🎧👂🔜🖤💗📛🎲🎰🎮🥇🚴🌫👂👂💘

Contains all the 8-bit music I remastered for the video game Project Hawkthorne, featured on the television show "Community." I contributed to over a third of the soundtrack featured in the game.

Link to the game:
http://projecthawkthorne.com/

Project Hawkthorne

Here's the track I wrote for Sinecraft volume 3. It's in 17-tone equal temperament, mostly using the Blue[9] scale (222222221) with some slight chromaticism at certain points. I hope it kind of has the aura of a disembodied voice...

Watching From Sin Valley (17-EDO)

CHECK IT OUT ON STAFFCIRC HERE: https://sexytoadsandfrogsfriendcircle.bandcamp.com/album/staffcirc-vol-7b-luna-octava CHECK IT OUT ON STAFFCIRC HERE: https://sexytoadsandfrogsfriendcircle.bandcamp.com/album/staffcirc-vol-7b-luna-octava CHECK IT OUT ON STAFFCIRC HERE: https://sexytoadsandfrogsfriendcircle.bandcamp.com/album/staffcirc-vol-7b-luna-octava CHECK IT OUT ON STAFFCIRC HERE: https://sexytoadsandfrogsfriendcircle.bandcamp.com/album/staffcirc-vol-7b-luna-octava CHECK IT OUT ON STAFFCIRC HERE: https://sexytoadsandfrogsfriendcircle.bandcamp.com/album/staffcirc-vol-7b-luna-octava CHECK IT OUT ON STAFFCIRC HERE: https://sexytoadsandfrogsfriendcircle.bandcamp.com/album/staffcirc-vol-7b-luna-octava CHECK IT OUT ON STAFFCIRC HERE: https://sexytoadsandfrogsfriendcircle.bandcamp.com/album/staffcirc-vol-7b-luna-octava

aesthetic softlock without cheats (22edo)

Here's a version of Proud Mary I did in 19-tone equal temperament to show it to my coworkers who were interested in jamming with it. Would be neat with video... if anything happens, it's going straight to the Youtube channel of course

Proud Mary (19edo cover demo)

Part of a collab I'm in with the xenharmonic discord server :)
Original song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKAc3nYEatw&t=130s

I also used Infinitone software to create the sliding effects! Check out Infinitone here: https://infinitone.com/

Aquatic Ambience microtonal cover! (15-TET)

Ferran graciously remixed my a cappella microtonal cover of "What a Wonderful World" using 31-tone equal temperament. The inner voices shine nicely in this version, you should check it out! I'm super honored that someone would take the time to work with tracks of mine this way.

Ferran's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmqNpjOnEnA2ENmXYN9cIPQ

Ferran - What A Wonderful World (a cappella Microtonal) mix

My love’s warmest smile 
Is ruby-sunshine
My love’s juvenile 
Innocence divine

She whispers me words
So secret and kind 
What I’ve never heard
I’m lucky to find… her…

(Counterpoint section)

She makes time for me
Opposites of habit
And that’s the reason
Relationships quit

My love’s enticing
Is golden-rosy
My love’s inviting  
Virtuous lovely 

She gives the best gift
Her time and her thought
When I need a lift
She does what she ought

She goes out of her way
Opposites of habit
To serve and to guide
To listen and try

(Counterpoint)

Each time with her is time
I want to live again
Each time our season
That fades from where and when

Her touch is infectious
So full of affection
Such potent confection 
It counts as refection  

She makes time for me
So many wonderful, beautiful, diverse opposites of habit!
Inspired by her efforts
I must make us better

(Counterpoint)

My love’s inspiring
My love’s inviting  
She’s strong and she chooses
My love is my muses

She makes time for me
Opposites of habit
Inspired by her efforts
I must make us better

It’s the good she deserves
It’s the good she’s earned
All the adoration 
I have to offer
And all of the time 
That I can proffer
And ev’ry last song
Deep in my stirred heart
Is hers all along 
And thus my shared art
Is the resistance,
To old ways and cold ways,
My gift to her existence,
And I am in love always!!!

Opposites of Habit (13-EDO)

This piece was accepted to Electroacoustic Barn Dance 2018, and SEAMUS 2018.

I used 4 voices: 2 organ tracks, and 2 clavichord tracks. Both sounds have overtone spectra corresponding to a very ambiguous chord that I like using in this tuning (I end the piece on it: it can sound like a major chord, or a minor chord in first inversion, due to the ambiguity of the interval in 21 that sounds right between a major third and perfect fourth.) Other sounds of indeterminate pitch phase with the main four parts, creating association and subversion of melodic lines. 

Stretto and point-of-imitation are used extensively. I always use xenharmonic fifths, and the third-fourth, when available as the building blocks of the harmony. They are the most shocking to the Western ear, but they actually aid in smooth part-writing as well.

I use the following octatonic scale (with very little pitch material wandering outside of this):

3L 2M 3s
L = 4
M = 3
s = 1
41341314

Iridescent Wenge Fugue (21-EDO)

This piece is designed to evoke aesthetic similarities to Kafka’s work (and uses some of his texts freely). Many of his texts describe something strikingly ordinary, but with hidden, unhappy meaning. Intentional ambiguities in this musical work are: the placement of a tonic, the feeling of hovering between life and death in imaginary matters, and lexical ambiguity in the title. 7-tone equal temperament is well suited for this task because of its simplicity and symmetry (which echo the feeling of a blank, motionless thing existing in a context of isolation). Rhythms are made simple, but strange, and the pentatonic subset of 7-equal is purposely avoided; the entire scale is used for heptatonic implications (this is also idiomatic for the dulcimer, which plays a 7-note scale). Extended techniques are used for expressive effect and contrast between storytelling sections.

Performance and composition by Stephen Weigel. First performed at the BSU Student Composers' Forum, April 6, 2017.

Death Giving Monolith (7-EDO) (premiere)

This is a string duet, using the Mavila scale, created in response to the xenharmonic community’s ‘Tuning of the Month’ challenge of June 2017. Charlotte New Music Festival 2017 required its creation, to be played by the Beo String Quartet, as a vigorous speedwriting challenge. So, I picked sixth tones to write with because they are more xenharmonic than quartertones, but still overlap with 12-equal quite a lot. This piece is obsessed with a constant state of beginning, as the two voices constantly seem like they are entering against each other, as in the exposition of a fugue, or a canon. Dedicated to Lou Harrison’s life, the performance is a memorial of how he brought gamelan to the United States in an influential way, although not indicative of the gamelan style in any particular way. I also share interests with Lou Harrison, namely, non-Western music and a birthday, so pondering his legacy is very special for me specifically. Openings of each of Lou Harrison’s gamelan pieces are all quoted, as well as one of his piano sonatas. The instruments also play in the same key (D) as his American Gamelan, and only one note of the scale is inaccurate to what that ensemble played, namely, the minor third of Harrison’s ensemble is represented in this piece by a significantly flatter note, the septimal minor third (267 cents) of 9-equal. 

Huge thanks to Sandro Leal-Santiesteban (violin), and Ryan Ash (cello) of Beo String Quartet for playing this at CNMF 2017!

Gamelan, Origin, Creation (9 - EDO)

Xenharmonic art-song. Several other art-songs are quoted either indirectly, melodically, or both (for example, the opening line is a sound-alike to Caro mio ben, and the steps in the same ratio to each other... which end up landing in very different spots in this scale). See how many you can find. The singer is addressing another person who exists in his/her life who has a capacity for joy and fascination, but who cannot face it for other reasons. Hopefully some of the same emotional content transmits.

These lyrics of mine capture the unique emotions that 6:7:11 chords give me, namely, that of a realization. The "realization" I get from these entities are best manifested as... disappointment in joylessness. It's a very specific, multi-meaning, gloomy, non-12-edo feeling, that isn't JUST xenharmonic. You know how when you were a kid, adults would be worried about everything, and you never knew why, but it made you sad? That would be a helpful association. This song has been performed at multiple venues in Indiana and Chicago.

The 11-note mode used is 6L 5s - wickedly difficult for beginners to sing, but wildly interesting-sounding, giving abundant 6:7:11 chords. The song modulates a 23edo step (1\23) higher about halfway through, and all 23 pitches are used at least once; the 11-note 6L 5s twice, plus an extra chromatic note. Other chromatic notes to 6L 5s exist in the main passages anyway, acting like borrowed chords or secondary dominants in a very complex modal language.

Far o’er low bend,
Crazy, all spent
Sits, me-a detained
Languishing hoper
I reach, always too far 
But never far enough
I put myself out just 
To be ignored,
Ignored, when I love optimism more than you, 

My smile, always in vain,
Mirrored through your face:
Showing you what they want
Without a trace of hate 
Only a glare, 
And before you turn away,

I give a prompt,
Hoping your mind will dance,
Though you are always swamped
And you won’t take a chance,
To be enthusiastic about life with (chromatic) me,
“Why have you interest in things? Why not accept that we’re bored?” You say,
 
And you turn away, 
As unemotional
As a half,
Forgotten song,
Like a ship at sea my heart sank,
Knowing that your sense of fun was bleak.

Many years later, I acquired a new voice 
giving me choice of finally finding yourself
    
I reach, always too far 
But never far enough
I put myself out just 
To be ignored,
When I love optimism more than you, 
More so than you,
When I first met you I couldn’t see
Clearly, and that was exciting,
It was a time where we enjoyed 
Life,
Then we found out 
Our ideas of adventure
Were contradictory,  

I changed for you and I
Wouldn’t have changed for me
If I had known that joy
For you cannot arrive at the right time,

And before you turn away,
I give a prompt,
Hoping your mind will dance,
Though you are always swamped
And you won’t take a chance,
To be enthusiastic about life with (chromatic) me

Oh my beloved, 
Find me at last,
Your eyes, your mein, declare complacency everywhere!

Curiosity Finds A Frown (23 - EDO)

Town theme

Forest Theme

Gilbert attacks

Annies Song

Hawkthorne entrance

Black caves

This song will be part of the "Agnostic Depression Characteristic of the 21st Century Voice" collection.

You don’t insist upon your way
You don’t insist upon your way
You don’t have labored points to prove
You don’t steal goods in desperate times
You don’t take sides when they’re not there
You don’t treat petty tricks as art
You don’t shun truth and common sense    
You don’t insist upon your way
You don’t insist upon your way
You don’t raise your voice
You don’t raise your voice

Unusual Unreal Unbelievable You (11 - EDO)

Abed's Farewell

Gravity (Community, 8-bit)

Abed's town

Sea Bluff outside castle

Inside Castle

Running Away from the Throne

That's what Christmas is for

Community (Modern Warfare)

Level Ending Music

I re-made a new version of the Community Medley posted on the Hawkthorne page. I think there are just some slight improvements that have been made.

Community Medley (8-bit, version 2)

Community Medley (8-bit)

Town Attack

Turkey Attack

A chiptune version of Happy Birthday! Download it for free to say Happy Birthday to that special friend! If you want me to make an 8-bit version of a song, PM me! I take requests!

8-bit Happy Birthday

A chiptune version of Jingle Bells! If you want me to make an 8-bit version of a song, PM me! I take requests!

8-bit Jingle Bells

A chiptune version of Spongebob Squarepants! If you want anything made into 8-bit music, PM me! I take requests!

8-bit Spongebob Squarepants theme

A chiptune version of Old McDonald Had a Farm! If you want me to make an 8-bit version of a song, PM me! I take requests!

8-bit Old McDonald

A chiptune version of the theme song from 30 Rock! If you want anything made into 8-bit music, PM me! I take requests!

8-bit 30 Rock theme

50% of the money made from this album goes to Black Lives Matter, and the other 50% goes to the George Floyd GoFundMe campaign - you can donate on Bandcamp here: https://xenharmonicgod.bandcamp.com/album/-

This is an electronic odyssey of postmodern EDM that is guaranteed to knock you off your feet in some capacity, featuring some of the most searing xenharmonics and xenrhythmics that have ever been conceived. The actual track titles are each around 96,000 characters long (named with the tuning and then emoticons), but Soundcloud limits it to 100 characters. On my YouTube channel, you can see the full titles as scrolling text along to the album (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXD_s3Vf1T4&t=6162s)

To get the 1080-page track notes (which contain the full titles as well as extensive information on how all of these tracks were made), you can do one of two things: (1) either leave a review on this album on Banadcamp that a spambot couldn't replicate, and I'll send them to your Bandcamp account, or (2) donate to my podcast on Patreon, where there's a post with the liner notes (Two links to liner notes are here) www.patreon.com/posts/38283153
www.patreon.com/posts/38283915

If you left a review but aren't following me on Bandcamp, I'm unable to DM you using the Bandcamp Artists app, so in that situation you could either (1) starting following me on Bandcamp (2) send me a messsage via Bandcamp's contact form or (3) contact me on other social media. To get your track notes.

released June 16, 2020, on Bandcamp
released June 21, 2020, on Soundcloud

Special thanks to:
Augustus Arnone (for mixing & mastering)
Sevish (for hosting on split-notes, interviewing me on Now&Xen)
Jacob Barton (for interviewing me on Now&Xen)
Jude Thomas (for having album on Xen Radio)
Doug Blumeyer (theory about L and s, edharmonic scale)
Amanda Cole (sine wave ideas)
Joe Monzo (For exchanging ideas)
Paul Erlich (For temperament and imaginary tuning talk)
Oceania Tardigradia (Imaginary tuning help)
Löis Lancaster (cameo in track 10)
Amy Coleman (for guest starring in tracks 4, 10, and 11)
H. Wakabayashi (piano sample in track 19)
Emoji Mashup Bot (on Twitter)

4 (4 4L 4s's) for 40edo (no 40ed4) 🙄💀👺💩🙄💀👺💩🙄💀👺💩🙄💀👺💩🙄💀👺💩🙄💀👺💩🙄💀👺💩🙄💀...

My girlfriend's hair dryer 💋👩👅🐰⚡️⚡️⚡️🥑⚡️⚡️👩⚡️⚡️👅⚡️⚡️🎍⚡️⚡️💥⚡️👩⚡️👩👩👅👩👩🐰👩👩🎍👩🐰...

edharmonic 5% flat starting from 120, 181, and 197 Hz😛😛😛😛😋😋😛😛🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩😛😛😋😋😋😋🤩🤩...

1,000,003-limit Just Intonation (2. 3. 67. 71. 73. 79. 83. 89. 97. 101. 103. 107. 109. 113. 127...

1200edo 😍😱😱🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤥😘😲😲🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉...

C modulates to B sharp major

This is a long-form improvisation using the frequencies of the thumbnail's chakra chart (a la Adam Neely's video about it). It doesn't hang out on a drone note like it really should, but that's ok. You shouldn't consider this to be part of the bona fide "chakra culture" in any way; I just made music using the scale because I thought it would be fun.

1 HOUR Chakra Meditation attempt FREE (23-limit JI, 20-EDO)

You, you are not alone
I’m here right behind you
Though the world eats its own
I know you’re scared, I am too
We don’t have to be far apa-a-a-rt (x2)

You, you are never alone
I’m here right beside you
We’re both closer to the unknown
I know you’re scared, I am too, (I am too)

The modern age has shown us
How painfully slow is justice
But hope mustn’t fail
The true US refuses to fall
The states shout “vote!”
And those who sow doubt
And those who now cheat
Do so because they know
Deep down 
just how
wrong they 
are.

Good things take a loong time
If we can count on you to trust in science
And empathy to everyone
We’ve won

God things take a loong time
If we can count on you to know yourself
And not politicize the truth
We might still have a world
For the youth (for you) (you too)

Good Things Take A Loong Time (20-EDO)

That's right ladies and gents: an 8 bit Trololololo! Troll all your friends, enemies, and bystanders with the latest and greatest arrangement of this fine work of art! The crispness and robotic nature of this masterpiece will surely evoke feelings of a time that was more: hey, download this, it's awesome! 

8-bit Trololololo

You’re too strait-laced; you’re too straight faced
I didn’t even find you a threat
Two faced doesn’t begin to cover
The ma(s)king of your false engagement

Your horse’s head, your drinks in bed
They won’t convince me into regret  
That projection reveals your cover
Although you are what you hate, don’t fret
Everyone’s like that

There’s no mass worship now without
coordinated calculation
There’s no mass worship now without
algorithmic triangulation

Popularity Through Brute Force (9 - EDO)

Would it kill them to create audio for their memes
31-tone equal temperament.
Each of the pre-C major notes shifts by a diesis.
Studio31 is a channel on YouTube that has way more of these than me, so check them out!

Stephen Weigel

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks