B V C K
Distortion & Resonance EP
ANAGLYPH 3D ELEMENTS
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE
Meaning
What Have you done is about love in essence, but touches on jealously, rage, revenge and forgiveness. The track itself spans both D&B and Dubstep but also brings the blues back to the fore with a guitar solo.
Making of
The track was originally made with no lyrics and a completely different bassline. The name of the track came from the original sample used on the track which was basically an actor from some random film I really can't remember saying "what have you done" I pitched the vocals down (standard nowadays) and boom I had a signature for a track. The original track is currently being re-worked with an up-to-date mix coming soon. Ironically the original track will end up being the remix? If you're a musician you can probably relate to this process of updating older works with new technologies. Now I have the technology to do things with audio I simply couldn't do 7 years ago I can finally engineer & produce the sounds I originally intended to instead of a compromise due to tools of the time. The intro synthesiser lead and stabs are the newer elements. the vocals and guitars are also brand new. The sample was the obvious inspiration for the new vocals, & after a little thought everything just came together logically.
Of all the tracks on this EP, this posesses the harshest sound that comes most naturally to my drum & bass production. It's this sound that may dominate the majority of future releases depending on feedback. For Phase One however, I've opted for a more commercial and user friendly sound. Call it the calm before the storm. The amen featured is eq'd just as intended. Sometimes its difficult the find the right eq curve. Luckily this one didn't take too long. Note - I never use EQ presets. I find it takes all the discovery & discipline away from engineering. Plus, like a painters brush strokes, if you use someone else's curve then you'll never establish you're own sound & style
While working on this track I recall everything falling into place, like Yoda waddled into my studio, purched on my back and force guided my mouse to all the right dials & settings. I was in the zone that day! The guitar solo was pretty hard to write though. It was my first attempt at playing the Blues over Drum & Bass. After nothing short of a million takes Rosewood and I had a momment. She sang all the right notes & did everything I told her to ;-) as opposed to the opposite, which is what normally how it goes.
Tech Stuff
Written and produced on Reason but re-wired through protools. Rosewood plugged straight into my soundcard and processed "in the box". The vocals were layed up a few times with some basic comping. Mastered at Metropolis by Stuart Hawkes. Favoured weapon of choice - reason's Scream-4 Destruction Unit
Download tracks to hear full digital quality
Meaning
AMEN is about the daddy of all breaks the "Amen" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SaFTm2bcac . Emotionally this break definitely evokes some kind of passion I can't explain. I've heard it an incalculable number of times in an infinite number of songs in more permutations than the Winstons could of ever of fathomed when they made history with 6 seconds of pure genius. When a pure Amen drops on a club system with a hundred bodies to soak a room's reverberations and pile drive the full 20hz to 20khz spectrum deep into the cerebrum it's audio nirvanna. Essentially I really like this break!
The other notable element is Rosewood of course. I've mentioned previously my respect and admiration for instrumental musicianship and the raw human imperfections that you hear & feel in a very different way to programmed elements. So I tried my best to write a guitar solo that matched the energy of the break.
Making of
Similar to what have you done this track is a reiteration of an older track made quite some time before having the tools to make how I originally heard it in my mind. The original was far less sophisticated. It was heavily layered, too heavy in fact. Far too many frequencies all competing for the same space. Similar sounds muddying the mix completely impeding all separation and depth of sound. It had a fair amount of impact from the weight of the layers but alas, it simply wasn't meant to be. When compared with other contemporary tracks it was a sound reflecting & inspired by another time in D&B's history. Soooo, to bring the track into a more "modern" landscape, all the drum elements where completely re-worked. New kicks, snares, rims, cymbals, hi hats and rides coupled with a reconstructed lower mid-range bass synth to give the track some drive and subliminal warmth. There was roughly 16 versions before the final mix. The trouble was the breakdown and neuro bass elements. Due to the randomness of re-sampling the final melodic pattern of the synth heard over the breaks after the amen & guitar solo are finished took a huge amount of patience and trial & error to get right. The Mix down was fun to do as the process teased out 'happy-accidents' in terms of balancing and amplifying nuances in the mix that I didn't even set out to enhance in the first place, The end result was sweet little package that sounds nice on a rage of devices.
N.B. - Increase the treble on your system to hear a sizzle of high end that comfortably tickles the ear drum.
Tech Stuff
Written and sequenced in reason, re-wired and processed in Pro Tools. Vocals recorded, layered, processed and comped in Pro Tools exclusively. Rosewood was plugged directly into my Soundcard and distorded in the box after a wha pedal.
Mastered at Metropolis by Stuart Hawkes. Favoured weapon of choice - Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor on the master bus. Sweet!
A M E N
Download tracks to hear full digital quality
Meaning
Home Free is all about the 'cusp of success', and not giving up before you reach your goal. Perseverance essentially. I've had this concep for as long as I can remember that the catalogue of tracks I've laboured over for so long are entities in their right, with their own personalities & quirks. From the lyrical content right down to each track's perceivable errors, flaws & imperfections that make each one somewhat organic & alive. Rich with the emotions that brought them into being. Rejection, sorrow, pain, hate, lust, joy, relief or ambition. I feel like I owe it to these little sprites to do them justice and give them their day. If music is meant to be heard just as food is meant to be eaten then who am I to give up on them before they're mastered and ready to go? The least I can do is help them get out there. Maybe they can help others in different ways to that which they've helped me? I doubt the producers who've inspired me know how their creations have impacted my life. If you produce I'd urge you to do the same and show your works. Peter Tosh wrote a lyric about this sentiment.
Making of
I've mentioned previously that the tracks on this EP are remakes of older tracks with new elements and re-worked sounds, but this one has kept it's overall sequence and fundamentals more than the others, namely the atmospheric strings, the bass riff & the heavy grind synth bass. Like Amen, the drum parts where pulled, re-sequenced, re-sampled and re-mixed. The new version has a calmer feel to it. the older version was made by a younger less accomplished me and therefore had rudimental equalisation & compression across all channels which made the overall mix sound terrible at higher levels. The Vocals where provided by a talented friend who was a pleasure to work with. The tone of her voice compliments the genre & she effortlessly found the notes to deliver the message of the song and bind the track together. The message is pretty straight forward & I hope it resonates with those who hear this. Everyone has their own cusp or plateu to overcome before they reach self-actualisation, sometimes we just need a push or helping hand to guide us. The main synth is supposed to mimic the rollacoaster journey of success, disappointment and faliure we all experience. I hope this serves as a worthy anthem.
Tech Stuff
Written and sequenced in reason, re-wired and processed in Pro Tools. Rosie was actually quite co-operative on this occasion ;-) Mastered at Metropolis by Stuart Hawkes. Favoured weapon of choice - Fab Filter EQ on almost every channel, c'est Magnifique!!
Home Free
Download tracks to hear full digital quality
Meaning
Goddess is all about 'challenges'. If you've ever been in a similar position in life, be it a job, relationship, or any other challenging situation. You look at what the issues are, think of a solution, do a little research and after the diligence you either pilot something or jump in. This track represents that process.
Making of
Goddess was extremely hard to make but also very rewarding. The workstreams & tools used to create it were all new & alien to me. New speakers, New room, new software, new everything. After some extensive research I decided it was time to evolve and move with the times. I employed techniques and used plugins I previously shy'd away from. The methods by which I produced drums, basses, atmospheres etc where replaced in an effort to achieve sounds I'd previously found difficult to achieve. However, in doing so the process created anomalies and new problems to solve, with said unfamiliar tools and tech. As I've become accustomed to change, the overall process was enlightening & gave me a replenished confidence to experiment further. This version is complete but will definitely spawn a remix due to the number of alternative permutations of bass & synth sequences alongside various beat patterns. Theres probably two or three tracks I could make of this one version.
Finishing this track gave me that warm feeling you get when you know you've evolved a little as an engineer. When you push the boat out a little you find new possibilities for furture projects. It was this track that gave me the inclination to try something far more complex than a generic song. It inspired the Amoured Dream experiment and then the Final Punch experiment.
Tech Stuff
Written and sequenced in reason, re-wired and processed in Pro Tools. Mastered at Metropolis by Stuart Hawkes. Favoured weapon of choice - Access Virus Synth OMG!!
Goddess
Download tracks to hear full digital quality
.jpg)
