The 6th of 9 tunes on the 1st official Systems Theory CD "Soundtracks For Imaginary Movies" (2004). It's part of a set of 4 tunes from the CD that can be heard at Soundcloud. Pop over and hear the set and other tunes. Cheers, SDM.

Cool mellotron!! Love this track, lots of influences ... I'm hearing some 'Meddle' in there too.

Happy Holidaze Listeners; Like, Share, Download, Etc. !

BLKXMASMIX

In a perfect world all players in the game of life benefit, but in the 21st century as resources become scarcer and populations larger, hungrier, and more desperate, and wealth devolves into fewer and fewer controlling hands, the future looks to be a dangerous zero sum equation in which everyone loses.

"Zero Sum Equation" is the 7th track on "Soundtracks For Imaginary Movies". It was one of four tunes prototyped by Steven Davies-Morris and Greg Amov in December 2002, released on the "Bah Humbug, PRC" EP through the Progressive Rock Collectors forum. Nothing further happened to it for the best part of a year, when Mike Dickson added the mellotrons. Violins and lead electric guitar being added in the last couple of months before the album was put to bed.

Systems Theory - Zero Sum Equation

About Systems Theory: a long-distance internet music project formed through the usenet rec.music.progressive newsgroup in 1999 by ex-pat Brit in California Steven Davies-Morris, his long-time American friend Greg Amov and Scotsman Mike Dickson.

Some influences: Can, Eno, Eric Satie, Gong, Hawkwind, Jade Warrior, King Crimson, Kraftwerk, Mike Oldfield, Philip Glass, Tangerine Dream, musique concrète, 20th Century atonal classical music and sampling (not necessarily in that order).

We might remind you of (tongue in cheek): Can meets Jade Warrior and Tangerine Dream in a bar for a few beers while listening to Harold Budd, Ozric Tentacles and William Orbit. Then they head off to an after-hours club to drink single malt whisky while Steve Tibbetts and Steve Roach fire-up odd percussion and old-school electronics for a jam with Hawkwind and King Crimson refugees.

The official Systems Theory website is here: http://www.systemstheory.net/

First efforts resulted in two demos CDs:
"Demos 1999-2000", 5 tracks (2000)
"Demos 2001-2002", 6 tracks (2002)
 
Two official albums have been released on Independent Records, USA:
"Soundtracks For Imaginary Movies" (2004)
"Codetalkers" (2007)

A 3rd official Systems Theory CD will be available soon:
"overfulnoisecascade" (2011)

None of the tunes on the first demos set have appeared anywhere else. Four of the six tunes on the second set have been reworked and appeared elsewhere.

At some point after the release of "overfulnoisecascade" the original demos, alternate versions of released tunes, and previously unreleased compositions will be revisited.  They will be assembled into two CDs that represent where Systems Theory came from, while filling in the gaps for the listener who has to have everything the band recorded that wasn't so awful it was executed or locked up in a dungeon.  

Artwork for the released Systems Theory CDs is here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=1039520131&aid=103226

Greg Amov (born Nov 6th 1959, died Nov 3rd 2009) released three solo CDs on Independent Records:
"The Dark Within The Dark" (2001)
"Gecko Highway" (2005)
"The Noble Gases" (2009)

A 4th and possibly a 5th Greg Amov solo CD will be released in 2011-2012 from tracks "in the vault".

Greg's obituary can be read here: http://www.mikedickson.org.uk/greg/

Liner notes to Greg's 3rd CD shed some light on Greg's health issues. Go here: http://www.mikedickson.org.uk/noblegases/

An article about Greg's music published in the San Diego Troubadour can be read here: http://www.mikedickson.org.uk/greg/std.html

Artwork for the released Greg Amov CDs is here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=1039520131&aid=103226

Mike Dickson has released six solo CDs and several internet-only streaming projects:
"Six Consequences" (2007)
"Domus" (2007)
"Honfleur" (2008)
"In Excelsis" (2008)
"mellotronworks" (2008)
"Oddzial" (2009) [internet-streaming only]
"Basilica" (2011)

There is also a sampler CD of tunes from Mike's output.

The official web-site for Mike Dickson is here: http://www.mikedickson.org.uk/

Mike serves as the keeper of the Streetly Electronics Mellotron tape library sample demo page: http://www.mikedickson.org.uk/tron/index.htm

Cyndee Lee Rule has played Viper violin for a lot of progressive and space-rock projects. She has contributed Viper violin to tunes on both "Soundtracks For Imaginary Movies" and "Codetalkers" ("The Cool Vibe Of Asia C.", "Zero Sum Equation", "No Deli In Delhi", "Berlin Night Express"). She has released one solo CD, produced and engineered by Steven Davies-Morris, with the compositional and musical involvement of Greg Amov and Steven Davies-Morris:
"UFOsmosis" (2005)

A 2nd Cyndee Lee Rule CD will be available in the second half of 2011.

The official Cyndee Lee Rule website is here: http://www.cyndeeleerule.com/

Dun Strummin records under the project name Visible Breath. He contributed electric lead and harmony guitars to "Zero Sum Equation" on "Soundtracks For Imaginary Movies" and acoustic guitars to "No Deli In Delhi" and "Car Crash Messiah" on "Codetalkers".

The official Visible Breath website is here: http://www.visiblebreath.com/

Michael Futreal is part of The Offramps with his brother Andy and the trio Twang Darkly. The make modern electrified and traditional Americana with a strong Appalachian feel. Michael contributed the dulcimer that sounds like balalaika on "Last Letters From Stalingrad", the closing number on "Soundtracks For Imaginary Movies".

The official website for the Futreal brothers is here: http://www.futreal.com/

Brian Daly is a multi-instrumentalist and engineer/producer. He contributed electric lead and harmony guitars to "Green Miata Baja Bound" and slide guitar to "Zero Sum Equation" on "Soundtracks For Imaginary Movies".

Paul Beecham (ex-Thieves Kitchen) provided bass samples programmed by Steven Davies-Morris on "Car Crash Messiah", the 4th tune on "Codetalkers". He has also contributed bass samples to several as-yet-unreleased compositions.

Diane Amov contributed wood flute samples programmed by Steven Davies-Morris on "The Cool Vibe Of Asia C.", the 2nd tune on "Soundtracks For Imaginary Movies".  She also contributed flute samples used in some of the early Systems Theory demos.

If you go Mike Dickson's site http://www.mikedickson.org.uk/ you can download for free the first Systems Theory demos set, both Systems Theory albums, all of Mike's solo works and the releases by our late band-mate Greg Amov.

Systems Theory - Zero Sum Equation

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