Album Notes

The RMX Sessions is a new CD that is composed almost entirely on the Yamaha RM1X sample sequencer. This unique CD explodes with classic synth sounds and beeps. The CD has 13 songs that total over 65 minutes of music. The album covers a wide array of electronic music styles. The styles range from techno and house to drum and bass, and jungle, to ambient.
A few years ago the "groove box" idea was very popular among electronic music producers. The groove box is generally a machine with onboard sounds that are put together to make songs. Many of the music gear manufacturers created some form of a groove box to take advantage of the growing market of people who wanted to make music but played no traditional instrument. I was one of those people. In 2002 took my tax return and bought an RM1x. Since then I have been creating songs on the machine and using the machine as part of my studio.
In 2004 I realized that I had an enormous amount of finished or nearly finished songs that existed only on my RM1x. That's when I decided to record these songs and release them through Transparent Productions, a collective of underground artists and producers who bypass the major label system of making and distributing music.
The album is quite spectacular. The blending of various styles of electronic music is close to flawless. The songs are well thought out and deceptively complex, yet entirely accessible. In fact this album has been received very well by listeners that are not usually accustomed to listening to what they would consider "techno". This is not a candy techno album. While it is true that it is easily accessible to someone with a small electronic music background, hard core fans of electronic music will delight in multiple references to past figures in electronic music.
Songs like "Polypeptide" and "Squash" are examples of the large influence of ambient and IDM greats like Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, and Boards of Canada. Lush melodic hooks with spastic drum breaks opens "Squash" driving you ever forward towards a pulsing of computer generated bleeps and saws. Other songs are more in the vain of classic house and trance. Trancy holds true it name bringing together simple synthesizer riffs and steady kick drum to masterfully present a song full of musical clichés. Deep, deep bass is found on "Smoking glue". This song contains frequencies of bass that translate to systems with a subwoofer with magical thumps. True to the drum and bass feel this song has great drive and rhythms.
Two guest artists appear on this album. "Hippo Cry" is the first is the tight BooSen, from Transparent Productions, adding a surprise heavy hip-hop ending to mostly a tribute to the electronics on Pink Floyd's "Dark side of the Moon". Next is the amazing guitar work of Todd Loreing on "Jawbridge", a tribute to blending electronics with the raw energy of heavy metal. Almost homage to old Metallica instrumentals Todd delivers beautiful riffs as well and insanely fast shredding.
Listen to the album and you too will become a life long fan.