Charon's Requiem (w/ TobinMueller and Alessandra Zwegler)

SpasmodicMan

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Description

I was going to name this Charon's Daughter, but it ended up sounding too much like a requiem. This is a collaboration between myself, TobinMueller (who helped me learn Live 4 in the process of putting this together and played keyboards), and the marvelous soprano Alessandra Zwegler. I'm on post-modern guitar (my Beefheart was eaten out long ago).

Maybe turn the track up louder. The track ended up too soft, I think. But I didn't want to compress the singer any more.

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Lyrics

You have to be dead to understand them.

Song Stats

Hits: 3697
Comments: 40
Fans: 18
Plays: 363
Downloads: 153
Votes: 26
Uploaded: Apr 27, 2005 - 02:43:51 PM
Last Updated: Jan 16, 2006 - 10:27:28 AM Last Played: Nov 14, 2009 - 10:09:39 PM

Song License

Creative Commons License:
Attribution

Song Actions

Keywords:

opera (18), contemporary (30)

Hardware:

Nails, pails and comet tails.
Some people wanted a lead guitar on the track but I said enough is enough. You can, if you want. I never played lead and am beyond rusty.

Software:

Live 4.1
iTunes LAME

Comments

TobinMueller

TobinMueller said 1671 days ago (April 27th, 2005)

Adrift on the Styx
The sounds evoke the bobbing back and forth of a boat,
and the mood is very haunting and ethereal. Everything
sounds very balanced and quality. I love this modern
opera stuff. Music without moorings, like stepping out of
life into the beyond. Very cool grooves. Very cool
experiment. Alessandra sounds great. Thanks for bring
these tracks to me to work on. I still hear an electric guitar
in there, tho. I like the effects you picked for the organ.
Fascinating track.

Check out my latest song called Forge A New Life (MJRF)

SpasmodicMan	SpasmodicMan said 1671 days ago (April 27th, 2005)
	Adrift on the Styx Thanks again for all your tips and tricks. And inspiration. And unobtrusive, elegant playing. Been wanting to get back into it. This was a departure for me but loads of fun. Live is a cool app. And macjams is such a cool place. Thanks for traveling across the river with me! Check out my latest song called The Androgyne

Emily Rohm	Emily Rohm said 1671 days ago (April 27th, 2005)
	Soprano Were parts of the soprano's part sped up for effect? If not, she's got some great colouratura. (Well, it sounds like she is talented, either way, but those little runs and trills are very cool.) Interesting track. Check out my latest song called Monica's Waltz

SpasmodicMan

SpasmodicMan said 1671 days ago (April 27th, 2005)

Soprano
Aspects of the soprano line were altered to create some new notes, using Live's transposition tool. I was going for a Fifth Element effect. Since her line was what started the whole process, I realized after getting into a bit that I needed some more notes out of her. I then thought the synthetic vocal effect melded with Tobin's keyboards in this cool way, especially about two-thirds in. But she does have a great range even without me messing with her.

Check out my latest song called The Androgyne

Tom Atwood	Tom Atwood said 1670 days ago (April 27th, 2005)
	Marvelous is the right word for the soprano (Zwegler), and for the piece. An intriguing combination of sounds--modern, ancient, oppressive, plaintive, intense...I have no idea how some of this was done, but it was done well. Very nice job to all involved. Downloaded. Check out my latest song called Keep Looking for Jesus (MJRF)

SpasmodicMan

SpasmodicMan said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)

Marvelous is the right word
Some of the things I did: I started with the melody, which is totally weird for
me, and built "backward." I played a single acoustic chord like a tolling bell
on the 1s, added chorus and reverb and harmonics. Layered bass and guitar
and experimented with effects and created loops in Live. Used some
percussion and some found sounds to create a loop to groove it. Sent the file
to TM and bugged him with questions. After several suggestions, cool organ
and keys, and draft cut-pastes, I added a couple of loops from the Internet
for color. I think I mixed and remixed just the final draft 8 times to get
something that was good enough to let me stop obsessing. Thanks for
listening. It still sounds creepy to me, which is a good sign.

Check out my latest song called The Androgyne

Stun Nutz

Stun Nutz said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)

HOLY CRAP
This one was a mindblower! What a collaboration.
Just love it, I do... the contrasting sounds of the
smacking beat paired with the operatic voice... the
slippery jigsaw way this has been crafted with such
attention to detail... and just the overall uniqueness
of all the sounds... You must have been working on
this one for a while, eh? Just waiting to release it
when it was good and ready... damn! This takes me
to strange places.

Check out my latest song called Gossamer dissected

SpasmodicMan	SpasmodicMan said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)
	HOLY CRAP Yeah, a while. Freaked out by how good some of the stuff is here. I was gunna do some other stuff, when i was trying to learn these new computer music apps, but then I heard the stuff on here one thought I better work a little harder. I totally dig your stuff, by the way. You were the first guy I studied here. Check out my latest song called The Androgyne

Stun Nutz	Stun Nutz said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)
	Thanks I don't know, man, if you keep making tunes like these I will be "studying" you... Check out my latest song called Gossamer dissected

SpasmodicMan	SpasmodicMan said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)
	Thanks But when you turn the microscope around, will I look fat? Check out my latest song called The Androgyne

Stun Nutz	Stun Nutz said 1667 days ago (April 30th, 2005)
	Thanks Doesn't everyone look fat under the microscope? Check out my latest song called Gossamer dissected

stevel

stevel said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)

Great sound collage!
Very impressive mix of sounds...kind of reminds me a bit
of the Eno/Byrne collaboration 'My life in the bush of
ghosts'. Would like to have heard a bit less of the soprano
vocals though, I found them a bit distracting in places,
particularly when there are so many other more
interesting bits going on! Thanks for sharing this..
S

Check out my latest song called Electricity

SpasmodicMan	SpasmodicMan said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)
	Great sound collage! Thanks for the comments. My next tune will not feature a singer. But my favorite moments in this are when it is mainly A singing, when it is thinner. But, yeah, after working so hard on little sound things, too many get buried. Kind of a drag. Way more fun listening to it as it grows. Check out my latest song called The Androgyne

chikoppi

chikoppi said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)

Other-ness
Freakin nice! I enjoy the tension between the vocals and backing. They almost seem dissasociated at times. Great ambient textures, often straddling the line between music and sound effect. To be honest, my fingers were itching to get in there and pull some of the sounds around with reverb and motion in the stereo field. This piece evokes such a sense of surreal space that I think the production could do more to enhance it. Very original and creative!

Check out my latest song called Loop It or Lose It 9

SpasmodicMan	SpasmodicMan said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)
	Other-ness Totally cool that you wanted to remix. Same thoughts occurred to me, but I wanted it to stay kind of grounded. I was really thinking of making this an Industrial Opera piece, but backed off some of the noises I had going. Check out my latest song called The Androgyne

_nderscore	_nderscore said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)
	strangely soothing wonderfully soft, fuzzy field of sound-all of the electronic notes seem to be blown across walls of sandpaper, or something. especially enjoyed the percussion & minimal synths, altho i think it could stand to be riddled with a few more incidentals. the disturbingly beautiful vocals do a great job of humanizing the piece Check out my latest song called glyd

SpasmodicMan	SpasmodicMan said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)
	strangely soothing There are some really cool effects in Live, and it can handle VST. I massaged every track with at least something, and did try and create a sanded off feel, to contrast it with the rounded vocals, although I didn't realize that was what I was doing until I read your post! Check out my latest song called The Androgyne

DrToasty	DrToasty said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)
	Good job man! This track amazes me. Yes, you read it right. Who would have thought that singing off key would add to a mood? This is just a medley of ecclectic sounds, all of which seem to fit together in such a way that I want to go be all mopey and do drugs. (I need music for that..) Keep this up, and someone might send you a dollar. Check out my latest song called Extension

SpasmodicMan	SpasmodicMan said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)
	Good job man! I can send a PayPal link! Wanted the song to be like Odesseus and the Sirens, but it was spookier than that so I went with Charon's Daughter until I realized he never had one. Some of my favorite music makes me reach for a joint. Totally great comment. Check out my latest song called The Androgyne

Kevensor	Kevensor said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)
	Pick up StyX Totally weird and demented! Right up my alley. Wow! I liked this very much! More please. DL/9s!! Check out my latest song called Smoove

SpasmodicMan

SpasmodicMan said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)

Pick up StyX
You must live in the alley behind the train station. You definitely take your
life in your own hands there. (What a weird expression for actually taking
risks that may end up handing your life over to someone else, in the dark.) I
wonder why people never see Lord Charon during near death experiences.
Well, they may hear A's voice at least.

Check out my latest song called The Androgyne

I. Spike

I. Spike said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)

"A cup of pathos for legless mister..."
Frist of all, yummy with a spoon.
Texturally tasty. Harmonically lush. Melodically miasmic.
"I laughed, I cried. It was better than 'Cats'."
Okay I didn't laugh, and not so much crying as wetting my
pants from fear.... But it was really better than 'Cats".
Loved this piece. I would like seconds please? More... or
I'm going to tell my mum.

And lest I forget. Your MaJams name is one of my
favorites. Sounds like a super hero for the freakish.

Check out my latest song called Mighty Cracker Fly

SpasmodicMan

SpasmodicMan said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)

"A cup of pathos for legless mister..."
When I was little I used to run around in a white t-shirt with a purple magic
markered S and a black lightning bolt just behind it. I couldn't be superman,
since that was taken and kind of pastiche, and I liked the idea of Flash (if he
only used ray guns) better anyway. It had to start with an S, since the t-shirt
took me so long to make, so I used Spasmodic Man. It got such a great
reaction from my dad, I thought it must be totally cool. I still dream of the
video game in my honor.

Check out my latest song called The Androgyne

	said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)
	OK, I'm Annoyed What other songs have you been holding out on us? Cough 'em up, man. Excellent work here. This is inspiring and other-worldly.

	said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)
	OK, I'm Annoyed I'm less annoyed, of course, if you're a more regular artist here doing this under a pseudonym. :) But still, more stuff like this is needed. --- Mungo

twonicus	twonicus said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)
	very cool one of the most interesting tarcks i've heard since i got the new mars volta record. the soundscape you've created here is impressive. thought the mix was very cool, i especially liked that, as important as they are, the vox aren't pushed too high. great job. Check out my latest song called Say It Loud (MJRF)

SpasmodicMan	SpasmodicMan said 1667 days ago (May 1st, 2005)
	very cool Mars Volta. Wow. I wish. That would be a dream. Thanks for the compliment. The kind comments for this track helped give me confidence to start another. Now the expectations worry me yet again. Oh, hell, give me those headphones... Mars Volta, too cool. Check out my latest song called The Androgyne

Mystified	Mystified said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)
	Cool and creative I always like the exploration of the 'classical' voice with other genres and experimental soundscapes, so this was a very welcome composition to listen to! Kudos to all involved. :) Check out my latest song called For the Beauty of the Earth

SpasmodicMan	SpasmodicMan said 1657 days ago (May 11th, 2005)
	Cool and creative Love your voice. Thanks for your comments. It'd be cool to do something with you too. Collaborations are a whole new world. Check out my latest song called The Androgyne

smokey bacon jnr	smokey bacon jnr said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)
	Amazing Very haunting composition and very professionally performed and produced. Makes me feel like a rank amateur. Oooh, I am a rank amateur! More! Check out my latest song called Sunless

Z293	Z293 said 1670 days ago (April 28th, 2005)
	From reading your comments it sounds like you're thrilled to be back making music. Can wait to here your next creation. Oh, and sorry this is a little too mainstream for my taste... Just kidding. Check out my latest song called The Fine Line

mulletsrock	mulletsrock said 1664 days ago (May 4th, 2005)
	Modern opera I hear the Fifth Element influence. All the low notes sound real, and the high notes, especially those first ones, have a pure instrumental sound. There are a few notes after half-way that sound synthetic, but that only adds to the mood, never detracts. Truly fascinating. Check out my latest song called Frankenfun II (with iGStudio, Tobin, Suz...)

Stun Nutz	Stun Nutz said 1659 days ago (May 9th, 2005)
	Modern opera yeah, this also reminded me of the tune the blue alien sings in The Fifth Element but this tune is WAY cooler... Check out my latest song called Gossamer dissected

SpasmodicMan	SpasmodicMan said 1658 days ago (May 10th, 2005)
	Modern opera Thanks. It was what I was going for, Blue Woman with Less Pop. Still, I dug her look. Check out my latest song called The Androgyne

poodyglitz	poodyglitz said 1404 days ago (January 18th, 2006)
	Very Experimental You've inspired me to go down this route again. Perhaps I'll continue the "Ersatz Prunes" series begun in my university days. It's great therapy. Now that I see there's an audience, it's on. Instead of compressing sound to maximize loudnes, you can also use the limiter on the master track. Check out my latest song called Media Man Update

Isak Sherwood	Isak Sherwood said 1397 days ago (January 26th, 2006)
	Cold as hell Freaky, cool, nightmarish, otherworldly. How do you think up this stuff?

gregd	gregd said 1396 days ago (January 26th, 2006)
	I love. . . the glitchy drums, but some of the synth levels (especially the swells in the first part of the song) seem a little too loud. The synths attack too hard, drown the nifty percussion and vocals too often. Maybe notch the whole recording back a couple clicks. I think the whole track is great idea and well put together over all. Keep it up! Check out my latest song called 08nov08

	millie said 1385 days ago (February 6th, 2006)
	hmmm... funky sounding, but I was in a classical mood. I didnt like that along with the soprano.

apb	apb said 969 days ago (March 30th, 2007)
	... it does have this 5th element thing going on: with the soprano and surreal backing and I liked that alot, scrares the doo doo out of me anyway. Great mix. Lead guitar? really? where? Check out my latest song called Misplaced

	said 588 days ago (April 14th, 2008)
	Nice find! This is amazing on so many levels. 2:06 I experienced chills. The vocals are surreal... Loved this. C.

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apb

Artist Info

Name: Bent Becham

Connoisseur of the weird, woolly, loud, loopy. By day a mild manner peon. By night... Spasmodic Man!... [see more]

Check out some of my other songs:

The Androgyne

Genre Info

Experimental music is any music that challenges the commonly accepted notions of what music is. There is an overlap with avant-garde music. John Cage was a pioneer in experimental music and defined and gave credibility to the form. As with other edge

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