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Keywords:
techno (378), fitness (2), workout (2), 70s (5), disco (38), disco bass (1), disco stu (2)
Description:
so I'm doing an hour's worth of music for a fitness dvd that some colleagues of mine are shooting. the guy gave me a paul oakenfold cd to listen to (surprisingly cool listen, actually) and a couple of mix tapes he made for workout classes.
on one of the mix tapes there was an old-school disco song, and even some of the oakenfold stuff had guitar work in it. so for my third song (we'll have to see if he likes it) i incorporated some electric bass and guitar.
anyway, thought i'd share it - i dig the cheesy bass line a lot more than i thought i would.
i think i will try the v-drums on this. and, of course, there will be more zaps, fills and breakdowns once i get preliminary approval on this tune.
oh yeah, almost forgot to mention. no loops, but arps-a-plenty.
on one of the mix tapes there was an old-school disco song, and even some of the oakenfold stuff had guitar work in it. so for my third song (we'll have to see if he likes it) i incorporated some electric bass and guitar.
anyway, thought i'd share it - i dig the cheesy bass line a lot more than i thought i would.
i think i will try the v-drums on this. and, of course, there will be more zaps, fills and breakdowns once i get preliminary approval on this tune.
oh yeah, almost forgot to mention. no loops, but arps-a-plenty.
Hardware:
fender strat, fender jazz, micro korgSoftware:
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Feter
Cool work my friend ...loved the guitar and bass work here .. thnx alot for sharin !!!!
12parsecs
thanks for checking it out, feter. good to have you back... always first in line!
ktb
Your colleagues should really dig this. Makes me want to start doing jumping jacks. uber cool progression/guitar work
12parsecs
thanks. don't overdue it you first time out. :)
Mckenzie
bassline! I tried my hand at a 'Dance' tune once and it was cheeeese to the limit. There is nothing cheesy about this though. It has all the dancy-type elements (the 4/4 beat and repeating bassline etc) but there's this kinda rawness in there somewhere that i cant put my finger on - could be the snare, or it could be the edginess in the bass sound (as oppose to the standard 'sub synth' sound you usually hear. Whatever it is it sounds reeeal good. Really got the head boppin'
-Mz
12parsecs
you can't mention you have a techno tune and not post it, you know. site rules. hehe. j/k j/k.
i'm glad you enjoyed it. hopefully the client will too. i hear what you are saying about the edginess. i think you hit the nail on the head... it's the bass tone and snare, methinks. it kinda has a bloc party or mute math feel almost. cheers!
rsorensen
that's a real heavy bassline . I like the contrast of it with the soft guitars. great mix too. nice n' warm. the snare sounds good to me. the whole piece has the staple 12p build n break too, which is great. the filtered vocal combined with the heavy bass reminds me a lot of daft punk (a good thing). I'd work out to this! really really nice job dude. looking forward to hearing more.
12parsecs
thanks. i'm sure if i worked out, i could do it to this. maybe i ought start that again... what's it called? oh yes, exercise!
yeah, have to stick to the formula. 12p way or the hwy. lol. actually, it should serve well having it go quiet at the ends if i need to crossfade the tunes in post. thanks for the daft punk comparison. cheers!
12parsecs
i forgot to ask - you recognize this pic?
rsorensen
hah I do now. F U MILLER >:(
rsorensen
back for another listen. really dig this, dude. it's great when actual practiced musicians create music like this with a beginning, middle and end rather than the using just the canned stuff. I mean some people are really good at that too but this takes the genre to another level with the guitars and composition. Your client should be well pleased and if not then he's clueless.
I think you could really make a living with this genre. For real. Just need to think of a cool DJ name for you...
12parsecs
i guess my client is clueless then. hehe. naw, j/k. he's just a successful fitness dude who knows what he likes. he really digs the other test tune i did for him. i think it also has to do with the tempo. this one's 138, but most of the stuff he uses is either 132 or 145.
as for the dj name, i've got it... '12 parsnips'. no? ok, i'll give it more thought. 'the cruncher'?
perceptualvortex
A very soothing, but driving listen. I could really dig listening to this at work, doing stuff with Photoshop. Very cool.
12parsecs
thanks for the comment. that's kinda what i was going/hoping for. something not too distracting, but able to keep one moving. i hope he goes for this. i want to vary it up all over the dvd... musically, at least. the production, obviously, has to be consistent.
thanks again!
Lennon714
Ridd already mentioned it, but it has a Daft Punk feel to me. A favorite of mine. That break at around 1:42 pushed it over the top for me.
A lot of dance music ends up sounding boring and formulaic. This is a huge exception. I think your client will be very pleased. If I were the fitness type I'd probably be pissed someone was talking over this track. On the real! Great job!
12parsecs
cheers, eric! i totally dig the daft punk reference. this one is pretty formulaic... i record a bunch of elements and arrange them in a building fashion, then tear it all down - like ridd already mentioned. but i hope it's something, at least, slightly fresh sounding.
Lennon714
This has structure sure, but I wouldn't put the negative connotation of "formulaic" on it. It's not repetitive or grating. It keeps you interested but is competiting for your attention. Damnit! It's just good, ok! :)
12parsecs
hehe. ok, ok... praise accepted. :)
Lennon714
I meant "ISN'T" competing for your attention. How many times am I going to type the wrong thing before I learn to proofread?
12parsecs
they really should have the ability to edit one's post in the music comments - just like they do in the forums. 2.0 maybe?
anyway, don't sweat it. i do the same thing all the time.
art
pretty good
12parsecs
thanks, art! that means a lot coming from someone with your house prowess.
tokai
very interesting ride, it reminds me of those disco nights, my feet are going to this. Sounds like a stranglers bass line in there. Kool guitar work put into this, i like the subtleties at the end, could be another tune there. Ace.
12parsecs
yeah. i played the first bass line (i won't lie, i began playing the rhythm to kiss's 'i was made for loving you' but started playing the progression my way) then came up with the cheesy disco one i use in the 'choruses' - if you will. i thought it was over the top, but wound up really liking it. i think i might write a prechorus, a bridge, lyrics and put real drums on it and turn it into an up-tempo indie rock tune. (eventually.)
thanks for the comment!
lavalamp
Balanced mix. You made this genre quite entertaining. Really respect the fact that loops were not used.
I dig the cheesy bass line. Tasty!
LL
12parsecs
cheers, lava. no loops... well, i did cut and paste my playing (ctrl-k in cubase to repeat). basically i'd play the line a few times, find the best 8 bars of it, and repeat that all over the place. saves time and disk space. ;)
arpeggiating synth patches makes me feel like i'm cheating too. meh, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
lavalamp
Nothing wrong with that. Or for using loops in the right way, either.
Cool stuff,
LL
Ibstrat
well done.Can't say that I listen to a lot of techno but this is cool. Very 80's a-ha-like.You are very talented.
12parsecs
thanks, mr strat! i had fun doing this one. i should have known this one got a little too 'rock n roll' as soon as i started having too much fun. btw, 'take on me' is one of my favourite 80s tunes - hands down.
guygrooves
I actually enjoyed this and I don't listen to Techno as a rule. Lennon714 said it best. I really dig this Scott, it's a very cool piece of art.
12parsecs
thanks for listening against your better judgement, guy! glad to have converted you, if only for a fleeting moment.
12parsecs
so i went to the client today and showed him this tune. ha! he didn't like it. lol. he did like the other more standard/electronic techno tune i did. so... another 54 minutes like that one, i guess.
who knows, maybe i can make this one more driving and electronic sounding and use it still. otherwise, i'm fine with it. i'll just make it an indie rock tune for 12p. hehe.
guygrooves
a download then?? lol
12parsecs
certainly, once i rock it up a bit and repost. vocals will probably happen too.
guygrooves
COOL!!.... Will be waiting for it.
Cool !
really like it. some Great Beats. Nice one.
12parsecs
thanks, LTMP! i had fun on this one. and now it's mine... all mine!! muhwahaha!
cjdaley
are hardening just listening to this.
and my moroder moustache is growing just while hearing the vocoder and sequencers. Surprised by the cool radiohead-ish guitar, though.
12parsecs
better pecs than nipples, i always say. (geez, wouldn't be weird if i did always say that?)
davisamerica
one more time around the track and i'm gonna puke ..... very cool track ... makes me Want to think about aerobics .... welll .... mental aerobics maybe. :-]
12parsecs
the most exercise i get is moving back in forth in my chair to the music. i'm not fat, by any stretch of the imagination... but i'm working on it. hehe. actually, hockey starts next week. cardio salvation!
but it fails terribly simply because it could have been done 20 years ago.
As far as I can remember the microkorg came out about 10 years ago and its presets didnt make much of a BANG back then. hey ....for a fitness class....why not. This takes music nowhere! are you sure that is how you want to be spending your time? I think not. A total waste of an exceptional talent.
12parsecs
yep, i can see where you're coming from, mr smells. certainly many elements of this could have been from 20 years ago, some even 30 (ie. the disco bass). but things come full circle - and that 70s bass sound is the new brown. well, actually, i don't know. i can't keep up with all the fads these days. i do know this track has flavours of the postal service, mute math and bloc party... and other famous 80s bands.
and, yes, the microkorg came out 10 years ago. i'm not a keyboard enthusiast, so i can't tell you what sort of reviews it got when it came out. (acutally, it isn't even mine.) all i know is i like it and the sounds it contributed to the track. (some people don't like fender strats... doesn't stop me from playing one.)
i take it you are not into the dance or techno genre. me either, really. but i wouldn't say it's a total waste. i get to be creative and get paid for it. ;)
jiguma
Should go down well I expect. At first, when the snare came in, it sounded like it was (I know this will sound odd) at the wrong pitch for the bass key. HOWEVER, once the guits and stuff came in, it all fell into perfect place. I've never noticed this before in a song - maybe I should have kept taking the tablets ;)
Anyway, I like how this moves.
Cheers,
Neil
12parsecs
thanks for the comment, neil! this snare wasn't my first choice, but i figured i could work with it, and it would be a change for the other typical techno snares. as a matter of fact, i HAVE tuned a snare on my v-drum kit to the song. i think it was on my 5/4 tune, 'run free radicals'. maybe more work than it's worth. (evidenced by the fact that i haven't done it since.)
the client, as it turned out, didn't like this tune. well, he didn't hate it, and said we might be able to use it, but he wanted more standard/electronic sounding techno tunes. also the tempo was not exactly what he wanted - i'm thinking.
thanks for checking this one out!
nice structure. I would work that off beat ride on the thirds though it is a bit (out of box) snare could use some shaping too. good melodys. wouldnt make me want to work out though.. But not much would.. got to bemore banging.
this would be classified as dance or something though or indie-electronica probably not techno. dont confuse electronica for techno
12parsecs
i have to agree with you - this one is more indie-electronica than techno. i think the client picked up on that too. what can i say... i was the indie rocker in me try to break through.
also agree with your comments about the sounds. i wasn't going to go to great lengths on the mix until he gave me the thumbs-up on the tune - so nothing has really been fine-tuned. oh well, this one will turn into an indie rock when i get some free time. thanks for stopping by!
VicDiesel
is essential for workout music. Check. Isn't the tempo a tad high? Should be 120-130bpm?
Otherwise pretty cool music. The guitar and electronica mix very well.
(And Oakenfold is pretty cool indeed. I have probably half a dozen CDs by him. Good music to program by: no distracting lyrics, a beat that keeps me awake, and the music is not totally stupid.)
12parsecs
agreed. the oakenfold stuff surprised me. opened my eyes to the legitimacy of a dj's craft... a good one, at least.
yeah, the tempo is an 'in between' one. he liked the tune that i did at 132 (which this oakenfold cd happens to be at) and i think for some of the fast cardio stuff, i'll go to 147. (he had some mix tapes with that during the cardio section.) thanks for the comment, vic!
egobandit
I think it moves Sounds too good for a fitness DVD but I could see how this could pump someone up. I need to look into the micro korg
lengold
so late to this.
Fantastic pro sounding production - certainly got my head boppin'
Cheers
Len
Diviner
I know the comparison with Daft Punk has already been made, however this is very good and in exactly the same vein. I really like this track, its so uplifting and worthy of any dancefloor on a night out. Really cool track. Well done esp impressed since no loops.
smokey bacon jnr
This is more rocky than your other techno piece - more Underworld than Orbital. Works really well though - like the vocoder voices. Sounds like the sort of thing you'd hear on the radio.