"A Convocation of Wizards" tells the story of the rulers of a faraway set of lands that are controlled and governed by a group of six high wizards that are each representative of their respective schools of magic and of the chosen discipline of Wizardry. The album is structured to depict the culture and zeitgeist of this Magocracy and of the Convocation itself. The opening song: " Magocracy and Convocation" and the final song "Warcasters" are purposely juxtaposed to show the balance of the album and of the Convocation of Wizards as a whole. At the "core" of the album are six songs that represent both the House/School of Magic and their respective discipline/order, but also the current respective Wizard that sits at the table of six and even their personality and condition in life. At the center of the album is a "flavor" piece that is built around a central core that is shared by all the six houses/orders--the Cantrip. The Cantriip are a type of spell that is so studied and practiced that it becomes second nature to the Wizard and can even be catalysts to other higher spells or even rituals. The Cantrip also represents the tremendous and rigorous studies and training these Wizard endure from a very young age--overall there are many musical phrases and bridges that reflect this "loss of innocence” in the tracks to show the overall duality and conflicts with the Magocracy as well as each of the High Wizards themselves. "The Mage" has this idea in it very strongly as a haunting, recurring passage/phrase in the song seems to remember or even lament for a simpler time... maybe even "home" ?  The picture on the cover depicts when the first Convocation of Wizards clandestinely gather long ago to conspired to construct this very Magocracy.

A Convocation of Wizards

This track is the counterpart of "Warcasters" in both execution  and concept. It shows the "statesman" side of Wizards  as a 6 come together to form the top of the Magearchy that rules their lands. This Wizards Convocation is both Judical and Legistlative and Coalition of Greater Kingdoms as ambassadors.

Magocracy  and Convocation

The Druid

Another piece for the "Convocatoin of Wizards' Album/Playlist overall a series of "Hard mixes"

11/14: 1st major update: remixed wav in TRacks with Sunset Studios Accousitics/Reverb, Adding "interesting" air to backing, mix was sent to reel to reel tape for compression and added bias and then Stealth Limiter for final stage. All presence brought up, overall mix is cleaner and percise--most all transients left entact. Base mix and busses unchanged. This track has evolved (revolved ? :) )  into the "cornerstone" and  "keystone" of the whole album/project..

The story below shows the contrast of ideas of peace and war that drive this song (and even this album) and give this songs hard edge but also a somehow lamenting yearn for better times.

The Story:
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Zimmerhahn ducked quickly to the right, just as a huge rock crashed beside him but then rolled harmlessly down the hill. "Those Orges are getting better aim, time to make them forget that" 
As he bathed the Orges in a blue light, he had a sudden flash back to the day the assistant to the high mage had stopped by to tell his parents that he had been invited to enroll all tuition paid into the "School of Magearchy and Mastery". He was so young and just didn't comprehend how this would change his life, how... he would eventually wind up a Warcaster on a faraway battleground... *ZAHKK* again he instinctively dodges a Cantrip, that a rival Mage who didn't like his meddling had casted, as he dodged, he spun right and let off a flare of red fire that was slightly stronger than what his adversary had decided would be hit to stifle Zimmerhahn. The enemy Mage clutched at his throat as the pure fire collapsed his esophagus then shot straight up through the top of his head, he fell over just a smoldering husk. "Now all I have is killing and war" 
Zimmerhahn thought back to those innocent days, "If only I had not gone with the high mages assistance that day, maybe now ... would be .... Home..."

The Mage

Many of the Strongest Wizards become Leaders and Statesmen, but when War roams over the Collition of Greater Kingdoms--these statesmen or even more specialized Wizards are drawn into these warring Kingdoms and don the most terrifying discipline of The Magical that ever was--War Magic. In short they become the most feared type of Wizard--The War Caster, as they try and keep whatever level of civilization they may reported before they are Geared in Lightning, Fire, and Steel or even use arcane magiks to power ancient constructs which will stalk over the Battleground rending all Asunder, as the  War Caster protect these Behemoths with magical shields. Above all this Darkness and Carnage the War Casters fire volley after volley of dark spells, fire and rays at all who dare to resist.  All the while these liberium of Dark Arts of War will  tear at the Wizards very Souls...

A highly Analog driven synth (via IKMM Synthronic 2) piece underscored by deep bass and drums in a very retro Progressive Rock style--massive by Native Instruments rounds out the sound.  


11/14: 1st Update - Following the Tracks component layout of "The Mage" did initial Mastering of this track. remixed wav in TRacks with Sunset Studios Accousitics/Reverb,  Final mix was sent to reel to reel tape for compression and added bias and then Stealth Limiter for final stage. All presence brought up, overall mix is cleaner and percise-- all transients left entact. Base mix and busses unchanged.

War Casters

The Shadow Priest

More complex continuation of the original song, still very much a WIP and this first cut has a composition issues as well as the fact that a few of the TR fx cutout  and were not in this recording--IKMM Space Fx was a major one and gthe Buss that Massive was on failed to play as the top effect in the chain failed to Auth... MTC

Note: only one version of this song will go on the final album in Oct so which every does better here at SC will most lilkely drive that.. in likes, reposts, comments, etc However many a time I put out a "Notes and Studies"  companion for works that I feel should 'exist' beyond the final play list, so the 2nd best of the two will be on that.

The current is the 3rd cut of this track--this version need to lose that screechy guitar near the middle and there are a few more compositional fixes as well.. but currently me and my computer are not getting along--however my day job is programmer, so I will win or it will find itself summing small numbers and I will take my virual studioes elsewhere ;) Upshot: so the 4th cut of this may not be out as soon as I like

note: was the "Full on mix"

The Warlock

The Composition is built around the Key of D Minor. In addition there are two cascading progressions that form the core of the somg. the two progressions are paired with each other (in Paraelle, or more accurrately in Tandem) such that the first chord of the first progression is paried with the first chord of the second progression. The First progression only explores the Key of D/D min the second progression follows a range of notes all up down the scale but ones that complement the paired Chord from the first progression. The idea  behind this is Cantrips are small spells that are generally the result of rigerous practice such that they are 2nd nature, in card games such as mtg they are spell cards that are invoked yet let you draw another card to replace them (a very important mechanic in a card game) Again the cacading progression in this song reflects the basic idea of a small incantaion (the 2ns Chord in the Chord pairings just described) which results from little to no obvious effort from the 1st Chording in the pairing--Key of D in all of variations, well this is basis of the idea behind the composition.  Most major gaming systems that have some sort magic based "Subsystem"  (D&D, MTG, etc.) have some form of Cantrip. Historically, The idea of Cantrips are thought to be of Celtic origin and may even be the "Trick" in the idea of Trick or Treat....

Cantrips and other minor incantations

The Shaman is a child of Ancient primordial ways. What other Wizards do with long verbal incantations many in ancient eldered languages, the Shaman does in primal chants and dance as their disciples and followers play primitive drums and other percussive instruments. As this all reaches a fevered pitch, primal elemental spring up from the Earth and either become part of the Ritual or provide protection as even more ancient elderish horrors appear as this all goes on. through the night...

This track is built around various "world" drum kits (Arabic, Japanese, Water, etc. ) and 3 IKMM Heavy Drum kits ( Metal, Extreme, and Djentleman)--using 3 different instances

The Shaman

9/25 Pass 3:  Added Fender Bassman '59 to the  deepb bass to add more definition and flavor to that extremely deep bassline.  Added the 3 Modo Drum Kit (DJEntleman) to thicken the drums and do not let them to get overrun by the extermely Driver DG and EB. Also running 3 Modo Bass--the project/track  is  over 10 gigs in memory-as this give me a great deal of flex in regards to the bass as the Low opening bass. if so low only a few of the notes in the sequence is even in range of Modo Bass. This is the first time in a long time I have worked in FLStudio with just one Slayer 2 vst to start to flesh out the riffs not using any external tools or even idea.--just me and a virtual electric guitar and my ear to start laying bass and lead riffs. All told there are about 8 Slayer 2 vsts and those are spread over 4 amp rigs via IKMM Amplitude 5. 

9/26 The opening phase seemed incomplete, so I added more of "Calling opening". The whole song is interactions between the Necromancer, who calls for the dead to rise and do his bidding and the masses of dead (the complex arpgeggio-like riffs) and the reaction of the targets of these themes are very much like the risen masses and will soon intertwine together.  The main leads Magiks are demostrated by the Drums, which then work into the tangle mass of the conflict between the enemies of the Necromancer (the heroes) the risen masses... as the Necromancer repeats his "call" to keep the risen updead to do all he wills... the final notes show how the call of the Necromancer vanquishes all...

The Necromancer

I have always had a general rule about Wintermut3, "I make music I want to hear" A Part of that has been to overcome barriers and "traditions"  of what Electronic music has been and continues to be--the upshot being, Wintermut3 will move in directions (Funk, Metal, Rock, etc ) that are of interest, despite being a pure electronic artist. Note this does not exclude me from making more "common" types of Electronic music. I will never stop making--as long as I breathe--Trance, Jungle, Breakbeat, Techno, etc. In Fact for about 15 years I have been exploring the idea that we may be not just at an Post Electronica but may in fact be nearing a musical Epoch (for lack of a better word) what I am saying is we might be heading for a music metamorphis on the order of when Baroque became Classical Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Telemann (most prolific composer in history, over 3000 compositions (Late Baroque-->Early Classical)  Mozart,  Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert. These types of musical epochs are a hundred to over two hundred years in length. The period that is being bridged for us is the hundred or even nearly two hundred period in which Blues and Jazz was born and then over a hundred years influenced nearly all forms of music that we know which all music was. Electronica was born around the mid to late 1920s as that was the time several electronic instruments (Theremin ). For the most part Electronic music has been amazingly resistent to Blues and Jazz, but there are definately times that resistence has lessened. I feel all the various forms of music that where born out of Blues and Jazz or heavily influenced by it are fusing back into Electronica. I am not the only artist who strives for a hybid of "real" and electronic. Only time will tell...  

to that end, from Blade Runner: 

Dr. Eldon Tyrell:  "More Human than Human"
which I extend to Wintermut3:
"More Real than Real"  (on creation of "virtual" music)

Overall I am inspired even driven by this quote:

“Once you free your mind about a concept of harmony and music being correct, you can do whatever you want. So, nobody told me what to do, and there was no preconception of what to do…"  :Giorgio Moroder

In addition to living by the above quote:
Welcome to my nearly 20 year journey:  my music project Wintermut3 originally created in late 1998, with a first public release in early 1999 on mp3.com and other Music sites...

Originally inspired by the works of William Gibson, Wintermut3 is about bringing the listener into the sights and visions of the music. 
The music is highly story and concept driven and is made to immerse the listener in mood and feeling. 
The overall goal is to take the listener to a place they have never been before.
Highly infused with the music of Progressive Rock (Yes, Rush, Genesis, etc.) and early electronic (Tomita, Vangelis, Tangerine Dream, etc) all blended in with more "contemporary" electronic sounds (Massive attack, Enigma, Orbital, the Orb, BT, etc) into something I call: "Concept Electronica". None of the sounds you hear in Wintermut3 are "loops" or "samples" especially the more organic sounds (electric guitars, horns, etc), I lovingly lay every note and run them through various software (DAWs, VST, VSTi, etc) and or model the Instrument that renders them. I have spent many many years to get Wintermut3 to sound as "real" and organic as I can... I take great pride in this ;)
Regardless, what results is music that follows the original premise of my musical "project" Wintermut3--music that is a logical progression of what is known and loved up to the point of the project's inception over 16 years ago--In short, it is music "Built for the Future", not now...but it is always fine to like, love it now...