As promised here are three new things:
Prelude for Abby (mp3 , 917KB, 0:58)
This is a very short piece that comprises a piano line accompanied by strings. It is a straight improvisation (first the piano was played and then the strings) done whilst I was learning how to integrate Cubase with the Pulsar environment which makes up the heart of my studio. It is rather prettier than my usual work and is, as the title says, for Abigail.
A Certain Amount (mp3 , 2,016KB, 2:08)
This was done playing with Samplitude and making sure I could do multitracking in the way I used to with my old studio. The voice comes from the Pulsars Modular 2 (which has sample oscilators - something I always wanted on the nord modular). The mbira sounds are an attempt at playing with polyrythms - however they are just played straight and the timing is very vague.
A little black book of poems (pdf , 231KB, 22 pages)
This is a notebook of poems from 1995. It is presented here not as great art ('cos its not) but as an historical document. It contains an introduction and notes about each of the poems presenting my thoughts on the me of then. The title refers not only to the actual notebook (which is black) but is of course a quote from Pink Floyd as well ( "I've got a little black book with my poems in, Got a bag with a toothbrush and a comb in.").
Busy, Busy and little Milo hasn't even arrived yet. A. has a friend staying and they are both asleep - so I am catching up with things. Outside is cold and wet and windy and somewhere in the house Roo (a small cat) is complaining that he isn't getting any attention.
Biggest news is that I have a car. Its a Mondeo and well cool - its great to be mobile again.
I've been getting to grips with my new studio setup - its a lot more compact than the old one and nearly completely digital. Its a lot more suited to the way I work than the last one and I have already been making bits and pieces as I learn the ins and outs of it all. I have two short tracks that I will post tomorrow.
I have also completed typing up an old note book of poems. This notebook dates from late 1995 and is of more historical than literary interest. Never the less I will post it here tomorrow as well.
As you may have guessed my cable connection is not here yet - November 23rd I am told. I have no idea how people put up with dial up connections - it is SO SLOW.
My parents visited last weekend and we went and did some of those touristy things which you never normally get around to. One of the places we visited as the Royal Yacht Britannia at the docks in Edinburgh. It is fascinating to look around but ever so sad to see the state it is in. I remember seeing it when I was considerably younger from a boat in portsmouth harbour - the gold band gleaming. Now it looks old and tired.
I haven't really had much time for reading of late but the media discovery of the moment is Scot Walker (once of the walker brothers). His album Tilt is an astonishing piece of work. His incredible baritone set against strange noises and dark strings is something to behold. Also worth a mention is Strategies against Architecture III by Einstürzende Neubauten - the third in their compilation series.
I am still not connected to the net at home so the update process is still slow. Should have dial up later today though and broadband sometime in the very near future. Then of course I will have to think of other excuses for infrquent updating.
The studio situation is close to being resolved - I have figured out a plan for a minature heavily computer based studio that will fit on the desk I have available. My XTk (details) will serve as not only a sound source but a midi controller and I will get a very small (and cheap mixer) to route signals into the computer. Once this is up I will finally finish the projects I have on the go - not least the storytellers project (edited by my friend Rick) which is getting on for being the best part of a year late (eek).
The Friends reunited website has brought all sorts of people out of the woodwork. There is a comment under another of these entries from someone who lived in my street when we where growing up. I have also been in touch with Dave who I used to run positive with. As you can see he is running another software house now. The friends reunited site is a brilliant idea. Its great being nosy at what people are up to now.
One of the more amusing things that croped up out of the blue was the whole Bert is evil thing. Best of all is the fact that he appears on real banners held by supporters of Osama Bin Laden. As time has gone by the conspiricy theorists have been hard at work. For real mind blowing overview of nearly all the theories I have seen so far check out the inimitable Richard Hoagland.
On a more serious note I have been reading a couple of excellent books recently - "No Logo" by Naomi Klein. I disagree with a lot of the sentiments of this book (of which more at another time.) however the book does provide some fascinating insights into modern capitalist society. The other book I have been reading is the brilliant Emergence by Steven Johnson. The subject matter is one that should be familiar to all computer scientists - that of how systems comprised of a simple set of components or rules generates complex and often unpredictable behaviour. What is great about this book is the way in which the author covers the concepts covering everything from ants nests to Renaissance florence and all sorts of things in between. The writing on cities is particularly good and very poetic. It has made me want to go back and read Invisible Cities.
If you are looking for interesting,entertaining and sometimes very strange things on the web you have to check out Memepool. The Daily Grail is also well worth a look too.
How busy? Between moving & working life has been mad full. The new house is great - still not connected to the rest of the world as yet. The good news is that I will be able to get digital including broadband. It must be said that the thought of dial up didn't fill me with great joy. Only four channels (channel five doesn't count) is not great either.
All my belongings are curently in boxes. I was lucky enough to find my socks but there are many more things to find. Finding my camera is the next project. If I do then I will post some pictures of my new house.
Media wise the big discovery is the league of gentlemen. I have the first series on DVD. It lies somewhere between the absurd humour of Becket and the surealism of python. Highly recomended. Also well worth checking out is Tori Amos's cover of Eminem's Bonny and Clyde. Truly and deeply disturbing.
This entry was written on my palm pilot - look out for a proper entry soon.