February 23, 2025: Three months ago today, Corduroy Institute overdubed melodic content onto our latest experimental pop improvisation. The proceedings were captured on video and are now available for your consideration as "You'll Still Be Staring Down At The Floor, Literally Shoegazing — Corduroy 76 Layer 2" on the world's foremost video platform.
The cameras first had to be repositioned to more effectively document the spirit of the second improvisation of the night. The Canon Vixia camcorder remained fixed on S.A. Morin and his Telecaster, though the angle was shifted to a lower position. Meanwhile, the Samsung NX300m was repositioned directly above the Roland MV-8800 to provide a more precise perspective on W. Ruiz's performance. Finally, a smartphone was placed above the pedalboard to capture the footwork of the impending shoegaze proceedings.
With the cameras all set to record, it was time to employ some novel sonic textures to create a hitherto unexpected mood atop our extant rhythm track. The centerpiece of the shoegaze performance was the Boss Feedbacker/Booster FB-2 pedal. As S.A. Morin later stated, "Instead of it just being the note, I wanted it to be the note within this warble of feedback to give it more of an all-encompassing feel."
The MV-8800, in contrast, featured W. Ruiz's first foray into finger drumming melodic content on 4x4 pads. This layout made selecting the proper notes quite difficult. Luckily, the Lo-Fi Processor effect turned the pitched brass sample into an abstract aliasing texture whose character was less about the exact notes than it was about the overall sense movement.
Once the take was finished, we were effectively done with the session. It would be exactly on month before we convened in the studio again. For now, however, you can enjoy this video document of our performance. Its audio, compiled from our cameras' on-board microphones, captures the Telecaster strumming in a manner quite distinct from the fully effected signal recorded by our Tascam Portastudio. Consider this a true-to-life vantage into Corduroy Institute's recording environment.
