Revolution Void: Nu-Jazz Breakbeat

Motion by Jeff Emtman

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:12:00 +0000

Motion is a film project by Jeff Emtman which I am honored to have had my music used for. It is a short film created by compositing 683 still photos, all taken by Jeff.

As We May Think Video

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Mon, 04 May 2009 06:11:00 +0000

User darjan84 posted a video to my track As We May Think (named after the article by Vannevar Bush ostensibly foreshadowing the Internet) that I am really digging and happy to share with you. I don't know who darjan84 is, but I know is that darjan84 did a great job on the video, pairing the track, which is a kind of cerebral piano-hiphop in 5/8, with nature footage. The arpeggios in the track are kinda reminiscient of Philip Glass so perhaps they took some inspiration from Koyanisqaatsi. Thanks, darjan84, whoever you are!

Indiworks Channel Kicks It Oldschool

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Fri, 01 May 2009 13:25:00 +0000

The Indiworks Channel, started by Valentin Spirik, has used a track I did in their preview commercial. The track he chose is an oldschool hiphop-inspired groove titled Back In The Day. It was released as part of the web-only Hiphop White-Label Collection.

You can view the Indiworks Channel commercial here:

indiworks channel

preview for the indiworks channel, 1 min.
watch/download

More of Valentin's work can be found here.

Cheshire Records Website

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Fri, 01 May 2009 09:43:00 +0000

I'm excited to announce the forthcoming release of the Cheshire Records website. I am hard at work getting the site coded (and learning Ruby on Rails in the process) and it should be online by the end of May, 2009. In the meantime, I put together this spiffy (albeit a bit oversized) splash page here: www.cheshiremusic.net

Cheshire Records is a label I founded this Spring of 2009 as a way to release some of the music projects I've been involved in, as well as the music of my friends and colleagues. So far, the artist roster includes almost exclusively projects I'm involved in, but this will change as the label develops.

Upcoming Cheshire Records releases lined up for 2009 include ...

Multiple new UltraCat singles in the works, including the long-overdue Orbiting the Earth (with remixes + B-sides) and sugar-coated vocoder track Talking To My Mind. Additionally, you can expect to hear some UltraCat remixes of other artists in the near future.

Another instalment of the DJ mix series Back To Roots done under the UltraCat moniker. This second volume will focus on rarities and underground classics. The first Back To Roots mix (available here) had a lot of mainstream dancefloor classics and anthems. This time around, the focus will be on more of the underground tracks and rarities: eclectic B-sides, that sort of thing.

Minimal dubby techno project, as yet to be named. Not much in the way of details for now but I am putting together a release of some chill dubby techno tracks along the lines of Fenin. I have maybe 7 or 8 tracks that I am feeling pretty solid about.

Downtempo mix series by DJ Grande, aka Alex Grande. Alex is the band DJ for Seattle-based Ska funk band Leisure Sound and has been ripping it up around town with his unique blend of dub, downtempo and minimal techno.

New Revolution Void material. The new tracks have a pretty raw, Medeski Martin and Wood type vibe to them. I have been getting into recording with vintage ribbon mics, tube preamps and so on. A lot of the material will be run out through tube amps and then recorded back to the computer to give it some grit. This release needs a while to gestate so I'd anticipate a Fall or Winter 2009 release.

As you can see, there are quite a few planned releases in the coming months. You can subscribe to the Cheshire Records mailing list to keep informed when the site launches, and when new releases are posted online.

Subscribe to Cheshire Records

Email:

Visit this group

The Insider - All's Fair in Love of Wax

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:58:00 +0000

View the album on Jamendo Full album information coming soon.

Album Uploaded to Jamendo, Online Soon

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 04:34:00 +0000

The instrumental hiphop album All's Fair in Love of Wax has been uploaded to Jamendo and is awaiting moderation. It should be online within 48 hours. I will post links here as soon as it comes online. Update: Here it is! Thanks for listening! -Jonah

Instrumental Hiphop Album Coming in April

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:08:00 +0000

I am excited to announce the forthcoming release of my debut instrumental hiphop album by new recording project The Insider.

The album will be much less eclectic than my Revolution Void material, but should still contain enough variety to be interesting. I am hoping it will be different enough to add something new to the genre, while remaining true to my intentions of creating a relatively straightforward instrumental hiphop album.

So far there are 15 tracks which are candidates for the album, but I am going to cull it to around 10. The songs are all essentially finished, and at this point I am just fine tuning various things, as well as mixing and mastering a few tracks. Also, I am trying to add in some unobtrusive samples and little details, flourishes if you will. The album is probably fine to release right now but I like adding little "easter eggs" for astute listeners to notice.

I am reminded of the quote, perhaps by Mingus (not sure, please tell me if you recognize it):

"I know I am finished with a song not when I can't add anything else, but when I can't take anything else away."

In that spirit, although I am adding little details here and there, I am always keeping in mind that less is more, and that for everything added, something else is taken away.

Another challenge in producing an album in this digital age is the tendency to be a perfectionist to the point of losing the humanity from the recording. Since it is easy and free to spend as much time as you like in post production fixing mistakes, it is a common pitfall to keep fixing mistakes until the music loses its vitality, trading visceral experience for sterility.

I am reminded of another quote, whose author I also can't place. (Perhaps a French filmmaker?). The quote is,

"A masterpiece is not perfect, it is full of mistakes. It is the triumph of the mistakes which makes it a masterpiece."

As for the title, All's Fair in Love of Wax is an obvious parody of "All's fair in love and war", a common proverb derived from John Lyly's Euphues (1578). (Incidentally, the original quote which the proverb was derived from is "The rules of fair play do not apply in love and war").

In my case, I have always been infatuated with vinyl and am an avid record collector, but have shied away from sampling in my other recording projects. For The Insider, I decided I would just go for it, copyrights be damned! So the title is a way for me to express a similar sentiment, sort of, "All's fair in love and war and sampling!"

Since the album is basically finished, you can expect it to hit the web anytime as early as next week or as late as the end of April.

Thanks for reading (& listening)!

Announcing Cheshire Records

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:56:00 +0000

I'm happy to announce a new record label that I am founding, Cheshire Records. It will release music by my recording projects such as Revolution Void and UltraCat, as well as music from other musicians.

For 2009, here are some of the releases to look forward to:

UltraCat - Talking To My Mind (Single)
This new UltraCat track is a catchy dance number drenched in vocoded vocals. It is currently in the post production and album art phase. It will be released initially on the web under a Creative Commons license.
UltraCat - Orbiting the Earth (Single)
Listen now on thesixtyone.com

I intend to release a single for this track as well, with a remix and perhaps 1 or 2 B-sides. Not sure if it will be released as vinyl or not but I do plan on releasing an UltraCat vinyl of some sort, perhaps a full album (2xLP) collecting the singles.
Revolution Void - Untitled new album 2009
Already have some tracks in the works, just a matter of time. As always it will be released under a Creative Commons license. If there is demand I may print up a 12" vinyl but I am thinking to release Increase the Dosage as a double vinyl first.
Hiphop instrumentals
I have about 10 downtempo hiphop instrumentals and turntable/sample collage tracks. I am still working on a name for this project. Yuriko suggested Son of Superfly, which kind of has a ring to it, but I am not sure. Suggestions welcome!
Update: I've decided on the name The Insider. It is a bit ironic since I have always felt like an outsider in the various music genres and scenes I have been a part of (jazz, electronic music, et al.). I also think "insiders" have kind of a bad rap -- independent musicians disdain mainstream Hollywood insiders, for instance, and conspiracy theorists are always writing scathing exposés of government and corporate insiders. So, I'd kind of like to reclaim this term to be something more personal. We are all insiders of our own self-contained universe, our friends, families, the places we go and so on. In the spirit of reclaiming this much-maligned term, I have decided to name my new hiphop project The Insider.
The music will be along the lines of DJ Premier, DJ Hi-Tek, DJ Cam, you know, chill instrumental hiphop. There are also a few sample collage and turntable based tracks.
Minimal tekno and ambient electronic
I've always had a soft spot for "pure" electronic music. Minimal tekno like Jeff Mills, Derrick May, Juan Atkins, Richie Hawtin, and ambient electronic soundscapes of Klaus Schulze, Jean Michel Jarre and Brian Eno. For many years, I performed live in a purely electronic capacity without the use of samples. There is something uniquely captivating about the kinds of sounds you can evoke with synths, and I have quite a few tracks in this vein that are burning a hole in my hard drive. It's my desire to start a new electronic project and get at least one solid release out there this year.
Other projects in the works
Additionally I have some Medeski Martin & Wood inspired improvisatory jams and a whole lot of miscellaneous tracks in different genres. I am trying to be less controlling and up front in my decision making when composing tracks now in favor of a more easy going approach which lets the song develop on its own accord. This has yielded some unusual (and unusable!) results, but if I get one good track out of every ten "experiments," I'll be happy.

Thanks for reading (and listening).

I'll post some new tracks soon!

-Jonah

Tube Amp Rhodes Sample Pack

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 03:52:00 +0000

Description

Here's a sample pack of Rhodes samples, mostly by me as well as one by Yuriko. These are being released under Creative Commons Attrib licenses which means you are free to use them for whatever you like (including commercial uses) as long as attribution is given.

Signal path

Native Instruments Elektrik Piano VST instrument -> RME DigiPAD 24/96 audio interface -> Mackie 1202VLZ Pro mixer -> Peavey Classic 20" tube amp -> Blue Bluebird microphone -> Blue Robbie preamp -> Mackie mixer -> RME audio interface.

Some effects were used for certain samples as well. These are miscellaneous old guitar pedals I have laying around.

License

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

Files

nice delay one shot flanged rhodes.wav
nice rhodes loop 1.wav
rhodes abstract hiphop loop 2.wav
rhodes abstract loop.wav
rhodes chick-ish 1.wav
rhodes chick-ish 2 extended.wav
rhodes chick-ish 3.wav
rhodes flanged chords.wav
rhodes funky stuff 3.wav
rhodes funky stuff 4.wav
rhodes funky stuff.wav
rhodes hesitant loop 2.wav
rhodes hesitant loop 3.wav
rhodes hesitant loop.wav
rhodes hiphop descending chords slows down.wav
rhodes introspective loop.wav
rhodes low chill mellow.wav
rhodes mellow jazzy.wav
rhodes minimal tekno 4.wav
rhodes minimal tekno 5.wav
rhodes minimal tekno fast.wav
rhodes minimal tekno.wav
rhodes one note distorted bassline.wav
rhodes one shot blink 2.wav
rhodes one shot blink.wav
rhodes one shot chord 1.wav
rhodes one shot chord 2.wav
rhodes one shot nice chords.wav
rhodes one shot reverb hit.wav
rhodes oneshot chord.wav
rhodes oneshot hi smells like teen spirit.wav
rhodes reverse abstract 1.wav
rhodes sun ra esque oneshot full chord.wav
rhodes sun ra esque oneshot long.wav
rhodes sun ra esque out there 2.wav
rhodes syncopated 1.wav
rhodes syncopated 2.wav
rhodes yuriko - delay effect reverse.wav

Link Download rhodes_samples.zip (27.2 MB)

Fulltone ChoralFlange Audio Samples with Breakbeats and Bass

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:31:00 +0000

I just got a Fulltone ChoralFlange effects pedal on eBay. It arrived yesterday and I have been using it non-stop. I can just get so many nice tones and stereo 'sweetening' out of this box. It's absolutely my favorite chorus/flange that I have used, though admittedly I mostly have experience with digital and VST effects.

Here are some 256 kbps samples I recorded working on a track list night. They first play the dry signal for 8 bars, then the wet for comparison. Skip ahead to the wet signal if you get bored of the dry, I just wanted to let them each play long enough to really get to hear the sound without having to repeat it over and over.

ChoralFlange Chorus on Upright Bass This one is a cut-up bassline that just sounds great when put through the chorus. The stereo spread, warmth and detail in the mid to upper levels are great. This pedal really brings out the harmonics.

Download MP3

Aural Excitement/Sweetening on Drums

I know phasing the cymbals like this is a major faux-pas in "professional" recording but it can be used as an effect as well. The stereo spread and shimmering or glistening highs that it brings out really make the drums come alive.

Download MP3

ChoralFlange on Bass & Drums (excerpt of full song)

This is an excerpt of the song I'm working on, so you can hear how it sounds with the drums and bass both running through the ChoralFlange. Note that these were individually recorded through it then combined later, rather than both playing through it at the same time.

Download MP3

Flanger on Filtered Funk Sample

The funk sample in this comparison has already passed through a hi-pass filter before going into the ChoralFlange. Hear it first, just through hi-pass, and then after 8 bars, through hi-pass into the ChoralFlange. The hi-pass filter is from the built in AutoFilter effect in Ableton Live.

Download MP3

I hope you've enjoyed these audio samples and will check out the ChoralFlange and other Fulltone products. I am not in any way shape or form affiliated with them, nor do I make a penny for saying this-- I just think they make great products and am proud to endorse them.

Happy 2009 Everyone!

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:11:00 +0000

Hi all,

Thanks for your support through 2008 and here's wishing everyone a great 2009.

I have a few projects in the works ...

New Revolution Void album
I am working on material and hope to release a new album online by summer.
Increase the Dosage vinyl release
I intend to release Increase the Dosage as a limited edition 1000-run double LP to be sold exclusively online. It will have the same artwork and tracks though I may remaster it to be optimized for vinyl.
New releases from UltraCat
UltraCat is a collaboration with my partner, Yuriko Miyamoto. We have a bunch of unreleased material in the funky house vein and I hope to put together a number of web and/or vinyl releases for this music. Labels, please contact me if you are interested in releasing new UltraCat tracks.
Minimal funky dubby tech house
I have an as-yet-unnamed tech house project in the works as well. It will be in the vein of artists like Fenin and Swayzak. My friend Alex turned me on to Fenin a couple months ago and I have been listening to the Fenin station on Pandora quite a bit, which has served as an inspiration for a lot of minimal, dubby tekno and tech house tracks.

I don't have any tracks online yet but you can check out a mix I did in a similar vein here:

Tech House DJ Mix - Bringin' In the New Year (1 hour, MP3)

Best wishes in 2009!

-Jonah Dempcy
Revolution Void

The Politics of Desire on Jamendo

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:37:00 +0000

Someone Else's Memories

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:53:00 +0000

Since it's been a couple of days and The Politics of Desire still hasn't been published on Jamendo (it's currently awaiting moderation), I went ahead and uploaded another track off the album to thesixtyone. Enjoy!

New Album Released Today (Summer Solstice 2008)

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:06:00 +0000

Hi all,

I'd just like to announce that I am releasing a new Revolution Void album, The Politics of Desire, today, June 21 2008. This album was truly a labor of love and has gone through many iterations, both in production/recording and post-production (mixing, mastering), but it's finally ready to go. Of especial significance to me is that today is the summer solstice, so I felt it would be an auspicious time to release the album.

It's currently uploading to Jamendo so check back later in the day and I'll post a link (or check the Jamendo Revolution Void page).

Thanks for listening!

-Jonah

TV Browser Compilation Features R.V. Song

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:53:00 +0000

The German TV program TV Browser has released a compilation in honor of their 5-year anniversary. The Revolution Void track Obscure Terrain is featured on the compilation, along with 14 other tracks, all released under Creative Commons licenses.

The compilation is available for download as compressed MP3 or Ogg, or lossless Flac files.

You can download it from the TV-Browser.org website:

MP3-Version
OGG-Version
FLAC-Version

First Track off New Album Released

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 07:52:00 +0000

I decided to release the first track off The Politics of Desire before the rest of the album. Kind of a sneak peek at the album, if you will. The track, Time Flux, is a dark and moody breakbeat track with Latin-tinged guitar. Let me know what you think! More at thesixtyone

Upcoming Release of Fourth R.V. Album

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:25:00 +0000

I'd like to announce the upcoming release of a 4th Revolution Void album, The Politics of Desire, to be released for free in its entirety through the Creative Commons. It will include 10 new tracks spanning downtempo to midtempo jazz breaks.

I was hoping to release the album on 4-4-2008 to coincide with my partner Yuriko's birthday, but the mixing and mastering process took longer than expected. Right now there are 10 tracks, 5 of which are mixed and mastered. I expect the remaining tracks to take a couple weeks to finalize.

A large part of the mixing/mastering process for me is cyclical: each iteration involves doing a mix at my home studio, burning to CD-R and listening to the tracks on as many different soundsystems as possible. I take notes on what sounds good and what doesn't, fix the mistakes and start the process over again.

In any case, the album will be released sometime later this month or in early May. I'll post links here once it's released.

Thanks for reading (and listening)!

-Jonah

Variations (from Drugs & Social Networking)

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 07:55:00 +0000

Variations by Michelle Anderst

This piece is from the series Drugs & Social Networking which looks at Seattle coffee shops as both social networks and drug dens. Familiar views of local coffee shops are shown, such as Capitol Hill's Cafe Vita.

I especially like this piece, which depicts a vintage organ.

From a press release by La Familia gallery, who is currently hosting a show by Anderst:

Anderst (who moved to Seattle from Medford, Oregon) wanted to pay tribute to the caffeine (drug) phenomenon, which serves as both a meeting/social scene as well as office space to many. "I believe the show is an accurate portrayal of these businesses that play a large part in the cultural life and art scene in this amazing town," says Anderst.

Olivier Pasqual - Still Life

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:12:00 +0000

via FFFFound

The Octave Illusion

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:01:00 +0000

I learned about this while attending audio engineering classes at Shoreline Community College, but whenever I told anyone, they didn't believe me. Finally, thanks to a post on Boing Boing (and the magic of the Internet), I have located scientific evidence to back it up!

Figure 1 shows the pattern that produces this illusion. Two tones which are spaced an octave apart are alternated repeatedly. The identical sequence is played to both ears simultaneously, except that when the right ear receives the high tone the left ear receives the low tone, and vice versa.

Despite its simplicity, this pattern is almost never heard correctly, and instead produces a number of illusions. Many people hear a single tone which switches from ear to ear, while its pitch simultaneously shifts back and forth between high and low. So it seems as though one ear is receiving the pattern 'high tone - silence - high tone - silence' while at the same time the other ear is receiving the pattern 'silence - low tone - silence - low tone'. Even more strangely, when the earphone positions are reversed many people hear the same thing: The tone that had appeared in the right ear still appears in the right ear, and the tone that had appeared in the left ear still appears in the left ear.

The octave illusion has another surprising property - righthanders and lefthanders tend to hear this pattern in different ways. Righthanders tend to hear the high tone on the right and the low tone on the left, regardless of how the earphones are positioned. Yet lefthanders vary considerably in terms of where the high and low tones appear to be coming from. Moreover, the tendency to hear the high tone on the right and the low tone on the left is stronger among people with only righthanders in their family than among those with a lefthanded parent or sibling.

Hyperreality

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:25:00 +0000

Here's an interesting quote by Jean Baudrillard that I found on the topic of hyperreality.

"The secret affinity between gambling and the desert: the intensity of gambling reinforced by the presence of the desert surrounding the town. The air-conditioned freshness of the gaming rooms, as opposed to the radiant heat outside. The challenge of all the artificial lights to the violence of the sun rays. Night of gambling sunlit on all sides; the glittering darkness of these rooms in the middle of the desert. Gambling itself is a desert form, inhuman, uncultured, initiatory, a challenge to the natural economy of value, a crazed activity on the fringes of exchange. But it also has a strict limit and stops abruptly; its boundaries are exact, its passion knows no confusion. Neither the desert nor gambling are open areas; their spaces are finite and concentric, increasing in intensity toward the interior, toward a central point, be it the spirit of gambling or the heart of the desert - a privileged, immemorial space, where things lose their shadow, where money loses its value, and where the extreme rarity of traces of what signals to us there leads men to seek the instantaneity of wealth." - Baudrillard on Las Vegas

From Wikipedia

The Antisocial Club

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 21:55:00 +0000

Alan Pasqua - The Antisocial Club I just picked up this CD and I'm lovin' it! Great mix of live improvisation and groovin' beats. At times it is a bit too polished for my tastes (I like it raw!), but overall, it's an excellent album and definitely worth checking out, especially if you're a fan of fusion jazz.

I tend to keep some distance from fusion in my work, especially the '80s-style fusion-rock-world-jazz that has become so prominent. Nonetheless, I can appreciate rippin' fusion solos as much as the next guy, and this CD definitely has some of those. The performances are top-notch, songs have a good amount of momentum and overall the album is a keeper.

Link

Fengchia Night Market

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 07:18:00 +0000

This video uses the tune Wes Coast Feel, which was released as part of the Hiphop White Label series in 2007.

YouTube - Fengchia Night Market

My Life, by Jeff Emtman

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 04:17:00 +0000

In this video, the Revolution Void song As we may think accompanies photos and commentary by Jeff Emtman.

If you like the work displayed here, be sure to check out Jeff's deviantART page.

Snowboarding Video

noreply@blogger.com (Jonah Dempcy) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 04:14:00 +0000

This video features the R.V. track Weekend Amnesia alongside footage of snowboarding in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere.

Snow || Full mix

Here's an edited version:

Snow || Shorter edit