Abducted Warriors - On Mars (finished)

[ARTiST-MATRiX]

This Track is now finished and all workprints are deleted.

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The last time, I missed somehow a challenge and the joy of making music. So I wondered, how could I overcome that a bit and, for that, I started to had a look at some old and "never finished" projects or ideas on my hard disk.

Some times ago I've made some gfx for the project 'Abducted Warriors' for the website and within this work, I've made some nice pics which also would work as an album cover. But. Without an album HaHa and that was the trouble

So I'll take this as a challenge for myself, to make a new album for that project. As the GFX named 'Abducted Warriors - On Mars" so is the title of the album named.

Some info about the challenge and then a first workprint of track 1.

The Project is almost beat and dance oriented. Something to the dance floor or near the dance floor. So I asked myself, what I would like to listen, what would make me sweat on the dance floor, if I today would go to a club or a festival.
I am an old techno nerd, so I decided to choose, as an open style frame basic, detroit minimal techno house, where minimal is relative and can also has a touch of trance, melo, acid or what ever comes out - may also a excursion to Chicago "down the warehouse" style.
Second, I want to make a mixed album and also want to have all the tracks in one arrangement, so I ask me again, what workflow would fit the best to my knowledge and liking and maybe is the most productive.
I decided to work with the "Arranger Track" (Cubase) functionalities to sketch out some basic loops with a short arranger sequence.

The Arranger track allows you to work with sections of your project in a non-linear fashion, to simplify arranging to the maximum extent. Instead of moving, copying and pasting events in the Project window to create a linear project, you can define how different sections are to be played back, like a playlist.
For this, you can define arranger events, order them in a list, and add repeats as desired. This offers a different and more pattern-oriented way of working, which complements the usual linear editing methods in the Project window.

This pattern-oriented way is a bit like I did it with the AMiGA, back then in the early 90s, or the old C-Lab Notator / Creator MIDI-Sequencer on the ATARI ST.

AW - On Mars 1 workprint (Adobe Flash Player).

Remember. This is just a ~2 minutes workprint of the arranger sequence for the first track as an intro, without much fills, breaks, risers and downers or such things. Just some minimal detroit techno.
Later, the arranger sequences can be rendered to linear arrangements in the project window. So I think this is a good and productive way, to early have some basic loops and parts (Bridges o.s.l.t.) for sketching out some sequences which are finally all rendered to one linear arrangement and then make the polish with all the missing breaks, fills, risers, or matching filter sweeps etc.
I am curious about the results of that attempt, if it will work also on future projects and even if I finish the album in the first place

[ARTiST-MATRiX]

Here is a more developed version from the last session - mostly on the cans.

Just techno. No real instruments, except some of the percussions - Sorry for that. But atm, i don't want to think much about notes and music theory.

aw on mars - workprint 2 (flash player)

It's about 9 minutes long now. More perc, drum and synth elements, but still in loop mode and therefore without much fills, breaks, filter sweeps etc. yet.
Now its time to bounce some of the VSTi tracks to get back some asio power for the next part.........

[moose]

I had a listen to "aw on mars" so I guess I should give some sort of feedback...

Unfortunately I never ever listen to this sort of music so I can't give any positive or negative feedback. I know it exists, but that's just about it.

Perhaps I can say that, even when turning on the subwoofer, the really low end isn't felt much. For what I know, at high volume the subsonics should make my ribcage rattle in rhythm with it.
Am I wrong?

[ARTiST-MATRiX]

Thanks moose, your feedback is welcome

This was not the final mix and only a mix on the cans. But I've made a quick overwork on my speakers and, hopefully, may it suits your ribcage better now

Same player as the last above.

[moose]

I can hear a more prominent bass in the secons take (I think, at least... hope it's not my imagination).

No my ribcage isn't moving yet.
More subsonic motherfker, please!!!

[ARTiST-MATRiX]

Your imagination was right. There is more bass in the second take and its neither the final mix. I don't know jet how it will sound final. Adjusting the mix several times while working on a project, is something what belongs to my work flow. I hope it sounds acceptable when it is final, maybe a bit more as acceptable

Nevertheless.
Thx again for your feedback. I'll keep that in mind and I'm thinking about some deep sinus oscillators, scratching around the infra borders.....

[ARTiST-MATRiX]

Hey there

Here is another slightly diff version, more developed to about 13 mins.

Again mostly on the cans.

aw on mars - workprint 3 (flash player)

sorry moose. No additional sub sonic instruments atm (I remember a bass sound I've made earlier in another track, which may also fit here). But I think the mix is now also a bit better at the low ends
Its more elaborated at the arrangement (still in loop mode), the percs and instruments.
Some more synth pad noise and I've put some organs in with some easy basic cords - may also some note errors jet. Not to much thoughts about the notes atm
Now it goes over to mellow trance house

The organs are mostly raw presets. not much tweaked But a bit eq'ed to the rest with some fx, to have a basic melo section construct for further development.

Now I think, its time for some more beat changes, also a different drum set and an additional simple lead melo ... some hipbreak groove is in there already

[ARTiST-MATRiX]

I've thought. Before I can go on, I might have to look at the low ends and the other bass sound I've had in mind. So I've made another slightly different version with another very low sub bass track, mildness audible.
@ mosse
May now your ribcage is moving.
If not - sorry, but I have no good subwoofer here, just HiFi speakers and amp.

I've changed also some parts of the arranger track and adjusted some sounds and the mix here and there. Also the organs are now a bit better. May the highs are a bit to much......
Now, I can go on to the next section....

Same player as the last above...
aw on mars - workprint 3 (flash player)

[Audi01]

cool creative stuff AM

what makes me sweat on the dancefloor?

marusha is a legend of the scene!

[ARTiST-MATRiX]

Oh noooooooooooo!!!!!
Marusha*** associated with my thread and noise...... DELETE THIS VIDEO - ASAP!!!! HaHaHa just jokin'!

Let me say something about Marusha from my point of view - just to be honest bro.
But first.

cool creative stuff AM

Thanks allot a1!
All feedback is welcome, but specially your opinion as a "dancer" is more important to me

marusha is a legend of the scene!

OK. Marusha.
Let me make some "noise". "From my bottom to the top"

First of all I have to say, I does not know Marusha personally. All I can say is, my opinion about the things that happened from my point of view as a Techno enthusiast of the very early days from the German Techno scene. Thats not about the hearsay, E.G. "I know someone who know someone who know how good she is in bed" LoL - its my opinion and about some experiences I've made.

I think I can understand your point a1, if I look at Marusha more from a mass media and economics point of view.
For me, thats not enough and specially with a critical view on art and without personality cult, the claim and label name "low spirit" says it all. Nomen Est Omen, just entertainment, not respectively low art. (Radical) Hedonism, and "making money" with big "industrialism" business and economics with low or zero "spirit". For that time - the time of the second wave, we know, it worked very well.

Today, we are already past the crescendo of the third wave (please refer to Alvin Toffler with his books "future shock" and "the third wave" and his wave theory about the human (re)evolution. If you know the correlation between parts of the Techno art culture philosophy, Alvin Toffler and the "spirit", may you got my point already) and Techno is grown up.

I think, Marusha and the label "low spirit" is something from the second wave, even back then. it was definitely a higher amplitude and a good thing at that time and for many peoples, but the "medal has two sides" and it was also the ebbing away part / decay of that wave.

If I have to mention a track from Marusha, I will name probably only one. No - not the "just another 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' track" LoL Its *"Rave Channel" from 1992. Its on the "Mayday" sampler from that year (a good one and the title track "Mayday" was also a floor filler at the Techno Club Dorian Gray in the Frankfurt am Main airport). Back then, I went to Cologne with some friends, to have a good time and party on that "may day" (the first day in may is a public holiday in Germany and sometimes called "dance into the may" day, because of the spring season) event at the ice stadium there. But for me, it was very disappointing! E.G. the "earthquake simulator" was just a marketing lie like the "1000000000000000000000000000000 Watt Sound System". For me, "low spirit" stands more for something like (naive) ad busting without much of the ethics (like "Ravermeister" T-Shirts etc. "Jägermeister" is a brand of some alcohol).
From that on until ~1996, the market was flooded with the so called Rave music and the selling-off of the Techno (sub)culture and the "spirit" took place.

There are of course a few well known Techno artist from Berlin I would name, Marusha would be one of the last, I respect her more for her skills as an entertaining DJane than for her own music or art. One of the first names** which comes to my mind is Harald Blüchel aka Cosmic Baby and I want to recommend a *documentation now named "We call it Techno!" where he was interviewed. After I've watched this docu, I started to like / love him not only for his skills, music and art, which I loved allready before

So, I'll come to the end of this monologue with a question.

Why is there no interview with Marusha or WestBam in this documentary? Maybe I am totally wrong here, but I guess I know the answer and its, not least something about the "Rave Culture".

Thx! again a1 for your feedback and

LLAP
=/\=

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Disclaimer:
Please don't take this as an offence matey! Its just my opinion about part history and if something is unclear for you, may because of my lousy English, feel free to ask, I'll try to explain.
I've had indeed also good times and parties with Marusha as a DJane. I remember the "Space Woodstock" mega event in Idar Oberstein, down in the basement garage, with Marusha on the decks, playing a happy hardcore / breakbeat set - Man LoL that was a crazy and great party and weekend experience...

Imagine that, it is once again war. And all the people go dancing!


**Don't forget senior alpha!

*Here is a trailer of the documentary.

and here is a full version with English subtitles.

*The track "Rave Channel".


***Marusha Aphrodite AKA Marion "I eat semi-vegan, semi-vegetarian but also sometimes a piece of chicken" Gleiß