07.12.11 - DAY 341 - My Beast

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A bit of a beastly one this. I started out playing some nice guitar chords. I was happy to call that take a finished song. That was about 9:30pm. I decided to explore some other sounds and grooves, just for fun. Things then got a lot deeper.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

02.12.11 - DAY 336 - Hype Meg

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It's Friiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiday... Some upbeats and ambience in an old skool kinda style.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

20.11.11 - DAY 324 - West Strand

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The West Strand beach in Portrush, at night, is beautiful. Or maybe it was the mix of freedom, love, warmth, fresh air, a heart melting smile, the defiant bench drinking, the tireless energy of a sweet dog, the laughter, the hugs, the kisses and the sense that it will always be this good, with you.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

18.11.11 - DAY 322 - Hyrule Castle Garden (ft. Andy Harrison)

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Today's track is a collaboration between myself and Andy Harrison. We recorded multiple samples of a fan striking guitar strings and made four separate 'ambient instruments' from these. Andy scored a very slow, minimal chord progression for these instruments. An improvised guitar performance was added which was then fragmented and scattered throughout the track.

Andy Harrison is a guitarist and sonic meddler living in Belfast. He is currently studying for an MA in Sonic Arts at Queens and plays in the QUBensemble there. http://soundcloud.com/notcham

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

28.06.11 - DAY 179 - Blame

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More piano based stuff, with some vocals and beats. A formula I'm enjoying quite a bit these days.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

26.06.11 - DAY 177 - Status Update

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Piano piece in 3/4 today. Capturing a mood of reflection and sadness, or resolution fighting with regret, perhaps. You might notice that SADFAY songs on a Sunday are usually a bit melancholy. This week is no different!

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

24.06.11 - DAY 175 - Pier Head

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Back in Mullaghmore for the weekend! This one starts crunchy and dark, then slips into a 3/4 piano and voice piece. Finally, back into the noise!

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

22.06.11 - DAY 173 - Reicher Seven of Four

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This song is in 7/4 and maybe a bit 'Steve Reich-esque', hence the cheesy (Star Trek referencing) pun title. I used Marimba, Kalimba and Vibraphone patches and a couple of nice fizzy synth patches. The rest was arpeggios and automation.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

17.06.11 - DAY 168 - Ninja Jam

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Today's track was made rather discreetly. I rammed a series of automated notes through a tonne of effects (as you do) then played around with all the available control settings. Another layer of similar stuff with a bass patch, some final edits. Hey presto!

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

13.06.11 - DAY 164 - Eromhgallum

13.06.11 - DAY 164 - Eromhgallum by SADFAY

So, we made it from Galway, all the way to Mullaghmore. Today's track was arranged and then pitch shifted and reversed (a bit). I found a nice piano patch in Reason and recorded a couple of sounds around the bungalow. Thanks to Andrew for the photo and creative input!

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

11.06.11 - DAY 162 - A Hallway In Galway

11.06.11 - DAY 162 - A Hallway In Galway by SADFAY

So, as I wrote in: IMPORTANT UPDATE: 4.0 I couldn't get my wav files of SADFAY 161 to upload to Bandcamp, last night. I've since tried uploading mp3s to Soundcloud and huzzah!!! I've been able to get SADFAY 162 up there... Still having problems with SADFAY 161, for some reason.

So this track is a bit of a twisted concept: A clattering of beats, builds up then falls apart into a sound scape, full of random recordings taken here in Galway. That's about it.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

09.06.11 - DAY 160 - I Want To Believe

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The second last time I took LSD, about 7 or 8 years ago, I felt like this music sounds. (The last time I took LSD was a few months after that). I wanted to believe I could stay permanently in that state of consciousness. I wanted to believe that everyone in the Universe was already there, waiting for me to join them. It was great until I had to face the reality that this was utter nonsense. That was a bad comedown. Don't do drugs kids! Anyway, this is a soundscape-y piece that I'm very pleased with. It reminds me of some the moments on Autechre's last album, so of course I'm chuffed.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

05.06.11 - DAY 156 - Tasty Tasty Brain Juice

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I am bloated and tired after a big load of yummy chinese food earlier. This is something of a representation of that, but it was also a chance for me to use the funky little string-percussion-thing-a-me I bought today too. Also added about 20 layers of voice, because I felt like it.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

02.06.11 - DAY 153 - Atmospheric Pressure

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Making today's piece has been a good lesson for me: I was feeling a bit bummed before I started and by the end my mood was lifted. Through that simple process of being creative and actually making myself complete a song, my outlook on things has been radically changed, from angry, frustrated hopelessness, to one of a clearer perspective, maybe even a happy perspective. It reminds me how vital creativity is to my life and how much I have benefited, not least in terms of mental health, from the SADFAY experience. Creativity is my lifeblood. I know and feel this through my being so clearly, every time I begin to write a song, or work on a bit of audio, or jam with my band, or perform a gig: Making music really is everything to me. It feels so wrong and unnatural for me to suppress this or try to tell myself that I should put it aside and get on with doing more 'serious' things. The thought of giving up on this, or letting any lack of 'recognition' / validation get in the way, seems similar to a parent giving up on a child.

Making music / expressing myself creatively is vital to me: It's both a good realisation that I want to celebrate, but a frustrating one as I understand the struggle involved to do anything 'worthwhile' or 'financially viable' with this 'talent' / gift / ability...

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

30.05.11 - DAY 150 - Skinz

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Today's track plays with a variety of percussion samples and some moody strings. I kept this track a slow builder and padded out with some squelchy synth action for added atmosphere. It's something that would hopefully sit well in a computer game or a movie soundtrack, perhaps something set in a jungle, with machines... Or something.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

17.05.11 - DAY 137 - Brave It On

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A tasty exploration today, collaborating with Michael Sampson (of MatscaN Music). Good Orderly Direction and plenty of focus and idea bouncing. Recording some of our own sound effects in my kitchen and towards the rail tracks, near my house added layers of interest. Building up a selection of textures and knowing that we wanted a solid beat somewhere later. Vocal layers, chunky bass, piles of noise and effects. This has some deep moodiness to it and a real bite too.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

25.04.11 - DAY 115 - Happy Birthday Mum!

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I spent a bit of time down at the harbour today, recording the sea and moving peebles. I didn't know what else to add, but the organ sound seemed to work well. Simple and short, but I love the mood of this. Plus it was a nice experiment taking my gear down to the sea shore and seeing if it would survive... It did!

And it's my mum's Birthday today, so Happy Birthday Mum!

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

24.04.11 - DAY 114 - Happy Birthday Linda!

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I've been a bit burned out all day, after the weekend's exploits and travelling three hours to Mullaghmore, I felt something soft and simple would be the best option today.

I love being here though, so I attempted to capture the sound of my parent's bungalow and the cheerful family activity going on. Tomorrow and Tuesday I might focus more on outside sounds, like the sea, the birds chirping, etc.

It's my sister's Birthday today too, so I'm dedicating this one to her!

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

20.04.11 - DAY 110 - Tones 110

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A few nice tones, processed, reversed, effected. Robert's your father's brother.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^

16.04.11 - DAY 106 - Epic Drama Finale

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This is sort of an attempt at making something "film score-y". It's big and epic and there is lots of reverb! It's been constructed entirely out of my voice recordings, except for the huge boomy bass sound at the very start and end (which is a drum loop put through FFT stretching stuff + effects). This is another piece where, when I started, I had no idea what I'd come up with. I am quite pleased with where the creative journey ended.

Enjoy

Cheers ^_^