Once again, I find myself cursing the almighty algorithms.  (Please take a moment to listen to yesterday's track, the slow gothy post-punk drum pounder known as "You're Not Around."  For whatever reason, it has--so far--received far fewer listens than the average Interbay track.  I don't know why this happens, but it does seem to happen regularly to tracks that I'm especially proud of...the tracks I want to be heard by MORE people, not fewer!)  

OK--I assume you were willing to help me out by listening to "You're Not Around" (and you might as well go ahead and follow this page, since you are exactly the kind of person who I make music for), NOW, let's talk about TODAY'S track.  

It's a harder than you'd expect piece of digifunk cyberpunk, telling the story of a woman who is tired of accepting crumbs and scraps and is finally putting her foot down to demand what she deserves.  It's got some dubsteb bass, lots of synths (including one that sounds like a guitar), spoken word and, making their third appearance on an Interbay song...a trio of backing singers that aren't sampled, but were recorded live at Phantom Laboratories West.

The title "Just Enough", in addition to reminding any 80s fan of the Depeche Mode Song, "Just Can't Get Enough"--specifically was inspired by a far less well known song from the same era--a song I was so glad I took a chance on the 6-track ep it came out...because they immediately vanished without a trace.  The band who did that song, named "Just Enough," was Illustrated Man (after the classic Ray Bradbury tale.)   They were a supergroup of sorts, as it featured Hugo Burnham from Gang of Four, Rob Dean from Japan (the band, not the country), Rob Mason who was a tour musician for Gary Numan, and Phillip Foxman who had been in the glam rock band Supernaut...and they were said to be an excellent live band, and many thought they'd be the next big thing.  

They were brought from the UK over to New York...and promptly disbanded.  

Many of the songs on that 6 track mini-LP, including "Just Enough," were secret weapons that I put on so many mixtapes.  They had a Simple Minds, Japan, Duran Duran, The Fixx sound and deserved better.  

Their song "Just Enough" is, lyrically, the polar opposite of this, the new Interbay track.  While the singer for Illustrated Man wanted just enough love to get them by, the Interbay track wants you to know that just enough isn't good enough anymore.  

The phrase was something my late wife would  share with our kid, to motivate them into wanting to do extra credit, to do their best in class with everything, and not to take the easiest path.   

Had she stuck around longer, I bet she'd have made it stick--but I think both the kid and I are too often settling for "just enough."  Perhaps this song can serve as motivation for me, then?

I don't want to condemn this song to the minimal listens by saying that I like this particular track...(but...well, I think you can guess and not bring down the wrath of whatever from high a top the thing, if you happened to guess correctly...)  

As always, the best way to help this Interbay music project out is by listening to Interbay tracks, giving them a like, reposting them, sharing them, commenting on them, adding them to a playlist...and to follow this page for more.  This is the 356th original Interbay song posted over the course of the last 356 days--one new track every day (so far!)  Getting close to a year!  

"Just Enough (Isn't Good Enough)" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

As often seems to be the case, this track changed a lot over night.    

I was opening a brand new empty project with no particular ideas in my head.  I saw that I had a plugin that offered some drum sounds and patterns that might be good for hyperpop--a genre that I don't think I've officially tried to do, but one that my kid seems to get into.  

I still haven't attempted to do hyperpop, because I'd forgotten that the tempo of the project had been pre-set to 103bpm, rather than the ludicrous speed that a lot of hyperpop travels at...  

But there was something compelling about hearing this particular pattern and the sounds that go with it played at a tempo it was never meant to be played at.  I let it play over and over again...I was mesmerized and I thought it was already very cool.  And the only thing that I could do would be to ruin it.  ;)  

Oh yeah, I Interbay'd all over this drum pattern and sound--but, surprisingly, I believe I showed more than my normal amount of restraint.  For a change, when I describe an Interbay track as being "minimal"--this time, I'm not kidding...it's really minimal.

And yet, funky.  Helped by a vocal chop that when I added an echo effect to it, these non-articulate chopped up sounds suddenly sounded like they were saying "Aero-funk" in various configurations, over and over again.  

Now, I have NO idea what Aerofunk is--but doesn't that SOUND cool?  I thought so, so I added a deeper male voice that is ACTUALLY saying "Aerofunk" and I have it matching up, more or less, I think there's an Arrow where a Funk should be in at least one part of the loop.  

And that's when I realize what this was all reminding me of...  Prince's Sign O The Times album, specifically the title track and, even more so, "Hot Thang."  That is an underrated track in the Prince catalog--a display of expert minimalism and the joy in repetition and how only a few precise sounds can work so well...a lot of the credit goes for the spaces in between the sounds.  

So, as I was falling asleep after enjoying a plate of bucatini that my kid made for me, that's where I left things...and what I thought I was making.  It seemed obvious to call the track "Aerofunk" but I didn't name the temporary project file that, instead, I named it "Gossamer."  

Over night, in between some frighteningly realistic and intense dreams (I blame the bucatini--not that it wasn't good, it was just too much, too late), I woke up and had a completely different idea in mind.  (But, I kept all the cool parts from what I'd already done--so, Aerofunk now means nothing in particular to the track...just...something...very...Interbay.)  

Gossamer, the blanket of cobwebs that can stretch across grasslands and around trees, gave me an image of something fragile, breakable...whose beauty is often overlooked.  And that's where Piper comes in.  She's our main vocalist on this track--though she doesn't ever say Aerofunk.  

Piper is saying my words, my thoughts, my fears...and my vulnerabilities.  (If you haven't noticed, I'm a bit of a mess.)  And yet, in coming up with the words I wanted Piper to say...I found myself wanting to give myself a happier ending, and perhaps some motivation to change my circumstances?  I hope someone other than me can relate to all this...  

Gossamer can seem scary (after all, spiders...ugh) but it isn't that big of a deal.  It doesn't have to hold you back.  

So, not exactly "Hot Thang."  

Hope you like it.  Listen, like, repost, share, comment, playlist and follow (or any combination of those if it includes listening to "Gossamer.")  And please follow for more Interbay, daily drops of new tracks continues and you wouldn't want to miss any!

"Gossamer" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

Hmmm...yesterday's posted Interbay track, "Some Grand Gesture", a sophisticated Big Pop track with a little bit of everything in it, did not get as many listens as most Interbay tracks do.  Now, sometimes, the algorithm just hiccups--nobody's fault.  Other times, perhaps the type of song just isn't as popular as other types of songs.  But, I'm going to apologize to "Some Grand Gesture," because I think THIS time, I was too honest with my self-criticism and doubts in the description.  Yeah, it could deserve a remix--but it's certainly a worthy SoundCloud track.  (And you should check it out!)  

So, here I am on a Sunday afternoon, about to post another pop track that I have some misgivings about.  Am I just testing fate here?  

Where "Some Grand Gesture" had great sound design and less exceptional vocal elements, "Jumping Up and Down the Floor" boasts excellent vocals--though, I have my reasons for overprocessing these vocals more than I would prefer.  

It is actually overprocessing that caused me concern.  Last night, I had an almost finished pristine synth pop track when I fell asleep.  Three hours after I woke up today, I had taken that clean track and made it into a totally nasty sounding mush.  Every perceived flaw received an attempt to fix it with more and more effects, which just made everything worse.  

I was ready to upload it, but I listened to it one more time.  I loved the track, loved the vocals, loved the arrangement...I just hated the mix.  

I took a breath.  I reopened the project.  I took off about 80% of the effects that I'd put on it.    

And it sounds so much better.    

It's not perfect--but I'm rather proud of the end result, and my willingness to realize my mistake and take the time to fix it.

I want to be honest about my process in these descriptions.  I want to show improvement and explain my frustrations when that improvement is slow.  BUT--I still want you to listen to the songs I post.  I promise, I won't post anything truly horrible (I did take down an early track here when I realized it wasn't good enough to stay posted.)    

So, give this track a listen--give it a like, a repost, a share, add it to a playlist, leave a comment...AND follow for more tracks, daily.  

(...and then, take a few minutes more and listen to "Some Grand Gesture"--it also deserves your ears.)

"Jumping Up and Down the Floor" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

Post-punk, dance, indie, electronic, and mutant pop in various styles (seriously!)--new tracks being posted daily (every day for over a year, so far!)

Interbay is the new project of Peter Greyy (previously of Cremation Dance and DangerScience), based out of Seattle and Phantom Laboratories West.

New tracks tagged #digi-funk