Childsplay

Summertime gets a dirty treatment. It's not a happy song.

Summertime and the livin' aint easy

Fitasatrout

"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face, forever."
George Orwell

George Orwell

Ambient track recorded live with Moog Matriarch (arps), Yamaha Modx (strings), Behringer 2500 and 2600 (bass), Digitakt (kick), Zoom Ms-70CDR (Shimmer Verb) and Zedi10-FX mixer with Hall reverb.
The 2500 Filtamp module gives an awesome deep bassline.

Chillbeach - Live

Late night live session with my Mood Matriarch, Behringer 2500, Modal Cobalt, Modx6 and Deepmind 12 into a Strymon Nightsky and Zoom CDR70. Brought together in Reason 12. Mixer is an Allen and Heath Zedi 10FX, which has multi channel outputs via USB.
Matriarch continues to surprise the more I experiment with modulation using its LFOs into filters and such. Many blips and drips. Three of the sequencers are synched but the Deepmind (string pad) is asynchronous to offset.  Very little post processing (not my thing). Just a high pass here and there in Reason 12 to remove some of the mud.
Cobalt was recorded and sequenced live in two passes to provide some glitchy digital slices.

Ghostship

Live evocative ambient piece. The Moog Matriach (what a beast - paraphonic) is doing the sequence. The Deepmind 12 does the dodgy string pad. My Yamaha Modx6 (still love its power) does the reverb piano. The Modal Cobalt (virtual analog) does the ambient horn. Reverb Strymon Nightsky, Zoom MS70CDR Tape Delay

The Lake

Momentary madness becomes momentary sadness - how fleeting love can be...

Momentary Sadness

Micro

Indigo

A strange piano lyrical song about a man drowning in shallow water while his partner sunbakes on the beach

Shallow

Feel that wind blowing down the street,
It's so strong, it'll knock you off your feet
The change is here.
Change
I'm gonna change
There's so much change it's made loose change in my head
Where will this all end
God only knows
We're rushing headlong into the Great Unknown
If we started all over again
Would we make the same world we're living in
Maybe if it's not too late
We can change for change's sake.


Change (where will this all end?)

Clouds

There they go
The best of them
They worked so hard
But we have no use for them
There they go
The best of them
We’ll never see the likes of them again

But still they dream
That all the good things that they’ve done
Will mean something for those still yet to come
And they cling to their dreams
That there’s honor seeking truth
Hard won inside these crumbling walls
Of institutions under siege

There they go
The best of them
Their heads held high
I raise my glass to them
There they go
The best of them
We’ll never see the likes of them again 


Anthem For The Departed

A father stares at the shoes of his son
So gently, he slips one on
And the shoe fits
From where he sits
He knows the son will soon be gone.

A mother stares at the lines on her face
Her young courage has been replaced
With a longing
For belonging
And the touch of a lover’s embrace

Chorus:
Lah de dah etc

The couple sits, silent, alone
The son is leaving the family home
Mother’s crying
Feels like dying
Where has the purpose gone - where has the purpose gone?

She prays to God to show her the way
“Please help me see through the day
Heavens above,
I need the love,
I’m on my knees when I pray - I’m on my knees when I pray.”

Days turn to weeks and months into years
Time doesn’t wait for their fears
And they wonder
As we wonder
Who will shed them a tear - who will shed them a tear?



A father stares at the shoes of his son

Epsilon

I bought this little pink travel guitar by Enya on Amazon and recorded it with a mic. Didn't buy the one with FX. It is a fun little instrument and has a sort-of lofi, intimate appeal. But when you hit it hard, it rings out. Very surprising. I also have an Ovation carbon fibre and they are very different guitars.
The song is about a woman intimated by the towering presence of the man she wants to love, so much so that she feels too small to be loved.

So Tall to Fall

Watching My Garden Grow

I sensed a moment in time
It was a moment of mine
When I thought I loved you
I thought I loved you
But I was mistaken this time
A self-deception of mine
How could I love you
How could I love you
If you didn’t love me too

We can pretend our love is real
But it’s pretense that we feel
Another act to follow
A show and tell of what’s hollow   
Know that love is what you give
Not a checklist for how to live
How I wish I could love you
And I could love you
If you would love me too.

Fate deals its cruel hand
Because fate doesn’t understand
How unrequited love
Leads to ruination of the self
I raise my drawbridge
Bark my orders
Bare my soul to trusted soldiers
“Defend the gates,
Let no one in
Unless they vow to
let love in.”

And in this moment in time
It could be so sublime
If I knew I loved you
If I knew I loved you
Was I mistaken this time
A grand deception of mine
I would love you
I would love you
If you would love me too

Fate deals its cruel hand
Because fate doesn’t understand
How unrequited love
Leads to ruination of the self
I raise my drawbridge
Bark my orders
Bare my soul to trusted soldiers
“Defend the gates,
Let no one in
Unless they vow to
let love in.”

And in this moment in time
It could be so sublime
If I knew I loved you
If I knew I loved you
Was I mistaken this time
A grand deception of mine
I would love you
I would love you
But you didn’t love me too




How Could I Love You

Bomboras Interlude

Serendipity

Archers

Some Australian magpies, a neighbor sawing wood and a dragonfly that buzzes past my Zoom mic. And some slow moving loops.
Moog Matriarch, Akai Force Upright Piano patch, Zoom H6 backyard sample

Magpies

Uses Reason Objekt sampler and a thunderstorm captured on my Zoom H6

Thunderstorm

Count the weekends
What’s left of the time of your life
Now ask yourself this
Are you doing it right?
What’s holding you back?
Why can’t you grab it and go?
And never look back
And never say no

There’s a dam in you
A wall just waiting to burst
To crumble and fall
And tumble into rubble and dirt
Let the wonder in
Let it find you and grow
And never look back and never say no

There’s no time to procrastinate
And the time you spend running late
Is time you won’t get back

It’s the last day
Of this god forsaken year
Destiny’s swing has slugged you
And gripped you with fear
Shake it off now
Let your true feelings show
And never look back
And never let go

There’s no time to procrastinate…

The people you love
Well they come and they go
Some leaving nothing behind
Just a hole in your world
Yet there’s love all around
In the arms of the friends that you know
So never look back 
And never say no

Never Look Back and Never Say No

Niteynite

My Mind is a bolder song than me. It's strong and says there's nothing you can say because my mind is made up. In reality, much easier said than done. Although I am getting better at this, finally. 

My Mind

I want everything you've got
I want everything you've ever had
There's nothing I won't have
I want it all

I want everything you own
I want everything you've touched, everything you've grown
Because I can't have anything I want
Because you've got it all

There's nothing I won't do
To get these things from you
Until there's nothing left of you
And you'll be left with nothing too

Because I want everything you have
Everything you hold dear
I'll take everything
Absolutely everything
From you.

I Want It All

She slipped it in between my ribs,
the butter knife
I didn't feel a goddamn thing
from the the butter knife
She stepped back and then she screamed
I looked to where her hand hand been
And watched the life spill out me
From the butter knife

Butterknife

I've written my own stuff since I was a kid and have basically chronicled my life, which most songwriters do. I was quite into guitar until I broke my hand fending off an intruder who tried to break into my home. Little finger didn't play fair. So now I'm into synths and keyboards, have built a decent collection including a Moog Matriarch, Prophet 5 Rev4, the Behringer 2600 and 2500 semi-modular, the UDO Super 6 (truly awesome), Novation Peak, Yamaha Modx6 (such a workhorse),  Deepmind 12, Digitakt, Modal Cobalt (surprising and, yes, digital) and the Behringer Crave. They each have their strengths, but the Matriarch is my go to for inspiration. (Update: Super 6 is now the fave)

Peter Judd

Pinned to spotlight

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