This is my debut concept EP, as a celebration of my birthday.
It's all about an aged computer, which is almost broken but still want to meet again. Is it a sweet story, or a misery?

Coding by FL Studio.
Recording date: 2017-19 February 2020

Producer, Lyrics, composer, arranger, sampling, track art.
All credits by Ratteu.

Hello, My Darling - The Last Meeting Within 20 Minutes

Are...Are You...I Missed You

Rebooting

Repairing

[Day 1: 10:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.]

Genres: Darkwave 
BGM: 137~145

Sometimes I wonder what’s the meaning of somethings...I want to know...Who can tell me the answer!?

Guess some people have the same problem as me: The similar issues occur again and again, but running out of the idea, you still can’t find the answer then feel frustrated and helpless.

So...I’m very confused, when can I find the answer?

This is the first time I put my singing at my release. As a first track, that feels novel! However, I lack of singing skill and experience. Before recording this song, I need to have some vocal expertise...That’s a big challenge to me. To cooperate with the genre, I sang in the sombre and apathetic way. When talking about the recording...I didn’t go to the recording studio but a depopulated ecological park with my equipments bringing instead. Due to my singing skill, I spent a lot of time adjusting the pitch and volume. Finally I made a result I could accept! Dunno how is the feeling to you?

The genre is Darkwave, to display the atmosphere of dark night, also to represent the mood of low and chaotic when unable to find the answer. As some remarkable Darkwave songs, I took references of “H ø R D - Speak” and “Selofan - Give Me a Reason”, but the result sounds kinda different. Maybe that’s the song I exactly want to make?
At every ending sentence of singing of first two paragraphs, I put a bright and blurry synth sound, to create a mysterious scene. Mystically you can imagine a question symbol appearing by hearing the sound!



Lyrics:
What's the meaning?
What's the meaning?
What's the meaning?
What's the meaning?

I break my head,
I tear my heart,
I squeeze my brain,
To find the answer.

What's the meaning?
What's the meaning?
What's the meaning?
What's the meaning?

I break my head,
I tear my heart,
I squeeze my brain,
To find the answer.

What's the meaning?
What's the meaning?
What's the meaning?
What's the meaning?

What's the meaning?
(Give me the answer!)
What's the meaning?
What's the meaning?
What's the meaning?

What's the meaning?
(Tell me the answer!)
What's the meaning?
What's the meaning?
What's the meaning?

“What's the meaning...?”
“What's the meaning...?”
“What's the meaning...?”
“What's the meaning...?”



Reference:
H ø R D - Speak
Selofan - Give Me a Reason

FaBuLoUs!

What's the Meaning?

“This is a big plan!”

Being as the connection of storyline, I want to give everyone a feeling that doing a major thing, planning a schedule out of no where! This track has two parts: The former part is at the preparation phase without position, and the later part is the limitless imagination phase after the determination. At the Following with the process of planning, the genres turns Minimal Wave into Minimal Synth. This track is in the mood that a bit hurried, decent, but also a bit relaxed. The time-line is set up in midnight, so I wrote the ending like bringing the plan into the dreamland…it would sounds sleepy *giggles*

At the composition, the main part took references of:
“Byproduct - Space Things”
“Experimental Products - Modern Living”
“Super Back to the Future - 1-2 theme”
These three tracks have the same thing that full of hope, futuristic and the sense of technology. The drum sound at former part referenced “Молчат дома - Коммерсанты”. I found it’s hard to make similar sound like that…maybe because I don’t have the sample alike? Furthermore, the piano synth sound referenced “Berlin - Masquerade”, but that is just a kind of accessory. The performing of the accordion sound before the ending referenced “The Games - Zorro”.

When I was writing the choruses, it usually makes me remind of the track “Pan’s theme” from a PlayStation game “Dragon Ballz GT: Final Bout”, but that’s obviously not what I want...Thus, I forced to prevent from approaching that melody: To create a new one! At first, I wrote the chorus of later part, but I found it...a little too complicated, so I simplify it as the version of former part. I was about to cancel the chorus of later part, but I found it perfectly enable to match after the former part added in, it feel so much better than ever! The composition is such a big learning! Same thing could cause various results when in different situations! The idea of connecting two parts is inspired by the “Power X” series from the rhythm game “Dance Dance Revolution”. It gives a tracks marathon feeling, but within a same track. This track repeats the melody twice at both parts. To make it feel not too repetitive, I reduced a part of the later one. Would it feel fresh? At least I could! When it almost done, my intuition told me the bridge of former part can have some “rhythmnical mute”, and it works a lot! The intuition is awesome! At the interlude of later part, I thought of adding some narrator to make it more enjoyable. Woo! It did so well!

Planning for Tomorrow

[Day 2: 6:00-8:00 a.m.]

Genres: New Wave, Orchestral, Progressvie Pop
BGM: 100~140

The travel in the morning, along an anesthetic railway!

This track straightly express the railway scenery on the way to another place, both the atmosphere and diversification are hooked on the theme. However, at the using of the sounds, I didn’t take the original sounds but the similar sounds instead. I also make the rhythms and the instruments changing all the time, to make this track subtle. Unlike “Slash It!”, that track use lots of samples to form it directly.

At the composition, to fit on the theme, the beat goes from slow to fast, then back to slow again. The rhythm also takes reference of various sounds when the train is running. At the atmosphere, to show the diversity of the view, I used a lot of instruments playing at different moments. The mood also changes with the view, from homesickness, harmony, relaxation, pleasure, satisfaction to peace, it express so many different sentiment!

Because of the complications, the composing is far difficult than I thought...At first I can’t figured out the main melody, but only the rhythm of the train, after that I added some baseline. Until I exactly took the train, the melody came out very soon! Unfortunately, after the melody added in, everything went wrong...because they didn’t put on the right place. I took a lot of time to test, finally I could fix all the problems!

The genres...should I call it New Wave? Progressive Pop? I don’t actually know...but I can say this track is easy to adapt to! When I making a track related to the train, I reminded some tracks about train, or sounds like on the train, then the performing kinda sounds like “t=NODE - Four Seasons”! At the later part of bassline, I used a melody from a SNES game in my memory, but I forgot what game is it…it’s in the mood that stride ahead! At the close of the ending I used some remix to make a part of this track sounds like crossing the cave, and it sounds super effective!

Railway Aesthetic

[Day 2: 8:00-9:00 a.m.]

Genres: Synthpop, Progressive Electronic
BGM: 100~150

Hovering in the sky, exploring the beautiful scenery of modern buildings!

I want to build a view that overlooking upon all the buildings, then down to the buildings between and look forward or look up, with the movement floating forward and up. Imagine the windows landing in front of your eyes, like taking the elevator and looking up, everything is enlarging and dropping. Or you can think of the buildings passing back on your both sides across...That’s impressive, doesn’t it?

The genre is Synthpop. The structure has two parts, and the beats goes from slow to fast, with the same melody, but in different places that in the sky and between the buildings. The mood is full with curious that want to praise the incredible works…but actually the expression is very complex though!

The sound of the drums is ripped and remaked from a hitting effect of a track “Makou - Hamsin” from the rhythm game “osu!”. I adjusted the sound to make it as I want, because I can’t found any percussion sounds like that…

At the later part, I slightly added some Casio synth sounds, because I accidentally heard the sound before I did it…that’s pretty weird…At first I added too much Casio synth that sounds tiring, then I cancel a part of this as compromise. That Casio sound is the key to hold the later part!

Sometimes, we’re easily attracted by the multifarious buildings when looking over, right?

¡ƃuᴉplᴉnξ▏ Building!

[Day 2: 9:00-11:00 a.m.]

Genres: Industrial, EBM
BGM: 100~135

Have a busy experiment from being one day worker!

This track is for the workers that dedicated lots of stamina. It doesn’t mean that the manager and the leader are easy, I just can’t imagine how could a work almost paid your whole daily stamina to deal with it…How about the ideal? Unless that’s what you really want…It’s almost a sacrifice to the work! I just couldn’t do it…yet. I ever had some experience to do some heavy works, I almost worn out after that and I could sleep soon to end my day!

At this track, I want to build an environment of big iron factory, thus I picked large amounts of mechanical sounds to compose with, to make a strongly Industrial track. Although the background from this album is set in America, The composition accidentally sounds like Japanese factory: kind of tricky, artful, academic, and sort of paranoid. Originally I want to take reference of the track “Machinery” (aka“Factory Worker, 9 to 5”) from SNES game “Rocky Rodent”, but I hadn’t mean to do it then things went different. It’s an interesting experience to make this track, because most of the sounds aren’t instruments but noises…they even aren’t percussion! So I have to think about a question: how to arrange them?
“This could put here!”
“These two sounds could combine together!”
After several tried, I made it so dramatic! When it almost done, I added violin and mechanical synth bass. That part time violin playing is too amazing!

Slash It!

[Day 2: 12:00-3:00 p.m.]

Genres: New Wave, Progressive Pop, Progressive Rock, Symphony Rock, Symphony Metal
BGM: 100~140

Free Hong Kong, Revolution Now!

The title only quote half of the slogan, but it obviously is talking about “Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement” from Hong Kong. The instant started from two years ago till now. Recently the qnation published the Hong Kong national security law, and the protest doesn’t end…Many protests got unfair treatment by police just because of shouting out their needs, then it got worse…Parts of the protests developed to “the valiants”, and the police use the more intense way to drive away the protests and some innocent citizens. What’s more, the police over injured and arrested several protests, even caused some “undoubtedly” suicide events. That’s such a serious tragedy…

I set Progressive Pop, Progressive Rock as main genres, but as the plot goes, there also includes Acoustic Rock, Orchestral and Symphony Metal as subgenres. The plot has two parts of the story, divided by the silence of chapter 4. This track is the longest, most complicated, also the hardest one to compose. Besides the structure, genres and the atmosphere, I also have to think about the “drama” before I start. If you ever heard some Progressive Rock or Progressive Metal albums, it often shows the plots within a song, and so does this track which is under the form!

At first, I can only figure out the verse, the others are almost nothing except the plot...I had brain storm and try every day, to create the frementary things step by step. Like a puzzle, I pieced them together, then the masterpiece came out!

I referenced the bassline and drums from “Trisomie 21 - Jakarta” to compose the bass and drums of the at the electric guitar part. The drumming where sounds like shotgun is a reference from “Rotersand - Storm”. I also took reference of the bell sound from “Swans - The Sound” to build the bell sound at the silence part sounds alike.



lyrics
Free Hong Kong, Revolution Now.
Five Demands, Not One Less.

光復香港，時代革命！ (Free Hong Kong, Revolution Now!)
光復香港，時代革命！ (Free Hong Kong, Revolution Now!)
光復香港，時代革命！ (Free Hong Kong, Revolution Now!)
光復香港，時代革命！ (Free Hong Kong, Revolution Now!)



Reference:
Trisomie 21 - Jakarta
Rotersand - Storm
Swans - The Sound

Revolution Now

[Day 2: 3:00-4:00 p.m.]

Genres: New Wave
BGM: 150

Let’s shuttle in the broken cities!

If “¡ƃuᴉplᴉnξ▏Building!” is the view overlooking upon the buildings, then this track is the view from the runner in the cities! The composing started without any plan but went very well, the only direction is to make this track feel bright, optimistic and high-speed. At first the verse popped up, then the chorus came together. Next I wrote the solo, everything was done smoothly!

Guess everyone could find that the spotlight focus at the solo part. The solo has deverse drum playing. I also changed the whole sound while this part, to make it sounds more like shuttling in the city. Actually, I take reference of “Lio - Le Banana Split (Long Version 1979)” at this part, because while calling a solo related to “fun”, and that’s the track! (Although the result sounds very different.) The solo originally has a minute and a half. After the remix, the solo expanded up to two minutes! I just accidentally found that remix effect and that’s very suitable to this part!

After the structure was done, I add some trumpet and saxophone. At first I want to imitate the trumpet sound from the SNES game “Rocky Rodent” (yeah this game again!), which sounds fake and shriveled that I particularly obsessed with it! However, I couldn’t create it closely, and that’s the final result you heard. (where can I find that fake trumpet sound? I really need it so bad!) About the saxophone, I think it’s one of the essential elements at 80's music, and this is the only track that can add some saxophone. Even though the speed of the beat is normal, the intense performing of the instruments can make you feel speedy!

Running Through the Broken Cities

[Day 2: 4:00-6:00 p.m.]

Genres: Pop Rock
BGM: 125

I wave the flag…all alone by myself…

This track is written for the objects suffering from unfair treatment, including various races, religious, illness, LGBTQ+ and some subcultures (yeah I mean furry)...etc. Not only they got ignored, but hurt from the rumors and the hatred messages because of all the stereotypes. When will we share the truly peace together? I really want to peep that world!

I paid tribute to “The Human League - The Lebanon” at this track: to my most favorite song of all time! At the composition, the drum took the original performing line. (I wrote the fill in by myself though) The baseline wasn’t meant to imitate, but the performing and the notes are really similar. (Well that song has the perfect baseline…) At the structure, tone and the atmosphere, I also referenced the original song. Although I wrote everything except for the drumming, this track has the shadow of the original one, because that’s what I mean to do! At the guitar solo part, I took reference of the synth solo from “Dan Terminus - Stratospheric Cannon Symphony”.

Despite the meant to pay tribute to, I’m not just want to take all of it, I have some very own way to make it special, like the switching of different octaves, setting part of the bass as main melody instead of guitar, making a Pop Rock track extremely long, switching the structure (at the later part), everything went successfully, and branded my own style! The first part of the chorus was the one I made lately, and I just found it feels really like waving the big flag!

Reference:
The Human League - The Lebanon
Dan Terminus - Stratospheric Cannon Symphony

Fighting for Our Peace

[Day 2: 6:00-7:00 p.m.]

Genres: Synthpop
BGM: 137

We all like to have Impossible dreams, don’t we?

This track is for whom like to make daydream. Hopefully it’s not only a dream, make it come true! To create our wonderland over our mind!

I’ve had the verse melody stuck in my head since I prepared the last EP. Unfortunately, an issue occurred…when I listened to some albums from the other artists, I found there has the SAME melody from another song! And that song is “Threefold - Turning of the Wheel”. However, I didn’t decide to change it, because it appeared in my mind for a long time and that’s the ONE I determined to use! The genres of both are different, so I used my own way to make it different. Finally it became my track undoubtedly!

At the intro, I referenced “A Flock of Seagulls - I Ran (So Far Away)”. I made it sound like bubbles. The staggered melody of later part was done accidentally, that’s pretty good than I expect! When the process went far, I found it…a little too realistic? It must be somewhere surreal! So I blurred the sound and add the same chorus with another sound as the bridge at the closing part. Doesn’t it feel like wandering upon the clouds?

Reference:
A Flock of Seagulls - I Ran (So Far Away)

Every Impossible Dreams

[Day 2: 7:00-10:00 p.m.]

Genres: Synthwave, Free Jazz, Jazz, EBM
BGM: 110

The wonderful 80’s...always remain in our minds.

This track was set as the genres series marathon that played by synth, but it changed once the structure defined. It’s like a long story which has might history. This WAS the longest track, but surpasses by “Revolution Now” later.

Although it’s a theme for the 80’s, the main genre is Synthwave which is known as retro and highly related to 80’s, it still matches the theme. (I’d prefer Synthpop but I found it more properly with Synthwave!)

At the intro, I want to create a dreamland. Originally I wanted to combine Synthwave with New Age, but I found that all the sounds could also make Jazz, so I turned it to Jazz instead! This is the first time I make some Jazz form. I want to make it such like “Vince Guaraldi - Rain, Rain Go Away”, but I didn’t take reference particularly, so it sounds different. I’d prefer to compose it as Free Jazz, to make it brisk, free and unrestrained!

When it goes to verse, it switches to Synthwave instantly, would be abrupt but it doesn’t. The synth of verse and chorus set as overlapping and profound, to make the story sounds mighty and saturated. The frequently changing, non-repeatitive melody implies the pushing of the history, it changes every time. At the situation that the other tracks can only put a few, I used the tom-tom drum insanely! Tom tom tom tom drum!

At the closing part, there has a long buffer time. At first I set it as the moment waiting until the end, but I occasionally thought of improvised piano Jazz putting here as the recall of the intro. Because of the improvisation, the melody is more densive compared to normal melody, it kinda feel long to compose this part…almost twice time longer! At the rhythm of the Jazz melody, I referenced the radio track “Unsuccessful Huniwa (出来損ないのハニワ)” from the game “Choro Q HG2” that composed by BUN (田辺文雄). I really like his music, this track is in the leisurely mood while loitering outside in the silent night under the moonlight!

The ending sounds a little sad, but it doesn’t exactly such like that. It’s about the feel that the story had perfectly ended…seems ironic when looking the title, but would the luxury go endless…right?

Reference:
BUN - Unsuccessful Huniwa (田辺文雄 - 出来損ないのハニワ)

The Future of the 80's Forever

This is a cover single! The song originate from the ending theme of the cartoon "The Raccoons", which sung by Steve Lunt and Lisa Lougheed, and I picked the version of Lisa Lougheed. 
I made it because of a compilation of cartoon / anime cover song series with various artists, and it pushed me to cover this song which is the best cartoon / anime song in my mind!

Run With Us (The Raccoons Anthem)

"God damn am I died!? Why did I just dead? What I've done at this whole life? I don't wanna die now!"

How about dying one day without any bode? How do you think about it?

This is a single about the scene a ghost full of regret after suddenly death. You can never predict when would you die. If your career never ever started, doesn't the life living all in vain?
I know that's not my scene of dying, so it's kind of a fantasy. But I don't know when would I pass away, so I wrote this track to give everyone a reflection, also a warning for myself.

Ratteu

Popular tracks