Posts Tagged ‘instrumental’

Opus Instrumentalus 2: Vibrations

Sunday, September 20th, 2009

Vibrations is an instrumental, eclectic blend of pop, dance & electronica, infused with euro, ambient, chillout & aggressive beats. Vibrations has somewhat of a cinematic flow if you listen front to back…

The 2nd album in the Opus series, Vibrations has a distinct theme, based on electronic styles and rhythms, creating a blend of genres within the category. The songs are instrumental pieces, with a few minor exceptions, but no sung verses.

Rising Up opens the album, setting a tone in a pop-dance groove, with spoken phrases throughout. The “I am…” of course, refers to that which binds us, love, the awakening human consciousness… all of that.

Genuine Article kicks it up a notch, being carried along with a distorted rock drum groove. Synths and hits are introduced, with a menacing fuzz in the foreground, and an almost tribal loop underlying the drum kit’s aggressive pace.

Flawless brings us down into a more contemplative space. A flowing dance/house tempo carries the melody, and a hooky synth instills it’s catchy riff, amongst the “Flawless…” phrases. Throw in a funky guitar solo, and you have a dance-pop tune that sticks with you.

Trance Sends picks up the pace again, introducing a driving house beat and several synths. The song builds in waves as layered pads and loops blend with percussive synths and some electric guitar.

Determined slows it down a notch, but not in attitude. This one is more a trip-hop, clubby groove that creates an atmosphere of dark determination, building to a breakout when the mood shifts into more dance/house vibes playing synths and percussion against each other. Then, it starts over in a new key…

Juggler walks a steady pace. A feeling of introspection and discovery reverberates, with slightly jolting breaks and dynamics throughout. Ambient pads and ghostly swells enhance the underlying somber tone. Is there a resolution?

Listen starts out aggressively, with a chaotic blend of effects and disturbing edginess. Quickly, the pace begins, carried by a funky, driving loop, breaking occasionally for a breath before engaging again, coupled with a grungy wah-synth that echoes the slap bass groove.

Traveler brings us back to steadiness, with a solid dance/house groove, mellow synths and temperate flow. Imagine driving on a long, winding highway…

Blue Sky & Rain asks, how can you search for the darkness, when it’s a clear, blue, sunny day? It’s a steady pace with a dance/pop groove, synths, a few breaks, and an air of uncertainty.

Walking is straight ahead dance/house, with some additional percussion, pizzicato strings, solemn pads, and a flute, singing softly in the background. A piano tells of what’s to come…

Enchanted is a gentle, ambient-pop ending to this story, centering in a somber piano, that carries us out of the sonic adventure that Vibrations was.

© 2004 Nothing So Right Music


Opus Instrumentalus: Movie Musica

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

Opus Instrumentalus: Movie Musica is the first album in the ongoing Opus series, focusing primarily on instrumental music of varying styles and genre… This single post covers the gamut of songs on this recording, as they’re mostly instrumental compositions.

I’ve dabbled a bit into the acting realms… Had some fun, and was able to explore another creative, expressive outlet. Brothers Assassin was one such effort, filmed in the Okanagan, in the Spring/Summer of 2002. This was the second feature-length production I worked on with the Wentworth brothers Neil and Nori. Good times.

The additional benefit of working on this type project is that most of us got to wear more than one hat, so to speak. Because I had the tools, interest and inclination, I took on the roles of creating music, as well as a good deal of sound effects, and all-around ambient enhancement. Basically, Neil allowed me a lot of freedom to add what I could to the scenes, and then he’d take it from there as the editing continued.

I had several months lead time, and I was also playing a lead role in the film (Xander, one of the brothers). Using the tendencies of what I thought an assassin would be like, it was a great way to explore all things musical. As you can hear, the songs vary in countless ways, ranging from simple pop/rock grooves, to edgy hard rock, to electronica/dance and so on. I was up for the challenge, and I think the challenge brought out some interesting ideas, thematically, stylistically, and instrumentally.

Locked & Loaded – sets the tone… kind of a mashup of rock and electronic styles.

Did You Miss Me? – had fun creating lyrics out of thin air, just listening to the tunes as recorded and seeing what came up… Having images from the scenes as they were cut really helped, too.

Drifting – more straight ahead indie rock feel.

Assassin – funk/rock tune… Easy ambience.

Bothered – Xander was a bit unstable. This is an attempt to convey that for a dream sequence in the film…

Groovy! – some industrial elements with guitar edge here and there…

Circumstances – some more pop/rock/funk ambience…

How the Brothers Walk – can you feel the strut to it?

InTruSion – some more ambience, blending cinematic styles with guitars, drums, fx, and a key change!

Comic Book Hero – a touch of fromage… Neil wanted something anthemic, or what you might hear if a “hero” were entering the scene. It made for some laughs.

darkness – some more industrial influenced rock with mixed guitars and ambience…

Delivered – quick one for a scene that had us brutalize a poor deliver guy some… He survived.

Just Drive! – pop/funk feel. Touch of cinematic appeal, simple ambience.

Man on a Mission – another fun (heavy, edgy, driving) one with lyrics… I was feeling the Dark Side for this creation.

Reflection – talk about mood swings… This one’s got a mellow bounce to it. Driving music.

Moods – another soft-pop tune, for the most part…

Who Is This Guy? – pop/rock/eletronic blend… Rich, warm guitar samples and such.

Xander’s Theme – some more rock… This one became the Brothers’ theme song. Doesn’t it sound like a TV show theme?

Dangerous – brooding, haunting, pop. Ended the film and rolled the credits with this one. It’s a personal favourite.

All Music © 2002 Nothing So Right Music