Category Archives: Music

Music and Adobe Tech: CodeBass

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Earlier this week I noticed a tweet from Charlie Griefer mentioning a new project called CodeBass having to do with music and Adobe technology. Thinking this sounded like a huge mesh point for the ongoing Community CD Project, I was pretty quick to check it out.

What a great idea and an excellent community resource! I immediately contacted Vicky Ryder and let her know about my efforts. She was kind enough to do a quick feature on the Community CD Project and I cannot thank her enough for getting that up so quickly seeing how the submission deadline of July 1st is fast approaching!

There are a few other articles up there as of this writing, including information about Jason Levine, Matt Gifford, and Matt Legrand; with a bunch of great stuff coming up!

I encourage everyone who has something to contribute to do so- even if it’s just adding a nice comment here and there or getting the word out about this effort. I pledge my support and hope to contribute in any way I can.

Community CD Project Submissions: 20 Days Left!

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Just a reminder that interested members of the community have 20 days left to submit tracks toward the Community CD Project!

You can learn more about this from my initial call for submissions and view a list of confirmed contributors and additional information at the project page.

If anyone who manages or interfaces with the various developer and designer communities out there comes across this post- please let your community members know as there are a few slots left!

Community Project: Music Compilation CD

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UPDATE: You can find the latest information about the project here along with an FAQ and contributor list.

One of the aspects I greatly admire about the communities I interface with (primarily Flash developers, but digital tech people of all stripes) is that there is such a diverse amount of talent, interest, and drive among these individuals. More than any other group of people I’ve come across, there seems to be an inordinate amount of developers who also spend their time doing some form of audio composition. What better way to highlight their efforts on both fronts than to put together a compilation album of their audio work along with related information and offer it to the community at large?

Ideally, I’d like to get 12-18 tracks together along with a nice digital booklet for the community. These items would be made available as a professional-grade digital download with both a full bin/cue CD-Audio image file and high-quality digital audio track versions along with printable album art and descriptive booklet highlighting the work of these talented individuals and groups.

Submissions will close on July 1st, 2010.

If you wish to contribute and have your work included in the compilation, here are the details:

  1. You must be a designer, developer, or some other tech person. This doesn’t have to be just Flash or Adobe stuff- anything goes!
  2. FTP your uncompressed audio track to Fractured Vision Media servers (connection details below).
  3. Include a text file with the title of the track, your name/alias, a short paragraph describing how your music effects your des/dev efforts or vice/versa – how does it all relate? Links to download/purchase your albums. Other info as deemed appropriate.
  4. Include cover art for your track or some representative images.
  5. This will be a freely distributed album through the Fractured Vision Media label – no money need change hands. A community effort.
  6. All work will be distributed with a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

 

Submissions Information:
By submitting materials via FTP to Fractured Vision Media, LLC – you agree to the terms laid out in this post.

FTP Username: submission@fracturedvisionmedia.com
Password: musicdev
FTP Server: ftp.fracturedvisionmedia.com
FTP Server Port: 21

Once your files have been uploaded, send a quick email to joseph{a~t}fracturedvisionmedia.com letting me know.

I know we are capable of great things on all fronts! Let’s work together to make something brilliant!

UPDATE: You can find the latest information about the project here along with an FAQ and contributor list.

Strangling Strangers [DEMO SS001]

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After the release of Shudderflowers by An Early Morning Letter, Displaced last Autumn, I decided to explore some of the harsher elements of that album within my other aural project, Strangling Strangers.

Strangling Strangers is a project that I’ve tinkered with for years after coming up with alternate material at the turn of the century when developing music for Through Darkened Eyes:

i think these things i shouldn’t think
in places i shouldn’t think them
sawing off the head of a prostitute
or strangling strangers
and this pain in my side
keeps me awake at night

I’ve decided to experiment with some of these new ideas in earnest for 2010. I’m unsure on where this project might go from here… but for now- we have a demo…

The only way I can describe it right now is that Strangling Strangers is much more intense and immediate than An Early Morning Letter, Displaced. Granted, I may decide to abandon the project as soon as tomorrow, but feel free to friend/fan if this strikes you.

Visit Strangling Strangers on:

  • Facebook
  • MySpace

An Early Morning Letter, Displaced: Shudderflowers

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Shudderflowers official release date is set for September 22nd, 2009. It may or may not be available to purchase from various retailers at that time, but here are a few you can try, after the date has passed: iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon, and eventually Verizon, Zune, Napster, and the rest…

An Early Morning Letter, Displaced: Shudderflowers

Shudderflowers

2009 Fractured Vision Media

Shudderflowers reflects upon themes of fervent self-destruction and the fragility of the female mind. Tortured soundscapes pierced with the bones of shattered dreams. A nightmare concert filled with the anguished cries of broken children, delivered with a sweeping stiletto… and a whisper.

  1. Shudderflowers
  2. I Am Consumed
  3. Fever-Drenched and Burning
  4. Fearless
  5. Waning Flower
  6. Searching, Lost
  7. Beneath White Stones
  8. A Cleansing of Bones
  9. Where Dead Girls Lie
  10. Alice (the bones)
  11. Drowning Past The Sky
  12. Threadbare
  13. Shudderflowers (reprise)

I want to note here a few interesting facts regarding this release:

  • This is the 4th formal album from An Early Morning Letter, Displaced.
  • This is the second full-length collection from that same body of work.
  • The synthesizer elements were all produced via software synths. My hardware synths were only used as MIDI controllers this time around.
  • As was the case for the previous release, samples were taken from violin and processed into the mix. No guitar, this time.
  • A reworked version of the unreleased track She’s Fallen (2001) almost made it onto the release. It ended up going in the wrong direction and was abandoned.
  • The track Threadbare is originally from the abandoned Stillborn release from 2003/2004.
  • Fever-Drenched and Burning was actually composed and recorded last Winter when I was suffering from intense fever!
  • The beginnings of many of the lyrics for this release were composed stream-of-consciousness on Twitter.
  • An alternate version of Fearless can be found as soundtrack to the short film “The Fearless Man” 2007
  • This is the first release which contains vocal material that is not solely produced by myself. Alice (the bones) and Beneath White Stones feature the additional vocals of two girls, respectively; one living, one dead†. The dead girl’s voice having been recovered from an old telephone answering machine.
  • Alice (the bones) also contains samples from various sources, including the Švankmajer film “Alice”.
  • The original (long) verison of Alice (the bones) was written as background noise to a Hallowe’en party.
  • The cover art is adapted from a painting I completed in 2004 titled “Neck Zipper” and inspired by a sweater my girlfriend (now, wife) was fond of wearing:
    Neck Zipper
  • This may be the last physical release I produce. Sales of A Prison of Oneself were okay, but (if the numbers are any indication $$$) people seem much more interested in digital distribution… and it is certainly less of a headache for me.
  • I may try something new after this. I have an additional project called Strangling Strangers that I might start working on again. Its a lot less ambient… more coarse and noise-based.
  • Samples from this, and all An Early Morning Letter, Displaced releases can be found at the Myspace Music page.