The Songwriter Forum - songwriting reviews, tips and chat
Songwriter Forum => Feedback on Finished songs => Topic started by: cowparsleyman on October 05, 2018, 08:48:51 AM
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This is a tune that is part of my attempt to do something from different genres, my last piece 'Looking for something on my radio' was supposed to have an '80's electro/pop vibe, this one was inspired by a walk to work (I walk along the river for an hour or so).
Stumbled upon Herbie Hancock, I used to like some of his earlier stuff, then Kool and the gang, so this was inspired by them. I also tried to encapsulate the essence of what made me unstick myself from the dance floor wall and actually dance, and it was tight brass, percussion,repetitive bass guitar line, and that smacky snare, the 'clap trap' came a bit later, early '80's as I remember.
Hope you like it. I'm up for any comment/criticism/ideas...
If your'e wondering about the Seoul connection, I have a friend who is a DJ there, and this was her birthday present...mad on edm, but she digs this.
Lyrics ;D
mmm mmm mmm
For those who might be interested...(I'm always intrigued to know how you guys did it..)
The DAW is Magix Samplitude Prox 3 Suite
It was the first time I took the time to programme the Spark2 drum machine properly. The snare sound is actually 2 tracks of a clap and a snare.
The Brass was Magix Independance, pop brass and trumpet section together on different midi channels, though an Aphex Exciter plug.
The Bass is an old Yamaha rbx350, through a Roland cube 100 Bassman cosm, with a Ampeg fliptop amp sim plug.
The guitar is a strat.
There are lots of other plugins to give it a late '70's sound like the Waves NLS Summer
SSL buss comp on the master buss
Can't remember what the synth VSTs were.
I would have loved to have had a sax solo on it, but I don't know anyone nowadays... :-\
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Hey Rich ;D
Yeah...liking this. Nice groove, with that 'relentless' bass. Makes me want to pick up a guitar and jam along with it ;D ;D
Some lovely twists and turns, especially like the brass, and the unexpected flourishes you've put in there. Initially, I thought
it was a bit long....but no ;D ;D ;D . Listened to it a few times now, and it's a definite 'grower'.
A little glimpse into your imagination there Rich ;D ;D and a great sight it was ;D ;D
Now where's that guitar....some free jazz would be appropriate here, I think ;D ;D ;D
Classy stuff old chap ;D
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Whato Mr B
Thanks for taking a listen, you old funk meister, you.
Glad you like it, send me over the guitar stems (no loops allowed, you know how it is ;D) and I'll do a jazz funk remix...honestly, I think this has a few remixes in it...
Regarding the length, I was careful to ensure there was something new, just as you thought you knew what was coming...like a jazz solo, too many times, I've seen cracking jazz players get self indulged, then it's 'I think I'll get a pint' time.
Nice, great.
Thanks again
Rich
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Nice work Rich. Love bass riff. That's effing genius man. Rhodes work well and nice discordant stuff on the brass. Very realistic. Hats off to you man as that's very difficult to get right. Ooh. Love that Moog :) Good on you for pushing the boundaries genre wise. I love to do that as you know. Keeps ya fresh :D Top work mate
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@pompeyjazz (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=20269) - thanks for the listen, and really appreciate your feedback, glad you dig it, i’ve always tried to keep trying new things, keep my mind fresh, learn new things, doesn’t always work, this year is a gas.
I respect your work PJ, and i just don’t know how you keep producing them so fast, you must never sleep with so much inspiration, just keep it coming man.
Thanks again
Rich
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Fuuuuuunky! Good work mate
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This has a very infectious vibe and lots going on to keep us involved in the journey. That relentless bass is awesome, and the part that comes in at 3:48 really reminded me of Kool and The Gang. I used to play some of their stuff in a funk band. Loved the horns. I could definitely dance to this track :)
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@RealKevM (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21324) - thats real kind dude, i guess it’s in my flared genes...
@crystalsuzy (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=18947) - thanks for listening glad you dig, i loved jazz funk and disco when i was a teenager and remember watching all those disco anfd funk bands, and thinking that’s great to dance to but a bit dull, but then I heard earth wind and fire, that album with a pyramid on the front, and everything changed, then in the 80’s i was in a record shop and ‘43’ by level 42 came on, i was completely transfixed, i bought the album.
But for pure disco-y pop i thought evelyn champagne kings Shame, took some beating, then the jacksons shake your body down to the ground....
George duke was also a cool funk guy.
I will be doing some more of this sort of thing,
Thanks again for your kind ears
Rich
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@RealKevM (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21324) - thats real kind dude, i guess it’s in my flared genes...
@crystalsuzy (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=18947) - thanks for listening glad you dig, i loved jazz funk and disco when i was a teenager and remember watching all those disco anfd funk bands, and thinking that’s great to dance to but a bit dull, but then I heard earth wind and fire, that album with a pyramid on the front, and everything changed, then in the 80’s i was in a record shop and ‘43’ by level 42 came on, i was completely transfixed, i bought the album.
But for pure disco-y pop i thought evelyn champagne kings Shame, took some beating, then the jacksons shake your body down to the ground....
George duke was also a cool funk guy.
I will be doing some more of this sort of thing,
Thanks again for your kind ears
Rich
Ha brilliant :)
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Great bass and percussion give a solid foundation for some great improv. Live the uneasy feel with some sweet note selection. Great groove, nice changes, top wirk. 8)
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Whato @tfz (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=22144) - Thanks for taking a listen, I appreciate your comments, and glad you like it.
I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'Sweet Notes', but one ot two of the notes in the brass hits can cause a bit of aural discomfort, but that was intentional, to build tension away from what could be a predictable piece.
Funny that you mention the perc. I still find the frquencies of the perc. clashes with the treble slap bass, tried pretty hard to EQ it away, but couldn't manage it, maybe I can tame it with a transient shaper so it doesn't poke out so much, glad you liked it ;)
Anyway let me know about sweet notes.
Regards
Rich
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Exactly that, aural discomfort; makes me sit up and pay attention.
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@tfz (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=22144) - Thanks for the feedback, it's comments like these that really help.
Rich
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Yo CPM.
This haz groove,love the bass tone and content. In da pocket it be,Yoda say.
In my callow youth I despised Disco music,but in my old age I've come to appreciate at least some of it's merits. This is due in part to the enthusiasm of a bass playing offspring!
It's an interesting and varied track,which hides it's 5 minutes + length well and always maintains the sacred groove.
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I thought the introduction was a little too long. I'd have been tempted to play the mmm mmm breakdown twice, once early on and the second where it is now. I may have re-introduced the original riff for a few bars before introducing the brass. I really liked the stat finish.
Dance music isn't really my type of music so please ignore me if you disagree.
Keith
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Whato @diademgrove (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=19135) - Thanks for taking the time to listen, a veiled compliment indeed if you knew it wasn't your thing, and yet you took a listen...It would assist me if you could put timings in so I know where you mean... :)
The thing about this song is that it's designed for an edm dance club, it needs to be a bit more drawn out than say a pop tune, people are going to want to be 'in the groove' and that usually takes a while to establish, hence the length of the intro, your point about the brass seems plausible.
With the mm mm mm's I'm kinda happy where they are.
What do you mean about the 'stat finish'?
I give every suggestion consideration. If I decide to incorporate you ideas I'll be in touch.
Thanks again.
cpm
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Definitely groovy. I think maybe it needs a bit more drama earlier on. Not sure how, but I'm thinking something in a higher register, possibly a horn, guitar, or voice. The pace seems a little slow for a dance song of that era to me, but I am thinking of Chic, who is maybe later. Love the bass. Sounds great.
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Hi Rich,
stat is a spelling mistake, it should read strat.
I find the intro up to 2:57 too long. I think it may be because the bass is too dominant. That may be my personal taste. I prefer my bass lines to be more felt rather than heard. The breakdown immediately follows and is the instrumental is finished off with the strat guitar part which I like from 4:16.
I hope that helps,
Keith
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Hi @redrhodie (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21171) - Thanks for the listen, This was a point I considered, there were a few factors that influenced my decision on this.
HJ doesn't like too much talking/singing in her tracks, I could hear an obvious Sax solo in there, but these days I don't know any sax players that could rip down a horn like it needed, I'm not able to programme a midi sax convincingly...It's either Dave Sandborn, Charlie Parker or no one 8).
It IS slow, your completely right (120bpm), and I often record tracks at that speed and hoik it up to 135 when I'm mastering, but after countless numbers of pre release car and walking along the river plays I felt kind of happy with 120, I thought it didn't plod, but rather a side-together-round-the-handbags, than a get up and boogie.
Glad you dig the bass, I was also very happy with the sound, it's only a second hand cheapie Yamaha, but with the help of a free plugin I found called ISOL8, (for those who are interested I just took out the HF, and bingo there it was, THAT sound!) it just popped out like a really decent Precision Bass, so I was happy as larry 'bout that. To me it was really important to play the bass all the way through, not just make a loop of it, as you can hear I have moments when it gets a bit uneven, I wanted this feeling of REAL playing to come through as in the '70's there wasn't so much of that going on, so warts an all.
The is the possibility that there'll be a vocal mix of this coming up in the future, and I think for that I'll crank it up to 135.
Chic, now that's a groove.
That slap bass was just a bit of fun ;D, played on the same Yam bass with a different bunch of EQ and a doubler (I do have another bass which is miles better for slap bass, but this just sounded right, for the era)
Anyway, glad you liked it.
Rich
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Whato @diademgrove (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=19135) - Aaah all is clear now...To me the intro was up until the persistent bass riff comes in, OK - I get it now, this is definitely not a bass in the background song, so I do understand your comments.
Yip I'm rather fond of that strat, can do all sorts of sounds.
Cheers Keith, thanks for the comments, all very interesting and they ALL help.
Regards
Rich
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Man I especially dig that Slap bass that comes in around 4 mins! Just awesome! The track itself isn’t quite my usual cup of tea if I’m honest, but I can appreciate the workload and all those twists and turns u make around that groove. The brass was cool aswell.
Nice work man! I hope your friend loved it! ;D
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@LostBoy (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=20481) - I hope you weren't lost in space...Anyhow, glad you liked it, and my Slapping, to be honest, I had an awful thought that all that stuff came a bit later in pop, I know Stanley Clarke was doing it but 'Schooldays' wasn't mainstream at the time, Anyway, glad it got your toes a tappin'
Thanks also for the nod to the Brass, I was secretly pleased with how that came out 8)
As to whether she liked it, hmmm, she said she loved it, she was happy, that's the main thing. Her Crew is quite a forthright bunch and don't suffer fools easily, but a very serious about music and really like ice cream and beer!
Thanks very much again LB, do love your Astronaut (never said that before!)
Rich
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Hi @cowparsleyman (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21308)
If you're looking for some sax then maybe you might find something here....
www.mediafire.com/?44s9td54wu12z
:)
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Whato PJ @pompeyjazz (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=20269) - Thanks for the tip, I'll check this out.
Regards
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There's loads of goodies in there but you do have to dig about a bit. There is some great solo stuff in Soundkit 5 & 4 I think @cowparsleyman (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21308)
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@pompeyjazz (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=20269) - Thanks Man, your always so helpful.
Rich
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Hi,
I am not a fan of this kind of thing at all but I thought this was an excellent piece of music, if a little long. It sounded authentically in da goove to me but I have to say, I was drifting off after around 3 minutes. I could maybe furnish you with some sax if could let me have your stems and a chord chart. No guarantees but I'd be willing to give it a try.
M
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Whato @montydog (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=18653) - Thanks very much for the listen, I appreciate it even more when you know it's not your thing...yet you still give it a listen, thanks Mr Dog.
Sure I'll Whizz the Stems over...it does mean you have to listen to it again...and again.... :D
mmm mmm mmm - You could always use it to get you off to sleep, of an evening...What is your bag? It is a dance tune, so I thought folk wouldn't be too happy if the groove petered out after 3mins, tried to give em something to keep the interest too, hence the Slap thang, but I'm sure there'll be a couple of remixes....Watch this space/dancefloor.
Regards
Rich :)
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Great tune.
Love the bass vibe and takes me back to my youth.
Excellent production....can't wait to hear my vocal input.
A good listen.
Sandeep
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Hi @Movin Flavour (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=20528) - Thanks very much for the listen and the kind words, much appreciated. I am planning a few remixes...
Regards
Rich
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Juat an update, and a great illustration of what this forum brings.
This song now has a sax solo near the end (about 3:43, just after the quiet bit), I always intended there to be something saxy there, but I can't play brass, nor know anyone, then MontyDog cam the the rescue...(Hence the credit in the remix title)
Here it is....hope you like it
Let me know your thoughts.
thanks again
Rich
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This genre was my pet loathing back in the 70s, but like others, I have come to appreciate good music that’s well played - basically from having much more of an open mind! So, not my specialist subject but for what it’s worth...
I totally applaud and respect you for getting out of your own comfort zone, and it’s obvious you’ve put so much time and thought into this. I love the bass groove and the tone, which carries the piece. There are some wonderful discordant moments, and contrasts going on, and despite its length, you keep my attention. The new sax solo is awesome @montydog (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=18653) ! And to my ears, the song is so much better for it. Brilliant production throughout. Very, very well done guys.
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@Bill Saunders (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=18525) - Thanks Bill greatly appreciated, funny there are a few that loathed this genre, you're right @montydog (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=18653) - That sax fits in really nicely, very grateful indeed to him, 'twas very satisfying to be able to realise the vision for this one. I just missed Kool from Kool and the Gang, as much as I really didn't like them at the time, they seem to 'make' this kind of song.
Really appreciate your comments about the production, that means a lot to me.
The more times I step out of my comfort zone with a different genre, the more I respect each one, and the more I dissect the techniques behind getting the sound (I really respect the Producers behind getting the sound - how brave must they be!) the more revealing it is, for example how to get this bass guitar right in your face, yet allowing everything else to have it's own space, and have that snappy punchy snare, when those 2 things are in your face, you have to move a lot sideways and up or down (frequency wise)
The snappy snare was done by adding a clap at the same time as the snare hit (did you spot it?), which changed the perceived frequency of the snare, then compressed both with a Waves Puigchild (Fairchild 670), you would really miss it on this track.
(Sorry to those of who know this stuff already)
The other thing that was necessary is a well documented production technique that avoids 2 (or more) instruments playing in the same frequency range at the same time, there's a natty free plugin called scan, which shows you which frequencies your track is using, then you decide to EQ maybe the low bits out, either by a High Pass filter (which chops out the Low frequencies completely, a bit like turning up your tone control on your old Dansette record player to full treble) which makes the track sound really thin and frankly awful when played by itself, however when you apply a Low Pass filter (which chops out the High frequencies completely) to the other track, it makes this one sound really awful in a bassy way (Dansette to full bass), but when you bring together they don't clash at all, and when there's a load of other things kicking off in the song then no one is any the wiser, Stanley....
Anyway Bill thanks again, and to be honest I'm a bit frightened of tackling Heavy metal, '60's (all on my list...) but relishing the thought of Punk, I want to do a Pistols type thing, full of energy, but where to get a singer? can anyone help?
Hope this helps
Rich
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Really like this...For me its a bit like Jamiriquai meets The Orb!
Takes a few iterations to get used to the bass transition (I'm assuming its actually a key change) and it forces you to adapt...almost too challenging (and I bet it might be for some) but after you get it.... you get it.
I love the "mmmm mmmm" vocals...super nice and not all cliched.....
Authentic sounds and authentic playing...
Really interesting..
Cheers!
Paul.
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Wow, Thanks @paulb (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=22245) - Very kind words, and thanks for taking the time to listen, always appreciated...
I get the Jamaroquai v Orb thing, certainly wasn't intentional, glad you like the mmm mmm mmm, Vox, they were adirect response to HJ saying she didn't like too much talking on her mixes...
Your'e right one needs to lock in to get this vibe, and when you do it's kinda infectious, maybe it was the arrangement plan, I wanted to gradually introduce instruments and hooks, then stop for a breather, then a kind of crescendo at the end...I'd want to dance to this, I was after that invisible thing that pulls you from your seat and on to the dance floor, (just like 'Can you feel the force' did) I hope I got that.
To be honest Paul, I took a lot of care to get the authentic sounds, for example: I chose the bass guitar carefully (I wanted a Precision Bass sound), ensured that I played it so the strings were heard to buzz a bit, to let the listener realise that it was actually a real bass, and I played for the duration, no looping a few bars, then EQ'd in the mix until I got the sound I was after, sometimes it takes ages to get that sound.
Very glad you dig, man.
Rich
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Nice one for trying something different - Its oddly engaging and mesmeric and flows nicely along and then takes you by surprise towards at the end when it goes acid jazz and then into Chic & The Crusaders....A proper mash up of styles.
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Whato @Morefrog Jones (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=20200) - Dig the name, how did you come by it? Thanks for the listen, I like that very much that you say it's oddly engaging, that's exactly what I was aiming for.
It seems to have struck a chord (2 in fact Cmin7 then C#min7) with a few of you...
Thanks again, I do go into '70's mode when I reply to reviews on here, you dig?
I've gotta go, Kojak is on the telly after LWT Wrestling with Adrian Street and Jacky Pallow, then it's tomorrow World...(Sorry those international forum members....)
aaaaaah
Rich
Rich
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Who loves ya baby ;D
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...Crocker!!!!!