The year (and the world) is coming to an end, so it's time for me to reflect on my activities in 2018 a bit.
There were definitely two high points for me this year.
The release of "Malfunction" on Praxis which were tracks I started in 2002 and finished in 2004 for a vinyl and CD album on Praxis that were never released due to some unfortunate events on my part, until this year, digitally; and I got some good feedback for them, and it was a pleasure to return to Praxis of course.
Second was the release of "To the Emerald Planet And Beyond", remixes of my track from 2005 by some legendary, classic artists and newer, upcoming artists that I both respect a lot such as Darius G, Kevin Vega, Murmuur, Maniak-47 and many others. This release took a lot of time and effort, and I was happy when it was finally out.
Doomcore Records also went strong this year with countless releases, and some that I consider "Auteur Doomcore", next level Doomcore Stuff, for example by Darkblack XIII or Plucessit. In 2018, the "music press" also continued their interest in Doomcore Records with plenty of mentions.
I produced around 30-40 new tracks this year, a bit meager compared with for example the ca. 100 tracks I produced in 2014. They were mostly in a Doomcore style, either what I call "Klimperdoom" and / or "Arenacore" (don't ask).
My main output this year was definitely the Tribute mixes, of which I did more than ever. I also tried to focus on some more obscure artists / labels / genres this time, such as Tranceform records or Psytrance Speedcore. I think I did most of the Tributes I wanted by now, so I might do much less in the future.
I also wrote many texts for my blog, giving more details on my struggle with "Mental Health" and being a Christian cult survivor. But also on the topic of combining music with politics; the possibility of pushing social change by doing art. Apart from the politics, I wrote various articles, including two for The Hard Data, for example on the history of tracker music.
Did I like 2018? It was a crazy ride. Definitely an improvement from 2017, and I feel I get slowly closer to where I want to be.
Plans for 2019? Shhh, they're secret. And if nuclear war and or economical breakdown don't get in their way...
We'll see. Stay tuned for more entropy.
The Advent Of Acid
One of the techniques for meditation is to repeat a word or a sentence on and on in your mind, until you get into trance (and beyond).
I like to use a similar technique in my tracks by repeating vocal samples on and on.
There is one thing I find most fascinating, which is that after a while you will begin to find several meanings attached to a single word or sentence. A multitude of meanings.
I'll use my track "The Advent Of Acid" as an example, even though it's not the most fitting example, as it is a fragment of speech, not just a single sentence.
But when you listen to the track you will hear that Ken Kesey makes pauses during this speech, which sort of breaks it up into shorter sentences again.
So let's start.
"I believe..."
a good way to start what is to follow. I believe. You can believe in God. or maybe in Atheism. Or something more profane, you believe there will be good weather on Sunday. It can be used as a meta-meaning. I believe. I'm a believer. I stand for what i believe and will defend it. "It" could be many things.
Or it could mean you believe in the sentences that follow.
"... With the advent of acid..."
It's an acid track. So the advent of acid could be the rise of Acid House. Or it could refer to when the acid sounds start to twirl in the track. Acid rain was a big topic a few years ago. The advent of acid rain. Of course Ken Kesey means acid the drug, LSD.
The sentence can be further broken down.
"...the Advent..."
The advent. Of what? The advent of the future. The advent of a new society. Or the advent of something personal. Or maybe the advent of "Jesus Christ". In Germany, the time before Christmas is called "Adventszeit" for that reason. Or the advent of something entirely different.
"...of Acid..."
Something made of acid. Tracks that come from the genre of Acid. We as humans are made of acid, of DNA.
"... We discovered a new way to think..."
This is interesting. Think in a new way. Think boldly. Think out of the box. What is a new way to think? Think in numbers. Or symbols. Or pictures. Or maybe a new way to think on and about a certain topic. History. Sociology. Religion.
"...and it has to do with piecing together new thoughts in your mind..."
Piece together new thoughts. Thoughts you did not have before. What could a new thought be? Maybe a discovery. Or something more banal, yet still new. Or thoughts that did not exist before. Yet every time i thought I had a new thought I discovered it with some author or thinker later in my life. It had already been thought.
When listening to this quote I often hear "piercing" instead of piecing. Piercing thoughts. Thoughts that don't leave you cold. That invade your mind.
So this is just a look at the first four sentences. I only wrote down some possible meanings. There are hundreds, or maybe unlimited, more meanings that could be found.
With this multitude of meanings the sampled speech helps the listener to reach a state of trance. And an outburst of creativity.
It is really something very interesting, and something that techno music seems to be made for. It is something to be further explored.
I like to use a similar technique in my tracks by repeating vocal samples on and on.
There is one thing I find most fascinating, which is that after a while you will begin to find several meanings attached to a single word or sentence. A multitude of meanings.
I'll use my track "The Advent Of Acid" as an example, even though it's not the most fitting example, as it is a fragment of speech, not just a single sentence.
But when you listen to the track you will hear that Ken Kesey makes pauses during this speech, which sort of breaks it up into shorter sentences again.
So let's start.
"I believe..."
a good way to start what is to follow. I believe. You can believe in God. or maybe in Atheism. Or something more profane, you believe there will be good weather on Sunday. It can be used as a meta-meaning. I believe. I'm a believer. I stand for what i believe and will defend it. "It" could be many things.
Or it could mean you believe in the sentences that follow.
"... With the advent of acid..."
It's an acid track. So the advent of acid could be the rise of Acid House. Or it could refer to when the acid sounds start to twirl in the track. Acid rain was a big topic a few years ago. The advent of acid rain. Of course Ken Kesey means acid the drug, LSD.
The sentence can be further broken down.
"...the Advent..."
The advent. Of what? The advent of the future. The advent of a new society. Or the advent of something personal. Or maybe the advent of "Jesus Christ". In Germany, the time before Christmas is called "Adventszeit" for that reason. Or the advent of something entirely different.
"...of Acid..."
Something made of acid. Tracks that come from the genre of Acid. We as humans are made of acid, of DNA.
"... We discovered a new way to think..."
This is interesting. Think in a new way. Think boldly. Think out of the box. What is a new way to think? Think in numbers. Or symbols. Or pictures. Or maybe a new way to think on and about a certain topic. History. Sociology. Religion.
"...and it has to do with piecing together new thoughts in your mind..."
Piece together new thoughts. Thoughts you did not have before. What could a new thought be? Maybe a discovery. Or something more banal, yet still new. Or thoughts that did not exist before. Yet every time i thought I had a new thought I discovered it with some author or thinker later in my life. It had already been thought.
When listening to this quote I often hear "piercing" instead of piecing. Piercing thoughts. Thoughts that don't leave you cold. That invade your mind.
So this is just a look at the first four sentences. I only wrote down some possible meanings. There are hundreds, or maybe unlimited, more meanings that could be found.
With this multitude of meanings the sampled speech helps the listener to reach a state of trance. And an outburst of creativity.
It is really something very interesting, and something that techno music seems to be made for. It is something to be further explored.
The End Of The "Sex Craze"
I think 2018 is the year in which the "sex craze" in the Western world turned sour, or maybe some years earlier already. On the one side there are the feminists and leftists to whom a smile or mild flirting is already "sexual harassment" (I recently heard that being polite to women is "that chivalry shit"). On the other side are the right-wingers and machos who try to justify real sexual harassment or even rape! "No Sex" or "Rape Culture" - this seems to be where we are headed. There is no natural, healthy view on sexuality and sexual topics anymore.
On My Music 2
My intention in my music is to have a psychedelic effect. All other aspects of my music are subjugated to this. If I need to run a bassdrum straight for 8 minutes to have this effect I'll do it. If I need to make a 30 seconds only track for the effect, I'll make it. Some people feel this effect in my music, and others don't. I noticed that mostly people who use a similar psychedelic effect in their own productions "feel it" too. Of course I'm aware that psychedelics are a wide field and even those who are inclined like this might not "click" to my particular way of getting there. But I imagine to someone who is not interested in psychedelics at all, my music must sound quite dull.
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