71tracks

Track 71 - Lost in your Filter (2012) [as Isomer Transition featuring Girl Jessi]

Well folks, we've made it! This is track 71 of the 71 tracks series. While I do have more tracks, I am concluding the series today, with track 71, as planned. After today I am going to take a short break and then decide what, if any, additional material I am going to post. On to today's track!

Lost in your Filter, while completed in 2012 actually began back in 2008 when I first met (my now wife, then girlfriend) Girl Jessi. We were hanging out and I wanted to use some vocals in a track I was working on. I asked her if she could say a few things. She tried a few things, and we eventually settled on "I got lost, lost in your filter". At the time it was just her speaking it, no vocoder or anything. I tried using the sample a few times but it never really fit. I put the song away and forgot about the session.

A few years later (in 2010) while digging for samples for a live set I discovered the samples. I pulled them into Ableton and processed them a bunch with some effects and stuff, but still, I wasn't able to fit them into a track. I was really into the samples, but was having a hard time with the key and the sound. Again, I put them aside, but marked them for use later.

In 2012 I dug up the samples and was determined to make something with them. The problem I had previously was that the sound of the vocals was so different from all of the other sounds in the track that they never sat correctly. So, to overcome this, I decided to make ALL of the sounds in the track from that set of samples. This way everything WOULD work together because it was all the same sound source. Success.

The stabby synth that opens the track, made from the vocal sample. The additional high stuff that comes in at :52, made from the same vocal sample. Every 'synth' sound in the track, with the exception of the bass, was made from that very same sample. Every single sound. I did a few hours of sound design, had a great set of sounds and set to work. I used a lot of the techniques that I developed while working on Atman, which dealt with similar samples, but this time with a techno focus. The track came together in a single night. It was magical. In the end I was so happy that I was able to use the samples of the woman I love in a beautiful song that makes me feel as wonderful as she does.

This track has a 'last track of the night' feel to it for me, which is why I chose it for the last track of the series.

I really hope that you've enjoyed this series as much as I have. Even if you haven't that is ok too. It was fun regardless. :)

Track 70 - New Sounds (2009) [as RJ Valeo]

Not exactly unreleased, but chances are good that you've never heard this. Mistitled as "v3" when released on a compilation.

One of the b-sides from Atman. Same sounds as 2 of the tracks on Atman. Inspired by electro, the artist 'Phoenecia', and The Egyptian Lover.

Started in Atlanta on holiday, completed in NY. It didn't make it on to Atman because of the choppy vocals. They just didn't fit the style of the album.

This is track 70, only one left in the series. I hope you've been listening and have been enjoying.

Track 69 - Deep Immersion edit (2008) [as Isomer Transition]

Originally I was not going to post this one, but the closer I got to the end of the series the more and more I felt that this one should be one of the last 10 posts.

Started and completed on a trip out west to visit my brother in-law who is living in Seattle. Done completely in the box, while sitting on the floor in his living room using sounds from my live set. One of my favorite synths is used for the weird part that comes in 5 minutes through - Automat. A free synth that never fails to deliver some awesome sounds.

This is one of the 'dub techno' tracks that I make as Isomer. Dub techno is a funny thing for me, as I never tried to make it. I love dub, and techno. While on tour in the UK in 2003 I met Andreas Tilliander through John Twells. We spoke at length about dub, Jamaica, dancehall, reggae, Peter Tosh, Tubby and tape delays. When I got back I picked up a Line6 delay pedal on Andrea's recommendation. I loved it, and set to work making some dub inspired techno.

At the time I was listening to a lot of dubby IDM, but no dub techno per-say. It was 2003, and I had not heard of Monolake, Chain Reaction, wasn't so into Vladislav Delay... I was into my own thing, and made my tracks based on my own influences. This session, in 2003, would yield the 'Shadowlands EP' tracks which wouldn't be released for another 3 years, in 2006, again by John Twells.

It just so happened that in 2006 dub techno was making a comeback and the tracks really resonated with people. People wanted more of that style/sound from Isomer. As you can tell, I don't really set out to make things in a certain style, I just follow my heart and let whatever I feel come out. I never followed up on that exact style, but have done a lot of dubby tracks and have evolved my dub influences over the years. The dub influence for me comes from classic tubby and the gear more than the electronic artists that make tracks in the genre.

Track 68 - Late Night Hours - alt version (2009) [as RJ Valeo - from ATMAN]

One of the few b-sides from ATMAN. A hardware driven deep and dark version of Late Night Hours. Machinedrum beats, run through the Moog ring modulator with a tweaked Korg D1000 digital delay.

ATMAN is the most personal release to date for me. Based on my journey into the self, and a conscious exploration of consciousness, ATMAN is both the ego and the non-ego self. The non-being and the world of thought, channeled through technology and machines.

Track 67 - Live at NYEX 10 in NYC (1997) [as Transelectronic Theory]

The long and the short of it. Live PA, all hardware. Roland s-550 for most of the sounds, Oberheim OB-1, Matrix 1000, Yamaha TX81z, Alesis reverbs and a few compressors. Patterns sequenced in Studio Vision, performed on a PowerBook 145 and Samson 2204 mixer.

Here is what happened.

I had been working on playing Live PAs for a while, upwards of 3 years at this point, and every time I played something went wrong. The first time I played the act before me blew the PA and I couldn't hear anything. Second time it was at 9pm to an empty room. The next time I had too much fun before my set and wasn't 'all there'. The time after that a power supply blew and the main synth in my rig wasn't firing. The time after that the lineup was so jammed up and the event started so late that I was bumped. Another time I was playing up in a loft and I had these DJs totally clocking me the whole time asking questions while I was playing...

So, with this gig, I decided that I was just going to have fun. I wasn't going to try to make the perfect live techno dance set, I was just going to enjoy myself. I had always done really well with improv, and funky hip-hop inspired 808 breaks, so I would do that. That worked and I wasn't stressed out, I was totally prepared, and was very much excited and ready to play.

Unfortunately it was a techno party. In NYC. With techno people, and when I say people, I mean DJs and promoters, expecting techno. When you are a techno promoter, and you are putting on a techno event, and booking techno DJs, the last thing you expect is for your Live PA to play electro inspired funky 808 breaks. At 2am. To say that my set was a surprise was an understatement.

When I went on it was 1:30am. The party was in a good place, and I was psyched. I was sitting on the ground with my gear spread out around me, and started to play. The people who were standing started to sit down. Soon most people were sitting. The vibe was good, but it wasn't dancing. As I worked my way through the set some people started to get up and dance, but that wasn't the intent of my set -- I was just having fun, not worried about how it was received.

The promoter started to get nervous and started to give me looks. About 15 minutes in to the set he came over and asked me when I would be done. I said about 20 minutes. I took my time and had fun. 5 minutes later he came by again and asked again. I knew it was 5 minutes because I keep track of time on with the lappy. I kept going. At the most ambient part of the set he came over and told me I had 5 more minutes toplay. I switched gears and blasted through the last track and ended my set.

While not the best experience with the people putting on the event, I am super happy with the recording, and had a total blast playing. I think I've listened to this recording at least 20 or 30 times over the past 15 years and while there are bits I would possibly do different, over all, for an improv set played over 15 years ago, I am quite happy with the result.

Track 66 - Space Madness remix (2007) [as Isomer Transition]

An unreleased remix of my own track 'Space Madness'. I used the Machinedrum for the kick on this one, and did some automation on the delay effects to get the rhythmic off time delays to drift around in the track. Hardware reverb for that depth, and lots of sound design from the original track.

One of the things I love about doing a remix is being able to use some of the original sounds as inspiration, and not necessarily including them wholesale. This is one of those times. I don't think I could have done a better job than the original, so I just took it around the corner, tattooed it, and gave it some new clothes.

Track 65 - Chasm Part 2 (2009) [Atman b-side - as RJ Valeo]

In 2010 I released a full-length album titled 'Atman'. It was the most intimate and personal release I had created to-date. This track was one of two entitled 'Chasm'. The other one ended up being the first track on the release. Both utilized the same set of sound, with this one being more aggressive and full of distortion. A healthy slab of drone fit for the blackest of nights.

Track 64 - Crafting Dreams (2008) [as RJ Valeo]

This was the first track I completed in the newly built studio at 210 Cook Street in Brooklyn in November of 2008. $4000 and 2 weeks of work to build an eight foot by twelve foot enclosed space. Built from 3/4" sheetrock and 3/4" plywood, 6 feet off the floor. The studio was small, but it did it's job.

With this new found quiet I could finally hear what I was mixing. Mixing in that super small room was intense. The enclosed space make every detail of the mix stand out, and I felt like I could crawl right into the mix. I had also just upgraded my monitors to a pair of Adam A7Xs, so it was like working on music for the first time again. It was thrilling.

Using the free-ware synth Automat, and the built in drum modules in Ableton I completed this tune in one sitting. There isn't too much to it, but with it's minimal esthetic and simplicity comes a serene and hypnotic mind-state.

While most of the 4/4 tracks I make I feel are done under the flag of Isomer Transition, the feel and musicality of this track lends itself to be an RJ Valeo track.

2 notes:

When I played this for my father (as an MP3 off of my iPhone) he said "Hey RJ, I think the CD is skipping"

Track 63 - Because It Is Time (2009) [as Isomer Transition]

It feels really good to put these tracks out there like this. All of that work, and time spent, and I finally get to share them with the world.

I had sent most of these around to all of the usual suspects (labels and DJs) and got some good feedback, but no one wanted to put them out. Looking and listening back it makes sense -- these aren't really DJ tracks, they are much more artist tracks that could be grouped on to an album. Perhaps at the end of this series I'll sort the tracks into discrete 'releases' and put them out on a weekly basis on Boomkat or something...

Track 62 - A Sober Thought (1996) [from Sunrise cassette - as Transelectronic Theory]

Another track from the '97 cassette release 'Sunrise'. For tape are see THIS post.

All hardware, sequenced in Studio Vision, recorded while sitting on the floor of my bedroom using an old Powerbook 145 and that old DAT recorder.

It was a really special time for me. I was feeling pretty good about things (and things being life in general -- that a rarity back then) and was spending a lot of time in NYC with the NYEX crew going to parties.

All of the gear was spread out before me on the floor and my legs would fall asleep while working. I had a day job at the time and I would spend all night working, until 4am, go to sleep, and then get up at 8 and go to work. It was a hell of a schedule, but it was worth it. These tracks came out really nicely and captured my feelings at the time.

Track 61 - Blue Horizon (1995) [as Transelectronic Theory]

This one was recorded to cassette, even though I had a DAT recorder at the time. I was getting ready for a performance and I was completely distracted from the task at hand -- I needed to be getting ready to play a live PA in 3 days and instead I was deep into working on this singular track.

I remember a lot about the equipment used for this one. Juno 106 for the strings, Ibanez AD202 delay on the hats for the flange, Mono/Poly for the acid bass, and S-550 for the kick. One take recording.

It was a very metaphysical experience.

It was late, like 5 am. Sometimes you know when it is time to do the take and that you are in a flow state. Flow state, that is a new concept althought it has been around for a long time. I had no idea what it was back then, it was just inherent knowledge of the process I was exploring at the time. You can't force it and you can't make it happen. It is something that you just need to just be in. You can however set the stage to allow it to happen with a lot of practice, and faith in one's abilities to get you there. You must have a clear focused mind, and you must push all other thoughts aside and simply be in the moment to allow it happen.

When you are there it is simply magical. Turning this knob, moving that slider, adjusting this or that parameter to move the track along just a little so that your attention follows a singular path. Easier to do when you compose (you still need to be in a flow state, but since it is a composition there are plenty of do-overs) very challenging to do when are composing live by yourself. So many distractions come into the mind, they must be gently pushed away and you must continue on the path.

The interesting thing about a flow state is that when you are in it, and there are people there with you, it is far easier to stay in it. Your attention feeds off of the people around you, if you are open to it. You have to put your own ego aside and connect to the larger consciousness. It can also be a disaster if you lose the thread. Masters of the flow can recover, those that are insecure often have brilliant performances followed by horrible ones.

Track 60 - Adios Mutha Fuckas

Written and recorded in 1992 on the Amiga, summed to mono using that old Realistic mixer, recorded to a cassette. One of the tunes that I used to bang in the Bronco II with the home made kicker box that had 2 15" Realistic subwoofers in it. My friend Charles used to call it the 'Body Waaa'. The bass was truly unreal. You felt it in your entire body. The sound was not so pristine, but man, that bass.

We used to go out to the clubs on Long Island. One night our friend John got particularly drunk at 007 and I had to drive him home. On the way home I turned up the tunes, real loud. John was already spinning, and the bass in Bruiser (that was the truck's name) was particularly intense, so much so that it made John sick. He held it together until we got into his driveway, than he leapt out of the truck (from the back seat) and let go all over his front porch, the entire time complaining that the bass was too much and it made him sick. It wasn't all the vodka tonics, it was the bass. Ok John...

Track 59 - Melancholy (1999) [from Microcosm - as RJ Valeo]

This one is from Microcosm. StudioVision for programming, Nord and the rest of the hardware army for sounds. A bit of a dark and pensive dirty beater.

The lead sound is from the Mono/Poly, which I absolutely adore. I was living in Brooklyn at the time, about 150 feet away from the BQE. The dirt and grime of Brooklyn really came through in this track IMO.

Track 58 - Back to Tomorrow (2005) [as RJ Valeo]

Another track from the 'Behind the Shadow of the Moon' project. As the title suggests, there was to be some time travel in the story. Perhaps at the end of this series I will explore writing out the story as a regular one, rather than as a radio play that would need to be acted out.

Track 57 - Environ Control (2009) [as Isomer Transition]

Track 56 - Egyptian Lovers (2009) [as Isomer Transition]

Another track from the TFIB sessions. This was used to be called 'Modified Four V3'. Mastered this one last night, added in some 'Mastering Reverb' and softened the hats a bit. It used to be super dry (in 2009 I was into super crisp small sounds) and very sharp. I think the new master rounds out the edges nicely.

Inspired by a remix Magda did of a track called 'Wanda's Wig Wax' it is a silly jam with a vocal hit on the off-beat. When I made this one I remember laughing a lot at the lead that sounds like some sort of egyptian cat call. I also thought 'Oh no, you can't' so I never really shared this with too many people.

The sound design is typical of what I was doing at the time, and the rhythm programming is also fairly typical of my style at the time. This one was done completely in Ableton, so to do the reverse edits I would have to render out that little bit of the track then strip out all the midi parts and insert the audio. If memory serves some of the synth sounds are from an unreleased remix of 'Space Madness' that I did, which will be added in to the last set of 10 tracks.

Track 55 - Resurrected (cassette - 19910 [as Honetol 14]

I found this guy hanging out at the end of a Beastie Boys tape back in 2003. I had a feeling that there was more on the cassette than just the boys, so I went past the end and found this.

Back in the day I used to record my tracks at the ends of other tapes instead of on their own tape. Not a good idea if one wants to keep track of things.

Amiga A500, which means 4 notes of polyphony. Samples are from The Art of Noise and Nitzer Ebb, and some other stuff I really don't remember. I had completely forgotten about this track until I found it, and didn't remember a thing about it until I had listened to it 3 or 4 times.