Project K (1991)
© 1991, Phil Thompson
Experimental sampling stuff, Mar-May '91
Having just arrived in Albuquerque, I picked up a Casio SK-5 in March. Still hadn't made the large purchase of gear that for years would be the main tools of my studio, and was not yet in a location where I could play my drums (lived in the dorms until September 91).
So with my new SK-5, my Yamaha VSS-30, and a JVC boom box I'd bought at my previous assignment in Panama, I launched Project K ('K' for Kirtland AFB).
Not long after starting the production I picked up a 2-second DigiTech delay pedal and a used Cortez Les Paul copy & practice amp. For the last few tunes I added these elements into to the mix.
Sometimes the music reminds me of early Bonobo or Fourtet, and I imagine I stumbled on a triphop-like sound/feel in 1991 (Dream Cliques, Sampled Wong Fu, Tumblejay, Good Die Young, couple others). Fortunately I usually manage to avoid the delusions.
(Where was I?)
Having just arrived in Albuquerque, I picked up a Casio SK-5 in March. Still hadn't made the large purchase of gear that for years would be the main tools of my studio, and was not yet in a location where I could play my drums (lived in the dorms until September 91).
So with my new SK-5, my Yamaha VSS-30, and a JVC boom box I'd bought at my previous assignment in Panama, I launched Project K ('K' for Kirtland AFB).
Not long after starting the production I picked up a 2-second DigiTech delay pedal and a used Cortez Les Paul copy & practice amp. For the last few tunes I added these elements into to the mix.
Sometimes the music reminds me of early Bonobo or Fourtet, and I imagine I stumbled on a triphop-like sound/feel in 1991 (Dream Cliques, Sampled Wong Fu, Tumblejay, Good Die Young, couple others). Fortunately I usually manage to avoid the delusions.
(Where was I?)
At what was easily the most lax of my aircraft maintenance assignments, and still months away from getting Mirna to New Mexico, I had lots of time on my hands. No multitracker at my disposal, no place to set up the drums, but with some ingenuity, toe-triggering, and the programmability of the SK-5 I managed to do all of this live, into my boom box (Reggie Watts, eat your heart out!). Ultimately I jammed six cassette tapes with these ideas, and have actually developed further a couple of them into more substantial pieces.
Despite its dolbyless, gross & fuzzy, static-laden sound quality, I think Project K underscores my creativity better than anything else I've produced.
NOTEs
Main guitar riff in Scaly became (will become) the opening/closing theme for Clay (album/work in progress).
My rendition of Rick Wakeman's Parallels riff opens Sampled vwvnvd 2 (I cite Wakeman more than anyone else -- my synthesizer hero and biggest influence on keys).
Non-proprietary samples include I Don't Believe in Love, © 1988, Queensryche; dialogue from Star Trek V (Leonard Nimoy), and Angela (theme from Taxi) © 1978, Bob James.
Main guitar riff in Scaly became (will become) the opening/closing theme for Clay (album/work in progress).
My rendition of Rick Wakeman's Parallels riff opens Sampled vwvnvd 2 (I cite Wakeman more than anyone else -- my synthesizer hero and biggest influence on keys).
Non-proprietary samples include I Don't Believe in Love, © 1988, Queensryche; dialogue from Star Trek V (Leonard Nimoy), and Angela (theme from Taxi) © 1978, Bob James.