Music News – New Album; Mind The G.A.P.

July 3, 2024

Music News

23/06/2024 - New Album; Mind The Gap

When making music I like to have a focus point and that means some sort of concept behind it this is my first proper attempt at making an instrumental concept album about a man and later on down the line the world’s demise. I won’t give away the plot as I have made an eBook and an audiobook of the story I wrote around the events of what went on so I’ll leave a link to both below but it has a few twists and turns. Mind The G.A.P. which is short for government against people was from an old album I made and wasn’t happy with so I reused the name for the story and concept album as it fitted into the story which is partly on a train. I had fun making the intros which are on all the tracks and I used free samples from Pixabay and my own collection of synth plugins which vary from the Aturia Collection and the Korg Collection which I used quite a lot on the album. I tried to make the album a bit dystopian feel to it thanks to the heavy machinery and I also tried to set the scene for the intros which I had fun doing even though it was sort of a pain collecting samples for the bigger picture but I’m happy with all of them. As I said I won’t go into detail for this album as there are a few things attached like the audiobook and eBook but overall I would call it a synthy Electronic album inspired by Hip Hop drums, Reggae, Dub and Electronic music. It gives me a good excuse to get the keyboard out and play something instead of doing it by hand or playing bare minimal notes which is fun but I like my songs to have variations. It’s a mixed batch of BPMs so there are fast, medium and slow tracks that aren’t for dancing but to have on in the background while you are doing your stuff. I finished this album in four days or though I was writing the story and picking suitable photos for the eBook even though I scrapped them and went for my friend’s lovely drawings for illustration purposes. It’s funny as after my many anxiety dreams I’ve had a lot of inspiration from my nuclear dreams and made a few things around it. I don’t even know what it all means apart from I’m worried about some sort of nuclear attack happening but I’m still not taking the threats that seriously not as much as the internet tells us it’s all doom and gloom. Also, it talks about the careless government and their uncaring but I’m caring side that got a lot of people into trouble. It’s funny as I knew there was going be some sort of hoo-ha with the government which is why I made my first version of Mind The G.A.P. which was all about mocking the government and warning people not to trust them so in short don’t trust them if it’s the last thing you do. It’s like it was in the making and was all planned out and I don’t know what it was but I should have been more vocal in the lead-up to the Brexit row which severed the UK into half.  The world is now an ugly place with people like Trump, Boris and even other countries who are now being plagued with rotten and greedy governments who are not for the people no matter how much they claim to be complete hogwash for sure. Part of me is wondering if these people just want to be elected to get rich off the poor and by the looks of things that is what happening so do try and remember your own feelings and others around you before you hit that ballot box cos I don’t want to hear any sighs once they been elected.  I don’t care anyway we are doomed either way it’s like picking the lesser evil in a bid to get what we desire come to find out it’s all based on lies and temptation to get us the voters to vote. It does get me angry and that is why I stay away from the news and newspapers when I can it’s too many lies and cover-ups some make me really mad and don’t get me started on the double standards they have the newspapers, outlets and government.

Music News – New Single; Dimmed Lights

June 7, 2024

Music News

17/05/2024 - New Single; Dimmed Lights

More Jungle/Drum and Bass music with this quick single I made quite a while ago now and found the original version on my computer so I thought I’d make a single by adding two more tracks. There were actually four to make it a EP but I had to take it off but hopefully I’ll be allowed to add it on another single, EP or even album. I made the original track and the first track on the single in summer of 2021 around and was my chilled Jungle/Drum and Bass track to have on in the summer. It was like you were in a heatwave and you are chilling on a country field enjoying the heat and don’t forget your summer hat ladies lol. I used the synth plugin Omnisphere for those synths sounds, it has some really nice sunny type sounds that are perfect for those summer chill out tracks and also for winter I think they have some diverse sounds on them even though it is expensive but most treasured synth plugins to use for summer and winter beats and you heard it hear first lol. I called the single Dimmed Lights as the first and the original track had that dimmed light feel to it plus I believe she’s saying light all over the track so I added that as well. It’s funny as it’s also was a note to myself to change the light bulb in my life as things were getting dim and I could no longer see in the past no more. As I keep saying it all feels like a blur and  a past memory but so much has changed over the decades and  whilst I was growing. It’s hard to pin point where the fun was really coming from as there was a lot going on at that time and the world was a oyster for talented and business savvy people who ceased the day and hit it big. I also think the government has ruined some things and made it harder to have fun they kept adding new laws which later diminished the fun and all the activity that was going on around the 1980s up to the mid 2000’s when everything capsized so that’s the other reason behind the title Dimmed Lights. This is the last one I’ve made that is up for release so it’s back to making more singles, EPs and albums I think I’ll do another House EP since people like them with more Synthwave and general synthy beats to come in the next couple of months so please stay tuned. The first track as I said was the original track I made around 2019 and is one for those summer barbecues and hot sticky days. It’s a relaxing pace track with melodic chimes and a deep bass with a overlay of House vocals which I used for this Jungle/Drum and Bass track. It’s perfect to have on in the background for any event and is also good for concertation if you are studying or even reading it make you read 10 times quicker as long as it’s not blasting that is. It’s my favourite on the single and I like the relaxing chimes and the vocals over the beat which I think suits it quite well, I also like the bass which helps the concertation of the beat. The next track Dimmed Light (Remix) is the club version and is the danceable track I made around a couple of months ago and is one for those hot days dancing if you ain’t too hot. I used the same instruments changing some of them to make it sound a little different from the first track. I used a Reggae sample pack for those skank keys and also I got the bass from there too and for the piano I used a original House key that I found within the Reggae sample pack but I think it’s quite diverse and was used on both genres. The last track Dimmed Lights (The Break Remix) is another one for those steppers and runners. I think it’s a perfect track to get fit to whilst doing some steps around the house or even at the gym and you can also dance to it as it is a dance track. I arranged it a bit different to the other two using the same vocals and keys as the first one for a step it up track. I think is also perfect for those sunny days chilling in the garden or wherever and I got the breaks from Splice.com where as you should know by now where  get all my samples from but also I got them from my own private collection I bought from Loopmasters.com.   

Rebitten By The Lizard Re-Mix

Gas No LightRebitten By The Lizard Re-Mix
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  1. Pulse (Blouses & Big Girls Version)
  2. Washed Up
  3. Lighthouse (Alternative Version)
  4. Friendly Locals
  5. Mediterranean Pasty
  6. Fortune (£2 Up Alternative Version)
  7. Sea Goddess (Queen Of The Sea Alternative Version)
  8. Mist (East Beach Alternative Version)
  9. Working At The Serpentine
  10. Beneath The Surface
  11. Max
  12. Pandemic (Chernobyl Alternative Version)
  13. Pandemic (Gore Box Remix)
  14. Pulse (The Non Dramatics Remix)
  15. Sea Goddess (Watch Over The Sea Remix)
  16. Lighthouse (Shine Bright Remix)
  17. Working At The Serpentine (Those Legs Are Evil Remix)

Played Out – Most Played Mix #1 (May 2024)

Gas No LightPlayed Out - Most Played Mix 2024
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  1. Gold Fields 
  2. Enough With The Heartache 
  3. Get It Done
  4. Blessing In Disguise
  5. Future Brings Bright
  6. Lost Soul
  7. Needing
  8. Lying On The Soul
  9. Inner Thoughts
  10. Rushing For It 

Music News – New EP; Call And Send

May 25, 2024

Music News

17/05/2024 - New EP; Call And Send

Some more Jungle/Drum and Bass for you with this three-track EP there was another one but it got vito by my distributor but bare with me as I’m reloading it for another EP or album coming real soon…probably lol. I called it Call and Send as calling and sending is an old pass time and is based around a phone call with the start, middle and end of a voicemail call the process I mean. They are all old tracks I made around 2019 to 2020 when I was making a lot of good Jungle and Drum and Bass and I thought they were good enough for the major releases and to rerelease as a major release available on all major music platforms. It’s funny as the tracks weren’t based around a phone call at first but were of various EPs I made so it wasn’t until now when I looked at the track list names and thought of the idea of it being a phone call. Also, it’s a follow-up to one of my unreleased EPs called Cold Caller a synthy EP I made and can be found on my paid Bandcamp and Soundcloud page. As always if you didn’t know by now I use Splice.com for all the vocal samples in this EP and some good ones really came out good I think, and one off the internet also which I can’t remember where I got it from it could also be from Splice.com. For the basses, I used a Reggae sample pack which has a lot of good clean and dirty dub basses which are an essential mix for making a Jungle/Drum and Bass track or I could have got them off Splice.com as I was using more of their bass samples more often around that time but I do like that sample pack it makes the tracks more the way I like it to sound bassy, old skool/new school and siny.  It’s also funny as I hate speaking on the phone and to strangers, you always get the cold callers and the pre-recorded messages about double glazing, solar panels or something tax-related. But I hate speaking on the phone it makes me nervous even though sometimes I actually can do it I have to know you to fully have a conversation with you or to break the ice which is what they are actually good at doing so I don’t know what the fuss is lol. That’s why email is the best form of contact for me I don’t know why I just don’t like to speak on the phone or even worse on the live chat although one day I will be there but for now, I’m going to sit myself down and have a nice one and a cup of coffee.. ahh! The first track Leave A Message is an upbeat rave track I made sometime in 2019 to 2020. I used a voicemail message or what they call a footnote on the track “The number you have dialed is not available at present please check the number and try again” You know that dreaded message looks like someone is playing hot potato lol. I like the bass on this one and the vocal sample chop-up of the ringtone and the voice footnote which I actually can’t remember where I got it from but it was definitely a find. The next track Leave A Message (I Hate Ya) is the response to the first track on this EP and one of my overall favourites that I made so far and off this EP. I like the pickup in the middle and love the vocals I used especially the hook and the pickup of the track which is in the middle when it changes. I also like the dramatic strings  I used in the pickup or when it changed to more of the furious dance session. I would say this one is for the club and to be played loud and is good release music. I got the vocal samples from Splice and I like the last vocal the most which I think makes the track into a good old-fashioned underground track. The last track The Reply (You’re Cray Cray) is the response to the last track and what the other person who received the voicemail said. It features me and I used my own voice and an adlib I quickly said down the microphone and made it around 2019 originally. It’s another favourite on the EP and I like the frantic synth and bassy bass over the pitched-up vocals of mine which I chopped up and made something out of. It’s another one to dance to and for the rave or to have loud if you like but not too loud lol.     

Patreon Platinum Tier Monthly Update; May 2024

Patreon Platinum Tier Monthly Update May 2024

My first platlium-tier monthly offering, it consists of;

*2  Synthwave albums which  are called  Free Range Love and Destiny Awaits. 

*1 House EP The Night Is Young,

*2 UK Funky EPS Black Smoke In The Mirror and A Lil’ Funky,

*2 Jungle/Drum and Bass EP called Day In A Life and Like A Cow In The Night

*1 House single called Resolution. I made and wrote it around 2018 and did feature on an old album but I thought I’d put it as a four-track single too. I made the other three tracks recently after finding the vocal sample again and it’s the male perspective of Aaliyah’s We Need A Resolution and I wrote it line for line changing the words to responses and questions and answers back. 

*2 House Mini albums of my House remixes called 6 Pack Remixes II and III.

*2 general synthy album Rebitten By The Lizard my holiday album when I went to Lizard in Cornwall here in the UK in 2017. And then Social Distance my COVID-19 album I made in the midst of the first lockdown when it was new and dare I say exicting. 

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Patreon Silver Tier Monthly Update; May 2024

Patreon Silver Tier Monthly Update May 2024

My first silver-tier monthly offering. It consists of

*1 album which is the released Synthwave album called  Free Range Love

*1 House EP The Night Is Young,

*2 UK Funky EPS Black Smoke In The Mirror and A Lil’ Funky

*1 Jungle/Drum and Bass EP called Day In A Life

*1 Synthwave  EP called Journey Through The Life 

*1 House single called Resolution. I made and wrote it around 2018 and did feature on an old album but I thought I’d put it as a four-track single too. I made the other three tracks recently after finding the vocal sample again and it’s the male perspective of Aaliyah’s We Need A Resolution and I wrote it line for line changing the words to responses and questions and answers back. 

Patreon Gold Tier Monthly Update; May 2024

Patreon Gold Tier Monthly Update May 2024

My first gold-tier monthly offering. It consists of

*1 album which is the unreleased COVID-19 album I made amid the start of the Lockdown and is a synthy album.

*1 House EP The Night Is Young

*1 House single which is called Resolution. I made and wrote it around 2018 and did feature on an old album but I thought I’d put it as a four-track single too. I made the other three tracks recently after finding the vocal sample again and it’s the male perspective of Aaliyah’s We Need A Resolution and I wrote it line for line changing the words to responses and questions and answers back. 

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Music News – New Album; Three Moons Later

May 16, 2024

Music News

15/05/2024 - New Album; Three Moons Later

About a year ago I made an album called Space Lemonade and my first Afrofuturism album which was mixed with African drums and synths. I liked the album but felt I could have emphasised the African space theme I had in mind so this is my second pull of my take on Afrofuturism in music. I won’t go into what is Afrofuturism in music as I probably save that for a blog post or something special in the form of a blog post or something else I still haven’t decided but in a nutshell, I think the genre is sci-fi mixed with African elements. It’s not really a big genre and has been done a few times so I thought I put my spin on the unknown genre and have some fun messing about with various sounds. As always I used you guessed it Splice.com for all the percussion loops which I loved and think makes the songs more what I want them to be African. I have my African drum one shots which I made various drum patterns with, I only used one or two loops on each track mostly at the start to get things underway but most of the drums apart from one were all that I made and I think makes the songs even more. For the synths, I used one plugin the mighty Matrix from Arturia for all those spacy and Sci-fi synthy sounds and not one I tend to use a lot in the collection but something I always pull up when making Sci-fi tracks as it was used on a lot of old Sci-fi soundtracks from films and TV so it’s the perfect tool to use for any Sci-fi or spacy tracks. The album is something a bit different and my second Afrofuturism album, it’s mixed with Afro beats with other infused genres like Reggae, House, Funk, Latin music and Hip Hop with also synthy stuff on every track. There are some synthy tracks then there are the House or Electronic Dance Music tracks which I made for a difference in the album and some of my favourites on the album and what I have made so far. I say it’s my second Afrofuturism album it’s my third as I have an unreleased album called Afro Cosmic Generation but as I said I wasn’t happy with the outcome and worked out what it needed. The albums was inspired by the film Black Panther and when I saw it in the cinema I was instantly inspired and wanted to make some music but only had a few resources at the time which is just one of the reasons why I underperformed the other reason was that my EQing and compressing wasn’t there but I could play the keyboard that I could do. The first track Homeland Mothership is a synthy number and one of the most synthy tracks on the album. It reminds me of the meeting of the mothership and has a dramatic but melodic bass to it which is more from the genre Progressive Rock which I’ve always been obsessed about and partly my love for synthesizer which started from an early age after learning how to play when I was seven but I properly started but I began at six. I had a tough time playing what is the chorus over the beat, not the one usually to have trouble but this one was hard to play and just about got the job done. I think it’s the percussion clap that sticks in the middle of the mix what does it and it’s rhythmic and melodic so it may have been harder for that reason. The next track Alien Pharoah is another synthy vibe and one of my favourites on the album as I like the way it blends a few minutes in and has this king-like feel to it which I do like. It reminds me of being on the moon but in a palace and entertaining the Pharaoh or king, it has a spacy though desert appeal to it and also reminds me of camels for some reason. The next track The Gray’s System Of Failure is another African synthy vibe and another favourite on the album. I really like the drumming which reminds me of belly dancing and dancing in general and I also like the synths on this one too which is melodic and goes well with the drums. I really can imagine a band playing this somewhere in Africa or the Middle East and I think the drumming is quite funky and danceable. The next track Arfrikan Tribesman is an Afro House track and another favourite and my overall favourite on the album. I like the pumping drums but the synths make the track which I used Matrix from Arturia and vocals from once again Splice.com. I was kind of laughing as I loved how it goes in and out with the crazy melodic sequencer and I think it is one of the best playable tracks I’ve made so far and deserve a play for sure. Moving on to the next track it’s called Brother Planet and has more synthy African vibes. This is more electronic as in space glitch without the space glitch IE technology and has this techy feel to it like robots are marching or something like that. I like the chorus and the second instrument that comes in which gives it that electronic space, robot, intergalactic space feel to it. The next track Alien Power is another Afro House, space vibe track which I like and something a bit different from the other one I made Afrikan Tribesman. I like the drums in this one and the calm synths that are played in and out and act as the chorus. I also like the ending there is something about that synth that does it I feel and makes the song more edgy, dark and mysterious. The next track Planet Suppression is an upbeat breakbeat track that is good for those steppers. I feel the whole world is suppressed and down due to the ever-changing world and the major factors like 9/11, the terrorist attacks and now COVID-19 and other diseases and threats lurking the world needs the happy gas. I didn’t think about doing a sad track to go with the title and don’t like to make songs to drink or to get down in the dumps to not that kind of drinking anyway but I thought I make an upbeat track and I got the breakbeat loop from Splice.com. The next track Space War Face is another synthy African vibe and I like the synth for the chorus and the drumming which is quite fast-paced. It reminds me of the desert again or being in space but in a space desert kind of like being on the moon. The next track Afro Gray is another Progressive Rock space track and another favourite on the album as I like the melodic bass and the synthy stuff too which I think you could stick this on and just relax or daydream. The last track Into The Black Orbis is yet another African synth vibe and more in the Synthwave G Funk region. It’s yet another favourite on the album as I like the synths and the 80s drums I used on this track only for something a bit different from the other nine tracks on this album.Â