I had signed up to do the RPM Challenge - create an album, 10 songs or 35 minutes worth of music, in the month of February. I have *almost* done this with others before, but we didn't get it together. This time, it was all me, save the donation of some lo-fi drums which I totally mutilated. I thought I would bring in more collaborators, but that's not how it turned out. I was happy to hide away in my newly rented space with all my gear around me again, totally immersed in music-makery for days on end. And that's just what I did. A couple of the songs got some re-working during the month, but mostly it was all start-to-finish in a relatively fell-swoop. Broken by sleep and fun in the snow and food and a week off to clear my ears et al. So, started about 2 days in, week off, not every days besides, I had 10 songs, 25 minutes, and cover art. All in, really, about 2 weeks of f/t work. However... I was wrong in thinking I *needed* the cover art, and spent too much time on it. At the end, I faced a couple of small technical difficulties and it all added up: wait to release it, and make it better. SO... that is what I'm doing - making it better. I've been tweaking synths variables, beefing up bass drums, finding better verbs, going deeper into mastering... whatever each song calls for, including adding some backing vocals to the opening song, just last night. I was hearing them, and there they were. Now they are. So the album opens with the one and only (as of yet) vocal number. Well, robot Spanish vocals, and my simple backing, but still... I'm thinking I need at least one more vocal number on this baby to balance it out.
There's more, besides the music itself, to work out. Other bits include the art, the included text, yah, but most confusingly is *how to release it*. Bandcamp? CD Baby? I've been making music for 20 years, now, and have hundreds of songs (recorded and not) in my canon, but not once have I worked towards and released an *album*. A long-playing work comprised of the collection of smaller works, which all together create a cohesive whole, as well as working well on their own. WELL... This is FUN CITY! This isn't just a collection of musical numbers, it's a journey, an adventure in landscapes, it's earth, water, air, and space. It beckons one into it's surreal world of avant-garde psychedelidub, airport-hopping dance explosions, diving into an exotic waterworld, french-kissing robots, and spinning gently through nebulas. I am defo turning on the sound design for this journey. It's a sit-between-speakers or wear-headphones kinda work, I hope it holds up as such, and otherwise, as well.
I reached the goal, and am confident with moving beyond it. It's very close to done, but a bit more to go. Though I also look forward to the next projects, It means a lot to me to do this well.
It's a quirky one... a concept piece, and will be released under a new moniker, which will hopefully continue as it's own project. Here it comes.
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