there.

Too Many To Mention (Elysium Remake)

This track was originally written in 2019.
The title is a play on words. 
It's not about faling for someone in a romantic sense.
It's about taking the fall for someone - in a professional sense.
I was in a situation where my face didn't fit, and anything that went wrong was somehow my fault...
the breakdown has a load of gangster-film samples in - I was looking for anything with the word f**k in to express my vitriol! 
anyhow, the arrangement & mix from 2019 was all over the place, so I went back and smartened it up.
thanks to loopcloud for the samples (vox - singing and gangster swearing, two-tone and dub bass & some beats), synths are from Arturia with a bit of Native Instruments here and there.
as ever - if anyone wants / needs a specific sample call-out / reference, then please contact me here.

Falling For You

I original wrote this track in the lockdown period - March to May 2020 

I was nearly finishing it when #BlackLivesMatters rose to prominence following the death of George Lloyd on May 25th.

As a white male from the UK with more than a privileged background, I felt unable to share the track at that time.  Here was a track with clearly gospel styled / influenced vocals (from loopcloud - 
am I appropriating black culture inappropriately?  even though the samples are legitamtely licensed through loopcloud - many might say that the original artists are unlikley to have been able to represent themselves apparopriately for the publishing rights to their recordings, that I have now sampled and used in this track.

Now 2 and half years later, and following some personal and family reflection - I've decided to publish it here on soundcloud.

it's certainly not my intention to misrepresent anyone, regardless of everything being fully legal here.  The track - lead by the lyrics - is a celebration of multi-culturalism,  And hey, if this track for some reason gets any traction, that I will be more than happy to pass on any benefit to the vocalists sampled.

More than happy to listen to anyone's point of view on this track or the considerations when sampling from different cultures.

SAMPLE CREDITS for VOCALS: 

Soul Vocals for House Vol. 2 - the amazing Mike Russell
Nu-Disco House Edition (5Pin Media)
Lack of Afro Presents - Soulful Orchestra
Soul Funk Acapellas (Vital Vocals)

Believe In Love

an experiment in creating most of the sounds with an ARP (Arturia).
+ some bass guitar & samples to open up the sounds. 

picture from here:  http://www.flickriver.com/photos/matrixsynth/tags/custom/  - (please let me know if it's not ok to use this.)

ARP It Now

inspired by meeting people from Mongolia in Shanghai.   Who thought i needed more soul in my music.

went back to funk roots, with brass & sax.  
but obviously couldn't help but add in more!

Boom 2

Out Of Mongolia

when you've got no internet working, no phones working and unintentionally upsetting people.  you sit and do a remix....

Disposable Designs

Disposable Designs (Clueless Remix)

This is track that i wrote, put onto a 'special' hard drive.  then the hard drive went corrupt.  AAAARGH.  Quite a lot of money later, it was restored, and I rediscovered it.  Could probably do with a remaster and a different arrangement, but it's always difficult going back. (it was about 1 year later that i got it restored).  Could probably do with some lyrics and vocals too.  Any offers?
  
  Kit: cubase, fender strat with line6 POD, collosus, battery 3, access virus, NI Komplete.  various plug ins from Computer Music and Future Music magazines.

Learning

written in the last few weeks of being in London before leaving for Asia.

I should have been packing and preparing.

It's 2010, so the production is Cubase 4.  
Lacking a bit of modern sheen.  But go with it!

with thanks to William Rose in East Dulwich.  Best Butcher in the world.  
Try the farmhouse sausages.  No other sausage will come close afterwards!

Last days

messing around with some balearic sounds and samples.  chilled out bliss.

the photo is from an underground passage beneath the Kremlin in Moscow...

Lots and Lots

spun out of the same sessions as Lose My Way.

Thanks again to Zero G for the vocals!

Logic

So Fine So True

Everything's happening, yet nothing is happening.
Paralysis. Anxiety. Confusion. Silence.
Best to keep quiet and hope it'll be ok.

Thanks to Highlife Samples and Loopmasters.com

Where Is Everyone?

Once again, sending messages to myself through music.

Don't Hide.
Where is Everyone?
Too Much Conversation
In the Wrong Place
Stand On Your Own Two Feet
Don't Worry
Find My Way Back
Hold Tight to the Sun.... 

you forget what mistakes you've made

Stand On Your Own Two Feet

It's March 2020. Everything we know in the world is being turned upside down.  I'm without a job.  So time to reflect on everything of the last 25 years of working.  And invest much more time in the music again.

This started as an exercise in using Izotope's Stutter edit. And quickly became a full track.  The middle breakdown was a complete (but happy) accident.  Love it when then happens.

Thanks to Loopcloud for being quite extraordinary in radically improving my workflow.

Press Pause

Press Pause (Don't Wait)

One of many tracks written from Feb - July 2020 whilst in Covid lockdown.  
This one particular tries to capture the overwhelming enormity and uncertainty of everything.
There's some reserved & guarded optimism at the end.

The track was built from an 8-bar chord progression I'd written in Cubase back in c2009 - when I would often go to the Blue Eyed Maid pub near London Bridge.  Hence the track title and the cover image.  

DAW: Logic X.  Spitfire Albion. Native Instruments, Waves processing. Soundcloud loops.

Blue Eyed Maid

Don't you love it when you mishear vocals.  The sample here doesn't say 'this day's a loop'. but i thought it did.  
from the mishearing of the the sample, the track is about the cyclical monotony of days during lockdown.  
the chord progression cycles around continuously, but is built up with counter melodies and fx.  
there's also possibly the longest snare roll riser
thanks to loopcloud for the samples.  the trouble with loopcloud is that its much harder to keep track of every sample.  so if I need to credit anyone - please shout and I'll make sure that you're part of the loop.

This Day's A Loop

30+ years of writing music.  now back to lots of hardware to complement the soft synths.  And of course, the compulsion to add the kitchen sink, fridge and oven is still there!

gagey501

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