who here actually makes music?

Reviving this ancient ILM thread to share ancient music of mine I've revived via Bandcamp, for the purpose of donating to good causes:

'The Irish Sea' is an album of improvisational music I made 20 years ago:https://t.co/wVEKsx9RYt

All sales donated (and I'll double them in full) to community bail funds, mutual aid funds, and racial justice organizers here: https://t.co/PmLe0JwWJg pic.twitter.com/yql2K42LuQ

— Musicophilia (@musicophiliamix) October 21, 2020

Stream here:https://t.co/wVEKsx9RYt

— Musicophilia (@musicophiliamix) October 26, 2020

I'm doubling all purchases (before Bandcamp takes their 15% cut) and donating here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bail_funds_george_floyd. As of 10/27, that'll be $226 so far.

It's gorgeous! Will definitely be grabbing that this evening.

Thank you, Evan!

It's funny, I made this music so long ago--literally half my life ago--and haven't made music since, such that it's not even really like I made it. Weirdly, has allowed me to like it, now; whereas I was almost embarrassed that it's what came out of me instead of some cool Brian Eno-esque thing, when I was 20.

Made my first new music in 20 years. Have to be in the mood for something quiet, melancholy and very simple--but I like it, to my surprise.

https://www.twitter.com/musicophiliamix/status/1478134648312115206

Well, that didn't work. Anyway, it's here:

https://ianmanire.bandcamp.com/album/sketches

Why did you took such a long break? you're good at it!

I like that

I used to, but my singing voice has deteriorated to the point I either have to write songs that don't wander out of the low register or have someone else sing them (it feels strange to me having someone else sing and interpret lyrics I've written about my own situations if you're not used to it). Also, I'm not even close to up to date on recording gear and/or it's too expensive or too difficult to learn.

Thanks, Moka and Blues!

Don't know why I didn't keep going. I know so many very talented real musicians, guess I felt a bit silly doing my skill-free thing? And then 20 years of life happened? But lately I was just feeling the pull, to play as almost a meditation. So far, it's really providing that.

just into the first track and this sounds cool. gonna go for a walk with it, ty for sharing!

Winter walks seems to be the best application of this music : )

Really nice! Are you playing or programming those strings and woodwinds?

Thank you!

It's all VSTs played via keyboard (Arturia Keylab 88 MkII. All improvised, in one to four passes. The strings and woodwinds mostly are Spitfire's 'British Drama Toolkit' instrument. I was so clueless, three weeks ago I didn't know there was this huge world of great-sounding sampled instruments...

Made another one. You'll have to be in the mood for music that breathes very slowly, but it might appeal if/when you're in that state:

After a twenty year pause, I've made two albums in two months.

'Sustain' is for when you need to slow all the way down. Improvised sounds, made of heartache, dread, and hope. But it's also mostly pretty.

For those it reaches, may it ring true.https://t.co/7FZIqQcesO

— Musicophilia (@musicophiliamix) February 27, 2022

Will listen

Do not listen while operating heavy machinery

hello ilx, i made an album

https://elin.bandcamp.com/album/secret-work

I'm still just amazed by virtual instruments today. Me, some nobody, can improvise a piece on cello quartet and get something moving out of it:

https://www.soundcloud.com/ian-manire/sketch-19

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-iQGS2rnD0

As mentioned passim I bought an old Akai sampler a few months ago, and I've been re-enacting one of my childhood dreams by recording samples into a sampler, instead of my computer, which is also a sampler:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB2_pJGO4vc

I may have said it before but I have a renewed respect for Future Sound of London. They must have spent every waking moment listening to records, sampling bits - and then adding the samples to programs, fiddling with keygroups and envelopes, then adding the programs to a multi setup. Samplers and synthesisers in the 1990s were needlessly obscure.

In that tune the drum loops come from the original Zero-G Datafile One, which is treasure trove of 1990s sounds, and the rest of it is a mixture of samples of my modular synth, samples of my Korg Volca FM, and GForce M-Tron, which is a simulation of a Mellotron.

sounds great!

I've been trying to learn a bit more about modular, right now in the phase of just finding ways for different pieces of gear to play nice with each other. Came up with this piece of drifty melodic techno over the weekend that makes use of most everything I have, although I had to record each instrument in a separate pass.

https://soundcloud.com/moodlesmix/galactic-dancer

Both of those sound cool!

Made a new track with Hammond B-3, cello and harmonium--all instruments I've had a low-burning obsession with for their yearning timbre. Have to say--I'm just moving my fingers around instinctively, no conscious music-making skill. But despite that I'm actually getting sounds that are something I'd want to make even if I knew what I were doing, sounds I like as an experienced listener, which has been a beautiful experience:

https://www.soundcloud.com/ian-manire/sketch-20

https://www.soundcloud.com/ian-manire/sketch-19

Had insomnia and so decided to make hay while the moon shines. Ended up with a kosmische-adjacent piece I rather like:

https://www.soundcloud.com/ian-manire/sketch-22

Thought I was going to hold off on electronics for a while... But seemed essential for what this piece wanted to be, with Buchla synth, harmonium, clean electric guitar, cimbalom, and cello:

“Music”

https://raymondcummings.bandcamp.com/

I actually rather like this new album I did, and think others might, too--which is an odd feeling.

Comprised of improvisations made with cello, Hammond B-3 organ, Buchla Easel, harmonium, harp, piano, and electric guitar. I have no preconceptions of what I'm going to make, other than picking an initial instrument for each track. I just play something that's a total surprise to myself, and then layer other things over that.

What surprised me most os this sequence of tracks has an undercurrent of... hopefullness? Not something I consciously experience very often, but feels good to hear.

It's alled 'Flying Blind':

https://ianmanire.bandcamp.com/album/flying-blind

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2513932504_16.jpg

excited to check these links out

My 2017 album, maximalist post vaporwave disco inferno inspired sample collage. skip the first track lol

https://soaplibrary.bandcamp.com/album/meta-flux

I have no idea what "maximalist post vaporwave" could mean, which is intruiging, but you hooked me with Disco Inferno, so will be listening : )

my new old punk gig, though the band's sound is already shifting a bit from this June session

https://frankycantclimb.bandcamp.com/releases

So I made a 2-CD set, my first ever real, glass-mastered CD. It's a dead medium, they say! You're not a real musician, they say! I'll show 'em--I fully expect this album to rocket to sales of literally tens of units!

https://www.twitter.com/musicophiliamix/status/1634616668184870913

Really excited by how these turned out. I've bought 8k+ CDs by other people in my life, so somehow it just feels right to have one with my name on it.

I'd say it's minimalist, contemplative, melancholic, a little haunted:

https://ianmanire.bandcamp.com/album/improvisations

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FsQCa1NWIAw65eF?format=jpg&name=large

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FsQCa1IWYAEii-H?format=jpg&name=large

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FsQCa1HWIBEEGlT?format=jpg&name=large

really lovely stuff! i've only started listening

those are lovely Ian/soundslike, I'll visit bandcamp and check out.

some here are well aware that I've got a 'band' called Carta, we've released 4 or 5 albums if you count the remix release which is here: https://carta.bandcamp.com/album/the-sand-collectors-dream-remixed

Attempting to do a new album, it's been exceptionally difficult, between needing to find a new drummer (we did and she is excellent) and time to actually practice (difficult as at least three of us are dealing with extremely ill parents).

Thank you!

Did a test listen and thank god no glitches or anything--for me it was anxiety-inducing to commit things to a glass master heh.

Really digging Carta, AKM. Picked up 'An Index of Birds'--reminds me of The Sonora Pine so far, one of my favorites.

soundslike I am really enjoying your pieces. I wanted to buy the CDs but they are $6 with $26 shipping to Australia - I know the US Postal Service has jacked everything up but wow. Any reason the digital costs twice the physical? I wondered if there was a pricing error or if you want the donation amount for the CD to be entirely up to the buyer.

Thank you for checking them out!

Yeesh, yes, US Republicans have nearly done in the US postal service. I couldn't believe the (remarkably convoluted) rate chart (here: https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm#_c346 and here: https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm#_c419).

It looks like to Australia might be more like $17.30 + a special evnelope they made me buy (sent one to Japan today and had to buy that). If will try to break down the international rates by country more specifically, so it can more accurately reflect the cost--I think I just looked at shipping to the UK, which seemed the most likely, and for some reason is more than to Australia and Japan, despite being a fraction of the distance haha. That price (around $18 US) is still absurd, I'm so sorry... There are a couple friends in Australia I'd want to send them to, maybe I should send several to one person, and tjey could then ship domestically at a more reasonable rate...

I put the digital at $12 just to make it $1 more than the CD + shipping within the US, as I'd like to actually get rid of the 300 CDs I made haha. But if you could settle for digital-only, all the albums/EP compiled on the CDs are "name your price," individually...

Sorry again for all the complication!

No problem at all, I actually enjoy paying for music and aside from the beauty of your design there, I feel better about digital delivery anyway. I only raised the pricing issue in case it was an error you needed to know about. Congratulations!

Really appreciate that--was trying to make an attractive artifact, without driving myself insane thinking it had to be my one perfect graphic design statement--just wanted to keep it simple.

If all-digital works best, have at them, and no shame in paying $0--I'm not a professional musician, it's just a labor of love.

Made a new album:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F5NCSmhXYAAdiwT?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F5NCT3fWMAAsM6G?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

https://ianmanire.bandcamp.com/album/evensong

Dark, thick, slightly unsettled ambient/drone but hopefully the emotion put into it comes across.

Feel free to grab it for a name-your-price of zero

I'm making a CD version of the album I released digitally a few weeks ago (previous post), with the addition of a cover of Low's "Laser Beam," and want to give it a new cover.

This is the music: https://ianmanire.bandcamp.com/album/evensong

I've narrowed down to these two options:

Option A: conveys reverberance, unease, mystery of the music. "Cooler," more graphical

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F6uTO4cW8AAqe93?format=jpg&name=large

Option B: captures organic vs inorganic, beauty in decay, slightly chaotic quality of the music. "Warmer," more abstract.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F6uTQrcWsAAFFH9?format=jpg&name=large

For reference, rear cover and inside cover:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F6uTiadWkAAcHkc?format=jpg&name=large

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F6uTZqWWIAAkqd5?format=jpg&name=large

Any thoughts?

Yeah, Option B seems the better choice. The shift in mood between Option A and rear cover is jarring and they seem to work against each other.

Thank you!

Yeah, much as I like the under-the-bridge album, I think it's ultimately too clean and a gular for this music, which is more breathing and messy.