The 2020 Covid album!  When i was out of work and had time to get to know my music equipment properly.

Press Pause

1st track off 'Press Pause' - the Covid album.
I was longing to have a reason to go out.  Even though if i had one, I would have been escorted back in again by the men in masks enforcing the curfew.

Let's Go Tonight (Rise of Sunrise)

This track was originally written in 2020 for 'Press Pause'.  
I was trying to be more stripped back and let stuff breathe.  
but obvs. have added a load of ear candy in, negating the original intention.
remastered in 2024, with a new ending.

Your First & Last

Originally an old cubase track with some guitars on it.  Worked on for 'Press Pause' in 2020 - but then i did press pause, as it wasn't ever finished.  
so in 2024/2025 I've picked it back up and fnished it off with a dance groove that builds and builds.
the title refers to either having the good fortune to be on business in Moscow at the same time as the Champions league final between Man Utd & Chelsea (And i got tickets to go).  or it refers to my ability to have repeated misfortunes coming my way in work & life - like a bad case of deja vu multiplied.
let's go for the positive one.

What a Chance

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 (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!

Kit:
Logic 
Cubase
Ableton Live
Reason
Expose
Loopcloud
Arturia V collection, Pigments
Arturia microfreak, minifreak, matrixbrute, minibrute, Spark 
Roland boutique Juno, Jupiter, JP3, 808 and 909
Arturia Audiofuse
Focusrite Scarlett
Roland Jupiter Xm, JD-Xi, Gaia SH-01 MDC-1 Dance Module
Korg Modwave, microKorg, MicroKorg XL, korg ER-1, korg 05RW, kaoss pad
Novation ultranova, mininova, a-station, Circuit Tracks
Access Virus-b
Beringher Deep Mind 12, UB-Xa, TD-3, Crave, MS-1
Nord Stage EX
Sequential Prophet 2000
Waldorf Pulse
M-audio Venom
Native instruments kontakt, massive, reaktor, FM8, battery, guitar rig, traktor, maschine, absynth, and the rest of the ultimate collection 
Spectrasonics Omnisphere
Spitfire Albion 
Aria orchestra 
Softube Parallels
Waves Gold and a lot of their plug ins. Abbey Road TG, brauer motion, butch vig vocals, ovox, flow motion
Isotope ozone
Sugar Bytes effectrix, looperator, turnado, factory, cyclop, obscurium 
Audio damage dubstation, panstation
AAS lounge lizard, strum, chromophone
UVI relay 
Fender Stratocaster 
Schecfer Diamond Electric 
Line6 Pod Guitar Mukti Effects 
Boss guitar multi effects and various other pedals 
Peavey Bass 
Yamaha DTX electronic drum kit 
Alesia drum pads 
Stanton turntables

This Day's A Loop

gagey501