Temptation

Well what a synth-tastic week I am having this week. Having decided that one of the goals I should set myself is to, at some stage, have a bank of classic synthesizers to play with at my leisure, I committed a very small amount of money to a budget to search for such things.

Now in the past, when looking for such things, I have always been in somewhat of a hurry, or after the very latest tech. But this time the brief was different. I wanted things that I yearned for in the past, however old they are now, classic synths (or the ones I thought were classic) from the early eighties to the mid nineties. Nothing much to get excited about these days, but stuff that had a specific sound. Now I had to exclude the Roland synths because I have a Juno G and a couple of excellent soft syths to fill that gap. So I had in mind a sample synth and something with a sound I love.

Now here’s the shocker, this is the first time the recession has actually played into my hands. Earlier this week I picked up a classic Casio FZ1 sampling keyboard for just £70, and just now I picked up a wonderful Kawai K4 for £86. Both cost thousands when they came out, both in full working order and excellent condition, and both fitting the bill perfectly.

I am gob smacked and cant wait until I have the room somewhere to set them all up together (one day soon, for now they go into storage).

So I am back in synth heaven for the first time in years, and it didn’t cost a fortune. Now all I need is those folks from the Gadget show to give me that nice Nord keyboard that is just gathering dust on the shelf of their set and I will be made up. (Wishful thinking that one).

So with a single synthetic note, wavering with vibrato, a deep cutting voice cuts through the manufactured drone to break into the start of Temptation by Heaven 17. Great use of synthesizers, but a definite over use of the Linn Drum. Love it of loath it, its a unique synth classic that everyone remembers.

TEMPTATION !!!!

Losing My Religion

A depressing two hours this afternoon. Tried to work on Wired and slowly realised that I do not spend enough time working with my software to ever achieve using it efficiently. After two hours I was further back that I started.

I really don't think at the rate I get to work on this stuff that I will really have the time to complete anything meaningful in the next couple of years. Especially with college work and a potential move to a house which needs a shit-load of work, I am thinking this evening that the sensible thing to do would be to put it all on hold for a couple of years.

Somethings gotta give, as Kirsty Allsop always says 'you have to compromise on something'.

It's something I am going to have to think very seriously about over the next couple of weeks.

And here am I sitting watching 'Must be the music' with the girls and thinking I could do so much better.

Never mind.

So what song is going to cheer me up this evening?
Well everyone of an age knows this one 'Losing my Religion' by REM. Its brilliantly pathetic in its feel and is always there when we are feeling down. Superbly put together, and achingly real.

'That's me in the corner' !!!!!

Kiss

Was it really the end of may the last time I posted a blog.

I am really getting out of practice with this, work and video editing seems to be taking over all my time at the moment. I will just have to try harder.

Since May I have been lucky enough to get my ears around three new brilliant releases from the Infamous ZTT label. For my birthday I had the double whammy of the entire ZTT Box set featuring music from across the labels catalogue, and also Trevor Horns re-release of the Pleasuredome album with all the extras that it included. Then just this morning I received Influence - by the Art of Noise, for the first time, a proper greatest hits from the band with tons of extra tracks of never before released stuff to get my brain around.

I also made the mistake of burning what I thought were six almost completed tracks from my up-coming project onto CD for the car. Three needed no work, two of them needed some extensive remixing, and the final track 'Wired' needs a whole new re-think because it sounded terrible, just really didn't hang together. I have another eight tracks or so to complete, two of which are only ideas at this stage, so I wont be holding my breath for any kind of completion this year. Lets hope the MSc I am starting in September doesn't get i the way.

So song for today is total cheese, but it happens to be playing as I type, and its awful to admit it but its making me smile. The volume just went up again.

OK folks, it's the man himself, Tom Jones, and a little bit of the Art of Noise, beat boxing its way out of my speakers. A song for every party known to man.

KISS...... 'think I better dance now'........ no Tom please don't.