मोवेद इन!

So me and my buddies got moved in yesterday. We got just about everything from the old house. Was a really hectic weekend, as could be expected. I started constructing my semi studio. So far I have got the rug down, most of the foam up and getting things situated. I also kind of took it on the chin with some speaker stands. I bought some speaker stands at frys that were not made for my monitors, thinking I could jerry rig them to work and save money. Basically cut corners. Well, I almost lost a monitor because of it. I gotta keep to the go big or go home motto. In essence it means to spend the money and get what you are certain will work, for the particular task at hand. No cutting corners, it just never works. So, hopefully I can replace the stands I bought, get my money back and then get the right ones. Lolly on that move of mine. Besides that everything has been going smooth, and the little studio is coming nice. I have been taking pictures kinda chroniciling the adventure, and will post up from start to finish!! Should be fun to look at the pictures, kinda reminisce over the hard work. My dad came over this weekend and tore down my old studio room. Major frown faces. I felt like I was losing memories, but at the same time the ones I did remember came rushing back and almost made me sniffle a little. What an adventure God has blessed me with, a very much needed one. =)

More soon....

मोविंग forward

So, we got a house! It was our dreamhouse me and my buddies wanted all along. God is good, and provides for us what we need and what can enrich our lives. That doesn't always mean candy drops and high fives. You have to go thru trials and tests to be refined into who God intends you to be. Its the storms that are indicators that you are loved...

I started de-assembling my studio last night. Taking all the acoustic foam down. Started packing up some of my equipment. It is sad, I accomplished a lot there, but alas, it is to be torn down. I also see of how much there is to do still, I see the way things must change for there to be success. There was a level of success achieved though. I recorded some fun songs there, worked with awesome people and finally learned my sound. I enjoyed the pains, and the joys. I enjoyed the arguments and wasted times. Ultimately, it was a couple years of learning, lessons that needed to be completed. A new chapter opens, as cliche as that goes. But, its true.

So I anticipate when I am back up and running, to be a madman. Beats everywhere, and I m setting a goal of 1 month to start doing live shows!!!

सोमेथिंग तो स्मिले about

Not that it means much, but my song called Modul 8 got a track of the day at garageband.com.

Thats a kinda cool thing to get in this storm :) Garageband is a cool place, you get some feedback and sometimes some people really dig your track. The other cool thing is you have to review other peoples work to get a song into the review process. So, as an added bonus, if you actually do thoughtful reviews you could win prizes :) I didn't originally intend to make this an ad, just wanted to be chatty about it. Anyway, this site has got me radio play in the past, so I can't complain, and I think everyone should try it. There!

About to start packing up my studio. The memories. I am thinking of heavily minimizing my gear. I think after all these years of working I finally found out the best way to work. And the sound I want. I always used to want to be so open ended, 'I can do any genre'. But, genre does not matter. What matters is creativity, workflow and bending conventionals. Redefining lines, and other convoluted things. In a nutshell, I think I finally found a niche. So now to trim the fat, only use what I need. :) It is a nice feeling.

etc. etc.

थे सर्च continues

Well, we are still valiantly searching for a place to live. We have about a week left. We have found some sweet places and basically any of the ones we have applied for would be a great blessing to get into. We should be finding out about one today, and we need to still stay on the ball. I would rather have many choices to pick from than to have nothing with 3 days left. =) Ooooh, update...as I was working and typing this, one of the Houses called my boss as a reference for me. Woo hoo! At least we know now that we are being considered. But...the search still continues.

On the music front. Yes, this whole situation has taken a toll on me mentally and I feel unmotivated and unfocused. I am so close to making some breakthroughs, no fear though. I would rather be where I am at then not be anywhere at all. I feel blessed and know that God is reshaping me, and I hope to use me. So if I keep looking at it wide angle, I do creep a smile, in this trial. I am a step closer to a live show, I got to iron some things out, but very very close!!!

I like: Things, blue, collar, pugs, and assorted fruits. Water is good, so air. Food. Controllers.

स्तोर्म्स एंड stormdrains

It seems the closer I get to releasing some new stuff, the more busy and busy my personal life gets. Thats ok, but there is some storms a brewing. Right now, I just went through a move. I moved in with a couple buddies in this house in a really good neighborhood. We had not signed a lease contract yet, and the landlord had said we can move in and everything is good. We then would sign a lease agreement and be there a while. Well, not so much. The landlord then, after we all move in, spend A LOT of money on washer and dryers, rug cleaning, nic nacks and repairs. Goes against her word and backs out of it completly and decides to pull a power trip and tell us to leave by the 15th basically of July. Now there must be rights for us renters, right? So I go and look at California renters rights. It talks about verbal agreements and how they are binding to a point. well I figured since we both agreed on such terms then the landlord could not try and pull this type of thing. But, I wanted more. So I asked my mom to talk to her lawyer, as she was the last one to rent the place. Because technically then my mom would still be renting there as she just moved out since she did not provide written notice of leaving premises. Well after she talked with her lawyer, things changed. The lawyer basically said in this case we have no rights, and that as bad as this situation is we would have to leave. Apparently in Real Estate, if this were to go to court, verbal agreements are never usually recognized. On top of that, since my mom has already left the premises then she is technically gone and subletting to us, which is illegal per her last rental agreement. Ah yes, the storms, I am glad Jesus is in my boat, so I am not as stressed as one might think. It's just the core of it is this woman is being hideous and showing a lack of character beyond beleif. It is sorta sad to me. I also feel somewhat responsible to my buddies, and feel a bit of heartache that I allowed a crappy situation to come to fruition instead of having the cohones to get a contract signed now! Trusting this ladies word was a huge mistake, as she lied about a lot and then admitted, "ohhhh well now i remember, but I still want you out...". She was generous to give us an extra week. ehem.

Anyway this is a 'life lesson', and I cannot harbor any anger towards this woman. She obviously has something ill in her heart that more anger from another person will only fuel more. So right now me and my buddies are searching for another house in our area, and praying. I feel confident that we will be fine, we have IAM on our side. Just the whole thing compounded makes me a bit sad, betrayed and more. At least this is chisseling my charecter and my faith.

On the music front: Finished about 2 1/2 of the 4 songs for the James Bond Themed album/small EP. Started to sample a sega gamegear and games for another themed album. Also finished up an remix for Absorption, but no internet outside of work to post it up to him. So trudging slowly, like in a vat of drying glue, with a felt suit on =)

The pads

I have been playing a lot on my mpc1000. I have made a discovery. I know how I like to work. My workflow is very disjonted and disconneted, yet it works. Basically I like pads, I like em so much. I like to press a pad and have premade things play. I like pads to hit to make a beat. I dislike mouse clicking! I love to feel interactive and in 'control' of everything. Yet I never have until recently. I am actually enjoying my sound manipulation syncopation! I guess it takes others longer to find a niche than others. At least a niche in workflow which I think goes a long way.... So, now that I am in a groove I am kinda in the 'done sampling, time to finish up songs mode'. Yesterday I did a live rendition of a track, and then will go back and add stuff manually. I think it will be nice to know for myself at least that each song will be done 90% live, with 10% cleanup and addition. My new songwriting process is really quick yet slow. in a sense most of the time is spent just collecting samples and experimenting with them until I get bored, come back to them and then smash a song down. :)

I have been kicking around to see how big of an album I should do, or maybe do a bunch of 3-4 track short EP's, as I think people would be more susceptible to listening to a couple tracks than be bogged down with an epic 12 song album. I dont know, I am just trying to strategize how to get listens and interest is all. Anyway, I am getting more and more excited as I like what I am making now, and am able to do most of it live!! Whateva!

Felt like writing

Been really busy with work, and life, and getting in any practice time I can. I realized that I like writing blogs for the sheer fact of just mashing away on the qwerty. I like just kinda hashing out what I been up to or what my aspirations are, or random thoughts or poems just from the sheer fact self therapy in a sense. I guess it I realize it is fun to just write away and then look at it a couple months down the road and see how proactive I am or how lazy I been! Its all to the good though. I can't complain, God has blessed me well with fire and mana :)

Lately I have been sampling, record digging and all that for the last month. Really diving into manipulating sound, finding what I want to do, and also primarily focusing on jamming with the songs live. Been sampling a lot of King Tubby from vinyl, those grooves are just so fun! I also picked up an MPC-1000 as I want to be able to produce on my lunch breaks and what not. The MPC is really amazing but the most important thing is I am able to utilize it. Over the years I have been on a "...if I buy this then I will conquer the world!!" binge. All it has done is hold me back. But on the flipside, I have found out pieces of software or kit that I truly use as workhorses. It took me only what, 6 years? *sigh* *sigh* I get sad thinking of all the years 'wasted'. I dont know, though about it being wasted. I had to do alot I guess to find out my mentality needs to change to more developement than getting it out there. Patience. I see now it is worth it to take more time to get a more hard hitting sound then just getting sound out. I have been trying to sell stuff off that I do not use, like a bunch of software. My Xbox 360. Dunno whats next, but I have to be savage I think, less is more. At least to me. So Gods journey continues...speaking of that....

A roller coaster of beauty is what it is. Ups and downs. Trials and respits. Refinement and respiration. Breaths of the Spirit, while wearing the dustmask of the Bible. So long to go, so far I have come.

I guess I am just going to keep plugging away, nothing else I can do. The things heavy on my mind:

Girlfriend? lol
Music..
Just took over my moms house she was in, as she is moving out, having two new roomates.
Relationships..

Heavy on the heart:
Wanting to learn more and more in the Word.
Stupid worries...

=)