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Showing posts from July, 2024

THE STORY BEHIND: Sugalumps EP

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  Hey, fellow readers of my blog! I've decided to start a new section for this blog named "The Story Behind" which is meant to detail how and why some of my own musical work was made, along with various interesting bits and anecdotes from the production process. To start this section off, I have decided to write about my first EP Sugalumps, which is turning a year old next week. INTRODUCTION: The entire EP was produced on ProTracker 2.3, a music program from January 1993 built for the Amiga (a series of computers that became popular with musicians and creatives in the late 80s and early 90s) and ProTracker is known for its limitations - 4 channels of mono 8 bit audio, only 31 samples are allowed and there are barely any mixing controls provided. To add, it also relies entirely on different counting systems and complex commands. I wanted to make an EP using ProTracker to challenge myself, as I had been making music for two to three years using various music programs such a...

LABELS I LIKE: Business Casual

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  Started by graphic designer and music producer John Zobele in May 2013, Business Casual (known as Business Casual 87' until 2014) has become one of the most well known and praised labels to come out of the internet music scene as a whole since the label's founding a proud eleven years ago. For those that don't know - Business Casual specializes in "internet music" - this can range from vaporwave to future funk to sweet nostalgic pop to underground late night jams (and the odd bit of electronica in some weird cases - even jungle!) so there's something for everyone in the label's extensive catalogue of over four hundred releases, making it a goldmine to explore, listen and discover new and awesome things. To provide examples, BC initially started out as a small vaporwave label, with contributions from artists such as architecture in tokyo, REVERB LITE and even John Zobele himself under the name christtt. Over time, the label developed and some interesting ...

ALBUM REVIEW: Phineus II's FR027 (2023)

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  Released on Future Retro London in December 2023, prolific jungle producer Phineus II's first solo release on the label is regarded by many fans and fellow producers as a modern jungle classic - filled with samples, tough breaks and the distinctive edge that many rave releases of the early 90s had. Spread over two 12" vinyl and eight tracks is a sonic journey through the mind of one of the underground's most loved and respected producers. Recorded over the span of a decade in his home somewhere in England, every track captures the distinctly different and interesting style he is able to capture in his music and this album demonstrates that brilliantly thanks to heavy tracks such as the seminal E Takes Me (a track recorded when he went under the name "Squatski) and heavy rollers such as Selector Sayz (my personal favourite on the album, however it sure is hard to pick!) All of the tracks on this album were sequenced, recorded and mixed using classic hardware that man...