tdctunes 3Speak Podcast: Recent Episodes
TDC Tunes
Listen and watch the latest videos from tdctunes. Hosted by 3Speak.tv. The free speech video platform on the HIVE blockchain.
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/vxycgyzi
Continuing to post highlights from my radio shows with this section from my 77th show, originally broadcast 13th February 2023...
PLUS: new track from myself and Rocco LDN out TODAY!
TDC Tunes' thoughts about this setThis highlight features samples from my released track 'Space'. This is one of the ways I like to try to bridge the gap between my modular improvisations and my released tracks. To do so I take quite a small selection of samples from the track in question and load them into the modular to be played on and built upon to create a new improvisation with some of those elements.
In practice what that normally means is going back to my original project in Ableton Live and exporting a few samples that will be relatively easy to use in the modular. This might be some percussive hits or loops or some short melodic lines.
The sample playback time and quality I have in the modular is limited so there's no way I will be reproducing entire sections or melodies, so it's quite interesting to try to identify the really core elements to represent the track with.
In this case it's a short snippet from the melody, the repetitive single note beeping sound and the distinctive pad/chord loop that plays at the very beginning of the track. I trim these very carefully and often transpose them into C (normally minor) which is the default tuning for the other parts of my modular.
Then once in the modular it's a case of adding new elements, mixing them together and generally experimenting to create something new, yet also familiar!
Out today: Second Time AroundPleased to announce my second release with singer/songwriter Rocco LDN!
You can check out the track on the major streaming services here:
https://ffm.to/second-time-around
And here's a bit of insight from Rocco herself on where she was at when she wrote the lyrics...
An electronic pop track, born from a time when a lot of people were struggling with their mental health as we came out of the pandemic.
Second Time Around is a reassuring song reminding people that they are loved and that they will have a chance for a do over, to get things right again when given the chance for some normality and equilibrium to be restored in their lives.
Photo in cover artwork by London based photographer Frederick Goff. His portfolio: https://www.frederickgoff.space/
Next TDC Tunes show this coming Monday 13th March...Hope to see many of you in my Twitch channel this coming Monday 13th March - from 9pm UK time!
ShoutoutsThere's always a bunch of awesome people from Hive and especially from the @risingstargame community hanging out in the Twitch channel at my shows. @stickupboys are usually there doing Rising Star card and starbits giveaways too! Big thanks also to regulars and recent viewers:
@pixiepost
@mypathtofire
@caulderfreeman
@ph110
@beardoin
@Slothlydoesit
@papacrusher
That's all for now folks - see you next time and hope you're having a great week on Hive and elsewhere!
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/iiygcduk
Continuing to catch up with posting highlights from my radio shows with this section from my 76th show, and we are only a few weeks behind now as this one was originally broadcast 6th February 2023...
TDC Tunes' thoughts about this setReally happy with this one!
I think this section was one of those times I just decided to focus on the music and after quite a slow build at the beginning of this clip (stay with it!) I really got into the zone and brought out several quite musically different sections. And I really enjoyed it too!
Report from uF-BeatSome of you may be wondering how my live improv gig in north London last week went.
It turns out I had a very busy/full on week so I decided to appraoch this one with an attitude of turning up and enjoying making music for my set. What else do you normally do at a gig you might ask? Well - I always see as a gig as a great opportunity to do a lot more - but especially around creating and publishing content such as video clips, behind the scenes info and so on. And then there's networking at the event itself, not to mention giving our stickers card and perhaps even selling a bit of merchandise!
The upshot is I had less to 'think' ahout and did indeed really enjoy myself. I played a 30 mins continuous solo improvised set. And then about 15 mins of improvisations where any other musician at the event was invited to the stage to join me. For those I was aiming to lay down a simple backing track - say percussion and sound effects plus some simple chords (or even just a single chord) that would allow people to improvise.
Musicians that chose to play with me included an electric violin, a piano, an electronic wind instrument (EWI) and a guitar played with all sorts of household items instead of a plectrum!
So.. unfortunately I don't have any clips of my set, but I do have a picture of my setup on the stage - I went for 2 modular cases (my full setup in my studio has 4) and positioned them on a stand in more of an angled desk setup than the wall configuration I tend to use.
Favourite GIF of the week!This gif gives some insight into the patching/unpatching process of the modular. If I want to make a major change involving moving modules around and re-patching everything from scratch this process can easily take a whole day!
Next TDC Tunes show this coming Monday 6th March...Hope to see many of you in my Twitch channel this coming Monday 6th Feb - from 9pm UK time!
ShoutoutsInstead of my usual shoutout list this time I've got a tip for anyone looking to both get a return from their HP and also help contribute to the curation of music and other arts on Hive.
The tip is simple:
Delegate some HP to @stickupcurator
It's a great curation account that's highlighting a lot of great content on Hive. PLUS for all the HP you delegate you get a 15% dividend paid out in the new(ish) LGN token - and that's paid out DAILY.
Read more from @stickupboys themselves at: https://peakd.com/@stickupboys/legion-divs-were-a-massive-305-hive-do-you-want-to-earn-15percent-apr-on-your-hp-and-earn-great-monthly-divs
And if you want to know more about LGN - it'd from those awesome folks at @brofund and you can get the lowdown starting here: https://peakd.com/hive-189872/@brofund/lgn-legion-sale-starts-on-monday-28th-november-900-am-gmt
What this means in practive for me right now is that from my roughly 1000HP delegation I'm getting around 0.34 LGN every single day - in the region of $0.44 worth at current prices - and I can only see the value of LGN going up!
That's all for now folks - see you next time and hope you're having a great week on Hive and elsewhere!
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/skvosoca
Continuing to catch up with posting highlights from my radio shows with this section from my 75th show. We are only a few weeks behind now as this one was originally broadcast 30th January 2023...
TDC Tunes' thoughts about this setThis is the one with the Police stuff!
I'd been maneuvered into promising to wear the police outfit I wore for the @risingstargame Hive Fest sketch so I figured I may as well go all in and do a Police special edition! As well as the outfit then I made loads of new Police related modes for the Twitch Bot in my channel. I also downloaded a bunch of recordings of police radio and loaded them into one of my sample playing modules in the modular.
So a lot of what you hear in this video is snippets, effects and sometimes weirdness created out of the police radio samples. I quite like the vibe and I think it goes pretty well with an improvised modular set. What do you think?
The new Twitch Bot modes were a mixed bag. I was hoping to implement one that made a bit of a mini game in the channel but I only managed to get as far as having it let people say !goodcop or !badcop and count the total votes for each. So pretty limited. It did let me figure out how to do some more advanced things with the Bot though so there is potential for a more advanced mini game in a future show!
TDC Tunes live Improv gig - London - 24 FebAfter a great night back in October - once again I'll be taking the modular synth over to Crouch End and leading an improv session for any musician to join in with!
I always say anything can happen with modular synth music. But what about with modular synth + any musician on the night joining in and improvising on top?!
A recipe for chaos? Maybe! But last time there were some fantastic musicians and we definitely created something unique and memorable and had a lot of fun doing it.
So if you happen to be able to get to North London on the 24th Feb - come along and come say hi!
Entry is FREE (Donations to the church welcome) and there will be a bar too!
And if you are interested in playing/singing check out the details at: https://www.meetup.com/uf-beat-club/events/290626094/
Favourite GIF of the week!Another awesome gif from @stickupboys here - this is pretty much what my life is like as a modular synth artist!
Next TDC Tunes show this coming Monday 20th Feb...Hope to see many of you in my Twitch channel this coming Monday 20th Feb - from 9pm UK time!
ShoutoutsThere's always a bunch of awesome people from Hive and especially from the @risingstargame community hanging out in the Twitch channel at my shows. @stickupboys are usually there doing Rising Star card and starbits giveaways too! Big thanks also to regulars:
@pixiepost
@mypathtofire
@caulderfreeman
@ph110
@beardoin
@Slothlydoesit
You may notice in the video that various cards popup from time to time in the bottom left - usually accompanied by some flashing or changing lights. Well - that's the special modes that any viewer can kick off with my Bot in the Twitch channel. And all the really regular viewers have their own special mode now...
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/rfrkqohj
Continuing to catch up with posting highlights from my radio shows with this section from my 74th show, originally broadcast 16th January 2022...
TDC Tunes' thoughts about this setIt was a bit harder than usual to find a section of this set to highlight - the full sets are always over an hour and there was a lot of less coherent stuff during that particular show.
However this particular section I like very much. I like the industrial sounds, the relatively simple melodic elements, the varied percussion and the just the overall vibe.
One thing that did go wrong during this show was there were some problems with the TDC Tunes Bot that puts up pictures in the bottom left of the screen when Twitch users invoke certain modes. There were some that got stuck there and then others appearing on top or below them. The Twitch Bot setup has actually got quite convoluted and is almost like programming now - but it's worth it as it's a great part of the show.
Some might say the Bot has started getting a mind of it's own....
Latest Rising Star NFT on sale now!Freshly minted in the game is the NFT version of my track The Piccolo! And it got a brand new cover as well as previously it had only be released as part of an Electronic Music Alliance compilation album.
Here's how it looks in the game...
One thing though - this one is ONLY available for STARPRO and I've no plans currently to sell it for STARBITS. So get doing Music Promoter and/or swap your STARBITS for STARPRO and get your copy of The Piccolo now via the in game market...
Favourite GIF of the week!I've been really digging the @risingstargame Radio Evolved show lately and I've been having a lot of fun during it.
It's nice for me as a streamer myself to have a show where I can join in the chat fully as I often feel like I miss out on some of the great banter when I'm doing my own.
If you don't know - Radio Evolved is the weekly show on Sunday night where music made by musicians from the Rising Star community are played. Plus there are loads of giveaways too. Oh... and lots of gifs (in the Discord!). Twitch channel is at https://www./atomcollector and there is a notification in the game itself on the day.
So a big shoutout for Radio Evolved and hope to see you at one soon!
Next TDC Tunes show this coming Monday 13th Feb...Hope to see many of you in my Twitch channel this coming Monday 13th Feb - from 9pm UK time!
ShoutoutsThere's always a bunch of friends from Hive and especially from the @risingstargame community hanging out in the Twitch channel at my shows. @stickupboys are usually there doing Rising Star card and starbits giveaways too! Big thanks also to regulars:
@pixiepost
@mypathtofire
@caulderfreeman
@ph110
Special hi also to @Slothlydoesit who pops in quite often now and has got me to notice the Sloth Buzz Community on Hive. They seem to be doing a lot of cool stuff, not least supporting Hive musicians like myself!
You may notice in the video that various cards popup from time to time in the bottom left - usually accompanied by some flashing or changing lights. Well - that's the special modes that any viewer can kick off with my Bot in the Twitch channel. And all the really regular viewers have their own special mode now...
I've actually just added new bot modes for @beardoin @papacrusher and @raymondspeaks - I wonder if they will be there next Monday to find out if the TDC Bot is kind to them or not?!
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/hvfnlmoo
Continuing to catch up with posting highlights from my radio shows with this section from my 73rd show, originally broadcast 9th January 2022...
TDC Tunes' thoughts about this setThis was a show with a brand new element! You may notice a small silver radio sitting on top of my modular case in the video which I'm using to provide a live radio feed to mix in and mangle in the modular pretty much throughout this video.
The techniques I'm using with the live radio are similar to what I've used before with sampled radio and other audio snippets. But this time it's actual live radio whatever that might bring!
You can hear on the video that sometimes I'm letting the radio pass through in a recognisable form so you can hear the kind of material I'm working with. But other times I'm chopping it up and mangling it (re-pitching, reversing, applying heavy effects etc.) to make it unrecognisable - to use as a percussion instrument, tuned sound or effect.
For a lot of the set I've got it tuned to a channel which is almost all speech - but there are some bits with music coming from it too. I like the organic-ness of this approach - I always say that I never know what will happen in my shows but perhaps this takes that to another level! Hey I don't even know what station(s) I've got it tuned to!
What do you folks think of the live radio element? Would you like that again on a future set?
Police Outfit - a self fulfilling prediction?At 09:50 in the video I talk briefly about using the FM radio. But listen a tiny bit on from that to 10:25 and you can hear me categorically stating that the police uniform I wore for the @risingstargame sketch at Hive Fest 2022 would only ever be worn again at a future Hive Fest...
I shouldn't have said that of course as it obviously planted a seed and by popular request I ended up wearing it for show #75 this week (Highlights from that show will be released in a post very soon!)
ShoutoutsIf you like what you see and hear, I'm live every Monday night (9pm UK time) on Brixton Radio and Twitch. And there's always a bunch of friends from Hive and especially from the @risingstargame community hanging out in the Twitch channel. @stickupboys are usually there doing Rising Star card and starbits giveaways too! Big thanks also to regulars:
@pixiepost
@mypathtofire
@caulderfreeman
@ph110
You may notice in the video that various cards popup from time to time in the bottom left - usually accompanied by some flashing or changing lights. Well - that's the special modes that any viewer can kick off with my Bot in the Twitch channel. And all the really regular viewers have their own special mode now... I wonder who will be next to get their own special mode? I add at least one new mode to the bot every week!
Favourite GIF of the week!I'm a modular synth player so I have to love cables. But most of all I love @stickupboys and their gifs!
Next show this coming Monday 6th Feb...Hope to see many of you in my Twitch channel this coming Monday 6th Feb - from 9pm UK time!
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/tewfswmn
Continuing to catch up with posting highlights from my shows with this quite long extract from my 72nd show, originally broadcast 12th December 2022...
TDC Tunes' thoughts about this setOn interesting thing I've started doing a bit more of in recent sets and is quite obvious in this one is using portamento. This is a musical term that basically means sliding in pitch between two notes. You can hear it quite a bit in this clip where I've set up a synth voice that implements portamento. There are a few wats of doing this, chiefly in either the thing is generating the pitch voltage itself, OR in the actual synth voice after that.
I'm sometimes using the top right module in my rack - the Roland System 1m which is actually a semi modular and can be used both standalone AND as in my case in a rack with other modules too. but I can also implement it in two of my sequencers - the Arpitecht so named because it has an approach to sequencing based on arpeggios. But also the Metropolis which is my favourite melody generated. The Metropolis has buttons under each of the 8 stages to turn on whether slide is enabled for that stage.
Otherwise I think there is generally just a good variety of types of sounds going on in this highlight. Some are buzzy, some are bleepy, some are dark, some are spacey and some are just downright strange!
ShoutoutsIf you like what you see and hear, I'm live every Monday night (9pm UK time) on Brixton Radio and Twitch. And there's always a bunch of friends from Hive and especially from the @risingstargame community hanging out in the Twitch channel. @stickupboys are usually there doing Rising Star card and starbits giveaways too! Big thanks also to regulars:
@pixiepost
@mypathtofire
@caulderfreeman
@ph110
You may notice in the video that various cards popup from time to time in the bottom left - usually accompanied by some flashing or changing lights. Well - that's the special modes that any viewer can kick off with my Bot in the Twitch channel. And all the really regular viewers have their own special mode now... hence you see the @pixiepost and @stickupboys Rising Star cards as well as @caulderfreeman's Hive Punk avatar. I wonder who will be next to get their own special mode? I add at least one new mode to the bot every week!
DON'T FORGET - THIS MONDAY - POLICE EDITION!Don't forget this Monday is Police edition of my Radio show! I heard a rumour that impersonating a police officer is a felony in the US and that if I do @papacrusher is going to come to my studio and arrest me! But apparently if I do the following dance I will just be cautioned?!
Hope to see many of you in the Twitch channel on this coming Monday 30th Jan - from 9pm UK time!
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/joyqvots
Continuing to catch up with posting highlights from my shows with this quite long extract from my 71st show, originally broadcast 5th December 2022....
TDC tunes' thoughts about this setThis was quite a long part of the set without me talking! Normally I talk during the show roughly about every 10-15 minutes. Sometimes when I'm tired I talk a bit less and just focus on the music, or sometimes I just get into the zone and let the chat go by! Not sure what it was this time - but I quite like some of the music that came out.
There is a good combination of little melodic elements, bleepy soundscapes, and a variety of percussion. Of course there's always stuff I can improve and I've made some notes to myself to try to do something more unusual with my percussion in the next show. I've got quite a good variety of percussive elements for sure - but modular is all about experimentation and pushing the limits - so watch this space for some crazy percussion next time!
ShoutoutsIf you like what you see and hear, I'm live every Monday night (9pm UK time) on Brixton Radio and Twitch. And there's always a bunch of people from Hive and especially from the @risingstargame community hanging out in the Twitch channel. @stickupboys are ususally there doing Rising Star card and starbits giveaways too! Big thanks also to regulars:
@pixiepost
@mypathtofire
@caulderfreeman
@ph110
You may notice in the video that various cards popup from time to time in the bottom left - usually accompanied by some flashing or changing lights. Well - that's the special modes that any viewer can kick off with my Bot in the Twitch channel. And all the really regular viewers have their own special mode now... hence you see the @pixiepost and @stickupboys Rising Star cards as well as @caulderfreeman's Hive Punk avatar. I wonder who will be next to get their own special mode? I add at least one new mode to the bot every week!
Rising Star Police outfit!This coming Monday 30th will be a special 'TDC Tunes Policeman edition'! This has come about because I did a couple of mini competitions in the last show... both were guess the tempo (speed) that I was performing at.
Now, I had intended to give Rising Star cards to the winners... BUT - the two winners were Jux (@atomcollector) and @stickupboys - and it doesn't make a lot of sense to give the creator of the game cards from his own game OR indeed particularly to one of the top 25 players of the game who surely have more cards already than they know what to do with! Instead though they BOTH requested that I do the next show in the policeman's outfit that I wore for the little skit we did at the beginning of the Rising Star talk at Hive Fest last year.
Now I just have to find that outfit out of the attic and then.... we can all get ready for TDC Tunes on Brixton Radio - Police edition!
Hope to see many of you in the Twitch channel on this coming Monday 30th Jan - from 9pm UK time!
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/zjxdkqvk
I'm working through my backlog of unpublished highlights from my weekly show and here's a good sized chunk of my 69th show, originally broadcast on both Brixton Radio and Twitch on 21st November 2023.
TDC tunes' thoughts about this setEven though there are a few elements of the production in this one that I'm not totally happy with there is a vibe I like a lot - which is that it is generally quite a bit more sparse than many of my sets.... and it's also somewhat more melodic. I guess I was being a bit more restrained at least during this part of the show in terms of how many voices and sounds I was using at once.
In particular I like the very simple 4 note motif that is the dominant element melodically until about 4 mins into this highlight. The notes it's using change and evolve but the rythmn stays quite consistent for some time ad is fairly simple. I think this works really well and I'd like to try and remember to so something similar in future sets.
The main things that I felt didn't quite work so well are:
- The kick drum seems to really stick out and though it's not that loud doesn't really sit in the mix and therefore seems a bit distracting. Now - it's very hard (impossible?) to do release quality production on a live set like this where I'm effectively doing sound design, composing, improvising, mixing and mastering all at the same time and live. But I do think I often get this aspect a bit better than you hear in this video.
- Some of the transitions are a bit rough/sudden. This is quite common when I'm experimenting and trying to take things to new places. I can still work on making the transitions better though even then!
ShoutoutsIf you like what you see and hear, I'm live every Monday night (9pm UK time) on Brixton Radio and Twitch. And there's always a bunch of people from Hive and especially the @risingstargame community hanging out in the Twitch channel. @stickupboys are ususally there doing Rising Star card and starbits giveaways too! Big thanks also to regulars:
@pixiepost
@mypathtofire
@caulderfreeman
@ph110
Rising Star Police outfit!HOWEVER - I will not be doing my normal show this coming Monday 23rd January. I will be back though on the 30th! And not just back but... there will be a special 'TDC Tunes Policeman edition'! This has come about because I did a couple of mini competitions in the last show... both were guess the tempo (speed) that I was playing at.
Now, I had intended to give Rising Star cards to the winners... BUT - the two winners were Jux (@atomcollector) and @stickupboys - and it doesn't make a lot of sense to give the creator of the game cards from his own game OR indeed particularly to one of the top 25 players of the game who surely have more cards already than they know what to do with! Instead though they BOTH requested that I do the next show in the policeman's outfit that I wore for the little skit we did at the beginning of the Rising Star talk at Hive Fest last year.
If you mised it here it is again:
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx4gBuIUh-thSoaHrCSDvF-KnE2to8XMVe
So... ok guys get ready for 30th January - TDC Tunes on Brixton Radio - Police edition!
Hope to see many of you in the Twitch channel on the 30th Jan - from 9pm UK time!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/tfoepmgq
This is a live improvised modular version of my track Impression which was my first ever track for OAKHI Records as part of their Espaxism Mixtape Vol 1.
As usual when I do a modular version of a track I loaded a few of the sounds from the track into the modular as samples and am then supplementing it with different synth and percussion parts in a semi improvised fashion that goes beyond the original track.
This time I stayed a little bit true to the feel of the original keeping it quite chilled out. It's still pretty different though. You can listen to the release version of Impression via your preferred service here and hear for yourself:
https://ffm.to/escapism-impression
The "Impression" theme lasts for just over 8 mins of this highlight video and towards the end I begin going in another direction entirely as I tend to do during my live shows!
This was part of my 68th show on Brixton Radio towards the end of 2022. Every week I create an hour of electronic music live on air - and it can vary widely from super experimental to new takes on some of my existing tracks like this one. The vast majority of the music on the show is created using the modular synthesizer - occasionally supplemented a little by me playing some chords or melodies on my trusty Prophet Rev 2. Although computers are involved in my released tracks, for the radio/Twitch show all they are doing is running the stream, cameras and my TDC Tunes Twitch bot that lets the audience play around with the lights, camera angles and activate special modes in my studio!
Finally whilst I'm here, another big shout out and thanks to my moderators and the other regulars on my streams - you guys are hugely appreciated!
Special thanks to moderators:
- @stickupboys
- @pixiepost
And extra kudos to @stickupboys for regularly doing @risingstargame giveaways in the Twitch channel during the show!
Also big thanks to:
- @mypathtofire
- @caulderfreeman
- @ph1102
for always being there and being a lot of fun!
And recently for support from @slothbuzz and for setting up notifications that I'm going live in the SlothBuzz Discord: https://discord.gg/JzSUbMqx9q
More highlight videos from my radio shoes coming soon. And there's also a little video with footage from my live gig at Cafe 1001 in Brick lane in the works too!
If you like what you see, come and join the show every Monday at 9pm on Twitch: https://www./tdctunes
And if you are interested in more music like this checkout the OAKHI Records Spotify playlists of their Escapism Mixtape releases (I have one track on each of the 3 albums!)
Escapism Vol 1:
https://open.spotify.com/album/0TpFdNU5I9Py27mZwePJKj?si=5061d8ae6f654435
Escapism Vol 2:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6LRDp5FBDI3ypaHCEwDLiX?si=273a0fe904054f8f
Escapism Vol 3:
https://open.spotify.com/album/4sWgezSy5x5NRF6WYS8CMl?si=RlCv_iBeSSCGe4knl1Yr9Q
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/pbblwcah
I got super behind with posting highlights from my shows towards the end of last year with all the gigs I was doing and other December madness. Going back now and pulling out some good bits!
Here's a nice section from show 67, broadcast late November. It's quite a chilled section but suitably electrronic and bleepy too of course!
I could keep going like this for hours. Actually there are a few moments and transitions in this one that are a little bit rough around the edges and/or sudden. For example bringing in an element that's too loud. This is to some extent inevitable when I'm doing fully improvised sets on such a complex system. But it's also sometimes how I find some really great stuff. Of course I can also work on smoother transitions and techniques to ensure that and I do feel like I'm continually improving in that area.
Anyway I quite like the general vibe of this one and would quite like to release a track or track(s) that are this kind of feel. Easier said than done taking this to be good enough quality for a released track though. I was working on that in 2022 (see my track 135 senses which uses some elements from one of my shows as a starting point) but it's something I feel I still have a long way to go on and I will for sure continue with it in 2023. I am actually most of the time recording stems of my shows - that means individual audio files of every part played by the modular. So I do have a lot of material to work with. Almost too much. Like a couple hundred hours of audio and not sure where to start! We will see though - watch this space!
If you like what you see and here, I'm live every Monday night (9pm UK time) on Brixton Radio and Twitch. And there's always a bunch of people from Hive and especially the @risingstargame community hanging out in the Twitch channel. @stickupboys are ususally there doing Rising Star card and starbits giveaways too! Big thanks also to regulars:
@pixiepost
@mypathtofire
@caulderfreeman
@ph110
There's also my Twitch bot which allows viewers to interact with the channel in some unique ways including:
- Changing the camera angle
- Turning my lava lamp on and off
- Activating different lighting modes
- Activating difference special modes - and all the regulars have their own special mode now that reflects their unique character! If you come and chat regularly you'll likely get one of your own too!
New modes are added pretty much every week so keep checking as you never know what new special power you will have as a viewer in Twitch! And there's no need to subscribe or pay bits or any of that stuff either. It's available to all.
So come along next Monday and join for a fun and friendly way to kick off the week!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/zgjajbsu
It's been a few weeks since uploaded highlights from my Brixton Radio show - so to make up for it here's the entire 1 hour set from last night!
Regulars in my channel get their own special modes! I was actually super tired and almost cancelled - but I'm so glad I didn't. The Twitch chat was buzzing as usual - mostly from fellow Hivers and @risingstargame players. In particular thanks as always to super regular and prolific chatters:
@stickupboys
@pixiepost
@mypathtofire
@caulderfreeman
@ph110
@primaudia
All the above now have their own special mode that can be invoked using the Twitch Bot in the channel. All of the special modes have their own unique coloured lighting sequences as well as a custom graphic that pops up on screen. They also have unique text that pops up that's relevant to the person. I'll be adding more modes every week so if you have an idea for one or think someone else who is regular should be the next to get a mode let me know in the comments!
So how come I've been slack at uploading videos lately? - I've been super busy working on various projects of course! New music coming out and 2 very special gigs in December to organise and prepare for... here's what's coming up...
OAKHI Lounge + Hive Meetup! The 15th December is the day for this double whammy event at Cafe 1001 in London consisting of:
- 4pm Hive Meetup - come along for a social and get to know some other UK based Hivers! Look out for some kind of Hive sign on the table too. And what's more you will be able to get a Hive Buzz UK Meetup badge for showing up! (make sure I get your Hive name written down on the day)
- 8pm TDC Tunes and Rocco LDN gig at the same venue. I will be performing 5 never before heard songs with Rocco in the loft at Cafe 1001. And later in the evening I will be doing an hour long modular set as well!
Electronic in the Tower 2 I'm back at the medieval tower on 9th December - a super intimate venue for another electronic special! This time alongside my modular set we will also have:
Obscenity State - audio-visual artist Poetically transcending the ages, London born Obscenity State transfixes listeners with her unique blend of electronica, expansive sound design, harmonically rich compositions and hypnotic dance rhythms.
Obscenity State’s immersive live audio-reactive visual performance, where abstract subversive animations and the dramatic beauty of light submerge the audience into her explorative dimension.
Mehrangiz Rassapour - poet Mehrangiz Rassapour (M. Pegah), poet, literary critic and the editor of Vajeh “Word” (Literary and cultural magazine) was born in south west of Iran (Khoram-abad).
Her works including her two famous poems “STONING” and “LASH” has been published in several languages, such as English, German, Norwegian and various others.
Escapism 3 I have a track coming out this Thursday! In the 3rd instalment of the Escapism mixtape series of lofi/chill beats music we are once again taken to another place, another time. My track is called Forest Spirit and is the first track on the album with 17 other artists! It's out everywhere on streaming services on Thursday but you can actually sneakily hear my track ahead of that because it's been selected as the preview track over at:
https://oakhirecords.bandcamp.com/album/escapism-mixtape-vol-3
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/axiprhrk
66th Radio Show!
This is a highlight from my 66th show on Brixton Radio, broadcast last Monday which was a special Halloween Edition!
If you listen carefully you can hear some @risingstargame samples in the set - which I used throughout the hour long show. This was actually purely chance as I'd recently put my "Radio Music" module back into my main modular case. That one is loaded with laods and loads of banks of samples which I've used for previous shows. Holding down the red button causes it to choose a new bank. However there are so many in there that I have no idea what I'm going to get. It's kind of my "give me some random noises/sounds that I don't expect module". Anyway this time it happened to give me a bank or samples that I'd used previously in a Rising Star special edition of my show. This was perfect as we were joined by Jux, the create of the game for the first part of the show!
This year we decorated the house for Halloween - for the first time really. It's my son's (age 4) favourite time of year so we made a bit thing of it and had a party on the Saturday and then moved the decorations to the front of the house for actual Haloween to welcome (scare?) trick or treaters.
So I dedeided to set up my modular in the lounge along with some coloured lighting and during "trick or treat" hours I set up a generative patch (meaning it kind've plays itself) with an amp so that people coming to the door would here strange and unpredictable noises and booms. It definitely added to the atmosphere!
Some video from my recent Dark Night gig My most recent gig was a pretty unusual one. In a unique venue in Catford, SE London called The Film Attelier.
The Film Attelier is a cafe, a dark room (with film development classes), a psychotherapy centre and... a music venue with an average of 3 concerts or events per week!
I met the owner RJ at an EMOM (Electronic Music Open Mic) event in Camberwell, and for this gig he and I were joined by Chewie Maddigan, the host of those EMOMS to create a rather unusual trio consisting of:
- Modular Synth (Me)
- Japanese Taishokoto (Chewie)
- Various classical Chinese instruments (RJ).
The cafe also servers high end coffee and unique teas that are created there on site. (indeed, look behind the counter and it looks like a science lab!)
And look around the rather unusual cafe and there are musical instruments everywhere. A high end hifi behind the curtain. At least 3 amps. A Chinese Harp. A chinese Cello. A drum kit hidden in the rafters and loads more that I don't even know the name of.
Anyway RJ has published a couple of clips from the night on YouTube - have a listen...
- Dawn of the Dark Night
- Ascension Back soon... I'll be back on Brixton Radio and Twitch again this Monday from 9pm UK time - hope to see you there!
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/uflxqapr
This is a highlight from my 64th show on Brixton Radio, broadcast last Monday.
Sometimes I do play synth keys along with the otherwise 100% modular music on my show and this was one of those times! I'm playing chords in the left hand and an improvised melody in the right.
Also featured in this show for the first time - lava lamp mode! My show is broadcast with video on Mixcloud and on my Twitch channel as well as audio on the radio. And Twitch viewers get some interactive functionality which generally gets added to every week. Last week I added the ability to turn on or off the lava lamp with a command in the Twitch chat (along side the usual controls to change lighting, camera angles and launch all the other fun modes).
You can also see clearly in this clip the copper kettle I have been using as part of the instrument - using it as a source for me to tap to trigger sounds and other changes in the modular.
In other news this week, I played a gig Friday night at an interesting event called üF Beat Club. From the organisers:
üF-Beat club a night of musical adventure, creativity, improvisation and pushing music to the boundaries.
A fusion of multiple musical styles from jazz, folk, rock, classical, dance to electronic and more.
The basic idea was that there were some pre-planned leaders, myself being one of them. Each leading artist or band plays a few of their own tracks for part of their set before then leading an open invitation where any musician at the event can come and join in with them in an improv.
I played 2 modular solo tracks - one similar to some of the music I've been playing lately on by radio show - which I'm calling Beehive. The second was my modular version of my released track "Time". You can see a performance of that I did on my show a few weeks ago via my recent post/video on 3Speak:
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/gdxblrgx
After that I invited Ajay to join me for our improv style track "In the Tower" on his EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument). We created this track specifically for our Electronic in the Tower gig last month.
After that I lead two improvisations, one slow in A minor and one more upbeat in C minor. I was joined at various points on these by:
- A pianist
- Bass player
- Two sax players
- Two singers
- Electric Violin!
I knew my job was to lay down a base of percussion and chords and leave plenty of space for the other musicians in the improvs and this plan largely worked. The only difficulty was giving them any kind of signal to stop as unfortunately I was behind them on the stage!
All in all a fun night. I know they are talking about arranging another one so If you are in reach of North London and like the idea of joining in or just like to listen to a variety of different musicians and styles in one evening this could be for you. You can join the meetup group for updates:
https://www.meetup.com/uf-beat-club/
I'll be back on Brixton Radio and Twitch again this Monday from 9pm UK time - hope to see you there!
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/gdxblrgx
This is a live improvised modular version of my track Time which came out recently on OAKHI Records.
I have loaded a few of the key sounds from the track into the modular and am then supplementing it with additional/different synth and percussion parts - created on the fly in the modular synth.
This was part of my 62nd show on Brixton Radio a couple of weeks ago. Every week I create an hour of electronic music live on air - and it can vary widely from super experimental to new takes on some of my existing tracks like this one. The vast majority of the music on the show is created using the modular synthesizer - occasionally supplemented a little by me playing some chords or melodies on my trusty Prophet Rev 2. Although computers are involved in my released tracks, for the radio/Twitch show all they are doing is running the stream, cameras and my TDC Tunes Twitch bot that lets the audience play around with the lights, camera angles and activate special modes in my studio!
The track Time is part of a double a-side release alongside "Space". Double a-side meaning both tracks are equally important. Though Time is doing rather better than Space in the streaming stats so far so let's give that one some love next. All being well I will for the first time do a modular version of Time in the next Brixton Radio show (Monday 17th Oct at 9pm UK time). Easiest place to watch is on my Twitch channel:
https://www./tdctunes
Time & Space came out first on double a-side clear vinyl but are now out digitally everywhere under the joint title "Ethereal 2", itself part of a series of 5 vinyls on OAKHI Records. You can listen to Time and Space via your preferred service here:
https://ffm.to/ethereal2
If you missed out on the vinyl and are likely to see me, get in touch as I do have a small box of them to distribute in person. They will also be on sale at any of my gigs.
Or who knows we may be able to met up in person for me to pass it to you - like I did recently over a beer with DJ Uncle Stan!
And if you are in or can get to London and fancy seeing me play live - there are 3 (THREE!) opportunities coming up. One of those on 10th November is hosted by OAKHI Records themselves at Cafe 1001 in Brick Lane, London. But check out my recent post over at: https://peakd.com/hive-193816/@tdctunes/new-video-and-3-upcoming-gigs for the full info on the 3 gigs.
Finally whilst I'm here a big shoutout and thanks to my moderators and some other people who always seem to be supporting my streams - you guys are hugely appreciated!
Special thanks to moderators:
- @stickupboys
- @pixiepost
Top quality moderating guys, especially last week when it veered off into inappropriate talk about sausages when I wasn't reading it You guys were right on that like a flash..... Er....*
Also big thanks to:
- @mypathtofire
- @caulderfreeman
- @ph1102
- @primaudia
*ps. You are both fired - anyone else wanna apply to be a mod of my channel??
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/czqvxngp
I've called this highlight of my 61st Brixton Radio show "Endless Mode" because I feel like I could jam like this pretty much endlessly.
It's not a song or track. It's continuously evolving, and I’m gradually making changes to each part or bringing in new things - be they percussion or melodic.
Some detailed commentary on the specifics:
- 00:00 - Starts with quite a lot going on. There are 3 melodic voices - A bass sequence (slightly acid sound), a long-sustained synth sound and occasional high and short chords. The short chords just make a brief appearance here - they come back again later on. There's also a hi hat pattern.
- 00:30 - Playing with the bass sound and then at 00:40 with the sustained synth sound.
- 01:00 - Snare comes in.
- 01:42 - Short chords come back in much more prominently.
- 01:51 - Kick comes in (now we are banging!)
- 02:10 - Long sustained synth gets it's sustain massively reduced so it's just playing a few notes rather than dominating.
- 02:30 - Changing various things about the short chords to add interest. Also, at this time - someone in the audience activates @stickupboys mode which puts up the Stick Up Boys @risingstargame card in the bottom left and causes the lights to flash.
- 02:46 - Someone activates @pixiepost mode - pixie light show!
- 03:10 - Bringing in a new percussion part
- 03:25 - More chords
- 03:35 - I take out all the percussion except for the kick.
- 04:16 - Bringing in a new melodic voice - the BIA - used for those big industrial sounding hits
- 04:55 - Change to the main melodic sequence (both notes and rhythm) - also kick drops to a one kick per bar pattern.
- 05:10 - The long-sustained synth voice comes back in (with the new melodic sequence)
- 05:30 - Filtering the entire mix to create a subdued section
- 05:40 - And back in (filter removed, kick back to '4 on the floor').
- 06:00 - A pattern with just a single note now - playing with percussion sounds and rhythms.
- 06:40 - Hi Hats back in with a fast pattern
- 07:15 - programming in some completely new notes to make a different bass/melodic sequence.
- 07:37 - Kick drops out.
- 08:00 - More Chords - and some super-fast rhythms with them
- 08:25 - Checking in on the mixcloud and Twitch chats ready to interact with the chatters soon as I've been in the zone a while now...
Watching back one other comment I'd make it about ergonomics. My current arrangement of modules is not that good ergonomically. This is because I've prioritised the ability to be able to easily take either one or two cases out to play live and make the patching/wiring changes minimal to switch between a one case gigging setup, a two case gigging setup or a 4 case streaming from the studio setup.
The downside of that is that all the really core modules are in the bottom left case so I have to sit down or stoop to get to them. If I was designing primarily for the 4 case modular wall I would have those 4 modules all around the middle of the wall. I'm planning to play an EMOM (Electronic Music Open Mic) this Saturday with one case but after that I may revisit the setup (again!)
Finally, thanks for watching everyone - I'll be back Monday again on Brixton Radio and Twitch from 9pm UK time.
Not sure what time that is in your timezone?
Answer is here: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=TDC+Tunes+on+Brixton+Radio+%2362&iso=20221003T21&p1=136
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/ihstxthx
Here's a highlight from my 60th Brixton Radio show, broadcast this Monday.
This section with sounds I will describe as 'industrial dance' seemed to go down particularly well.
My radio show is also broadcast on my Twitch channel - and there are normally lots of people from the Hive community, and especially players of @risingstargame hanging out in the Twitch channel and generally catching up.
I’m fresh from HiveFest too - having taken the bottom left case from my ‘modular wall’ with me to Amsterdam. I was pleased to find that my scheme of having that case with all my essential modules and the one above it an optional extension to it worked well and slotting things back together took only minutes. (Not the many hours it can sometimes take me to repatch/reconfigure it!)
Patch Notes The key module used in this section is called Basimilus Iteritas Alter (BIA) from Noise Engineering. It is actually a digital (FM) module designed primarily for percussion and bass. But here I'm using it with heavy modulation over many of it's parameters to create much of the groove you can hear.
The good news is that this aspect was done within the core case, so I could save some of these patterns and at least replicate an approximation of this groove in a future live gig.
Out Today Today my two tracks that made up Ethereal 2 (my recent vinyl release) both came out on streaming services, So everyone can now listen to them via:
https://ffm.to/ethereal2
The style is lofi/chill beats - and although my modular synth is used in these tracks they are primarily sequenced/produced using Ableton Live(on the computer). They also include piano played by myself and recorded from my trusty Nord Piano 2.
There were only between 30 and 35 vinyls made by the label, OAKHI records. I do have a portion of that supply to sell at gigs and for prizes so if you are interested in getting hold of one and likely to see me in person at some point, get in touch. I was already very happy to present the first prize of an Ethereal 2 vinyl to @tibfox - who one my contest at HiveFest!
Thanks Some extra special thanks to a few people for your recent support:
- To @roelandp for the opportunity to perform at HiveFest - it was loads of fun and I made so many great connections!
- To @pixiepost - for all your support but especially for supporting my Twitch streams and doing your moderator thing - thank you!
- To @yidneth, @dadspardan, @stickupboys and @mypathtofire - for watching me and supporting me on the HiveFest live stream - I watched back today and read your comments in the chat and really appreciate it!
Finally I'm working on a number of new projects right now - I have a video coming soon based on footage from my Electronic in the tower gig. I am working on new modular sets to be previewed on my Brixton Radio show, and then gigged in London over the coming 2 months. And of course I am working on new music: another lofi/chill beat track for the next release on OAKHI Records, and 2 or 3 collaborations too!
So back to the studio for me... thanks for watching, and have a wonderful day Hive!
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/fmjotydq
Thanks to everyone at #HiveFest for making myself and my family super welcome! We had a fantastic time, learned a lot and made some lovely new friends.
I have some more random pictures and (hopefully) unusual anecdotes from HiveFest to post later but first I wanted to share this video made by my partner (not on Hive yet but you never know!) via @threespeak.
This video shows a small insight into HiveFest and my performance - and a short clip of video of me performing with @atomcollector from @risingstargame too! We will look at whether we can do a version of our collab together to release...
Incidentally, since I'm posting this on 3Speak - I enjoyed the talk about the SPK network by @starkerz. As a regular 3Speak user I'm looking forward to the point where other front ends can post video to the SPK network too.
Video hosting and transcoding needs a lot of resources (both in software development terms and in actual computing resources) so it's great that the infrastructure for it is on the way to becoming properly distributed. Great work from the SPK team!
The background music to the video by the way is the intro to my track Traveller's Path - I performed an improvised modular version of that track in my HiveFest set to finish things off. You can check out the track in full in all the usual places via https://ffm.to/travellerspath
and there is also another version that is a collaboration with @stickupboys at:
https://ffm.to/travellerspathsub
And of course you can get both versions as NFT Records in @risingstargame!
Finally - wishing everyone at HiveFest a safe journey home if you didn't already make it back. I heard there were 4 hour long queues for security at the airport and I'm glad I missed those, especially with my 4 year old son!
We got lucky with our Eurostar travel plans and other than cutting it a bit fine and having to run to the gates as they were about to close (our fault - we were enjoying Amsterdam cafe life too much!) we had no problems and made it home last night about 9pm UK time.
And if you didn't make it to HiveFest - I would encourage you to try to come next year! There are some competitions/prizes and reduced prices too for plankton/minnow users. I'll be coming again next year if I can and I'm also very open to other Hive meetups. In fact I am panning to organise a London one so if you are interested let me know and I'll make sure to notify you.
Today in the UK it is a 'holiday' day for everyone as it's the Queen's funeral. I'm not a monarchist so it doesn't mean much to me, though I do recognise that it is a day that will be part of history. Nevertheless it does mean a quiet day at home as everything is shut and a rest day is actually pretty welcome. All that talking and learning at HiveFest was pretty tiring!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/dssykzom
This video is a good sized highlight from Monday's show on Brixton Radio (which was my 59th!)
There are two main sections:
- First, a rather organic section where I'm using the contact microphone (at the top of the modular case) to manually trigger sounds and create a somewhat ambient soundscape.
- Second - a much more sequenced section where I'm accompanying the modular with some synth strings on my trusty Prophet Rev 2. This section was actually quite a bit more melodic than I normally play and was even in a major key (so somewhat happy sounding).
The Setup in Detail I have kept the modular set up almost as it was for my recent Electronic in the Tower gig I did - so using two cases (the left hand side of the wall). This is explains why the right hand side is hardly used in the video. I did however change the patch a little bit in the middle of Monday's show to add a lot of modulation to one of the voices that is generating chords. (Hence some dangling wires that aren't as neat as usual!)
The whole design for this patch is that I can take either one or two cases to play live without a major reconfiguration. So for the tower gig I took 2 cases, but for Hive Fest this weekend I will just be taking the bottom left case. That one has all the most important stuff and should work standalone.
We will see how well this plan works! Basically the things I will lose from the upper left case are:
- 3 extra percussion generating modules
- One of the chord generating voices
- A noise source (which I've been using to generate ambient noise washes and rises and falls)
- The ability to do all of the ambient/generative stuff at the start of this video.
- 6 knobs allowing me to quickly dial up and down rhythms.
- Some master buss functionality (master stereo filter and compressor)
- That still leaves me though with:
- 4 x percussion tracks (samples rather than the additional analog percussion that the top left case adds)
- 4 x other sample tracks
- 1 x chord generating voice
- My 2 main voices.
- Delay and Reverb effects.
Which is plenty to make some electronic noise!
I think there will still be some re-patching required today to prepare for the trip to Amsterdam but hopefully it's something that I can do in an hour rather than the whole day it would normally take me to create a new patch from scratch!
New Enduro Release On Friday, the 3rd and final part of my Enduro release with fellow #hive music producer @primaudia came out. This version we call the chill edit - and it's the one that I focused the most on, taking some of my favourite parts from the radio edit, adding some synth arpeggios and creating a slower more ambient track. You can check it out here in all the usual places:
https://ffm.to/enduro-chill-edit
We are really happy with our Enduro series - in the end creating 3 very different tracks with some common elements rather than simply making alternate mixes.
Enjoy and I hope to see many of your at #hivefest!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/uwcjiemr
Continuing my weekly exploration of electronic music with a modular synthesizer on Brixton Radio and Twitch.
This is a highlight from last night's show on Brixton Radio. I played a gig on Saturday and for that I took 2 of my 4 modular cases. This explains why I'm using the left side of my modular 'wall' in this video and why the right side is in total dissarray with power cables hanging down the front and a lot of the modules scattered over the desk below. Ths gives an insight into the way of the modular synth artist. Always changng the instrument I work with to suit the show I want to perform and the music I want to create!
Anyway because of the gig setup I already had an extremely well planned and thought through patch. But for this radio show I did something completely different to what I did for the gig. I made one small but significant wiring change which was to generate the pitch information in a different way and used that as the basis for this jam. The pitch is actually created by a module called a Turing Machine which generates random pitch sequences that I can lock in when there is something I like. I can also semi lock it, getting it to mostly repeat a sequence but allowing a small amount of new random notes in. And all that's on the turn of a knob so the amount of new notes compared to the locked sequence is continuosly variable.
It's a very powerful way of generating melodies which I actually haven't used that much. But I was very happy with what came out of it in this highlight. Aside from that I was experimenting a lot with the percussive elements of the patch, and of course I was varying the timbre of the sounds themselves as I usually do. A lot of these improvsed modular sessions rely on varying the sound itself as much as or sometimes even more than varying the pitch or rythmn. So in a way the actual sound synthesis parameters are as much a part of the music as the notes.
Anyway I enjoyed this sequence very much and have recorded stems of it - so perhaps there will be a TDC Tunes track to release based on some of this material.
For now though - if you haven't heard it yet, please check out my most recent release in collaboration with the awesome @primaudia. It's called Enduro and this weekend what we call the "Epic Edit" dropped on Spotify and all major streaming services.
You can play it on your favourite service via this link: https://ffm.to/enduro-epic-edit
The Epic edit is an extended version - let's think of this one as 'the ultimate 'baby from Primaudia' where he really gets to go to town without the constrains of a 'radio length' track. So consequently it actually has a whole load of great stuff in it that isn't in the radio edit.
Finally, have a great day Hive - and I'll be back soon with some video of the gig I played on Saturday and of course I'll be back on Brixton Rado and Twitch next Monday at 9pm (uk time). And not to mention Hivefest where I will be playing a set! See you there if you are coming!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/xjbfrvhk
Welcoming is the name I've given to this piece of music that I played at the beginning of my Brixton Radio show last night.
I feel like this might be the first fully modular piece of music that I have performed.
Although I have played/broadcasted and recorded well over 100 hours of unique music all with the modular synth, it's all been what I would call improvised.
This is improvised too... but there is a difference. I've planned it significantly more than I usually do, and I have written the major features and changes down on a piece of musical score (if you look carefully you can see I'm referring to it now and again to my left).
Now this piece would still be different every time I perform it as there is still a high degree of improvisation involved. But it:
- Has a set tempo, sample bank and set of saved sequences
- Has a written 'score'.
- It has a start and a definite finish! (normally my modular sets are continuous for the whole show - with each part gradually morphing into the next.)
- Has a name and a specific reason to exist and has been planned around that reason.
On this last point - I have written the piece to be the music to kick off the gig I am playing on Saturday, hence the name "Welcoming".
The intention is that a very basic loop will be playing whilst the audience arrives. This loop consists of:
- The very interesting but sparse big boomy bass note. (this is sequenced, but there are random elements programmed so it's not completely uniform)
- The chopped up voices that feature quite a bit in the piece, but starting out sparse and with loads of reverb to give an echo wash (also with some randomness so there is an organic feel).
I can leave this loop playing whilst people arrive without having to interact with the modular. Then when it is time for the performamce to start I will take up position at the modular synth and embark on the piece with that as a starting point and then proceed using my 'score' as a guideline to the major features.
The piece can of course be quite variable in length. This performance is around 15 minutes, but for the gig I'm doing on Saturday I'm planning for it to last around 10 minutes.
I will be further refining the piece every time I play it too - but I think there are many elements which are now fixed in place in my mind (and the score!)
The observant may also notice that I'm only using the left half of my modular 'wall'. This is because I will be taking 2 of my 4 cases to the gig so I have created the patch using the top left and bottom left cases.
I've also designed this patch to still be useable if I were to only take one case to a gig (the bottom left one). In that case there would be fewer options but with some very careful planning and patching over the last week I am in a place where I can do the core of the performance using just one case, but fairly easily bring in the second one (the top left one) to augment that perfomance and bring additional options.
(essentially there is the practical consiuderation - one case can fit in a special backpack I have so can easily take it on public transport to small gigs and electronic music open mics. But for other gigs I might want to take the car so I can take a bigger setup.
This is the first time I have tried to write down a 'score' for my modular music so that's a work in progress. But when I've tried a few different things in this way I will share what I'm writing down - maybe it could be helpful to other electronic musicians?
Have a great day Hive - and let me know what you think of "Welcoming"!
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/fblijked
So the attached clip from my most recent Brixton Radio/Twitch show features an aspect that I'm working on quite heavily at the moment.
I am experimenting with and practising the techniques involved to allow me to in some way play with a physical object or medium, for example by hitting/tapping/banging/scraping etc.
Whilst all the sound will still be generated electronically, the idea of a more physical interaction with the instrument gives lots of possibilities - especially for live performance. A little while back I did an early experiment in this area that I called the Magic Table. This was a table that I could drop things on or tap to trigger sounds from my modular synth.
So this video is primarily using this technique. For those interested, the important modules involved are:
Mutable Instruments Ears
This is the vital part. It includes a contact microphone on the module itselfl (and in this video I'm tapping that microphone) and it also includes a pre-amp with a significant amount of gain sufficient to take the low level signal from an external contact (or regular) microphone up to modular levels.
It can also generate gates and envelopes which can both be used to trigger and vary other signals in the modular.
This patch also uses a Turing Machine module, which generates random voltages. Here I'm using it for pitch and I have patched it to trigger whenever a gate comes in from the Ears module (in other words I will get a new pitch whenever there is a strong tap or hit on the contact mic).
I'm then running the random pitch voltage from Turing Machine into a tiny 2HP qunatiser, to restrict the pitches generated to notes in an actual scale.
Then the pitch (in scale) from the quantiser goes into Mutable Instruments Rings which is a physical modelling synth which excels at bells, plucks and string like sounds. Perfect for creating an atmospheric soundscape.
This all goes through a load of reverb to addd atmosphere and space and is then combined with percussion and other elements from the modular synth to create the sounds in this video.
There is loads more potential for this kind of setup - this is just a starting point. I plan to experiment with attaching a contact mic to physical objects and to have Ears trigger all sorts of other things and events within the modular patch.
The idea is a semi generative patch with a lot of complexity and variety happening, but all played through a single physical object that I would be able to tap, hit, scrape etc.
I'm hoping this will make a very interesting aspect to my live show and I already have a specific object in mind that will also play on the recent focus in the chat banter in my Twitch channel about drinks! (yes the drink cam could be evolving!)
Watch this space and thanks for reading the output of modular obsessed brain!
Have a great day Hive!
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/fgwldjks
Presenting the full lengfth video for my latest track, Enduro - a collaboration with the awesome @primaudia
I can also share with you some words from @primaudia himself on his inspiration for the track:
In 2003 EA Games released Need For Speed Underground on the PS2, a racing game that my closest friend and I were quick to snap up. As we played our way through together we hit a monumental bump in the road. Enduro was a 9 lap monster fraught with ways to put you out of commission. We played all through the night trying to beat this race and there were more than a few occasions where we were ready to pack it in. But we didn't, and by the time the sun came up we finally had its number. [Source: @priumaudia]
Enduro is a song about determination and pushing through limitations in order to succeed. Throughout the song are my memories and feelings about the time I spent with my friend and the struggle we both endured. As trivial as the anecdote may seem, it was times like those that taught me a lot about myself. Ever enduring with the utmost Tenacity. [Source: @priumaudia]
As for me - I am just happy that some of the beeps I made using my modular synth found their way into this epic track!
There is more Enduro coming soon - Primaudia is working on a version we are calling the Epic mix (i.e. an extnded version!) and I'm working on a chill/slower tempo version. No release dates for those yet but we are both actively working on them...
Thanks so much for listening and watching and have a great day Hive!
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/dmgpnbcm
How about my modular synth paired with the alto flute?
Enter RJ RJ plays many different instruments. All are acoustic.
Wildly different to my machine of wires, knobs and lashing lights.
But he was up for experimenting so last week we spent a lovely afternoon jamming together at his cafe in south east London.
This video is one result from that afternoon where he's improvising on the alto flute.
I'm also improvising, but keeping within a more structured and 'known' range of chords and notes than I normally would.
Modular challenges I found out that my current live modular case is not ideal for playing with other musicians as there is a lot of randomness built into it to the point I don't necessarily know what the notes are or what the musical key is.
Think of it as a system where I'm guiding the shape of the notes and rythmns that the machine creates rather than specifying every note precisely. This works great when I'm playing solo, but I'm having a big of a rethink about some changes to the setup to help me play more easily with other musicians,
Watch this space modular nerds!
There is an unfortunate high pitch noise from one of the amplifiers we were using in this recording. Apologies for that. The sound recording is also from my phone so no where near release quality anyway.
What next? We are planning another session like this to work out how best to play together. And after that who knows - perhaps a recording studio session to release something? Or a joint gig? We will see!
I love collaboration - especially with unusual combinations of instruments!
Have a great day Hive!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/dkgyobuj
The votes came in thick and fast and despite my campain for Marshmallow it was actually Cotton Candy that overtook Bubble gum... for a couple of hours only for Bubble gum to make a come back and win!
What on earth am I talking about?!
The crazy drinks @stickupboys sent me to drink on my radio show of course! In the end I DID drink the Bubblegum live, after displaying it on it's own dedicated drink cam pedestal for the first part of the show!
Viewers didn't notice the new !drinkcam Twitch bot command for a while but when they did they found the closeup of the can of liquid bubble gum!
So how was the bubblegum? Well.. pretty bubble gum flavoured of course! It was actually not bad, but by the end of the can I had definitely had enough of crazy drinks for the day! I still have Marshmallow and Cotton Candy in the fridge for a future show... if my son doesn't get to them first of course!
News on upcomings shows:
There will be no Brixton Radio show/Monday night stream for the next two weeks as I'm taking a break - but I will be back 15th August from 9pm (UK time) as normal. And I have plenty of other videos and musical experiments planned coming soon!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/uvtguopp
Broadcasting from the garden because we are experiencing a heatwave in London and my studio is baking!
This video highlights 3 sections from the full set which was around an hour and 20 mins of live improvised electronic music using a modular synthesizer.
This is my portable/live modular case. When I'm in the studio I have 3 more of these mounted on the wall.
Thanks for watching and being awesome Hive and see you next week for more electronic modular madness!
I'm live every Monday from 9pm UK time on Brixton Radio and my Twitch channel. It's a different set each time because with modular the music is almost impossible to reproduce!
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/cnpkopei
This is an improvised electronic set I recently recorded for VEMOM (Virtual Electronic Music Open Mic).
VEMOM came about out of the very popular EMOM community as an outlet during the pandemic for people to continue to perform electronic music.
VEMOM is broadcast on Twitch and is a mixture of pre-recorded and live sets from electronic musicians from all over.
This music is similar to what I do weekly on my Brixton Radio show but with perhaps a slightly more prepared approach to it given that I only had 10 minutes to show of the sounds and grooves I can make. The radio show is an hour (or mostly of the time longer) and I'm somewhat more experimental, moving through a range of styles and feels.
Anyway I wanted to share the set with you as I think it gives a good insight in 10 minutes into what my modular performances are all about. And yes there is some synth playing too in this one (from my trusty Propher Rev 2!)
If you are interested in participating in VEMOM, you can find more details on their Facebook page.
And the next event is 28th July at 8pm UK time and you can watch on their Twitch channel.
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/dantkpui
We have a heat wave in the UK and my studio fan is not up to the job of keeping me from baking!
So it was into the garden for my 52nd Brixton Radio show...
Now it was a long time since I last broadcast from the garden and I forgot the obvious - that the sun goes down and it gets dark!
So I neglected to set up any proper lighting so the show got darker and darker till about half way through no-one could see anything. Ah well people do apparently like 'dark mode'! This video clip is a section from the first half of the show and you can already see it getting dark towards the end...
Also in this show - you've heard of my magic musical table, but what about the magic musical step ladder?! This time a step ladder joined the "TDC Tunes Band" and I attached my contact microphone to it. I used it for all sorts of things but in this excerpt you can see some scraping and sanding on the step ladder generating some interesting atmospheric sounds and percussion!
Big shoutout for the awesome conversations going on in the Twitch chat about all sorts of things but this time including a fab chat about analogue synths between @stickupboys @ravenmus1c and @pixiepost
One of my favourite topics so look out for a post talking about these soon!
Thanks for watching and being awesome Hive and see you next week for more electronic modular madness!
Check out my original electronic music via:
https://linktr.ee/tdctunes
❤️ Thank you! ❤️
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/gxnwmrkp
Here's a super early sneak peak and insight into the process of working on a collab.
I love doing collabs as they always mean creating something I would not and could not have come up with on my own. And @primaudia is super awesome to write with - he's a master sound designer and expert at all the technical aspects of the production too.
As to what's going on here - this is just one way I work on melodies. I also use a real keyboard to play and experiment with. I've even had some luck with singing into a microphone and using the computer to turn that into note data to then play with a soft synth. And that's without getting the modular synth involved where melody generation is a huge topic all by itself!
Let me know if you are interested to see more insights into my music production process.
Our previous collaboration, Tenacity came out last year so if you want a taste of what a mix of @tdctunes and @primaudia can create together check out:
https://ffm.to/tenacity
And there was a video for the exended version too:
I've currently no idea on a timeline for releasing the track we are working on right now - I'll keep you posted of course...
Have a great day Hive!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/uhneqnoo
Another week another Brixton Radio show!
I've now completely dedicated camera angle selection to the Twitch audience.
Prior to this show there was an automatic camera angle change that could be overriden, but now it's all driven from the Twitch bot!
Lighting and special modes are already selected by the Twitch audience!
I particularly liked this dark green mode in this clip that you guys left me on for some time!
Thanks for all the support and er... being my lighting and camera directors so I can focus on the music!
There were also 2 new special modes introduced this week:
- Storm Mode - Lights off except for occasional white flashes...
- Call forth @primaudia! Watch out though, he can only be summoned once every 10 minutes!
More modes next time!
See you next week I'm live every week from 9pm uk time on Brixton Radio and my Twitch channel.
Thanks again to Brixton Radio for airing my crazy electronic music making!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/amhiqfnr
50 bpm for 50th show
A highlight from my 50th show on Brixton Radio. To celebrate I was back on the full modular wall and only multiples of 50 bpm (speed).
We did 50bpm, 100bpm and 150bpm and I actually think I mostly liked this slower 50bpm section (which is the slowest I've ever played) the most. What do you think?
Twitch Bot Oh yes and the twitch bot allowing you to change the lights in my studio was back after a few weeks off.
There was a new camera angle too - looking directly down from the top of the modular wall. Viewers on Twitch can also issue commands to change the camera angles.
In otherwords I'm getting help from viewers to run the visual aspects of the show so I can concentrate on the music!
See you next week I'm live every week from 9pm uk time on Brixton Radio and my Twitch channel.
Thanks again to Brixton Radio for airing my crazy electronic music making!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/djcykxyq
Ok this one needs some explanation!
Last night on my Brixton Radio show I tried a different setup to usual in my kitchen.
No there was no cooking involved - but there was a toy piano and a magic(?) table alongside my modular.
If you watch the video you'll notice that I'm playing the table by 'strumming' my fingers on it which causes various sounds to trigger depending how I strike it.
In this particular clip I was holding a patch cable thinking about adding to the modular patch and then I decided to see how it would sound if I dropped it on the table. As you see I quite liked the result and played around with that a while!
Ok so what's going on here??
Ok so it's not magic (shocker).
In this setup there is a contact microphone stuck to the case of the toy piano, and the piano sits on a solid table. The contact microphone is plugged into a mic preamp module in the modular and then routed to various modules both to pick up sound directly and also to trigger other sounds and modulations.
A contact microphone works by being stuck to a solid object (or instrument) and then picks up vibrations in that object as opposed to vibrations in the air which is how a regular microphone works.
In this case I made it so sensitive that I could create a whole soundscape by just drumming my fingers on the table or even (as you see in this clip) trigger sounds by dropping a cable on it.
I did actually play the piano during the set too but the cable dropping was the most fun for me (and completely unplanned - the best bits often are!)
I've got many more experimental ideas for using the modular alongside other instruments and objects and can't wait to share more!
If you are interested in watching live and joining the chat I'm live every Monday at 9pm UK time. It's on Brixton Radio but also streamed to my Twitch channel and there are usually a whole bunch of people from Hive in the Twitch chat - especially from @risingstargame. @stickupboys are normally there two giving out Rising Star giveaways.
Till next time - have a great week Hive and I hope you enjoy your music making and music listening!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/sqpjhemq
A different setup to my usual modular "wall" - back to basics (?) with the portable/live rig chilling in the lounge with a candle and mint tea.
I'll be doing a few more experimental setups in coming weeks - perhaps experimenting with some different location and using some different devices with my modular or different combinations of my modular cases.
Watch this space for X10 experimentation and craziness!
Don't worry I'll be returning to the studio at some point though (and at which point the Bot that allows you to play with my lights will be back too!)
A bunch of the @risingstargame family were there in force - and @stickupboys wered going giveaways in the chat as usual. Thanks for your support and above all for hanging out in the chat and having fun everyone!
I'm live on Brixton Radio and my Twitch channel every Monday from 9pm UK time - hope to see you at the next one...
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/pseqvbuf
Hitting my Modular Synth with a cocktail stirrer - to create unique gongs and scrapes.
This was perhaps one of the stranger moments in one of my shows on Brixton Radio...
Real world to control voltage courtesy of a Mutable Instruments Ears module which includes a contact mic, amplifier, envelope follower and gate generator.
Specifcially - I'm hitting the contact mic in the Ears module with the plastic end of the cocktail stirrer, triggering the gate generator which creates the gong sounds. Later in the video I'm also scraping the cocktail sirrer over the surface of the contacct mic, creating an envelope which is used to modular the gong sound (pitch, brightness and damping) as well as having an effect on some of the percussion in the track.
Let me know if you'd like to see/hear more unusual instrument creations/combinations in future shows!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/issourau
The full 70 minute long replay of my most recent show on Brixton Radio.
Creating electronic music live with my unique blend of buzzes, bleeps, fizzles and noises, all created on a modular synth wall.
This one features some new samples and setup and a focus on my portable live case with some extra elements from my other cases added in too.
You can see the full details I'm using in the portable live case (most of what you hear in this video) over at: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/1913914
Can't beleive I've now done 46 Brixton Radio shows - coming up on the big 50 soon!
Thanks as usual to @stickupboys for being around and doing @risingstargame giveaways in the chat! If you play Rising Star come along next time and give them a poke for a lucky dip prize!
I'm live every Monday at 9pm UK time - when I'm broadcasting on Brixton radio. You can listen there, or you can watch on Twitch or VIMM (I'm tdctunes on both).
Other sets mid week are chilled and allow a deep dive into sound design and modular synths - or just something really experimental!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/hbmpeojc
Part 2 of my experiements with the audio glitch sound taken from a VLOG by @pixiepost - now I've made a bunch of instruments out of it and starting to make the seeds or a track!
If you missed part 1 - check it out here.
To break down the instruments and some of the main tools used to create them all from one glitch sound, the most important ones are:
- Pitch. The original glitch is a very low noisy buzz which doesn't sound very musical at all. But pitch it up and it becomes a useful melodic waveform that I've used in all the voices.
- Envelopes. The way the voumne of each sounds changes over time. Percussion sounds tend to have fast attacks (they increase to maximum volume almost instantly) wherase others ramp up more slowly. The pad sound I made uses a slower attack which makes it sound completely different.
Filters and EQ. I've cut or boosted frequencies in all these voices - in some cases very drastically to carve out sounds that complement each other. The kick drum naturally has a lot of low frequencies boosted, but with all of them I'm trying to emphasis or remove different ranges in the freuqency spectrum in order to create instruments that are different and complimentary to one another.
Effects. I've used Delay (echo) Reverb (reflections that help the sound seem as if it's in a physical space) and various other effects to give a different charcter to each.
As you can see with these and other techniques I can take one single sampled source waveform and create a set of sounds that are radically different to one another.
So far there really is no other source waveform being used at all. I'm not sure were to go next with it - I might now combine it with other sounds to move towards a more finished track. Or maybe I should continue and see if I can finish a track based entirely on that glitch. What do you think?
Another big thanks to @pixiepost for the source material for the glitch sound - once again I've made her a 50% beneficiary on this post as it couldn't have happened without her!
Check out her original video where the glitch happened:
"The Productivity Myth"
The glitch sound is also the inspiration (and sound source) for the new "glitch mode" in my live radio shows. If you are in the Twitch channel you can simply type !glitch to activate glitch mode! And you can catch me live every Monday on Twitch from 9pm UK time.
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/qlexgffu
Playing around with an accidental glitch sound from an audio glitch in a VLOG by @pixiepost - can I make something musical and/or interesting with it?
It may have been accidental, it may have been unexpected, it may sound like noise to some people - but I say NO - I'm going to take that noisy glitch and see what I can do with it!
Credit for the souce glitch sound of course goes to Pixie's excellent video :
"The Productivity Myth"
Definitely check that one out!
And hats off to @pixiepost for being super real in her videos and leaving the glitch in. I've made her a 50% beneficiary on this post as it couldn't have happened without her!
I'm already working on part 2, trying to make some other useful sounds/instruments from the same glitch so watch this space!
The glitch sound is also the inspiration (and sound source) for the new "glitch mode" in my live radio shows. If you are in the Twitch channel you can simply type !glitch to activate glitch mode!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/kxzdlmur
You are invited to the special edition of my Brixton Radio show to celebrate the recent release of the @stickupboys version of my track Traveller's Path!
I will be loading the modular synth up with samples and elements from the SUB version of the track and incorporating them into the music I create during the show.
@stickupboys will also be there of course, doing tons of @risingstargame related giveaways in the chat.
Come and hang out - there are usually a bunch of people from Hive and the Rising Star community in particular!
And don't forget there will be the usual chatbot commands to play with if you are watching on Twitch - where you can change the lighting in the studio and invoke soe special Rising Star modes!
Disclaimer: There may not be whales in this one!
I'll be live Monday 9th from 9pm UK time on Brixton Radio and my Twitch channel.
See you there!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/fxfietup
What's this!
Could it be?
Could it really be a sneak preview of my collaboration with @stickupboys?
Oh yes!
It actually is!
Traveller's Path - Stick Up Boys X TDC Tunes releases this Friday 8th April!
Of course, it releases on Stick Up Boys Brighton based label Stick Up Music!
If you use Spotify please do us a huge favour and pre-save it via this linke:
https://ffm.to/travellerspathsub
(this helps us a lot with the algorithm - THANK YOU ):
And if you are hungry for even more, I also teased a couple of vocal samples from the Stick Up Boys version during my live modular set on Brixon Radio last night - you can rewatch the whole set (for 14 days) via the Twitch link on the live post here:
https://peakd.com/hive-169926/@tdctunes/4d1220e573afab6ed2ae7423946e800b-vimmtv
And to further get you into the Traveller's Path mood, check out my original (instrumental) version via this post:
https://peakd.com/hive-193816/@tdctunes/oufcgflo
We are so excited about this one - it's a very different track to my original - the Stick Up Boys have really worked some magic!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/pglrvpuz
Modular synths can make pretty music (sometimes!)
I happened on this melody during my latest set on Brixton Radio - definitely prettier than some of my other work!
You can also see during this set one of my new modes: PIXIE MODE!
Type !pixie in the Twitch chat to kick this off and the lighting in my studio cycles through the rainbow 3 times as well as the @pixiepost card from @risingstargame flashing up on the screen!
There was also a @stickupboys mode last week and I can confirm that there will be at least two new modes this week.
One of them will be Rising Star mode - type !risingstar in the Twitch chat to invoke it.
You'll have to wait and see what other modes there will be - you can always find out which commands are active during a given stream though by typing !caommands to get a link to the full list.
Next Radio show/stream is tomorrow - Monday 4th April, 9pm UK time and you can watch on VIMM or Twitch - I'm tdctunes on both.
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/fjpnpyce
Interact with the Twitch bot to change the pitch, bring in the clap and kick and even change sounds themselves!
This video explains the commands I've implemented so far that you can type in the Twitch channel...
Transpose the main source of pitch from low to high:
!pitch1
!pitch2
!pitch3
!pitch4
Bring the ckap in and out:
!clapon
!clapoff
Bring the kick in and out:
!kickon
!kickoff
Set the level of wavefolding on one of the main voices (alters the way it sounds significantly):
!fold1
!fold2
!fold3
!fold4
If you look carefully at the video you can see the LEDs go red when the clap and kick are activated and green when they aren't.
You can also see the effect of the pitch comman on he display of the Arpitecht module, with the range leds showing the range of notes being played.
This is in addition to all the lighting change and camera angle selection commands I had previously.
Let’s create modular music together - tonight at 9pm UK time on my Twitch channel
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/tkzudzkp
A highlight from my recent live set on Brixton Radio, featuring Hal 9000 samples loaded into my modular synth!
The flashing red light superimposed on the screen is actually a live video feed from my closeup camera. It's centered on the overload indicator light of my Music Thing Modular Drive module and lights up whenever the synth voice I'm putting through it goes over a certain volume. You can see and hear pretty clearly in this particular clip that the flashing matches one of the main beepy synth parts in the music.
This was also the first set where I got the lighting control bot working - so viewers on Twitch were able to call the bot with commands like:
!red
!orange
!police
to change the lighting in the studio!
They also had control over the camera angle with the commands:
!behind
!left
!closeup
I'm thinking of putting some more fancy commands in for the next show and am taking requests! I'm hoping it can become more and more interactive, eventually with viewers able to contribute live in someway to how the actual music sounds!
I'm live on Brixton Radio, Twitch and VIMM every Monday at 9pm UK time. Though this coming Monday (15th) will be the last for a little while as I'm taking a break for a few weeks. Hope to see you Monday!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/tmvkdnvp
This highlight from my recent live show is one I'm particularly happy with!
Accidents of the good kind! It starts with quite a dancey section and then moves through a couple of nice melodies and into a fast but really atmospheric section which I stumbled on by accident!
Sometimes when improvising live something unintentional happens and I just go with it and even amplify that element to explore it. In this case it was the very fast arpeggiated melodies that start around 1 minute 3 seconds into this clip.
I actually didn't mean to dial in such a fast rhythm but when I did I liked the sound of it so let that happy accident lead the music!
You can see me running with it and continuing in that vein with the fast rhythms and building on them for several minutes to create a soundscape with very little percussion.
The result is something quite different to what I normally create. I rather like it and I think I will continue this experiment in my next set and perhaps create a track to release around these ideas.
Planning vs Creativity Though I plan the actual patch (the way the modular is wired together) with great detail, I do design it in such a way that it incorporates randomness and allows for happy accidents like this one.
My job when playing live is then to guide the machine and perhaps pick up on things and highlight them as I did here.
In this way the planning stage where I set the patch up uses the organised part of my brain but the actual show can be mostly using the creative/feeling site of my brain (if nothing major goes wrong that is!)
Win a cassette mixtape and Sony Walkman! Whilst I'm here, in case you didn't see it already I'm currently running a competition to guess the number of cables I have for my modular! The prize is a mixtape cassette that my new track "The Dreamer" is on PLUS a newly refurbished Sony Walkman to play it.
For full details and to enter check out my post here: https://peakd.com/music/@tdctunes/win-a-sony-walkman-and-escapism-mixtape-vol-2-on-cassette
Catch the next sow live! I'm playing live on Brixton Radio, Twitch and VIMM every Monday at 9pm UK time and I hope to see you at one of my future shows!
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=tdctunes/lrpqnyzp
An hour and 20 minutes of electronic music created on a modular synthesizer - I do this every week live on Brixton Radio.
This was a @risingstargame Special Edition - using samples from the game in the modular - sometimes played straight and sometimes heavily chopped up, repitched and otherwise mangled,
We had a great turnout for this one and @stickupboys were doing Rising Star giveaways in the chat!
There are also some Stick Up Boys samples in it - they are a legendary card in the game after all!
Normally I upload a highlight clip but this time I just couldn't pick my favourite so decided to upload the whole set and preserve it on @threespeak for eternity(?!)
I also talk a bit about what I'm doing and how the patch works in this one if you are interested.
I'll be back on Brixton Radio, Twitch and VIMM the coming Monday at 9pm UK time and I hope to see you there!