My submissions to the world's favourite one-song-per-week "competition" Weeklybeats 2014... Anything could happen!

Weeklybeats strikes back... 2014!!!

This one took a lot of time, really...

It all started with a skeleton from an old ModPlug tracker piece from back in 2001. I bounced and resampled a lot of tracks until I rescued something decent from that. Then, it came Ableton and lots and lots of automation, trying hard give it some kind of dubby feeling. Details, more EQ, more sends... And finally, 45 minutes before the deadline, finally the bassline appeared from thin air smile

So I give you my small tribute to Clyde Stubblefield, drummer extraordinaire and the father of the Funky Drummer.

For some, there's "Stairway to Heaven" or a Chopin's Nocturne. Me, I won't be doing music without that drum break. Still hits me with the same streght as when I was 8.

Peace. Hope you enjoy

Weeklybeats Challenge 2014

1/12/2014

Hidden feelings (Stubblefiend Singularity mix)

Just three to go, fellas! It's almost unbelievable

This one's a little bit different from my usual stuff. I've been messing lately with the Monome emulator for Launchpad and tried some MIDI only, melodic weird sequencer called Polygome. Made a quick jam with it plugged to my trusty Modart Pianoteq Stage piano plugin, and chopped it in Ableton, adding some automation and effects.

Just recorded the audio. Wish I could have exported the MIDI notes so I could add some intensity variations but, overall, I'm quite happy with the spontaneous result. One audio track, two sends for delay and reverb.

My pretty simple take on minimalism... quite more chip oriented that my man Michael Nyman, which I respect and admire :)

8/12/2014

Nyman algorithm

Just two weeks to go... Whoa, man!!!

Sometimes in life, you better be afraid of what you wish... in case you finally get it ;)

Musically, I wanted an Akai MPC 1000 for years, but now, in 2014, after I finally get it... So unintuitive sometimes, so crippled and limited... big moment of "meh" :(

Personally, I waited and suffered long for a person until I gave up, and suddenly this week, out of nowhere, she rings because "she misses us"... Dude, please!

Well, musically: Ableton Live 9, Arturia microBrute for the bass, Akai MPC 1000 loop rebuild into an Ableton drum rack. No proper mastering, so I have to post a proper Soundcloud update (I wish I could catch up on that)

I would love to polish this one better but week's been very busy. Finished in the last 2 hours before the deadline, almost falling sleep in front of the computer :)

15/12/14

Past shadows

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Well, this one's got out quite crappy. I had a great one that happened to infringe one of Weeklybeats base points: I was using a prominent sample of a beautiful song by Cat Stevens, obviously recognizable and maybe suitable for another project in 2015, so...

I decided to start over and, guess what... let's update my Mac to OSX Yosemite in the process... As expected, some projects were broken without enough time to fix things, so...

I present you this tiny fake Xmas carol based on that crappy sounding "musical cards"... Ableton Live and Boss SP-505 in all his crappy lo-fi glory. For you pianist out there, I'm guessing you maybe recognize the sample, although strongly bit reduced ;)

Please don't be too hard with this tiny piece finished in a real hurry. I even fantasized about doing some guitar parts, but I didn't even mastered it... man, what is wrong with me sad

Wish you the best week and I'll definetely have fun listening to your stuff and catching up with the comments

Peace from Madrid, Spain !!!

22/12/14

8kbXmasCard

Finally, Weeklybeats 2014 comes to an end... And I'll be missing you guys a lot, really. We've never met in person, but your work touched me, quite often much more than any commercial release hyped by the media. Pleople making music for the sake of it, not caring about trends or audiences, just trying to give the best of themselves and learn in the process.

This one is almost done, as always. Let's have 2015 for fine tuning and mastering. I thought about making something slightly different to close the year: an ambient piece, almost played live, mixed on the fly. Simple ideas, trying to be hypnotic and spontaneous. My humble take of the Berlin School sound :)

Tools of the trade: Ableton Live 9 for sequencing, Meeblip digital synth through Korg Monotron analog resonant filter, Waldorf Streichfett for the strings, late analog bubbles courtesy of the Korg Volca Bass. Delay sends using a Korg miniKaosspad. M4L Convolution Reverb Pro and few takes. Manual tweaking and panning tricks, with some slight DAW touches afterwards.

It's been a pleasure to discover your music every week, being both challenged and astonished by the quality and diversity of your music. Some of you will keep in touch and were present from day one, others came by, in and out. Some commented and some just listened from time to time. To everyone in the community, wherever you are, my deepest respect and best wishes for 2015.

Looking forward to see you in the next WB !!!

29/12/14

Zweiundfünfzig

Long time ago I started tweaking sounds with my computer and became addicted to the art of sampling. I try to tell small stories with my music, so if images appear in your head when my sound comes out of the speakers, my job is accomplished. 
Thanks for listening. Please let me hear your stories too! 
And, by the way, I believe in sharing, so all my songs are under the Creative Commons licence. Collaborations and remixing are encouraged. 


Nyman algorithm

laguna