Music – Comfortable Void by SYNC24 – Electronica for Sci-Fi Dark Fantasy Creatives and Fans

Music for Cyberpunks

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Available to stream (free) or purchase via Ultimae on Bandcamp - CLICK HERE

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Comfortable Void by SYNC24:

Yet another audio gem from Ultimae on Bandcamp. It’s given me a creative injection as I trudge through the N-th week of chapter 8 of my latest piece of work – The Social Club.  It’s a proper detective novel but one set in the post-apocalyptic universe of Yellow Dawn – in London, taken over by the Power of Eight (a Business Cult that first raises its head in the pre-Yellow Dawn novel Iron Man Project).  I’m loving the visuals and the opportunity to write something “Orwellian”.  This piece of music has lifted me up into a new level of creative flow.  Like popping a cap on a stim-pipe and biting down for the thrill of the first neurochemical rush.  Stunning soundscapes, from shadowy moods that range through the tension of uncertain threats and out into the bass-thumping, adrenaline pumping energy of action scenes.

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Available in paperback or kindle

Paperback : from LULU & kindle: US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro)

IRON MAN PROJECT { novel } Ex-special forces man, Vincent Brent, is tough, ruthless and highly trained; he’s now using his skills for whoever will pay him without cashing in the bounty on his head. In this world of the near future, the UN has failed. Wars are fought in boardrooms through attorneys and politics, and on our streets with private armies of military or criminal assets. In Sicily, the Chief of Security for one such corporate alliance struggles to survive as hidden forces attempt to manipulate him for their own ends. Both these men find their fates intertwined. In the cross-hairs of powerful adversaries, they must both make decisions of life and death in a choice between command and conscience. David J Rodger’s trademark unforgiving rendering of brutal reality, and relentless narrative pace, are here in palm-sweating abundance, delivered in a complex novel that will keep you turning pages until the end.

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Music Video: Gary Numan collaboration with Officers – Petals

Officers X Gary Numan

A joy of Numan sounds and dystopia: excellent track that punches into the mainline of Numan’s spirit.

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You can buy this track from PLAY.COM

Product link: http://www.play.com/Music/MP3-Download-Track/4-/37779414/0/Petals/ListingDetails.html

The Officers X Gary Numan digital only version of the ‘Petals’ single will be available from from 19 November 2012, featuring exclusive remixes from Ade Fenton, Jagz Kooner and Losers. ‘Petals’ is also one of the tracks featured on the CD version of Gary Numan’s ‘Dead Moon Falling’ which will be exclusively available on the forthcoming December Tour. Officers are special guests on the tour and will be performing the track with Numan. For more information about Officers and also the CALM Charity, which the single is supporting, please visit: www.officers.uk.com.

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YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:

• Gary Numan Machine Music Tour 2012

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Music to write to – sounds for inspiration and evocation – Descent by Sarah Badr

Music to write to

Photograph by Christer Fredriksson – Available in print from Art.Co.Uk

I find it so difficult these days to find music that really inspires me. Not from lack of choice but perhaps too much of the same. There are grades of talent, like any creative output, and once I find an artist that fulfills my taste within that grade – all other artists have to match otherwise I just don’t gel with their sounds.  Hybrid, for example, top of their game in the sci-fi dramatic soundscape.  Solar Fields, top of the pack for moody ambient electronica.  Gary Numan, the grand grampy of left field electro fused with punk, rock and a more recently emerging NIN industrial vibe.

Thanks to the mailing list of A Strangely Isolated Place (.com) I’ve now discovered the seriously brain tweaking talents of Sarah Badr.  Working under the project name of FRKTL (frāk’təl), Badr is an audiovisual artist and experimental composer with output created through signal processing, field recording, and live instrumental sampling.

Her track, DESCENT, is free to listen to via Soundcloud (click)

It’s in a similar vein to her debut album, the highly engaging, atmospheric, scene-setting and idea provoking Atom.

Atom by FRKTL (frāk’təl) – click to preview / buy via Bandcamp

Available on Bandcamp for $5:  http://frktl.bandcamp.com/album/atom
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS.

Free Download

You can grab a free download of B-Sides for the Atom concept here:

http://frktl.bandcamp.com/download_tralbum

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Other links for Sarah Badr (FRKTL)

Bandcamp | SoundCloud | Facebook | Twitter | Discogs | Last.fm | Spotify

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A Strangely Isolated Place (.com)

If you’re into ambient and electronic then I highly recommend you subscribe to ASIP’s website. Every few days he (Ryan) drop’s an audio treat into your inbox.

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Music: new soundtrack for a new period of my life – Jon & Vangelis, The Friends of Mr Cairo (1981)

The Friends of Mr Cairo

I’ve been a fan of Vangelis for a long time but without ever really exploring deep into his body of work beyond a few albums I happened to stumble on back in the early noughties.  A while ago I decided to take a deeper look and was stunned by how many albums he’s done. I bought a load in one batch and now, at various points, when a new project is starting up or life feels like it’s entering a new phase, I grab a fresh one, load it up and listen to it to create a soundtrack to the moment.  This one (The Friends of Mr Cairo) is incredibly dated and so all the more fantastic for it.  Genuine early 80s, complete with that avant-garde enthusiasm for experimentation and mixing sounds with audio-visual theatre.  It’s also the first Vangelis work I’ve heard where he’s collaborated with a vocal artist (excluding the mind blowing Mythodea with sopranos Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman, and the chorus of the Greek National Opera). If you’re expecting the science fiction drama of Bladerunner you’re going to be disappointed.  But if you’re in the mood for some very uplifting and jolly good music, then expect to be delighted.

Jon and Vangelis The Friends of Mr Cairo – click to view on Amazon

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Video from album (1981)

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Free MP3 download – Ambient electronica of the 2 kiloton nuclear kind – Ryan Griffin gets into a narrative mix – via ASIP

White Light

AN AMBIENT MIX BY RYAN ELLIOT

White Light – Ryan Griffin- gets into a narrative mix – via ASIP

Another audio gem from the harlequin king within his – a strangely isolated place– handing out his gifts of music for moods and soundscapes to write or dance to.

I’ve subscribed to the ASIP site and every few days get a new delight materializing within my inbox.

You can download White Light, safely and for free, here (click the link and scroll down to the download option).

I’m heading off to Sicily soon. A road trip through coastal towns and hired guides taking me to sites of ancient history.  This mix arrived in my inbox and I dipped in for a sample and it just utterly grabbed me. Perfect for this moment in my life.  The trip is going to be pretty spectacular because I’ll finally get to visit Taormina in the flesh. This is a place I first found through research only, and used in the novel Dante’s Fool (1999), and more substantially in the novel Iron Man Project (2004).  So this free mix download is going to be the soundtrack to some awe-inspiring memories I reckon. 

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This mix marks a new phase for Ryan Griffin. In his own words:

This is one of the first mixes ive put together with a complete story in mind. It began after I watched a video which showed five men as they stood on the ground as an Atomic bomb was detonated 10,000 ft above their heads.  It’s pretty powerful and thought provoking for so many reasons. For example, this ‘test’ would never happen today with real people, so I found it ridiculously intriguing to watch and listen to, but it also made me think about what would’ve happened for real, when a nuclear bomb was dropped during wartime. From the very first moment; what you see, what you would think, how the country recovers, the thoughts the victims go through, the hope it inspires and the new life it creates. Pretty deep I know, but I really enjoyed trying to pick tracks which invoked these emotions and told a story from start to finish.

- Ryan Griffin- A Strangely Isolated Place

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TRACKLIST

01. [The Drop] “Five Men At Atomic Ground Zero”
02. [The Moment] Norge – 165 Minutes With You (Forthcoming on ASIP)
03. [The White Light] Segue – House Of Cards (Dewtone)
04. [The Realisation] Wolfmaps – Landforms (Futuresequence)
05. [The Angst] The American Dollar – Par Avion (Self-released)
06. [The Clearing] Four Tet – Peace For Earth (Text)
07. [The Realisation] Max Cooper – Gravity Well (Forthcoming on Traum)
08. [The Determination] Lusine – Make It Easy (John Tejada Remix) (Ghostly)
09. [The Hope] Loess – Sofar (Toytronic)
10. [The Return to Life] Crisopa – Gaviot (n5MD)
11. [The Complicated Memories] Onego – Ne Serdis’ (Forthcoming on Fuselab)
12. [The New Life] Martin Nonstatic – Vertraumt (Subspiele)
13. [The View From Above] Aurastore – Outside The Sol System (Energostatic)

DOWNLOAD via ASIP

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Five Men Stand Under A Atomic Bomb As It Detonates At Ground Zero

The video Ryan references is this one.

Words by [StakkMoneyTV]  On July 19, 1957, five Air Force officers and one photographer stood together on a patch of ground about 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. They’d marked the spot “Ground Zero. Population 5″ on a hand-lettered sign hammered into the soft ground right next to them.

As we watch, directly overhead, two F-89 jets roar into view and one of them shoots off a nuclear missile carrying an atomic warhead.

They wait. There is a countdown. 18,500 feet above them, the missile is intercepted and blows up. Which means, these men intentionally stood directly underneath an exploding 2 kiloton nuclear bomb. One of them, at the key moment (he’s wearing sunglasses), looks up. You have to see this to believe it.

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Available in paperback or kindle

Paperback : from LULU & kindle: US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro)

IRON MAN PROJECT { novel } Ex-special forces man, Vincent Brent, is tough, ruthless and highly trained; he’s now using his skills for whoever will pay him without cashing in the bounty on his head. In this world of the near future, the UN has failed. Wars are fought in boardrooms through attorneys and politics, and on our streets with private armies of military or criminal assets. In Sicily, the Chief of Security for one such corporate alliance struggles to survive as hidden forces attempt to manipulate him for their own ends. Both these men find their fates intertwined. In the cross-hairs of powerful adversaries, they must both make decisions of life and death in a choice between command and conscience. David J Rodger’s trademark unforgiving rendering of brutal reality, and relentless narrative pace, are here in palm-sweating abundance, delivered in a complex novel that will keep you turning pages until the end.

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Music Video: Gary Numan – Are Friends Electric. (Top Of The Pops 1979)

1979

Pure bliss. This was the track that changed my imagination forever.

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A follow-up from Gary Numan’s recent Machine Music tour (May 2012), which was jaw-droppingly fantastic.

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Interview with Joonipah – musician and producer – house music with drip-feed beats for the tweenie generation

Up & Coming Talent

I had the pleasure of meeting Joonipah aka Johnny Phethean one night last weekend, whilst up in the not-so-frozen lands of the North of England; Newcastle upon Tyne. A friend told me he’d had some of his work played on Radio 1. A late night mix. Johnny, naturally gracious and unassuming about his work, said he’d been half-asleep when it came on and thought it might have been part of a dream. Until he finally sparked fully awake and realised reality had kissed him on the lips with the bliss of good fortune.

Any artist, regardless of covert demeanour, craves the acknowledgement of their talent by peers.

Johnny Phethean is one of those creative chaps that deserves such positive peerage.

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Joonipah aka Johnny Phethean & Zico MC Serenity  – Image via Hogg On The Tyne

Image Credit: Hogg on The Tyne (Flickr)

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DJR: Hello Johnny Phethean. Thanks for taking time out to pen some words here.  Where do you see yourself “at” right now?  In the scheme of putting together tracks and getting yourself out there.  Look in the proverbial mirror: tell us what you see.

Hi David, thanks for taking the time to ask me.

I see myself at a stage where I’m starting to understand my own sound & style. I think I’ve done a lot of experimenting up until now, which I still do, but I’m getting more comfortable in the way I work & write music. I don’t want to settle anytime soon though, I’ve still got much further to go in terms of production & experimenting with different techniques, hardware & software etc. but I’m gradually getting more music out and listened to at the moment, which I’m really proud of, and I’m just going to see how things go from here really.

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DJR: what got you to where you are?

Just enjoying music making as a hobby to start out with. I’ve always had my friends & family pushing my music, then as I got better & started networking and meeting other local DJs & promoters I’ve been given support & confidence to keep going further.

Local netlabel co-owner Tim Shaw (Triptik Records) really pushed my music to a lot of places and I was getting positive feedback from names like James Blake, Toddla T, MJ Cole, Meat Katie etc. then when my vinyl EP came out in June with London label Nixwax, I was getting support from others like Mosca, Alex Coulton and South London Ordnance.

So, I think a mixture of persistence and just general support has got me where I am, which I’m really grateful for.

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DJR: Where do you want to get to? What is your next milestone in your minds-eye for success / progression / development?

I haven’t got a particular goal in mind really, other than to keep going in the same direction, develop & broaden my skills and do as many gigs as I can! I eventually want to get a career going in sound design/recording, and I think this will be a good bridge into it.

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DJR: What do you need to do to achieve this?  Blending into what advice can you give others who might be following the same path as you?

As I said before, persistence & promo. I’m not very good at self-promotion, but going out, networking and sharing music is the best way to get your stuff out to as many people as possible. If your music is good, you’ll eventually get somewhere with it.

Luckily I have a good network of friends in Newcastle who are all involved in the music scene in some way or another, either by promoting, producing, DJing or building sound systems. I’m proud to be part of it.

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DJR: Linking into what you want to achieve, why do you want this?  What’s driving you – and, what is your inspiration?  Other artists? Another lifestyle?

I think it’s just something that runs in the family, we’re all pretty musical. Music has been a big part of my life from a young age, and I wasn’t that great at school so I just decided it’s what I want to do, and all the support I’ve had so far is just pushing me further in the same direction.

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DJR: Are you all about cross-genre House or do you have a guilty pleasure in music? John Denver is not a valid answer.

I’m into all sorts, as far as DJing goes it usually revolves around the 130bpm mark. It’s a mixture of house, techno, garage, funky house and all the gaps in between, it all falls under the sort of ‘Bass music’ label that’s come about recently.

In terms of just regular listening music, I listen to a wide range of stuff. Boards of Canada, Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Blur, Radiohead Bonobo, Flying Lotus, Gorillaz etc. are a few I listen to on a regular basis. Real guilty ones though would probably be something terrible like Craig David or Eiffel 65. Good because they’re crap.

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DJR: What has been your biggest challenge to date?

This question

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DJR: In your mind and gut, what is the future of the dance and clubbing scene? And is there a big new thing brewing in the wake of dubstep yet?

It’s hard to tell what the future will be, there’s definitely loads going on. There’s enough variation going on I think for things to stay interesting for a long time. A lot of DJs are experimenting with live stuff now too, which is really exciting and something I might get involved with soon when time and money will allow it. I’m just going to try and keep experimenting with lots of different genres, styles and tempos so I don’t get boring.

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DJR: What’s coming up in your world that you’d like to shout about? Any links, events, promos you would like to share with the folks who look at this blog every month?

Yeah the usual spam… my debut vinyl EP is available from http://www.nixwax.co.uk/Shop but they’re running out so get one soon! I’ll also have my slow house track ‘Yellow & Red’ coming out soon on a vinyl compilation on Well Rounded records, so look out for that. As for gigs, the summer’s looking a bit slow, but I’m playing a night in London called CHURCH in August alongside Bok Bok, Dusky, Deadboy, Fort Romeau, Ossie and GoldFFinch. Also check my radio show every other Sunday at uStream.com/channel/joonipah the next one will be Sunday the 22nd July. Other than that keep an eye on my soundcloud for new tunes!

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DJR: Final words?

Thanks for having me.

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LINKS FOR THIS ARTICLE:

• Johnny Phethean on Soundcloud – http://soundcloud.com/joonipah
• Joonipah vinyl EP releases- http://www.nixwax.co.uk/Joonipah
• USTREAM chanel for Joonipah – http://www.ustream.tv/channel/joonipah

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Mythos music for a cyberpunk setting ¦ Mark Van Hoen – discordant ambient industrial electro

Mark Van Hoen – click for full size

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Some of you may already know of Mark Van Hoen. I’ve only just discovered him; I feel like I’ve stumbled through an abandoned chemical plant, walls daubed in sinister graffiti, into a subterranean chamber full of lurid coloured gemstones that radiate sonic pleasures. The man is a highly gifted musician travelling a fairly lonely and remote path through the musical landscape.  There’s an audible starting point, carried signals of a distant shore – the 1970s and early 80s – a musical groundwork that strikes chords of Throbbing Gristle and Chris & Cosy.  You can see a route that wanders near to Eno, Aphex and Boards of Canada.  But van Hoen is his own beast. The Crowley of Ambient Industrial Electronica.

This track – Look in my Eyes – captures the essence of modern Mythos. The fusion of raw, articulated sounds, repeating and overlapping into a symphony of trance capable of transporting your conscious mind to the Ancients. Great video too. The visual fragments from a sanity-blasted mind that’s about to free-fall from this reality into the Outer Chaos. Beyond the Quantisphere.

Look Into My Eyes – Mark Van Hoen (Locust)

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British born, he now lives and operates out of Brooklyn New York.  Location of H.P.Lovecraft’s Horror At Red Hook tale.

There’s a fantastic selection of tracks to stream and listen to on Mark van Hoen’s soundcloud page. They provide a sample of works from 1982 to 2011.  Some are much less Mythos, straining towards melodic – even bordering on retrospective 1960s psychedelic sound or mid-90s dance scene.  Others are simply wonderful and edgy.  They all highlight a broad range of serious talent.  You should check it out. Click image below.

Mark Van Hoen aka Locust on Soundcloud

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Relevant Links:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Van_Hoen 
• http://markvanhoen.com

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A Novel

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New Tunes: Swim, by Caribou

Uplifting music for interesting moments in time

Download from Play.Com

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I found this album months and months ago during one of my periodic trawls for new and diverse tunes. I keep a notepad .txt file with tons of URLS of things I’ve heard samples of but don’t get the instant WOW factor. Which isn’t a bad thing. Some of my favourite albums have started out in my collection as things I’ve hated (back in the day when you bought vinyl or CDs from a shop). So every now and then I go back to that file and click through the URLs and Caribou kept tweaking my attention but I just wasn’t sure. Not something I could write to, I thought; and probably symptomatic of the fact I’ve spent too many moments of the past few years ignoring the fun factor in life, with my head buried in my novels and RPG work… buying music for fun moments didn’t feel appropriate. Until now.

This is a real grower and I’m definitely glad I made the purchase.

They’ve got an odd sound.  Unique.

Here’s a sample track. See what you think.

Sun – by Caribou (from Swim album)

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Music for writing Dark Fantasy and Horror ¦ Soundtrack to Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein by Underworld

Music for writing Dark Fantasy and Horror ¦ Soundtrack to Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein by Underworld

Boris Karloff in Bride of Frankenstein

It’s almost been a year since I saw a Live Theatre broadcast to Cinema via satellite, for Danny Boyle’s production of Frankenstein with Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberpatch.  It was a spectacular visual and visceral event. Helped greatly by the soundtrack which was delivered by Underworld.

You can now grab yourself an earful of the Frankenstein soundtrack via soundcloud or buy the album on MP3 or CD. You make sure you’re not sitting alone in a darkened room when you listen to it.

Perfect soundscape for writing Dark Fantasy and Horror.

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Free MP3 download Chunky Techno Electronica – Ryan Elliott’s Minimise [Color Series] Mix – via ASIP

Chunky Techno Electronica

Ryan Elliott’s Minimise (Color Series)

Another audio gem from the harlequin king within his – a strangely isolated place– handing out his gifts of music for moods and soundscapes to write or dance to.

I’ve subscribed to the ASIP site and every few days get a new delight materializing within my inbox.

You can download Ghostlycast #45: Vault Classics: Ryan Elliott’s Minimise [Color Series] Mix via ASIP’s website, safely and for free, here (scroll down to the small green box).

This is music for shamanic robots. Blissful melodic electro with a chunky, hypnotic beat.  Some soul-soaring digital keyboard peaks.  I’ve had this running on repeat for two days now; headphones at work and big speakers in my study.  It’s contemporary techno, less clubby and more expanding-mind-in-the-realm-of-endless-imagination. Nearly an hour of brain juice for creative-types everywhere. 

Or the perfect soundscape for getting wrecked too if you can find somewhere to exist with a big enough bass system.

Yet another fab mix from ASIP and one to add to my list of all time favourites from this chap.

- Djr

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1981 Synthpop – Ex Luna Scientia by Gary Numan’s old backing band – Dramatis

Ex Luna Scientia

This is a bit of a very rare treat. Digging through my old vinyl collection a couple of days ago I came across a promotional copy of “For Future Reference” an album by the early 1980s synthpop band Dramatis.  (Rocket Record Company: Train 18).  I stuck it on and found myself flashing back to a much younger version of myself, pure nostalgia, sitting here in the Sky Bunker on a hill in Bristol… recalling a teenager in Newcastle with daydreams of being an author.

The treat came when I realised that I had almost no recollection of the B-side.  It was like finding some lost treasure.  One of the newly discovered tracks is this one, Ex Luna Scientia.

It’s got hallmarks of early E.L.O and Queen but still carries a flavour of Numan.

Dramatis are Cedric Sharpley (drums), Chris Payne (vocals, keyboards), Russell Bell (guitars, keyboards)  and Denis Haines (keyboards) who were all originally members of the backing band for Gary Numan prior to 1981; Sharpley and Payne were also members of Tubeway Army – the punk rock and new wave band that helped propel Numan into the electro stratosphere with the incredible Replicas album in 1979.

Here’s some artwork from the front and back covers of the Dramatis album:

Front

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Back

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• You can buy the album under the re-release title of “The Dramatis Project” but be warned, this is not Tubeway Army. It’s an entirely different sound.

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Free MP3 download Ambient Electronica by Andy Green – Tranquilized – via ASIP

This isn’t dishwater electro – this is solid ambient bliss

Download via A Strangely Isolated Place

Another audio gem from the harlequin king within his – a strangey isolated place – handing out his gifts of music for moods and soundscapes to write (and do other things) to.

I subscribed to this WordPress site and every few days get a new delight materializing within my inbox.

You can download this ambient electronica by Andy Green – Tranquilized via ASIP, here.

Not all ambient is made the same and quite often I find myself relegating some of these collections to the last folder in my collection, reserved for periods where I’m not looking for inspiration – just soft noise.  However, this collection by Andy Green is possibly one of the best ever made available through ASIP.  It’s got all the hallmarks of early 1990′s club culture with audio-gravity wells dragging you down, momentarily, to the roots of 80′s acid and 70′s progressive electro sounds of Alan Parson’s project.  This is a definite must to add to the front of your collection. Download it now.

- Djr

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Music for dreaming and dream visualisation: Origin # 01, by Solar Fields

Available on Play.Com (click to preview and buy)

I bought this as part of my monthly hunt for new tunes to feed my creative needs – music that provides a structure to firm up my imagination, music for my writing.

However the album had a totally different and profound effect.  I’m a great believer in dream visualisation.  Shaping ideas and goals within the mind and visualising my life where they’ve materialised into reality: it can be a fun, entertaining and highly motivational exercise.

This is an exceptional piece of music. Drifting off to sleep with this playing, the sounds become a landscape for your imagination to step into and explore… forming the terrain at the same time as moving through it.

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The album has become a touchstone for my dream visualisation sessions.  If you’re into very chilled, evocative and emotive ambient electro then this album is a must purchase.

• View Origin # 01, by Solar Fields on Play.com
• Follow Solar Fields on Facebook

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Album Review: Gary Numan – Dead Son Rising – Music for Cyberpunks

What I listen to when I’m burning chrome…

I bought this a few weeks back and it’s possibly one of the most perfect albums Numan has ever made; part of his on-going and relatively recent collaboration with Ade Fenton.  Skip back to the Halcyon days of Tubeway Army through to Berserker; this is where most people can be forgiven for only thinking of Numan as being all about “Are Friends Electric” and “Cars” whilst totally missing the staggering wealth and breadth of experimental talent going into the chameleon-like shifts of style and sound.  “The Fury” and “Strange Charm” brought in Numan’s fetish for science fiction, particularly cyberpunk concepts and lots of movie-samples – something hinted at with the Mad Max / post-apocalyptic vibe of “Warriors” three years earlier.  Then something seemed to go a little wrong – Numan began to experiment with a rocky sound but for whatever reason, it had lost the classic agent provocateur sound of science fiction punk.  The album Metal Rhythm jars  like a 16-track sequencer caught taking a comfort break.

Ironic when you consider the time-frame of Trent Reznor and his Nine Inch Nails.

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Then  a new sound and a string of albums with a similar and well-crafted vibe, “Sacrifice”, “Exile” and “Pure”.  The science fiction theme was back in full flow, mixed with a healthy dose of anger against God laced with vocals about angels, demons and the pain of tragic loss.

And now, abruptly, after more than a decade out in the media wilderness… people beyond the fan-bunkers are talking about Numan again.  In a good way.  Basement Jaxx had a huge hit in 2002 with “Where’s Your Head At” courtesy of chunky samples from Numan’s track M.E.

“Jagged” and the mash-up that was “Hybrid” came through the Numan engine… feeding everyone’s hunger for the fix. All good Numan.

But “Dead Son Rising” takes everything to a whole new level. This is a quintessential masterpiece – a conclusion, if you like, of over thirty years in the dystopian science fiction realm of electro music – and the stories told by his lyrics.

It’s not an easy album to like.  It doesn’t sing to you with beauty or lift you up in ecstasy, but rather it snarls with grungy overlapping guitar riffs, charges at you with metal shrieks, impales you with meaty bass throbs, lashes you with discordant vocals and the kind of melancholic chords that come from the heart of Numan’s seminal works.

Numan has found his industrial rock groove and its spectacularly awe-inspiring.

The NIN / Trent Reznor and Numanoid “reciprocal influence” has had a massive payoff.

And the album shifts. It evolves within the 11 track** lifespan.  What you start with is a wholly different sound to where you end.

This is music for writing Cyberpunk or any gritty science-fiction and dark fantasy. This is music for scenes of violence, haunting dilemma, fast-paced narrative spill and the fury of a writer’s imagination when it’s on fire and in the moment of creation.

**12 tracks on download version

For me, Numan has been an ever-present Argonaut – a creative hero who existed well before his time – whose music has helped to shape just about every piece of science fiction and dark fantasy, cyberpunk and post-apocalyptic Cthulhu Mythos I’ve ever put to paper.

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Trailer for Dead Son Rising

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Track list for Dead Son Rising:

“Resurrection” – 3:24
“Big Noise Transmission” – 4:20
“Dead Sun Rising” – 4:57
“When the Sky Bleeds, He Will Come” – 4:47
“For the Rest of My Life” – 5:03
“Not the Love We Dream Of” – 5:10
“The Fall” – 4:19
“We Are the Lost” – 5:09
“For the Rest of My Life (Reprise)” – 5:44
“Into Battle” – 5:05
“Not the Love We Dream Of (Piano Version)” – 4:52
“Dead Sun Rising (Early Version)” (Bonus Track – Digital Only) – 5:53

Related Links:

• Dead Son Rising – available through Amazon
• Free track download – The Fall by Gary Numan – via Artrocker on Soundcloud

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David J Rodger – DATA

God is an Astronaut: The End of The Beginning – music for writing

The End of the Beginning - Click to view on Amazon

I discovered this group via a cafe in Bristol a few months ago. The cafe was playing it over the sound system; I asked who it was and a waiter told me:  “God is an Astronaut” .  A few weeks later I’d reached the end of my recent stack of new musical purchases and so I bought every album God Is An Astronaut ever made, bang, in one go.

I was convinced I’d stumbled onto the new masters of mood music – the kind of soundscapes I need for writing science fiction & dark fantasy and working on the post-apocalyptic RPG for Yellow Dawn  – The Age of Hastur.

When I buy a chunk of music I don’t listen to it all in one go; I stash most of it away and allow my ears to nibble on one album at a time – that way I get to appreciate it, experience the way many albums can mature within your mind over a few days or weeks of repetitive playing, and build up an emotional / nostalgic context so that whenever I come back to the album in future… I’ll always have this period – whatever it may be remembered for – in my thoughts.  I’ve started with the first album these folks released back in 2002: The End of the Beginning.  It’s been a few days now and I’m freaking loving it. No idea what the other albums are like but if this is anything to go by: wow. 

The End of the Beginning conjures up sound themes that remind me of early The Cure with haunting guitar riffs in echoey chambers; there’s even a sense of early The Mission and The Orb with eerily repeating loops of modified-sounds tapped through lengthy keyboard strokes.  No vocals. Nothing to remotely distract your mind as you write.  It’s actually a very simple and low-key album, feels like it’s been produced in a bedroom or garage somewhere but that’s not a criticism in any way… it’s just really easy to get into and considering I’ve been playing it non-stop in my car and MP3 players/headphones for the past week or so, I’m nowhere near to getting bored of it.  This is definitely an album I’ll be coming back to over the years to come, when I’m in a zone and looking for audio constructs to give my imagination and nudge.  Such a prestigious notion has only previously only been held by Gary Numan, early Eurthymics the legendary Dead Can Dance, and by Solar Fields and Ulrich Schnauss.

So now I’m looking forward to the next few months where I’ve got all the other albums by God Is An Astronaut to dig out, savour and embed into the creative mesh of mind, emotion and imagination.

Relevant Links:

• Official website for God Is An Astronaut
• Amazon Kindle – Science Fiction & Dark Fantasy novels by David J Rodger
• Sci-fi cyberpunk novels and short stories by David J Rodger

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David J Rodger – DATA

Music for writing sci-fi cyberpunk ¦ just bought every album they’ve made – God Is An Astronaut

Music for writing sci-fi cyberpunk ¦ just bought every album they’ve made – God Is An Astronaut

electro god

I love moments like this; they’re rare for a reason – because it’s not often I find something that so resoundingly fits the psycho-emotional shape of my mind or the taste of my imagination.  Gary Numan does it (his incredible new album Dead Son Rising drips collaborative influence from Trent Renznor and is one of the best yet), Solar Fields and Hybrid likewise always nail that perfect blend of ingredients to create soundscapes that are vast and emotive – without distracting my creative flow (writing).

So a few months ago I was in a cafe / bar in Bristol and the background music changed as one of the staff put his own selection on.  What emerged into that vast, cavernous space, made me sit up straight – ears pricking.  When I asked the barman what he’d put on he looked pleased as punch, and wrote down the words “God Is An Astronaut” on the back of a till receipt.

Skip forward to Monday this week.  I’d made a note in my calendar to check them out properly, a reminder popped up.  A went onto YouTube, listened to a couple of tracks and had that instinctive, gut-feeling of “yep”.  Skipped onto Amazon and bought every album they’ve made.

Here they are.  I’ve stacked them in a folder to pick out one at a time (I like to give each album a few weeks of individual attention to build up rapport and bond, rather than playing them all at once and have no recollection of the mood they create).  I’m very much looking forward to exploring them over the next few months and seeing what kind of new worlds they shape as I work through current and planned creative projects.

Have a play on YouTube and see what you think.

God Is An Astronaut - Click to view on Amazon

The End of the Beginning - Click to view on Amazon

All Is Violent All Is Bright - Click to view on Amazon

Age of the Fifth Sun - Click to view on Amazon

Far from Refuge - Click to view on Amazon

 

Relevant Links:

• Official website for God Is An Astronaut
• Amazon Kindle – Science Fiction & Dark Fantasy novels by David J Rodger
• Sci-fi cyberpunk novels and short stories by David J Rodger

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David J Rodger – DATA

Free MP3 download ¦ Futuresequence – SEQUENCE2 ambient electronica for writing science fiction

Free MP3 download ¦ Futuresequence – SEQUENCE2 ambient electronica for writing science fiction

Futuresequence - SEQUENCE2 - cover image - click for full size

Another audio gem from the harlequin king within his – a strangely isolated place – handing out his gifts of music for moods and soundscapes to write (and do other things) to.

I subscribed to this WordPress site and every few days get a new delight materializing within my inbox.

You can download this one via ASIP’s website, here.

A rich seam of ambient soundscapes for your imagination to seep into. Soak up a cosmic fantasphere of audio structures that warp to every touch of your mind.  For me, perfect to write sci-fi and dark fantasy.

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You should support ASIP by following on:

• Facebook
• Twitter

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David J Rodger – DATA

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Music for writing: Fahrenheit Project Part 7, various artists – stunning, pacy and intelligent electro perfect for sci-fi and cyberpunk vistas of imagination

Music for writing: Fahrenheit Project Part 7, various artists – stunning, pacy and intelligent electro perfect for sci-fi and cyberpunk vistas of imagination.

Available on Play.Com (click to preview and buy)

I recently bought The Last Resort, by Trentemøller, which has been an amazing soundtrack to my writing periods over the past week: I’ve literally listened to nothing else apart from when I’ve been driving my Rocket at full tilt with NIN, Rage against the Machine and various dance tracks blasting out.  Now I’m hungry for new sounds to fuel a shift creative focus (just about to finish a free RPG scenario based on Roman Polanski’s movie The Ninth Gate, written for Yellow Dawn but compatible with Call of Cthulhu and Cyberpunk).

Fahrenheit Project Part 7 is a a candy coated pellet of ambient electro adrenaline that gets your brain juices flowing and fingers clicking the touchboard.

It also includes a track by Asura, a chap that was recommended to me ages ago and who’s sounds I like; so it was a pleasant surprise to find him bundled into this collection.  You can listen to Asura’s track, Millenium on YouTube below:

Millenium, by Asura:

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I hope you enjoy this discovery and find inspiration in the soundscapes.

• Fahrenheit Project Part 7, various artists – view on Play.com

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David J Rodger – DATA

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Music for writing: Fahrenheit Project Part 7, various artists – stunning, pacy and intelligent electro perfect for s… wp.me/pTAKk-1TN—
David Rodger (@davidjrodger) October 05, 2011

Music for writing: The Last Resort, by Trentemøller – moody ambient electro perfect for dark fantasy and cyberpunk horror

Music for writing: The Last Resort, by Trentemøller – moody ambient electro perfect for dark fantasy and cyberpunk horror

Available on Play.Com (click to preview and buy)

I’ve been on the prowl for some new tunes to shovel like coals into the furnace of my imagination.  Trentemøller is an old favourite of mine and provided the menacing soundscapes I needed back in 2008 when I was working on the bloody ending to Edge: corporate espionage in the realm of new-technology meets the cosmic horror of the Cthulhu Mythos, in this punchy novel set in a remote snowboarding resort in New Zealand.

So here I am in 2011, sketching out a free-giveaway scenario for Yellow Dawn based on the Polanksi film, The Ninth Gate; also prepping the novel I finished writing last year, Living In Flames, getting it ready for publication in 2012; and working on the massive overhaul and update to Yellow Dawn (2.1).

All engines are burning: I need sounds to carry me on.

I’m looking forward to this relic from Trentemøller’s archives to give me the dark juice I need.

• The Last Resort, by Trentemøller – view on Play.com

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David J Rodger – DATA