This is the culmination of my lifes work in music. I started out as a classical trumpet player, then composer. I mainly wrote modern avante-garde sorts of electronic and instrumental music while working on my bachelors degree in music composition & trumpet performance at the California insttitue of the arts (cal arts). I used my knowledge of theory, performance, composition, digital synthesis, mixing, & mastering to bring you some seriously bumping electronic dance music.
I began composing electronic dance music for my Graduation Recital in late 2010. Little did I know that this first song "Scheherezade" (based on the chord progression of Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestra work "Scheherezade") would become a song in this album. After this came "Mahler I" (based on the first motif in Mahler's first symphony). I was beginning then to find a voice in electronic dance music, and I began writing more, and became even better at synthesis. It took hours upon hours upon hours upon hours, because as a deeply passionate artist, I believe I can only do electronic music justice by taking its possibilities to the highest degree. In other words, I was adamant about creating all of my sounds from the ground up and staying far far away from samples and presets. Every sound had to be completely original (including any sound: kicks, snares, synths, bass, etc.) and a result of my conscious artistic effort. Of course, this process evolved, and the more I did it, the better I got. I then composed "feel the light" which for the first time was not based on any classical chord progression. Rather, it is more based on a heavy 80's mix with trance. And of course, many parts have some slight Deadmau5 influence in them. "Jungle Fever" is yet the next piece, which is heavily influenced by African drumming which I studied at Cal Arts. The use of complex interlocking rhythms adds to the very percussive African feel that ultimately makes it more trance-like in general. These four pieces were a sixteen-minute portion in my Bachelors of Fine Arts Composition+Performance Graduation Recital.
Then came "Big Wayang," many listeners favorite track on the album. This actually was an assignment for my experiments in world music class, which was premiered just a week before graduating. It was a major milestone, marking my very first official Dubstep track. I recorded and sampled a Gender Wayang (a Balinese metallaphone which I took lessons on), and used this as the high-end percussion part, heard through out the track. It replaces what would have been a hi-hat or ride cymbal type of sound.
After this, I started working on all of the other tracks on the album, sometimes many at one time. "Dolphin Raves" was actually meant to be a joke of a song I was composing for a friend. We at this time both decided my album should actually be called "Dolphin Raves" although I discarded it eventually. I got the idea for the song when a good friend/colleague of mine "Judith Van Der Wat" listened to the track and told me that when she heard it, she thought of exactly that, dolphins at a rave.
Blast off! was another exciting track where I was really experimenting with filters-on-filters-on-filters with doubled bass parts. It was most definitely influenced by "The Chemical Brothers" track "Another World" from their album "Further". All of my music is a process of discovery, as well as experimentation, vision, structure and balance.
"Blounce" came shortly after this with a slightly different approach. I was inspired by the piece "Street Dancer" by Avicii. I wanted to create something entirely different but with the same sort of very-authentic 80's feel to the music. I also wanted to dabble into a more conventional structure of builds, and development. It is definitely one of the best mixes in the album, and out of any sounds the most 80's and inherently "House" sounding.
After this, I did something completely different. The last two tracks resulted from this. It was a radical change in process, approach, and listening that would alter the way I write dance music thereon and for the rest of the album. Although I don't want to give out all of my secrets, I will say this, I changed my process by working much more slowly and methodically, and found a way to limit myself in order to make sounds more of a result of my current state of consciousness. Sounds were not made to be consistent in this process, although surprisingly a stronger consistency resulted and in my opinion they are the most organic sounding electronic pieces in the album. These would be the tracks "Power Trip" and "Big Rush." You can tell right away when listening that they are the most musically complex tracks in the album, and are an effective hybrid of "House" and "Dubstep."
The last track I finished is actually the first one on the album, "0-60." This piece existed before as a vague idea, that was sketched out on my sequencer but lacked direction before and was on the verge of being dumped into the recycling bin. But somehow after finishing the other tracks I knew exactly what to do with it and it became one of the most effective and important tracks in the album as it "Starts the Show." In fact some people I know regard it as their favorite track on the album. It does indeed sound the most minimal and "trance" influenced out of all of the tracks.
After finishing all of the tracks, I went into heavy mode of mixing, revamping all of the current and past tracks. The first tracks, up to "Blounce," were completely re-mixed, re-done, and altered for the album. This took a great deal of time to make everything balance the way it needed to, as individual tracks and as an album.
Then the most exciting process came, the mastering. Although, this would become the most tedious, because I had to go back many times to every track and develop ways for every track to phase into one-another. It was very important for the work to be seen as one entire thing, not a collection of songs with no meaningful connection from one to another.
What resulted is what I am calling my own personal masterpiece, and I believe will shake the electronic music industry. I am hopeful that my music will gain the appreciation of new fans, and new types of electronic music listeners.
Electronic music is evolving, fast, and I think this is something that people have not heard before. Happy Listening!
Visit my website: www.mphmusic.net and/or visit my facebook page facebook.com/mphsound to stay up-to-date with my music and performances.
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