Tear Em 'Up
Three years ago today, I published one of my most popular mixes, Fall From Grace. As I reflect on that mix, a few things came to my mind that, I wanted to share with anyone interested in reading.
I released four mixes that year starting with Hope Springs Eternal. Hope is a whimsical and entertaining mix. The genre is Breaks. It’s an offshoot of the old Break Dance music from the 80s. I used samples from The Simpsons to enhance the fun aspect of the mix. I triggered the samples in real time as I recorded it. I am very happy with the way it turned out. So much so, I created a video to go with it, that is viewable on my YouTube page. Hope is about the wonders of life. The joy of spring and, the possibility of love. As Andy Dufrense said in The Shawshank Redemption, “Hope is a good thing, Red. Possibly the best of things.” I published Hope on the first day of spring.
Following Hope is, Summer Of Solitude. It is about losing someone you love. It is about being alone. And the choices we make to end relationships. The genre is Vocal House. My personal favorite of genres. I used samples from Casablanca (if you’ve never seen this movie, do yourself a favor and make time to watch it. It’s possibly the greatest film ever). I wanted the listener to feel the sorrow of loss. The pain in knowing their relationship is going to end one day and, to face that pain in order to move on with life. It is also the last mix I used no post mix editing work on. Once again, I triggered all the samples in real time while recording. I published Summer on the first day of summer.
Fall From Grace was published on the first day of fall. It is a mix of progressive house. It is possibly my best technical mix ever. It is about fighting to keep bitterness out of your heart after a relationship ends. I used samples from The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Namely, Gollum samples. Remember, Gollum was not always a monster. He started out as a normal Hobbit. He fell from grace after becoming obsessed with the One Ring. We’ve all had a relationship end where we were not happy with the way it ended. A relationship where we bordered on obsession over the other person. This mix is intended to bring out those feelings. I knew I had struck the right chord when I sent it to a friend and he said “Dude, are you depressed? Did some bitch break your heart?” Perfect!
The last mix I created that year was Winter Of Discontent. Once again, it was published on the first day of winter. As the days grow shorter and, the thermometer drops, we all fight a little cabin fever. The emotion I’m trying to trigger is anger. Anger at how lonely we can get inside our own skin. I used Electro House for the genre of this mix. The best samples I could think of to express anger were those of Khan Noonien Singh, commonly shortened to Khan. Kahn is a fictional villain in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. The character first appeared in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Space Seed" (1967). Kahn was born angry. This mix has an angry vibe to it.
Now, for those of you that are big fans of Stephen King, this might feel a tad familiar. King published a collection of stories called Different Seasons. Following a similar them, I created these mixes. It is not really one mix. It’s a series of mixes, following King’s format in Different Seasons. Three of the stories in Different Seasons have been made into films, Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption is Hope Springs Eternal. Apt Pupil is the Summer Of Corruption in King’s book, a movie was made in 1998 of the same name. Stand By Me, is a product of the short story The Body, it is King’s Fall From Grace. The last story was titled The Breathing Method. It is the only story from the book not made into a motion picture. It is King’s A Winter’s Tale. These were four concept mixes, now you know where the concept came from.
I hope you didn’t find this too boring. I hope you enjoyed reading it. I hope you will listen to my mixes, if you haven’t done so already. I hope this doesn’t come across as pompous or, arrogant. In the words of Ellis "Red" Redding, “I Hope…..”
You can find these mixes, and some of my others, here.
I released four mixes that year starting with Hope Springs Eternal. Hope is a whimsical and entertaining mix. The genre is Breaks. It’s an offshoot of the old Break Dance music from the 80s. I used samples from The Simpsons to enhance the fun aspect of the mix. I triggered the samples in real time as I recorded it. I am very happy with the way it turned out. So much so, I created a video to go with it, that is viewable on my YouTube page. Hope is about the wonders of life. The joy of spring and, the possibility of love. As Andy Dufrense said in The Shawshank Redemption, “Hope is a good thing, Red. Possibly the best of things.” I published Hope on the first day of spring.
Following Hope is, Summer Of Solitude. It is about losing someone you love. It is about being alone. And the choices we make to end relationships. The genre is Vocal House. My personal favorite of genres. I used samples from Casablanca (if you’ve never seen this movie, do yourself a favor and make time to watch it. It’s possibly the greatest film ever). I wanted the listener to feel the sorrow of loss. The pain in knowing their relationship is going to end one day and, to face that pain in order to move on with life. It is also the last mix I used no post mix editing work on. Once again, I triggered all the samples in real time while recording. I published Summer on the first day of summer.
Fall From Grace was published on the first day of fall. It is a mix of progressive house. It is possibly my best technical mix ever. It is about fighting to keep bitterness out of your heart after a relationship ends. I used samples from The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Namely, Gollum samples. Remember, Gollum was not always a monster. He started out as a normal Hobbit. He fell from grace after becoming obsessed with the One Ring. We’ve all had a relationship end where we were not happy with the way it ended. A relationship where we bordered on obsession over the other person. This mix is intended to bring out those feelings. I knew I had struck the right chord when I sent it to a friend and he said “Dude, are you depressed? Did some bitch break your heart?” Perfect!
The last mix I created that year was Winter Of Discontent. Once again, it was published on the first day of winter. As the days grow shorter and, the thermometer drops, we all fight a little cabin fever. The emotion I’m trying to trigger is anger. Anger at how lonely we can get inside our own skin. I used Electro House for the genre of this mix. The best samples I could think of to express anger were those of Khan Noonien Singh, commonly shortened to Khan. Kahn is a fictional villain in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. The character first appeared in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Space Seed" (1967). Kahn was born angry. This mix has an angry vibe to it.
Now, for those of you that are big fans of Stephen King, this might feel a tad familiar. King published a collection of stories called Different Seasons. Following a similar them, I created these mixes. It is not really one mix. It’s a series of mixes, following King’s format in Different Seasons. Three of the stories in Different Seasons have been made into films, Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption is Hope Springs Eternal. Apt Pupil is the Summer Of Corruption in King’s book, a movie was made in 1998 of the same name. Stand By Me, is a product of the short story The Body, it is King’s Fall From Grace. The last story was titled The Breathing Method. It is the only story from the book not made into a motion picture. It is King’s A Winter’s Tale. These were four concept mixes, now you know where the concept came from.
I hope you didn’t find this too boring. I hope you enjoyed reading it. I hope you will listen to my mixes, if you haven’t done so already. I hope this doesn’t come across as pompous or, arrogant. In the words of Ellis "Red" Redding, “I Hope…..”
You can find these mixes, and some of my others, here.
Mensajes Sun 22 Sep 13 @ 2:14 pm