distonart
Hi Jessica
Im a freelance mastering artist from Sweden.
I work online with bands /artists from around the world.
I really like your music!
Do you do mastering yourself or have you considered hiring someone too master your music?
If so I love too work with you!
I charge 30 Euro/ single , 120 Euro / EP 3-5 tracks and 300 Euro/ Album.
If
you are looking for someone too master a EP/Album I can do a 30 seconds
“demo” master of a track free of charge. Too see if you like my style.
Contact me on info@distonart.com if your interested and we take it from there.
Here is my webpage for some samples of my work:
www.distonart.com
Hope too hear from you and stay creative!
jessica
you
know, i have thousands of physical records and i don't think any of
them are from sweden. at least, i can't think of a single musician that i
like from sweden. jaga jazzist is from norway. gustav holst was english.
i'm curious. how would you feel about mastering something to give it a really 90s and overwhelmingly american GRUNGE sound? i want good range, mind you. the way bands master their material nowadays through limiters and compressors is just horrendous. but that really raw, live sound is absolutely key.
i might be willing to let you pick a track and send it back to me, just out of curiosity, if you think you can get that really dirty, american punk rock sound. no promises that i'l actually use it, though. let me know what track you'd like to play with.
distonart
Hi Jessica and thanks for replying!
It
would be awesome to try mastering one of your tracks. I get what you
mean by compression since that is kinda the norm nowadays in mastering
and music production overall.
I do like raw kind of productions as well and it would be cool to really try too aim for that sound.
Can you give me the link too your bandcamp since I didnt save your page?
Or why dont you send me a track that you would think fit the sound you are aiming for.
Just
send me a download link and I can get started. Speaking about limiters,
maybe you can give me a reference in terms of loudness of some other
production since that affects how much dynamics that
should be left in the music. From what you describe I think you want too
keep as much of the dynamics in the music as possible, right?
Also I want too check that you are willing to pay for a one track master since I dont do free work, ok with you?
Cheers and again, nice too hear from you / Jonas (Distonart)
Sunday, July 10, 2016
compiling a tracklisting for confused
i'm pretty solid on this tracklisting. i've swapped releases with the stub to allow the tracks to stream over facebook, removed the 1998 duplicate, dumped the original tracks to bonus-only and moved the inricycled cut from a secret ending up to a transitional movement of conceptual segregation.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/confused-2
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/confused-2
Saturday, July 9, 2016
am i finally awake? i'm a little groggy, but i think it's the air. overall, i think i'm feeling refreshed.
it's taken me some careful listening to decide how i want to organize the confused ep. i almost immediately removed the duplicate from 1998, as it was immediately clear that this was pointless. i've noticed repeatedly, now, that the archived 112 kbps mp3 sounds better than the cd-r - probably because it was converted to mp3 one less time. i keep blaming everything on the fact that i'm 17. but i really am 17. in fact, i just turned 17. you can't expect kids to get through life without making mistakes. further, i know that the music is very intricate at points, but this whole technology thing was still a different world. it's not just that i'm 17. it's that i'm 17 in 1998. back then, using a computer was still something that got you taunted for being a nerd. this was before the concept of hipster geekdom - nerds were really just flat out fucking nerds. so, digital media still had this taint to it, by way of being associated with a circuit board. in 1998, i'm still the elite nerd kid that even knew what an mp3 even was in the first place. and, fuck napster, by the way - you get the good stuff through private ftp servers.
the point is just that i didn't really know how badly an mp3 breaks the audio quality. in fact, i thought that the result actually sounded better over mp3. i had seriously convinced myself that an mp3 compression was a crude mastering process. psycho-acoustics, indeed. this excuse will go away soon, but right now it's still very real.
what's left can be partitioned into three sections.
1) the first five tracks, which were all remastered and finished in 2015/2016.
2.1) original mixes from 1997/1998 (this track was written in '97 and recreated with the machine in '98).
2.2) remasters of those mixes from 2013, including the inricycled cut.
the question is whether i want to cut the disc off at section 1, leaving all of section 2 for bonus material, or whether i want to cut section two in half. i've opted for the latter - keeping 2.2 on the disc, and 2.1 off of it.
on the one hand, it may be easy to argue that i don't need any of the vocal parts because i remastered the vocal version for this track. but, it's also true that the 1998 vocal mix is very different than any of the first five tracks, and the 1997 mix is practically a different song. i did not find that also holding on to the original mixes was worthwhile, but i do think that they should be accounted for.
i want to separate them out a little bit, though. just a gap in the audio, making the last two tracks seem like they're hidden in plain sight. so, what i'm going to do is drop the inricycled mix in to track 6, and then leave an audio gap in between. the original versions will then be bonus mixes, in addition to that.
i am pretty much certain on that track listing, but i will need to listen to the material before i finalize it.
it's taken me some careful listening to decide how i want to organize the confused ep. i almost immediately removed the duplicate from 1998, as it was immediately clear that this was pointless. i've noticed repeatedly, now, that the archived 112 kbps mp3 sounds better than the cd-r - probably because it was converted to mp3 one less time. i keep blaming everything on the fact that i'm 17. but i really am 17. in fact, i just turned 17. you can't expect kids to get through life without making mistakes. further, i know that the music is very intricate at points, but this whole technology thing was still a different world. it's not just that i'm 17. it's that i'm 17 in 1998. back then, using a computer was still something that got you taunted for being a nerd. this was before the concept of hipster geekdom - nerds were really just flat out fucking nerds. so, digital media still had this taint to it, by way of being associated with a circuit board. in 1998, i'm still the elite nerd kid that even knew what an mp3 even was in the first place. and, fuck napster, by the way - you get the good stuff through private ftp servers.
the point is just that i didn't really know how badly an mp3 breaks the audio quality. in fact, i thought that the result actually sounded better over mp3. i had seriously convinced myself that an mp3 compression was a crude mastering process. psycho-acoustics, indeed. this excuse will go away soon, but right now it's still very real.
what's left can be partitioned into three sections.
1) the first five tracks, which were all remastered and finished in 2015/2016.
2.1) original mixes from 1997/1998 (this track was written in '97 and recreated with the machine in '98).
2.2) remasters of those mixes from 2013, including the inricycled cut.
the question is whether i want to cut the disc off at section 1, leaving all of section 2 for bonus material, or whether i want to cut section two in half. i've opted for the latter - keeping 2.2 on the disc, and 2.1 off of it.
on the one hand, it may be easy to argue that i don't need any of the vocal parts because i remastered the vocal version for this track. but, it's also true that the 1998 vocal mix is very different than any of the first five tracks, and the 1997 mix is practically a different song. i did not find that also holding on to the original mixes was worthwhile, but i do think that they should be accounted for.
i want to separate them out a little bit, though. just a gap in the audio, making the last two tracks seem like they're hidden in plain sight. so, what i'm going to do is drop the inricycled mix in to track 6, and then leave an audio gap in between. the original versions will then be bonus mixes, in addition to that.
i am pretty much certain on that track listing, but i will need to listen to the material before i finalize it.
well, i'm awake for now...
i'm going back to a concept of time that is more familiar to me, which is to order time around the completion of a task. the last year or so has just been so chaotic....i reject the concept of scheduling with the strongest amount of disdain possible, but a more flexible concept of organizing time and prioritizing outcomes is really essential. of course, i haven't exactly lacked this over the last year - i was consistently meandering in one direction or another, half-blind and often inebriated. what i lacked was the order that comes from organizing yourself around small victories. before i shifted to reconstructing the aleph-disc, and closing all of the discs one-by-one, the last new project that i started was really back in january. life over the last few months of 2015 was likewise related to ending a project i had started in june of that year - and was bogged down by what was eventually isolated as interference from an environmental magnetic field.
i should also point out that i went through a stressful process of disability renewal over 2015. in august, i was finally given five years. that was after almost two years of medical review. i found myself living as though i had nothing to lose, due to the increasing certainty that i was going to run out of time. getting the extension was a complicated thing, emotionally, and i think the results demonstrate that. i lost a source of stress, which is good, but i also lost the sense of urgency attached to it. that in itself was a kind of trauma. quitting smoking was both a function of that and a factor in how things developed. however you want to analyze the situation, it appears that i'm in the process of reasserting a more ordered existence for myself.
as mentioned, my concept of order is probably still insane for most. i do not want a daily schedule. i do not want a weekly schedule, either. but, a more familiar way for me to live is to segment time in such a way that isolates ideas and events within it.
i think you get a little bit of a taste of this in the way i've broken the vlogs into episodes. as of right now, these are imprecise. but, normally, my life would actually decompose pretty efficiently into sets defined by different purposes.
my immediate task is to get my energy back up, and while i may have short days for the weekend i think i'm actually most of the way there. while i am catching on sleep, i will be completing up until the end of my first record. right now, that is up until inri013. i cannot commit to numbers.
when that is done, i will need to stop and clean. this will include a compost run and full run through the living space. this is also when i will start the vlog catch-up.
i will then need to begin on the next project, which is completing the string of singles for the second record (currently thought to be inri018) and the resequencing the second record, itself.
so, that's three upcoming segments of time. it's unclear where they begin or end. they don't have lunch hours or smoke breaks. they may be measured in days or weeks, but hopefully not months. yet, as loose as they are, they are an ordering of time - and that is required, in some abstraction, or no work will ever get done.
i don't know what i'll want to do directly after i finish the second record (and offshoots of it). i suppose that the next chunk of time will be about finishing period 1.3. and then period 2. but, real life things will no doubt assert themselves in between. what i do know is that it is likely that this stronger ordering of time will reassert itself, until some further crisis (temporarily) collapses the concept of order back into irrelevance.
inri007-inri014 are actually basically done. i'm sober this weekend. so, this will be comparably fast. i'll be republishing mar-july, 1998 tonight and then working to make sense of it over the next week or so.
i'm going back to a concept of time that is more familiar to me, which is to order time around the completion of a task. the last year or so has just been so chaotic....i reject the concept of scheduling with the strongest amount of disdain possible, but a more flexible concept of organizing time and prioritizing outcomes is really essential. of course, i haven't exactly lacked this over the last year - i was consistently meandering in one direction or another, half-blind and often inebriated. what i lacked was the order that comes from organizing yourself around small victories. before i shifted to reconstructing the aleph-disc, and closing all of the discs one-by-one, the last new project that i started was really back in january. life over the last few months of 2015 was likewise related to ending a project i had started in june of that year - and was bogged down by what was eventually isolated as interference from an environmental magnetic field.
i should also point out that i went through a stressful process of disability renewal over 2015. in august, i was finally given five years. that was after almost two years of medical review. i found myself living as though i had nothing to lose, due to the increasing certainty that i was going to run out of time. getting the extension was a complicated thing, emotionally, and i think the results demonstrate that. i lost a source of stress, which is good, but i also lost the sense of urgency attached to it. that in itself was a kind of trauma. quitting smoking was both a function of that and a factor in how things developed. however you want to analyze the situation, it appears that i'm in the process of reasserting a more ordered existence for myself.
as mentioned, my concept of order is probably still insane for most. i do not want a daily schedule. i do not want a weekly schedule, either. but, a more familiar way for me to live is to segment time in such a way that isolates ideas and events within it.
i think you get a little bit of a taste of this in the way i've broken the vlogs into episodes. as of right now, these are imprecise. but, normally, my life would actually decompose pretty efficiently into sets defined by different purposes.
my immediate task is to get my energy back up, and while i may have short days for the weekend i think i'm actually most of the way there. while i am catching on sleep, i will be completing up until the end of my first record. right now, that is up until inri013. i cannot commit to numbers.
when that is done, i will need to stop and clean. this will include a compost run and full run through the living space. this is also when i will start the vlog catch-up.
i will then need to begin on the next project, which is completing the string of singles for the second record (currently thought to be inri018) and the resequencing the second record, itself.
so, that's three upcoming segments of time. it's unclear where they begin or end. they don't have lunch hours or smoke breaks. they may be measured in days or weeks, but hopefully not months. yet, as loose as they are, they are an ordering of time - and that is required, in some abstraction, or no work will ever get done.
i don't know what i'll want to do directly after i finish the second record (and offshoots of it). i suppose that the next chunk of time will be about finishing period 1.3. and then period 2. but, real life things will no doubt assert themselves in between. what i do know is that it is likely that this stronger ordering of time will reassert itself, until some further crisis (temporarily) collapses the concept of order back into irrelevance.
inri007-inri014 are actually basically done. i'm sober this weekend. so, this will be comparably fast. i'll be republishing mar-july, 1998 tonight and then working to make sense of it over the next week or so.
Friday, July 8, 2016
listening to confused (inri007) for the night.
this is the only track from this pile that got expanded as i was remixing it. it now includes some sequenced bass and piano parts at the start. it's pretty snazzy. the single for this track was also meant to preserve the vocals, so i don't expect to pare the ep down. i may remove the duplicate 1998 file, as i did with skaters. otherwise, this single is another narration and needs to be comprehensive, so paring it down or splitting it off wouldn't make much sense.
i'll be listening to this (inri007) and inri006 (useless) for the night.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/confused
i'll be listening to this (inri007) and inri006 (useless) for the night.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/confused
i ended up burning out three times in a row at the end of the head clear. it's what happens when you go for more when you haven't truly slept it off yet - you just fall back asleep again. i was stuck in that ambiguous area where it just wasn't clear if i should get up or fall asleep, but i wanted to push myself to carry out the the binge. i'm still not sure if i should get up or not, but i'm hungry enough that i'm going to try.
i'm not going to push myself, now. it's gone. i'm going to catch up on my sleep. that's the whole point.
now, i must eat. but i may sleep most of the weekend, to catch-up.
the last week seems productive in contrast to the several previously, but the truth is that i could have worked more quickly if i was less baked. that's ok. the point of the last week was not efficiency, but establishment of clarity. once i wake up, i'll be more productive than i would have been otherwise.
i'm not going to push myself, now. it's gone. i'm going to catch up on my sleep. that's the whole point.
now, i must eat. but i may sleep most of the weekend, to catch-up.
the last week seems productive in contrast to the several previously, but the truth is that i could have worked more quickly if i was less baked. that's ok. the point of the last week was not efficiency, but establishment of clarity. once i wake up, i'll be more productive than i would have been otherwise.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
finalizing useless (inri006)
audio permanently closed for inri006.
==
the christmas of 1997 was a good one. in addition to getting a four-track recorder to multitrack with, i also ended up with a jx-8p for my birthday, which is in early january. now that i could use the computer a little bit, i decided that i was finally ready to do some serious recording.
i had committed myself to reapproaching the first demo tapes and rerecording certain tracks to reflect the uplift that they got from the drum machine; that is, i had already dramatically rewritten most of the tracks around the drum machine, so i felt i should rerecord them. now, i was going to need to uplift some of those tracks a second time with synthesizer parts. i knew which tracks i wanted to approach and how, but i wanted to ease myself in a little. so, i picked a new track as my first synthesizer experiment.
that is a large part of what this track is. i had the lyrics pre-written, actually, and knew that i wanted a spooky kind of atmosphere to the track. so, i was approaching the synth with the question of how to manipulate it into sounding "haunted". that may seem trivial, but please realize that i had never seen an actual synthesizer before - i'd just always used the presets on my sister's electronic piano. it was a small victory to get the patch by increasing the sustain on the preset, but it was a hard-fought battle.
after i got the track mixed down through the 4-track and mastered into the pc by sending the signal into the back of the soundblaster, some listening had me wishing that i had slowed the tape down a little. the track is a kind of a child's understanding of the existential, which i just felt would be more aesthetically in balance if i slowed the tape down and made it seem a bit more mournful. so, i wanted to go back and remaster it with the speed set a little slower.
i decided i should test it by slowing the track down digitally, first. what i was trying to do was get an estimate to use to remaster it at a different speed. i took a guess on half-speed to try and was going to incrementally reduce the reduction through trial and error until i got to a good point. then, i could set the tape speed by ear. i did not go through that process; i stopped at half-speed. for several weeks in 1998, the half-speed version was the final product for the track. i believe i even uploaded it to mp3.com slowed down this way.
i just instantly stopped at half-speed because, while the effect was more exaggerated than intended, that exaggeration was to greater effect than i imagined. i wasn't expecting the guitars to get that grungy, or the vocals to get that deep. when i heard it, though, i knew that this was the track.
in the end, i reverted back to the normal speed version, but this was done with much internal division. the reason that this is the last track on the demo is because i was holding out for space for the lengthier version. it was only due to a combination of space requirements and pull for conformity of sound through the demo that had me relent at the very end.
in hindsight, i do think that the short version fits better on the flow of the cd, and it will remain there - minus the vocals. yet, i also think that this slowed down version deserves it's own document. i've slowed down two other versions of the track, as well, to drag out the fun. the album version closes this collection.
originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. reconstructed in the summer of 2015 and then manipulated further in the summer of 2016. released & finalized on july 7, 2016. as always, please use headphones.
this release is compiled on inriℵ0.
jasonparent.bandcamp.com/merch/inri-box-set
this release also includes a printable jewel case insert and will also eventually include a comprehensive package of journal entries from all phases of production (1997, 2013, 2016).
credits:
j - guitars, effects, bass, synths, drum programming, vocals, digital wave manipulation, production
released january 22, 1998
==
the christmas of 1997 was a good one. in addition to getting a four-track recorder to multitrack with, i also ended up with a jx-8p for my birthday, which is in early january. now that i could use the computer a little bit, i decided that i was finally ready to do some serious recording.
i had committed myself to reapproaching the first demo tapes and rerecording certain tracks to reflect the uplift that they got from the drum machine; that is, i had already dramatically rewritten most of the tracks around the drum machine, so i felt i should rerecord them. now, i was going to need to uplift some of those tracks a second time with synthesizer parts. i knew which tracks i wanted to approach and how, but i wanted to ease myself in a little. so, i picked a new track as my first synthesizer experiment.
that is a large part of what this track is. i had the lyrics pre-written, actually, and knew that i wanted a spooky kind of atmosphere to the track. so, i was approaching the synth with the question of how to manipulate it into sounding "haunted". that may seem trivial, but please realize that i had never seen an actual synthesizer before - i'd just always used the presets on my sister's electronic piano. it was a small victory to get the patch by increasing the sustain on the preset, but it was a hard-fought battle.
after i got the track mixed down through the 4-track and mastered into the pc by sending the signal into the back of the soundblaster, some listening had me wishing that i had slowed the tape down a little. the track is a kind of a child's understanding of the existential, which i just felt would be more aesthetically in balance if i slowed the tape down and made it seem a bit more mournful. so, i wanted to go back and remaster it with the speed set a little slower.
i decided i should test it by slowing the track down digitally, first. what i was trying to do was get an estimate to use to remaster it at a different speed. i took a guess on half-speed to try and was going to incrementally reduce the reduction through trial and error until i got to a good point. then, i could set the tape speed by ear. i did not go through that process; i stopped at half-speed. for several weeks in 1998, the half-speed version was the final product for the track. i believe i even uploaded it to mp3.com slowed down this way.
i just instantly stopped at half-speed because, while the effect was more exaggerated than intended, that exaggeration was to greater effect than i imagined. i wasn't expecting the guitars to get that grungy, or the vocals to get that deep. when i heard it, though, i knew that this was the track.
in the end, i reverted back to the normal speed version, but this was done with much internal division. the reason that this is the last track on the demo is because i was holding out for space for the lengthier version. it was only due to a combination of space requirements and pull for conformity of sound through the demo that had me relent at the very end.
in hindsight, i do think that the short version fits better on the flow of the cd, and it will remain there - minus the vocals. yet, i also think that this slowed down version deserves it's own document. i've slowed down two other versions of the track, as well, to drag out the fun. the album version closes this collection.
originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. reconstructed in the summer of 2015 and then manipulated further in the summer of 2016. released & finalized on july 7, 2016. as always, please use headphones.
this release is compiled on inriℵ0.
jasonparent.bandcamp.com/merch/inri-box-set
this release also includes a printable jewel case insert and will also eventually include a comprehensive package of journal entries from all phases of production (1997, 2013, 2016).
credits:
j - guitars, effects, bass, synths, drum programming, vocals, digital wave manipulation, production
released january 22, 1998
publishing useless (inri006)
inri006.
this is totally self-indulgent, but so long as i'm generating releases with wanton disregard, i figured i'd might as well.
when i mixed this track in 1998, i was drawn to the idea of slowing it down. i reversed that decision for the sake of the flow of the record, which turned out to be very synth-pop. but, i always wanted to release the track tuned down like this.
i've had this slow version sitting on my hard drive, waiting for a use, since 1998. in mono. i've listened to it over this period. it's truly the better embodiment of the piece. the absurdity is more powerful.
i've put together an ep consisting of three valium mixes and the instrumental mix that will end up on the record. remember: this is how i always wanted to release this track.
===
the christmas of 1997 was a good one. in addition to getting a four-track recorder to multitrack with, i also ended up with a jx-8p for my birthday, which is in early january. now that i could use the computer a little bit, i decided that i was finally ready to do some serious recording.
i had committed myself to reapproaching the first demo tapes and rerecording certain tracks to reflect the uplift that they got from the drum machine; that is, i had already dramatically rewritten most of the tracks around the drum machine, so i felt i should rerecord them. now, i was going to need to uplift some of those tracks a second time with synthesizer parts. i knew which tracks i wanted to approach and how, but i wanted to ease myself in a little. so, i picked a new track as my first synthesizer experiment.
that is a large part of what this track is. i had the lyrics pre-written, actually, and knew that i wanted a spooky kind of atmosphere to the track. so, i was approaching the synth with the question of how to manipulate it into sounding "haunted". that may seem trivial, but please realize that i had never seen an actual synthesizer before - i'd just always used the presets on my sister's electronic piano. it was a small victory to get the patch by increasing the sustain on the preset, but it was a hard-fought battle.
after i got the track mixed down through the 4-track and mastered into the pc by sending the signal into the back of the soundblaster, some listening had me wishing that i had slowed the tape down a little. the track is a kind of a child's understanding of the existential, which i just felt would be more aesthetically in balance if i slowed the tape down and made it seem a bit more mournful. so, i wanted to go back and remaster it with the speed set a little slower.
i decided i should test it by slowing the track down digitally, first. what i was trying to do was get an estimate to use to remaster it at a different speed. i took a guess on half-speed to try and was going to incrementally reduce the reduction through trial and error until i got to a good point. then, i could set the tape speed by ear. i did not go through that process; i stopped at half-speed. for several weeks in 1998, the half-speed version was the final product for the track. i believe i even uploaded it to mp3.com slowed down this way.
i just instantly stopped at half-speed because, while the effect was more exaggerated than intended, that exaggeration was to greater effect than i imagined. i wasn't expecting the guitars to get that grungy, or the vocals to get that deep. when i heard it, though, i knew that this was the track.
in the end, i reverted back to the normal speed version, but this was done with much internal division. the reason that this is the last track on the demo is because i was holding out for space for the lengthier version. it was only due to a combination of space requirements and pull for conformity of sound through the demo that had me relent at the very end.
in hindsight, i do think that the short version fits better on the flow of the cd, and it will remain there - minus the vocals. yet, i also think that this slowed down version deserves it's own document. i've slowed down two other versions of the track, as well, to drag out the fun. the album version closes this collection.
originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. reconstructed in the summer of 2015 and then manipulated further in the summer of 2016. released on july 7, 2016. as always, please use headphones.
this release is compiled on inriℵ0.
jasonparent.bandcamp.com/merch/inri-box-set
this release also includes a printable jewel case insert and will also eventually include a comprehensive package of journal entries from all phases of production (1997, 2013, 2016).
credits
j - guitars, effects, bass, synths, drum programming, vocals, digital wave manipulation, production
released january 22, 1998
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/useless
1) this is the original version slowed down to half speed. created on jan 21, 1998. converted to stereo on sept 24, 2014.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/useless-valium-2
2) originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. slowed down and run through a click reducer on july 7, 2016.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/useless-valium-from-2013-remaster
3) recorded in jan, 1998. reclaimed june 29, 2015. remixed july 2, 2015. slowed down july 7, 2016.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/use-value-is-somewhat-difficult-to-define-in-the-human-propensity-towards-artistic-expression-slowed-down
4) recorded in jan, 1998. reclaimed june 29, 2015. remixed july 2, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/use-value-is-somewhat-difficult-to-define-in-the-human-propensity-towards-artistic-expression-2
5) kind of a new wave / synth pop track. this is the first track with my new synth on it. that's a large part of what the track is. recorded in jan, 1998. sped-up on july 7, 2016.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/useless-valium-sped-up-2
6) deleted 2013 remaster of 1998 demo cd. originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/useless-2013-remaster-2
this is totally self-indulgent, but so long as i'm generating releases with wanton disregard, i figured i'd might as well.
when i mixed this track in 1998, i was drawn to the idea of slowing it down. i reversed that decision for the sake of the flow of the record, which turned out to be very synth-pop. but, i always wanted to release the track tuned down like this.
i've had this slow version sitting on my hard drive, waiting for a use, since 1998. in mono. i've listened to it over this period. it's truly the better embodiment of the piece. the absurdity is more powerful.
i've put together an ep consisting of three valium mixes and the instrumental mix that will end up on the record. remember: this is how i always wanted to release this track.
===
the christmas of 1997 was a good one. in addition to getting a four-track recorder to multitrack with, i also ended up with a jx-8p for my birthday, which is in early january. now that i could use the computer a little bit, i decided that i was finally ready to do some serious recording.
i had committed myself to reapproaching the first demo tapes and rerecording certain tracks to reflect the uplift that they got from the drum machine; that is, i had already dramatically rewritten most of the tracks around the drum machine, so i felt i should rerecord them. now, i was going to need to uplift some of those tracks a second time with synthesizer parts. i knew which tracks i wanted to approach and how, but i wanted to ease myself in a little. so, i picked a new track as my first synthesizer experiment.
that is a large part of what this track is. i had the lyrics pre-written, actually, and knew that i wanted a spooky kind of atmosphere to the track. so, i was approaching the synth with the question of how to manipulate it into sounding "haunted". that may seem trivial, but please realize that i had never seen an actual synthesizer before - i'd just always used the presets on my sister's electronic piano. it was a small victory to get the patch by increasing the sustain on the preset, but it was a hard-fought battle.
after i got the track mixed down through the 4-track and mastered into the pc by sending the signal into the back of the soundblaster, some listening had me wishing that i had slowed the tape down a little. the track is a kind of a child's understanding of the existential, which i just felt would be more aesthetically in balance if i slowed the tape down and made it seem a bit more mournful. so, i wanted to go back and remaster it with the speed set a little slower.
i decided i should test it by slowing the track down digitally, first. what i was trying to do was get an estimate to use to remaster it at a different speed. i took a guess on half-speed to try and was going to incrementally reduce the reduction through trial and error until i got to a good point. then, i could set the tape speed by ear. i did not go through that process; i stopped at half-speed. for several weeks in 1998, the half-speed version was the final product for the track. i believe i even uploaded it to mp3.com slowed down this way.
i just instantly stopped at half-speed because, while the effect was more exaggerated than intended, that exaggeration was to greater effect than i imagined. i wasn't expecting the guitars to get that grungy, or the vocals to get that deep. when i heard it, though, i knew that this was the track.
in the end, i reverted back to the normal speed version, but this was done with much internal division. the reason that this is the last track on the demo is because i was holding out for space for the lengthier version. it was only due to a combination of space requirements and pull for conformity of sound through the demo that had me relent at the very end.
in hindsight, i do think that the short version fits better on the flow of the cd, and it will remain there - minus the vocals. yet, i also think that this slowed down version deserves it's own document. i've slowed down two other versions of the track, as well, to drag out the fun. the album version closes this collection.
originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. reconstructed in the summer of 2015 and then manipulated further in the summer of 2016. released on july 7, 2016. as always, please use headphones.
this release is compiled on inriℵ0.
jasonparent.bandcamp.com/merch/inri-box-set
this release also includes a printable jewel case insert and will also eventually include a comprehensive package of journal entries from all phases of production (1997, 2013, 2016).
credits
j - guitars, effects, bass, synths, drum programming, vocals, digital wave manipulation, production
released january 22, 1998
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/useless
1) this is the original version slowed down to half speed. created on jan 21, 1998. converted to stereo on sept 24, 2014.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/useless-valium-2
2) originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. slowed down and run through a click reducer on july 7, 2016.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/useless-valium-from-2013-remaster
3) recorded in jan, 1998. reclaimed june 29, 2015. remixed july 2, 2015. slowed down july 7, 2016.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/use-value-is-somewhat-difficult-to-define-in-the-human-propensity-towards-artistic-expression-slowed-down
4) recorded in jan, 1998. reclaimed june 29, 2015. remixed july 2, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/use-value-is-somewhat-difficult-to-define-in-the-human-propensity-towards-artistic-expression-2
5) kind of a new wave / synth pop track. this is the first track with my new synth on it. that's a large part of what the track is. recorded in jan, 1998. sped-up on july 7, 2016.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/useless-valium-sped-up-2
6) deleted 2013 remaster of 1998 demo cd. originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/useless-2013-remaster-2
should i create a two-track single for useless - the instrumental mix and the valium mix? do i want the lyrical version available for download-only? do i want it to be a purely digital release? if so, then why have bonus tracks? then, do i want to have that available for streaming? so, should i have a physical release after all? hrmmn. contemplations on useless.
finalizing skaters (inri005)
audio permanently closed for inri005.
i've presented this track in chronological ordering because i wanted to tell the story of the track itself. looking through my releases, it may be difficult to tell what is an ep from what is a single, and what is an ep from what is a record. this is an ep, and not a single. it's an ep because it's a conceptual ordering of the tracks, rather than just an exploration of a single incarnation of a specific track.
i don't deny that the lyrics are painful. and, wasn't i supposed to be getting rid of painful vocals? well, perhaps. but, note that no vocal takes of this track make it on to any of the abum-format presentations of it, excepting inricycled. the vocals are tied into the concept of the ep, which is a narration of the song as it developed.
so, chronological ordering is the only rational way to present the tracks. further, a comprehensive exploration of the track's development actually becomes necessary, in order to narrate it's entire development.
i'm not going to take this approach to every single. i just think that this track had to be preserved in this kind of way.
===
this is maybe a little hard to understand, if you weren't a teenager in a very specific period - about '91-'99, the 90s i guess, when the nu metal shift "corrected" things and tough guys went backing to being metalheads.
that period overlaps with a period when punk fashion moved from subculture to dominant culture. as with any other failed social revolution, the period is more defined by certain subculture traits being co-opted than it was by any meaningful change in social attitudes, even if it did correspond with a move towards liberalizing social attitudes in the older members of gen x.
i remember playing this for my aunt, who was a teenager in the 80s, and she was just confused by it. in her day, the skaters were the skinny punk kids that got picked on by the meathead jock metal heads. as mentioned, i think people that were teenagers in the 00s may more readily associate with this as well.
but the 90s were weird in this sense. skater culture in the 90s was defined by a sort of thuggish machismo gang mentality that overlapped more into gangster rap than punk rock. what you had where i grew up was a lot of upper middle class white kids skating because it was advertised to them as the "cool thing to do" and in the process co-opting this sort of survivalist 'hood mentality into a tool of oppression that they used to bully and intimidate the kids that, a decade before, would have identified as skateboarders. those kids may have maintained an interest in punk rock, but weren't generally accepted into the skater clique - which was essentially the "in group".
the culmination may seem a little surreal nowadays, if for no other reason than that it's been forgotten. but i remember sneaking through back alleys, evading skateboarding gangs made up of kids into slayer, while i had socal punk music blasting through my headphones. and i'm sure you'll get similar stories if you ask around - or maybe you were also that kid.
on one hand, this track was constructed to be sort of precious, and i think that it is. it's a pretty catchy pop song, really. on the other hand, i think i was trying to be a bit tougher than i actually was. i wasn't one to back down from confrontation - i'm still not. while i think it's true that i could have taken most of these brats one-on-one, i probably would have mostly chosen not to. see, the fear was always more that they'd convert the boards into weapons and then jump you. in canada, guns aren't much of a concern, but knives are.
...and the fear often came out of trivial reasons. talking with somebody's girlfriend. having a pair of headphones or a pair of shoes that might be worth something. basic thug shit.
in hindsight, the analysis here is a little simplistic. suggesting that these kids are going to grow up into pimps is problematic on numerous levels, although i can state with blunt honesty that a number of the people the song was about have grown up to be petty criminals with lengthy criminal records. i have to own that lack of depth and how it comes out in sometimes less than ideal statements, but i'm going to once again blame that on my age.
overall, i like this track on both a musical and thematic level. i just wish i had articulated myself a little bit better.
--
there was a specific story that influenced the track. when i was in the ninth grade, one of these skater bro types took it upon himself to start body-checking me into lockers. it was well understood that this person was older, but that just gave him more clout in the school's skater clique; he knew the older kids that they looked up to. i was never certain if he was on his second or third try at grade 9.
this wasn't the first time somebody had tried to get physical with me, but it was an escalation that i couldn't really tolerate. people flicking my ears was an annoyance, and especially so when it was a game, but it's the kind of thing one withstands. these were full on, run-at-me body checks that seemed to be designed with intent to harm.
i actually tried a few different tactics before i reacted. i tried sitting behind in class until he left, but it was visibly starting to make the female teacher uncomfortable that i was just sitting around waiting after class - and perhaps not unreasonably so. as for bringing it up with the teacher? well, this guy went out of his way to look for a teacher watching before he took a run. i couldn't be followed around by a teacher all day. i had to react on my own.
so, i tricked him into running at my open leg, which had him fall face first into the locker. he did not see the retribution in the act; he got up looking for a fight. as i was walking toward the exit, which was a staircase downwards, he took another run at me - which i dodged. that was an adrenaline filled movement, i tell you - he was full of stupid, hot rage and sidestepped like an angry bull. but, i still had to time it. there was no escape. he ended up falling down several flights of stairs and breaking his leg. consider what would have happened if i hadn't moved - even considering that i may have helped him lose his balance, a little.
from that point onwards, i lived in fear of being swarmed. rumours were floating around that i'd better stay away from certain people - which was a broadcast to me to stay low. i got the message, and spent the next several years sneaking around back passageways in and out of the school. i learned where the cuts in the fences were, how to detour across floor levels to follow the crowd, how to time the bus (we had public transit passes - and that fact alone probably spared me broken bones) to come in to class during the national anthem and other various scheduling and transiting tactics to avoid being alone at critical junctures. and, then i started to enjoy living that way, too.
i don't think that student came back the next year, so i'm not sure if he ever finished grade 9. but, part of the reason i'm telling you this story is that it helps paint a clearer demographic picture of the narrative that i'm presenting. if you remove the "skater" designation, this could be a story about gangs in schools that could be applied equally well across any other grouping. it just happened to be that the gangs at my school were populated by white skater kids, some from the welfare projects and others comfortably middle class. that might help to explain what some might see as a difficult reference point.
initially written in 1997. recreated in jan, 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. reclaimed july 1, 2015. deconstructed dec 18, 2015. compiled on jan 4, 2016. finalized on july 6, 2016. as always, please use headphones.
this release is compiled on inriℵ0:
jasonparent.bandcamp.com/merch/inri-box-set
this release also includes a printable jewel case insert and will also eventually include a comprehensive package of journal entries from all phases of production (1997, 1998, 2013, 2016).
credits:
j - guitars, effects, bass, drum programming, drum kit, sequencing, vocal noises, vocals, samples, production
released january 12, 1998
i've presented this track in chronological ordering because i wanted to tell the story of the track itself. looking through my releases, it may be difficult to tell what is an ep from what is a single, and what is an ep from what is a record. this is an ep, and not a single. it's an ep because it's a conceptual ordering of the tracks, rather than just an exploration of a single incarnation of a specific track.
i don't deny that the lyrics are painful. and, wasn't i supposed to be getting rid of painful vocals? well, perhaps. but, note that no vocal takes of this track make it on to any of the abum-format presentations of it, excepting inricycled. the vocals are tied into the concept of the ep, which is a narration of the song as it developed.
so, chronological ordering is the only rational way to present the tracks. further, a comprehensive exploration of the track's development actually becomes necessary, in order to narrate it's entire development.
i'm not going to take this approach to every single. i just think that this track had to be preserved in this kind of way.
===
this is maybe a little hard to understand, if you weren't a teenager in a very specific period - about '91-'99, the 90s i guess, when the nu metal shift "corrected" things and tough guys went backing to being metalheads.
that period overlaps with a period when punk fashion moved from subculture to dominant culture. as with any other failed social revolution, the period is more defined by certain subculture traits being co-opted than it was by any meaningful change in social attitudes, even if it did correspond with a move towards liberalizing social attitudes in the older members of gen x.
i remember playing this for my aunt, who was a teenager in the 80s, and she was just confused by it. in her day, the skaters were the skinny punk kids that got picked on by the meathead jock metal heads. as mentioned, i think people that were teenagers in the 00s may more readily associate with this as well.
but the 90s were weird in this sense. skater culture in the 90s was defined by a sort of thuggish machismo gang mentality that overlapped more into gangster rap than punk rock. what you had where i grew up was a lot of upper middle class white kids skating because it was advertised to them as the "cool thing to do" and in the process co-opting this sort of survivalist 'hood mentality into a tool of oppression that they used to bully and intimidate the kids that, a decade before, would have identified as skateboarders. those kids may have maintained an interest in punk rock, but weren't generally accepted into the skater clique - which was essentially the "in group".
the culmination may seem a little surreal nowadays, if for no other reason than that it's been forgotten. but i remember sneaking through back alleys, evading skateboarding gangs made up of kids into slayer, while i had socal punk music blasting through my headphones. and i'm sure you'll get similar stories if you ask around - or maybe you were also that kid.
on one hand, this track was constructed to be sort of precious, and i think that it is. it's a pretty catchy pop song, really. on the other hand, i think i was trying to be a bit tougher than i actually was. i wasn't one to back down from confrontation - i'm still not. while i think it's true that i could have taken most of these brats one-on-one, i probably would have mostly chosen not to. see, the fear was always more that they'd convert the boards into weapons and then jump you. in canada, guns aren't much of a concern, but knives are.
...and the fear often came out of trivial reasons. talking with somebody's girlfriend. having a pair of headphones or a pair of shoes that might be worth something. basic thug shit.
in hindsight, the analysis here is a little simplistic. suggesting that these kids are going to grow up into pimps is problematic on numerous levels, although i can state with blunt honesty that a number of the people the song was about have grown up to be petty criminals with lengthy criminal records. i have to own that lack of depth and how it comes out in sometimes less than ideal statements, but i'm going to once again blame that on my age.
overall, i like this track on both a musical and thematic level. i just wish i had articulated myself a little bit better.
--
there was a specific story that influenced the track. when i was in the ninth grade, one of these skater bro types took it upon himself to start body-checking me into lockers. it was well understood that this person was older, but that just gave him more clout in the school's skater clique; he knew the older kids that they looked up to. i was never certain if he was on his second or third try at grade 9.
this wasn't the first time somebody had tried to get physical with me, but it was an escalation that i couldn't really tolerate. people flicking my ears was an annoyance, and especially so when it was a game, but it's the kind of thing one withstands. these were full on, run-at-me body checks that seemed to be designed with intent to harm.
i actually tried a few different tactics before i reacted. i tried sitting behind in class until he left, but it was visibly starting to make the female teacher uncomfortable that i was just sitting around waiting after class - and perhaps not unreasonably so. as for bringing it up with the teacher? well, this guy went out of his way to look for a teacher watching before he took a run. i couldn't be followed around by a teacher all day. i had to react on my own.
so, i tricked him into running at my open leg, which had him fall face first into the locker. he did not see the retribution in the act; he got up looking for a fight. as i was walking toward the exit, which was a staircase downwards, he took another run at me - which i dodged. that was an adrenaline filled movement, i tell you - he was full of stupid, hot rage and sidestepped like an angry bull. but, i still had to time it. there was no escape. he ended up falling down several flights of stairs and breaking his leg. consider what would have happened if i hadn't moved - even considering that i may have helped him lose his balance, a little.
from that point onwards, i lived in fear of being swarmed. rumours were floating around that i'd better stay away from certain people - which was a broadcast to me to stay low. i got the message, and spent the next several years sneaking around back passageways in and out of the school. i learned where the cuts in the fences were, how to detour across floor levels to follow the crowd, how to time the bus (we had public transit passes - and that fact alone probably spared me broken bones) to come in to class during the national anthem and other various scheduling and transiting tactics to avoid being alone at critical junctures. and, then i started to enjoy living that way, too.
i don't think that student came back the next year, so i'm not sure if he ever finished grade 9. but, part of the reason i'm telling you this story is that it helps paint a clearer demographic picture of the narrative that i'm presenting. if you remove the "skater" designation, this could be a story about gangs in schools that could be applied equally well across any other grouping. it just happened to be that the gangs at my school were populated by white skater kids, some from the welfare projects and others comfortably middle class. that might help to explain what some might see as a difficult reference point.
initially written in 1997. recreated in jan, 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. reclaimed july 1, 2015. deconstructed dec 18, 2015. compiled on jan 4, 2016. finalized on july 6, 2016. as always, please use headphones.
this release is compiled on inriℵ0:
jasonparent.bandcamp.com/merch/inri-box-set
this release also includes a printable jewel case insert and will also eventually include a comprehensive package of journal entries from all phases of production (1997, 1998, 2013, 2016).
credits:
j - guitars, effects, bass, drum programming, drum kit, sequencing, vocal noises, vocals, samples, production
released january 12, 1998
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
05-07-2016: closing inri003 & inri004 & inri005
tracks worked on in this vlog:
1) releases:
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inricycled
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inrisampled
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/fuck-the-dead
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/skaters
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/useless
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/confused-2
2) loose tracks:
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/permission-3
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/slaves
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/cats-apocalypse
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/a-deleted-exercise-in-hipster-homophobia
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/swim
3) aleph disc:
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/period-1
1) releases:
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inricycled
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inrisampled
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/fuck-the-dead
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/skaters
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/useless
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/confused-2
2) loose tracks:
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/permission-3
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/slaves
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/cats-apocalypse
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/a-deleted-exercise-in-hipster-homophobia
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/swim
3) aleph disc:
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/period-1
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
looking forward to skaters (inri005)
this is the next ep release, and what i'll be considering before i close it is whether or not it needs to have all of these tracks, or if they might be better left as download only. for this ep, i think i will likely stick with the full treatment, but we'll see.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/skaters
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/skaters
finalizing fuck the dead (inri004)
audio permanently closed for inri004.
i've created a new single release on my final administrative run through the material, and i want to defend the decision to do so. when i was creating the singles in january, this track didn't have any alternate cuts from the new session - i just had the remaster and a bunch of failed versions. there was no drum machine remix and no original demo. so, it wasn't fit for single treatment.
but, material for this track generated as i explored the different ways to present the record. i recreated the middle section for the record. then, i brought in limited vocals for the on sexual confusion in adolescence mini-epic. so, now i do have a couple of alternate versions, and it does make sense to release a single.
i should stress that the single is the vocal cut, which does not make it's way on to any of the album-type configurations.
===
i've created a new single release on my final administrative run through the material, and i want to defend the decision to do so. when i was creating the singles in january, this track didn't have any alternate cuts from the new session - i just had the remaster and a bunch of failed versions. there was no drum machine remix and no original demo. so, it wasn't fit for single treatment.
but, material for this track generated as i explored the different ways to present the record. i recreated the middle section for the record. then, i brought in limited vocals for the on sexual confusion in adolescence mini-epic. so, now i do have a couple of alternate versions, and it does make sense to release a single.
i should stress that the single is the vocal cut, which does not make it's way on to any of the album-type configurations.
===
"wait - do you, like, fuck the dead, or something?"
i wasn't the target; i was merely an observer. but, i kind of lived it, too. so, i had to suggest a proper response.
see, i think the absurdity of the response follows from the absurdity of the question, and the proper way to react is to acknowledge the absurdity of the exchange by playing along. my proposal would be to take the topic to it's most absurd logical conclusion by engaging in a logical defense of the absurd accusation, and then annoying that person by bringing it up all of the time. if i saw him walking in the halls, i'd run up to him and loudly tell him that i've got a great argument for necrophilia if he wants to hear it....
now, i wasn't the person being taunted. so, i never got to act on those impulses. nor was the person that was being taunted nearly as indifferent to social conventions as i was. so, my suggestions were never interpreted seriously - despite their sincerity. i think i should acknowledge that i didn't properly understand what this person wanted. see, if it were me, my goal would be to have this person never ever look at me ever again. i would react by providing a set of disincentives to bother me. the more infamous, the more effective. but, i just wanted for them to leave me the fuck alone. this person wanted some kind of "acceptance", so those kinds of belligerent actions were counter-productive in seeking a final resolution.
so, the song is imagining how i would react if i were to be taunted in such a way.
i've created a new single release on my final administrative run through the material, and i want to defend the decision to do so. when i was creating the singles in january, this track didn't have any alternate cuts from the new session - i just had the remaster and a bunch of failed versions. there was no drum machine remix and no original demo. so, it wasn't fit for single treatment.
but, material for this track generated as i explored the different ways to present the record. i recreated the middle section for the record. then, i brought in limited vocals for the on sexual confusion in adolescence mini-epic. so, now i do have a couple of alternate versions, and it does make sense to release a single.
this is not the very first track that i recorded with my new four-track in 1998, but it's the first cut that made the record. something that got lost in the multiple transfers of the file was that the track was built up around a lot of guitar effects and was meant to have a swirling, shoegaze-y kind of feel. i then cut that recording up and inserted a short collage of computer generated sound, followed by a short jam of me playing guitar over a sample of the spiderman theme song - the original one, from 1967. the recorded track then clicks in and concludes itself in some more layered guitar harmonies. i draw attention to this because it is the juxtaposition of folk-y guitars with oppressive, synthesized percussion that forms the basis of interest in this, musically. it's structurally a blues guitar piece, it's just been ported substantially through technology.
originally created in late 1997 and early 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. finally reconstructed in the summer of 2015 and extrapolated upon over the first half of 2016. released on july 4, 2016. finalized on july 5, 2016. as always, please use headphones.
the album version of this track appears on my first record, inri (inri015):
i wasn't the target; i was merely an observer. but, i kind of lived it, too. so, i had to suggest a proper response.
see, i think the absurdity of the response follows from the absurdity of the question, and the proper way to react is to acknowledge the absurdity of the exchange by playing along. my proposal would be to take the topic to it's most absurd logical conclusion by engaging in a logical defense of the absurd accusation, and then annoying that person by bringing it up all of the time. if i saw him walking in the halls, i'd run up to him and loudly tell him that i've got a great argument for necrophilia if he wants to hear it....
now, i wasn't the person being taunted. so, i never got to act on those impulses. nor was the person that was being taunted nearly as indifferent to social conventions as i was. so, my suggestions were never interpreted seriously - despite their sincerity. i think i should acknowledge that i didn't properly understand what this person wanted. see, if it were me, my goal would be to have this person never ever look at me ever again. i would react by providing a set of disincentives to bother me. the more infamous, the more effective. but, i just wanted for them to leave me the fuck alone. this person wanted some kind of "acceptance", so those kinds of belligerent actions were counter-productive in seeking a final resolution.
so, the song is imagining how i would react if i were to be taunted in such a way.
i've created a new single release on my final administrative run through the material, and i want to defend the decision to do so. when i was creating the singles in january, this track didn't have any alternate cuts from the new session - i just had the remaster and a bunch of failed versions. there was no drum machine remix and no original demo. so, it wasn't fit for single treatment.
but, material for this track generated as i explored the different ways to present the record. i recreated the middle section for the record. then, i brought in limited vocals for the on sexual confusion in adolescence mini-epic. so, now i do have a couple of alternate versions, and it does make sense to release a single.
this is not the very first track that i recorded with my new four-track in 1998, but it's the first cut that made the record. something that got lost in the multiple transfers of the file was that the track was built up around a lot of guitar effects and was meant to have a swirling, shoegaze-y kind of feel. i then cut that recording up and inserted a short collage of computer generated sound, followed by a short jam of me playing guitar over a sample of the spiderman theme song - the original one, from 1967. the recorded track then clicks in and concludes itself in some more layered guitar harmonies. i draw attention to this because it is the juxtaposition of folk-y guitars with oppressive, synthesized percussion that forms the basis of interest in this, musically. it's structurally a blues guitar piece, it's just been ported substantially through technology.
originally created in late 1997 and early 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. finally reconstructed in the summer of 2015 and extrapolated upon over the first half of 2016. released on july 4, 2016. finalized on july 5, 2016. as always, please use headphones.
the album version of this track appears on my first record, inri (inri015):
jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inri-3
this release also includes a printable jewel case insert and will also eventually include a comprehensive package of journal entries from all phases of production (1998, 2013, 2015, 2016).
credits:
this release also includes a printable jewel case insert and will also eventually include a comprehensive package of journal entries from all phases of production (1998, 2013, 2015, 2016).
credits:
j - guitars, effects, bass, drum programming, vocals, samples, digital wave manipulation, cool edit synthesis, production
released january 9, 1998
released january 9, 1998
finalizing inrisampled (inri003)
that was a nice clean listen. but as far as i can tell, it's just luck. i'm going to let things stabilize in here further before i start bringing in any more gear, as i don't fully understand the fluctuations, yet. i hope my luck lasts indefinitely, but then it wouldn't be luck - something would have changed. i saw the crews coming to put in led lights on the street, and i'd think that should turn the volume down a little, anyways. but, i'm not jumping to conclusions. right now, it's just luck.
i'm going to close inri003.
this is a collection of sound experiments from 1997 that i split off into a self-contained ep in the fall of 2013. the initial idea was for it to comprehensively fill the time gap over the fall of 1997, which meant including some of the drum machine tracks that i was programming at the time, but i quickly split that idea off into a different project, leaving a kind of skeleton of sound art experiments. i then found myself listening to a playlist of those tracks on repeat, as i was trying to figure out how to organize them. the most obvious choice became apparent.
there is actually a thematic continuity across these tracks, as they were all constructed entirely out of samples of existing sound that were layered over top of each other after being looped, time-manipulated, distorted and whatever else. so, the projects split cleanly. as a self-contained unit of sound, this is certainly about as weird a piece of music that you could imagine, which just made it that much more appealing to listen to. as the tracks are all short, they come off more as sections of a longer piece when run directly into each other, despite being nowhere related.
so, the main purpose of this release remains autobiographical, but i'll stand by it as a compelling piece of music, nonetheless.
==
i spent the summer and fall of 1997 programming drum tracks into an ry30, notating them into a tablature program and sequencing them using noteworthy composer. i did not know how i was going to record these tracks. i think i was expecting to use the computer, but that was probably naive; instead, i was gifted a 4-track recording machine. i then spent the next year and a half rearranging and rerecording the songs i programmed over that period. as these tracks were recorded into my pc, they are time stamped...so i have a much clearer understanding of when they were finished.
the jump to incorporating computers into the recording process is something i always wanted to do, it's just that it wasn't really previously feasible. first, there was a learning curve. i was a smart kid, though; the learning curve was just a time concern. the larger problem was simply access to a pc. i did have a pc at my disposal, but it did not have a modem and it was only equipped to run windows 3.1, which basically meant i could run civ 2 and wolfenstein and little else. the windows 95 computer had dial up but it was in a central location for family use.
when we moved across the city, my dad bought a new computer and i happily inherited his old one. this gave me internet access, which allowed me to download some freeware. it also gave me the time i needed to learn how to do certain things.
i'm separating out a handful of my first electronic sound experiments and collecting them together into an ep. what these blasts of noise have in common is that they were constructed on a windows 95 computer out of samples or generated sound and with very primitive software while i was waiting to get some kind of recording equipment. most of it was pasted together meticulously using the windows 95 sound recorder; the rest of it was constructed in cool edit, which i used as a sort of a synthesizer.
for the most part, these weren't really ever meant to be songs. i ended up using them as connectors, introductions, background. "continuity". yet, i find the idea of throwing them together here to be interesting from an autobiographical perspective.
created in mid 1997. sequenced and converted to stereo in november, 2013. released on nov 9, 2013. corrected in september, 2014. finalized on july 5, 2016. as always, please use headphones.
this release also includes a printable jewel case insert and will also eventually include a comprehensive package of journal entries from all phases of production (1997, 2013, 2016).
credits:
j - cool edit (wave synthesis, digital wave editing), windows 95 sound recorder (sampling, digital wave editing), yamaha ry30 drum machine (programming)
released december 1, 1997
i'm going to close inri003.
this is a collection of sound experiments from 1997 that i split off into a self-contained ep in the fall of 2013. the initial idea was for it to comprehensively fill the time gap over the fall of 1997, which meant including some of the drum machine tracks that i was programming at the time, but i quickly split that idea off into a different project, leaving a kind of skeleton of sound art experiments. i then found myself listening to a playlist of those tracks on repeat, as i was trying to figure out how to organize them. the most obvious choice became apparent.
there is actually a thematic continuity across these tracks, as they were all constructed entirely out of samples of existing sound that were layered over top of each other after being looped, time-manipulated, distorted and whatever else. so, the projects split cleanly. as a self-contained unit of sound, this is certainly about as weird a piece of music that you could imagine, which just made it that much more appealing to listen to. as the tracks are all short, they come off more as sections of a longer piece when run directly into each other, despite being nowhere related.
so, the main purpose of this release remains autobiographical, but i'll stand by it as a compelling piece of music, nonetheless.
==
i spent the summer and fall of 1997 programming drum tracks into an ry30, notating them into a tablature program and sequencing them using noteworthy composer. i did not know how i was going to record these tracks. i think i was expecting to use the computer, but that was probably naive; instead, i was gifted a 4-track recording machine. i then spent the next year and a half rearranging and rerecording the songs i programmed over that period. as these tracks were recorded into my pc, they are time stamped...so i have a much clearer understanding of when they were finished.
the jump to incorporating computers into the recording process is something i always wanted to do, it's just that it wasn't really previously feasible. first, there was a learning curve. i was a smart kid, though; the learning curve was just a time concern. the larger problem was simply access to a pc. i did have a pc at my disposal, but it did not have a modem and it was only equipped to run windows 3.1, which basically meant i could run civ 2 and wolfenstein and little else. the windows 95 computer had dial up but it was in a central location for family use.
when we moved across the city, my dad bought a new computer and i happily inherited his old one. this gave me internet access, which allowed me to download some freeware. it also gave me the time i needed to learn how to do certain things.
i'm separating out a handful of my first electronic sound experiments and collecting them together into an ep. what these blasts of noise have in common is that they were constructed on a windows 95 computer out of samples or generated sound and with very primitive software while i was waiting to get some kind of recording equipment. most of it was pasted together meticulously using the windows 95 sound recorder; the rest of it was constructed in cool edit, which i used as a sort of a synthesizer.
for the most part, these weren't really ever meant to be songs. i ended up using them as connectors, introductions, background. "continuity". yet, i find the idea of throwing them together here to be interesting from an autobiographical perspective.
created in mid 1997. sequenced and converted to stereo in november, 2013. released on nov 9, 2013. corrected in september, 2014. finalized on july 5, 2016. as always, please use headphones.
this release also includes a printable jewel case insert and will also eventually include a comprehensive package of journal entries from all phases of production (1997, 2013, 2016).
credits:
j - cool edit (wave synthesis, digital wave editing), windows 95 sound recorder (sampling, digital wave editing), yamaha ry30 drum machine (programming)
released december 1, 1997
Monday, July 4, 2016
03-07-2016: closing inri002 (period 1.1) and seeing the ear doctor for a third time
tracks worked on in this vlog:
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inri-cassette-demo-1
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inri-cassette-demo-2
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inricycled
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/period-1
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inri-cassette-demo-1
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inri-cassette-demo-2
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inricycled
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/period-1
publishing fuck the dead (inri004)
inri004.
===
"wait - do you, like, fuck the dead, or something?"
i wasn't the target; i was merely an observer. but, i kind of lived it, too. so, i had to suggest a proper response.
see, i think the absurdity of the response follows from the absurdity of the question, and the proper way to react is to acknowledge the absurdity of the exchange by playing along. my proposal would be to take the topic to it's most absurd logical conclusion by engaging in a logical defense of the absurd accusation, and then annoying that person by bringing it up all of the time. if i saw him walking in the halls, i'd run up to him and loudly tell him that i've got a great argument for necrophilia if he wants to hear it....
now, i wasn't the person being taunted. so, i never got to act on those impulses. nor was the person that was being taunted nearly as indifferent to social conventions as i was. so, my suggestions were never interpreted seriously - despite their sincerity. i think i should acknowledge that i didn't properly understand what this person wanted. see, if it were me, my goal would be to have this person never ever look at me ever again. i would react by providing a set of disincentives to bother me. the more infamous, the more effective. but, i just wanted for them to leave me the fuck alone. this person wanted some kind of "acceptance", so those kinds of belligerent actions were counter-productive in seeking a final resolution.
so, the song is imagining how i would react if i were to be taunted in such a way.
this is not the very first track that i recorded with my new four-track in 1998, but it's the first cut that made the record. something that got lost in the multiple transfers of the file was that the track was built up around a lot of guitar effects and was meant to have a swirling, shoegaze-y kind of feel. i then cut that recording up and inserted a short collage of computer generated sound, followed by a short jam of me playing guitar over a sample of the spiderman theme song - the original one, from 1967. the recorded track then clicks in and concludes itself in some more layered guitar harmonies. i draw attention to this because it is the juxtaposition of folk-y guitars with oppressive, synthesized percussion that forms the basis of interest in this, musically. it's structurally a blues guitar piece, it's just been ported substantially through technology.
originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. finally reconstructed in the summer of 2015 and extrapolated upon over the first half of 2016. released on july 4, 2016. as always, please use headphones.
this release is compiled on inriℵ0, which also includes all of the deleted versions of the track:
jasonparent.bandcamp.com/merch/inri-box-set
this release also includes a printable jewel case insert and will also eventually include a comprehensive package of journal entries from all phases of production (1997, 2013, 2016).
credits:
j - guitars, effects, bass, drum programming, vocals, samples, digital wave manipulation, cool edit synthesis, production
released january 9, 1998
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/fuck-the-dead
1) this is one of the tracks that had lyrics that i didn't want to give up entirely, because the obvious absurdity of them takes the track to a different level. it was more that i wanted to clean the vocals up - remove some sections that weren't as well thought out to just let the insolence shimmer. plus, i wanted to get rid of those damned samples. but, i felt the core of the vocal track actually pulled the song along, if presented in the right context. i eventually decided that the right context was to separate out the introductory six track mini-epic and incorporate vocals from the three constituent tracks: i did your mom, fuck the dead and confused. confused would actually be a full vocal take, whereas the vocals for the other two were spliced up strategically. that left me with a standalone vocal single for this track, as well as a few outtakes. i'm taking advantage of that to release this track as a single. originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. finally reconstructed in the summer of 2015 and extrapolated upon over the first half of 2016. track dated jan 7, 2016.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/fuck-the-dead-3
2) this is the version that i was able to salvage from the source tapes. it does not include the breakdown in the middle, as that was not present in the source tapes. originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. finally reconstructed in the summer of 2015. track dated july 5, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/fuck-the-dead-instrumental-edit
3) when i decided to redo the record, i had to reintegrate the breakdown, which was sourced from less reliable materials. this is an unsequenced take of that - a relic of the recording process. originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. finally reconstructed in the summer of 2015 and extrapolated upon over the first half of 2016. track dated jan 3, 2016.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/fuck-the-dead-instrumental-mix
4) this version is taken directly from the record and consequently includes bleed from the preceding and subsequent tracks. originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. finally reconstructed in the summer of 2015 and extrapolated upon over the first half of 2016. track dated jan 8, 2016.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/fuck-the-dead-final-album-version
5) deleted 2013 remaster. originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. track dated dec 21, 2013.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/fuck-the-dead-2013-remaster-2
6) deleted 1998 original, unsequenced mix from a 112 kbps mp3. originally created in 1998. track dated jan 9, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/fuck-the-dead-1998-archive-2
===
"wait - do you, like, fuck the dead, or something?"
i wasn't the target; i was merely an observer. but, i kind of lived it, too. so, i had to suggest a proper response.
see, i think the absurdity of the response follows from the absurdity of the question, and the proper way to react is to acknowledge the absurdity of the exchange by playing along. my proposal would be to take the topic to it's most absurd logical conclusion by engaging in a logical defense of the absurd accusation, and then annoying that person by bringing it up all of the time. if i saw him walking in the halls, i'd run up to him and loudly tell him that i've got a great argument for necrophilia if he wants to hear it....
now, i wasn't the person being taunted. so, i never got to act on those impulses. nor was the person that was being taunted nearly as indifferent to social conventions as i was. so, my suggestions were never interpreted seriously - despite their sincerity. i think i should acknowledge that i didn't properly understand what this person wanted. see, if it were me, my goal would be to have this person never ever look at me ever again. i would react by providing a set of disincentives to bother me. the more infamous, the more effective. but, i just wanted for them to leave me the fuck alone. this person wanted some kind of "acceptance", so those kinds of belligerent actions were counter-productive in seeking a final resolution.
so, the song is imagining how i would react if i were to be taunted in such a way.
this is not the very first track that i recorded with my new four-track in 1998, but it's the first cut that made the record. something that got lost in the multiple transfers of the file was that the track was built up around a lot of guitar effects and was meant to have a swirling, shoegaze-y kind of feel. i then cut that recording up and inserted a short collage of computer generated sound, followed by a short jam of me playing guitar over a sample of the spiderman theme song - the original one, from 1967. the recorded track then clicks in and concludes itself in some more layered guitar harmonies. i draw attention to this because it is the juxtaposition of folk-y guitars with oppressive, synthesized percussion that forms the basis of interest in this, musically. it's structurally a blues guitar piece, it's just been ported substantially through technology.
originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. finally reconstructed in the summer of 2015 and extrapolated upon over the first half of 2016. released on july 4, 2016. as always, please use headphones.
this release is compiled on inriℵ0, which also includes all of the deleted versions of the track:
jasonparent.bandcamp.com/merch/inri-box-set
this release also includes a printable jewel case insert and will also eventually include a comprehensive package of journal entries from all phases of production (1997, 2013, 2016).
credits:
j - guitars, effects, bass, drum programming, vocals, samples, digital wave manipulation, cool edit synthesis, production
released january 9, 1998
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/fuck-the-dead
1) this is one of the tracks that had lyrics that i didn't want to give up entirely, because the obvious absurdity of them takes the track to a different level. it was more that i wanted to clean the vocals up - remove some sections that weren't as well thought out to just let the insolence shimmer. plus, i wanted to get rid of those damned samples. but, i felt the core of the vocal track actually pulled the song along, if presented in the right context. i eventually decided that the right context was to separate out the introductory six track mini-epic and incorporate vocals from the three constituent tracks: i did your mom, fuck the dead and confused. confused would actually be a full vocal take, whereas the vocals for the other two were spliced up strategically. that left me with a standalone vocal single for this track, as well as a few outtakes. i'm taking advantage of that to release this track as a single. originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. finally reconstructed in the summer of 2015 and extrapolated upon over the first half of 2016. track dated jan 7, 2016.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/fuck-the-dead-3
2) this is the version that i was able to salvage from the source tapes. it does not include the breakdown in the middle, as that was not present in the source tapes. originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. finally reconstructed in the summer of 2015. track dated july 5, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/fuck-the-dead-instrumental-edit
3) when i decided to redo the record, i had to reintegrate the breakdown, which was sourced from less reliable materials. this is an unsequenced take of that - a relic of the recording process. originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. finally reconstructed in the summer of 2015 and extrapolated upon over the first half of 2016. track dated jan 3, 2016.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/fuck-the-dead-instrumental-mix
4) this version is taken directly from the record and consequently includes bleed from the preceding and subsequent tracks. originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. finally reconstructed in the summer of 2015 and extrapolated upon over the first half of 2016. track dated jan 8, 2016.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/fuck-the-dead-final-album-version
5) deleted 2013 remaster. originally created in 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. track dated dec 21, 2013.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/fuck-the-dead-2013-remaster-2
6) deleted 1998 original, unsequenced mix from a 112 kbps mp3. originally created in 1998. track dated jan 9, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/fuck-the-dead-1998-archive-2
i've still got some listening to do, but it's very much reduced - i've closed period 1.1, and the transition into 1.2, inri003. that should update in the next few hours.
the next section is going to require some kind of an extra placeholder, because it's very revisionist - i'm going to be inserting instrumental versions in as replacements for tracks that have always had vocals up until this point. so, this is more than just a remix, this is a complete reconstruction. i need to accurately date that reproduction to the early part of this year - recently. yet, i'm going to be sequencing the reconstructions in to the 1998-1999 period, as well - as though they were all that ever was.
i think i should put the placeholder in to the 2013 uplift stage, and mention that the vocal versions are only on the period retrospective aleph-disc - which is not entirely true. many of the tracks are available on singles.
that's actually maybe a more honest way to do the bulk of it. i can timeline the 1998 versions properly where they exist. i'm just mapping them to a different collection, in a lot of the cases. the aleph-only versions are actually going to be rare for the full length tracks. but, the ghost structure has to exist, nonetheless, i think - to reflect what was actually there.
this is going to be a little bit involved, then - meaning i'd like to split the day over it. i'm not sure when i'll close inri003, exactly, but that's the extent of my ambitions for the rest of the night.
the next section is going to require some kind of an extra placeholder, because it's very revisionist - i'm going to be inserting instrumental versions in as replacements for tracks that have always had vocals up until this point. so, this is more than just a remix, this is a complete reconstruction. i need to accurately date that reproduction to the early part of this year - recently. yet, i'm going to be sequencing the reconstructions in to the 1998-1999 period, as well - as though they were all that ever was.
i think i should put the placeholder in to the 2013 uplift stage, and mention that the vocal versions are only on the period retrospective aleph-disc - which is not entirely true. many of the tracks are available on singles.
that's actually maybe a more honest way to do the bulk of it. i can timeline the 1998 versions properly where they exist. i'm just mapping them to a different collection, in a lot of the cases. the aleph-only versions are actually going to be rare for the full length tracks. but, the ghost structure has to exist, nonetheless, i think - to reflect what was actually there.
this is going to be a little bit involved, then - meaning i'd like to split the day over it. i'm not sure when i'll close inri003, exactly, but that's the extent of my ambitions for the rest of the night.
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