a bit hidden at first listen, but still has a structure and tells a story

More on this 137th Disquiet Junto project — “Produce an original piece of music that fits the genre ‘old-time electronica’″ — at:

http://disquiet.com/2014/08/14/disquiet0137-oldtimeelectronica/

More on the Disquiet Junto at:

http://disquiet.com/junto

Join the Disquiet Junto at:

http://soundcloud.com/groups/disquiet-junto/

Disquiet Junto general discussion takes place at:

http://disquiet.com/forums/

Photo associated with this track, of a working Babbage Engine, by Larry Johnson, courtesy of a Creative Commons license at:

https://flic.kr/p/8uw1KJ

Disquiet Junto Project 0137: Old-Time Electronica

Really vague about what electronica means but it suggests "pop" to me rather than experimental. "Old-time" brought to mind the Wendy Carlos "Switched on Bach." Disco music also came to mind. 

I used a Kaosillator with 2 patches that sounded retro to me, created 2 tracks and then aligned them in Logic and wrapped it up using a Channel EQ preset called Boombox, a word which for me conjures days of yore.


Rather goofy, was not sure if I should post it, but it is mercifully short.

***********



More on this 137th Disquiet Junto project — “Produce an original piece of music that fits the genre ‘old-time electronica’″ — at:

http://disquiet.com/2014/08/14/disquiet0137-oldtimeelectronica/

More on the Disquiet Junto at:

http://disquiet.com/junto

Join the Disquiet Junto at:

http://soundcloud.com/groups/disquiet-junto/

Disquiet Junto general discussion takes place at:

http://disquiet.com/forums/


Heckuva Pile  [disquiet0137-oldtimeelectronica]

This is a remix of the Edison Concert Band's recording of "Nearer, my God, to Thee" (1902). The original recording was downloaded from archive.org. I did "electronic processing" on this old-time hymn to create something impossible at the time it was created: a time-stretched version with a drone created from part of the recording as well, and a phasing effect created by slightly different stretch lengths. My hope is that this version helps people hear this hymn in a new way. (Apologies that I went over the time-limit guidelines a little.)

More on this 137th Disquiet Junto project — "Produce an original piece of music that fits the genre 'old-time electronica'" — at:

http://disquiet.com/2014/08/14/disquiet0137-oldtimeelectronica/

More on the Disquiet Junto at:

http://disquiet.com/junto

Join the Disquiet Junto at:

http://soundcloud.com/groups/disquiet-junto/

Disquiet Junto general discussion takes place at:

http://disquiet.com/forums/

Nearer, my God, to Thee (remix) [disquiet0137-oldtimeelectronica]

Disquiet Junto Project 0137: Old-Time Electronica

Pineal Pionears [disquiet0137-oldtimeelectronica]

For me, this means going back to composers like Louis and Bebe Barron and their 1956 magnetic tape soundtrack to “Forbidden Planet” (check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNKhju6Pryg ), as well as Morton Subotnick, Walter Carlos and all those records from the Princeton University computer music workshops that I got my hands and ears on in the 60s.

Steps taken:

In the spirit of minimalism, I worked only with 2 sine waves and a click track, both generated by Audacity. These were modified using plugins and pitch shifting, with shorter more heavily modified sections used to create a gradually changing soundscape.

(See the whole Forbidden Planet poster here: http://cdn-images.9cloud.us/476/piccit_the_forbidden_planet_poster_1296502960.jpg


----------------------------------------------


The Assignment: Produce an original piece of music that fits the genre “old-time electronica.”

All Disquiet Junto projects employ constraint as a means to stimulate creativity and productivity. Sometimes this means limiting oneself to specific source material, other times to a conceptual approach, and there’s always the additional constraint of time: the deadline is approximately four days, depending on your time zone.

For this Disquiet Junto project, the constraint is a matter of terminology. This week we’re exploring how the concept of “genre” can itself serve as a restraint, and we’ll accomplish this by pushing back at genre conventions.

The project instructions are straightforward: Record an original piece of music that you feel belongs within the genre of “old-time electronica.”

Restrictions: You can use any source material, any instrumentation, except the human voice.

More on this 137th Disquiet Junto project — “Produce an original piece of music that fits the genre ‘old-time electronica’″ — at:

http://disquiet.com/2014/08/14/disquiet0137-oldtimeelectronica/ 

More on the Disquiet Junto at:

http://disquiet.com/?p=16588


Join the Disquiet Junto at:

http://soundcloud.com/groups/disquiet-junto/    




Pineal Pionears [disquiet0137-oldtimeelectronica]

As a solo parent this weekend, my plans to hook up gear and produce handmade electronica haven't eventuated. So I returned to an earlier idea to work with a MIDI file and honour my introduction to electronic music as a child listening to Wendy Carlos' Switched On Bach.

This piece uses Lokomotiv, Absynth and the Minimojo Reaktor VST synths and was edited for brevity.

More on this 137th Disquiet Junto project — “Produce an original piece of music that fits the genre ‘old-time electronica’″ — at:
http://disquiet.com/2014/08/14/disquiet0137-oldtimeelectronica/

More on the Disquiet Junto at:
http://disquiet.com/junto

Join the Disquiet Junto at:
http://soundcloud.com/groups/disquiet-junto/

Disquiet Junto general discussion takes place at:
http://disquiet.com/forums/

Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Johann_Sebastian_Bach.jpg

Switched on Joy of Man's Desiring [disquiet0137-oldtimeelectronica]

My interpretation of "old time electronica" was to take a song associated with the dawn of pop music and treat it as the raw material for an electronic track. My choice is "Daisy Bell", a public domain song written in 1892 by Harry Dacre, and used in the first computer speech synthesis at Bell Labs in 1961; Arthur C. Clarke saw this demonstration and incorporated it into the screenplay and novelization of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The first section of the track is the original chorus melody and chord progression played on soft synths in Ableton, with a light percussion track made from samples from Beats & Breaks. For the second run-thru of the chorus melody  the chord progression is replaced with a version made using the Coltrane Changes; John Coltrane pioneered chord substitutions in his performances that used a major third movement to give an odd, airy quality to the harmony. For "Daisy Bell", which is in C major, the original chord progression follows the melody closely, as is the custom for most popular music. In its place I used the Dm7-G7-C progression. 

The jazzy timbre of those chords reminded me of Squarepusher's record Hard Normal Daddy, which used chords and melody combinations usually associated with jazz in conjunction with breakbeats. This track gradually adds more percussion elements, all chopped up from samples from Beats & Breaks.   

Once the new chord progression is introduced, the softsynth playing the melody has a random MIDI note generator, C major scale effect, and Bass-Beat Decoder added to it, with MIDI notes being triggered at the same rhythm as the original melody. The random notes were played & recorded to a separate track, and that MIDI information was placed in the initial softsynth track, with the MIDI effects removed. 


////

More on this 137th Disquiet Junto project — “Produce an original piece of music that fits the genre ‘old-time electronica’″ — at:

http://disquiet.com/2014/08/14/disquiet0137-oldtimeelectronica/

More on the Disquiet Junto at:

http://disquiet.com/junto

Join the Disquiet Junto at:

http://soundcloud.com/groups/disquiet-junto/

Disquiet Junto general discussion takes place at:

http://disquiet.com/forums/

Daisy Hell [disquiet0137-oldtimeelectronica]

A collection of tracks and sketches by Gadi Sassoon using Physical Audio's Preparation instrument.

Seattle Angle Grinder Orchestra

A simple drone and I IV V progression, both from electric guitar, the latter part glitched thanks to a somewhat chaotic LFO, the former frozen from a single opening chord, the combination done live in VCV Rack over lunch. Very simple, a lot of fun. 

gl-i-iv-v-tched

New Moon

Recurrence

~ LAAPS 046 ~ [SEQ.06 - LP46]

artist : Offthesky
album : Nocturnas
duration : 40.28 mn
date : August 28th, 2025

edition :
-  vinyl : limited to 200 copies / marble pink/purple LP / selective UV varnish (front+back) / hand numbered 
- cd : limited to 150 copies / pantone / hand numbered + handcrafted, sealed

----------------------------------------------------------------
pre-order : August 01st, 2025 / official release : August 28th, 2025
----------------------------------------------------------------

Sound and composition by Jason Corder
Vocals by Rin Howell
Created in Thailand and Colorado, 2022 - 2024

Mastered by Offthesky
Artwork by Gaël Bonnefon
Design by Sprflxgrfzm
 
----------------------------------------------------------------

Links :
https://laaps-records.com/
https://www.instagram.com/iikki_laaps/
https://offthesky.bandcamp.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------
℗ & © 2 0 2 5 - L A A P S - L A A P S 0 4 6

Offthesky - Dying Within Dreams

Jason van Wyk is a Cape Town (South Africa) based electronic music producer whose music I often wish could have been my own. From cinematic soundscapes to soft piano keys and mesmerising passages, the elements of his pieces are all the necessary ingredients that I often try to combine in my music. And that is basically the highest sort of praise that I could give. There are many incredible ambient musicians who truly inspire me with their ability to create and transport me to their fantastic sonic worlds. And plenty have contributed to my growth as a musician - I am permanently indebted to many of them, whom I am honoured to call friends. But in my soul, I am a pianist, and the instrument [or its echoes] inevitably make it into my tracks. And this is what I love about Jason's music. His most recent release on the beloved n5MD, Inherent, is a more upbeat, forward-driven progression, combining his skills of crafting dance-oriented grooves with atmospheric soundtracks. For his upcoming EP, Jason reworked three tracks into pure ambient pieces. To truly appreciate the transformation, start by hearing the original track, followed by this alternative version. If you want to dig deeper into the process behind the composition (including the details of the actual effects chain used, like the Space Echo, etc.), you can read up on Headphone Community, where Jason revealed it all when he was a featured artist for the entire month of July [the content is still up there!]. Deep listening and focus are essential to truly appreciate the textures here...

https://www.patreon.com/HeadphoneCommunity







TRACK PREMIERE : Jason van Wyk - Inner (Horizon)

Tune in to this week’s podcast replay: Composer Suzanne Ciani began her musical journey with the piano, but after discovering Don Buchla and the world of electronic music, she never looked back. Ciani has been a pioneering force in bringing electronic instruments into mainstream pop culture, shaping film, television, and music along the way. Join Dan, Mike, and Ashley as they dive into the remarkable career of one of America’s trailblazing female synth icons.

EP. 144 - Synth Pioneer Suzanne Ciani

Recorded by @markusguentner for The Memoir, 2025.
All tracks are written and produced by @markusguentner.
Artwork by Gabriella Holmström.
Curated by Hypnus Records.

00:00 Markus Guentner & Julia Kent - Refraction [A Strangely Isolated Place]
08:00 Markus Guentner - Donaunebel [Kompakt]
12:16 Markus Guentner - Ashes [Affin]
18:08 Markus Guentner - Toter Hafen [Sending Orbs]
22:56 Markus Guentner - Nowhere [A Strangely Isolated Place]
29:52 Markus Guentner - Innenfeld [Kompakt]
34:48 Markus Guentner & Tom Moth - Halo [A Strangely Isolated Place]
42:08 Markus Guentner - Damit du endlich weisst … [Kompakt]
47:44 Markus Guentner & Hollie Kenniff - Presence [A Strangely Isolated Place]
52:00 Markus Guentner - The Coral Crowd [Moodgadget]
01:02:40 Markus Guentner - Keep your eyes closed [Affin]
01:08:48 Markus Guentner & Pepo Galán - Ancestral Images [A Strangely Isolated Place]
01:12:32 Markus Guentner - Concept of Credence [A Strangely Isolated Place]
01:18:56 Markus Guentner - Nun [A Strangely Isolated Place]
01:24:28 Markus Guentner & Sonae - Farbe der Nacht [A Strangely Isolated Place]
01:30:40 Markus Guentner - Hive [Affin]
01:34:56 Markus Guentner - Doppelgänger [Sending Orbs]
01:42:48 Markus Guentner - New World Order [A Strangely Isolated Place]
01:51:04 Markus Guentner & Joachim Spieth - Vanish [A Strangely Isolated Place]
01:56:16 Markus Guentner - Das Haus steht leer [Sending Orbs]
02:01:20 Markus Guentner - Ejecta [A Strangely Isolated Place]
02:08:32 Markus Guentner - Babylon [Affin]
02:13:20 Markus Guentner & Abul Mogard - While Hunting nightmares and dreaming for Peace [A Strangely Isolated Place]
02:17:36 Markus Guentner - Sparks [Kompakt]
02:23:28 Markus Guentner - Wanderung [Kompakt]
02:29:36 Markus Guentner & Benoît Pioulard - Father of Waters [A Strangely Isolated Place]
02:33:04 Markus Guentner & The Sight Below - Baryon [A Strangely Isolated Place]
02:39:28 Markus Guentner - Sommergewitter [Kompakt]
02:46:24 Markus Guentner - Everywhere [A Strangely Isolated Place]
02:56:00 Markus Guentner - Redshift [A Strangely Isolated Place]
03:01:36 Markus Guentner & Arovane - Utopian Fragments [A Strangely Isolated Place]
03:05:52 Markus Guentner - Humanity's Shadow [Affin]
03:09:52 Markus Guentner - Fura [A Strangely Isolated Place]
03:14:08 Markus Guentner - Here [A Strangely Isolated Place]
03:20:00 Markus Guentner - Cubic [Affin]
03:27:28 Markus Guentner - The Run [Moodgadget]
03:31:44 Markus Guentner - Crystal Castle [Affin]
03:39:12 Markus Guentner - Gattaca [Kompakt]
03:42:24 Heathered Pearls - Lower Dome / Markus Guentner Remix [Ghostly Int.]
03:45:40 Markus Guentner - Akijana [Affin]
03:51:12 Markus Guentner - Elara [Grenzwellen]
03:58:56 Markus Guentner & Karen Vogt - All Light Will Remain [A Strangely Isolated Place]
04:04:48 Joachim Spieth - Cahaya Bulan / Markus Guentner Remix [Affin]
04:11:36 Markus Guentner - Midnight Sun [Affin]
04:17:20 Karen Vogt - Cloud Forty-Three / Markus Guentner Remix [Self-Release]
04:20:48 Benoît Pioulard - Stanza IV 4.1 / Markus Guentner Version [Disques d'Honoré]
04:25:48 Markus Guentner - Prisa [Affin]
04:32:40 Sneaker Pimps - The Paper Room / Markus Guentner Remix [UNFALL]

Love and light

Page 162: Markus Guentner

This is my submission to this week's Disquiet Junto assignment. 

More on the 717th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Generation Gambit — The Assignment: Layer two eras of recordings, one of them imaginary — at https://disquiet.com/0717/.

Fujara [disquiet0717]

The Belgian musicians dudal (Dauw) and Adriaan de Roover unveil Pivot Rotations, a choreography of tape loops, motion, and quiet friction recorded live at Meakusma Festival and other shows, out via Viernulvier Records on November 21st.

Pre-order: https://adriaanderoover.bandcamp.com/album/pivot-rotations
More: www.orbmag.com/music

@viernulvierrecords
@adriaanderoover

Listen more

Premiere: dudal & de Roover - a

Isotope

My 33 1/3 series book about the Aphex Twin album <i>Selected Ambient Works Volume II</i> was published in 2014. The book was one of the top 5 bestselling titles for the calendar year, and in 2015 was ranked by Pitchfork as one of the "33 best" of the 100-plus books in the 33 1/3 series. It has subsequently been translated into Japanese (2019) and Spanish (2018)

Since 2012 I have moderated the Disquiet Junto group, which began on SoundCloud. More at disquiet.com/junto. 

I've written for Nature, Pitchfork, The Wire, Down Beat, Boing Boing, NewMusicBox, Red Bull Music Academy, Art Practical, the website of The Atlantic, and many other publications. 

I've exhibited sound art at galleries in Los Angeles (Crewest), Manhattan (apex art), and Dubai (DUTAC), and I had a audio-visual installation at the San Jose Museum of Art as part of its 45th anniversary.

And since 1996 I've run the website Disquiet.com about the intersection of sound, art, and technology.

Heckuva Pile [disquiet0137-oldtimeelectronica]

rpcollier

Recent comments

name constant

name constant

M. Ackerman

Related tracks