Techno for Luddites

'Mystic Object' & 'Rose' - J D Young

posted by deprogram @ 10:17 PM

I don't usually take a break over Christmas and the New Year. This time I made a pact with myself to not turn the computer on during Christmas day. Turned out I just couldn't resist. After an over-indulgent lunch and the mandatory nap, I felt that usual empty feeling you get from too much celebration and socialising. I ended up listening to internet radio and downloading funny videos from Youtube.

I went as far as listening to some Deprogram mixes which are almost ready but some vocal takes need to be redone and rearranged. Luckily Ardour crashed after a while and broke my spell, so I didn't get into editing the tracks.

Forcing myself to take time out is driving me a bit mad, but has become totally necessary. This music thing has really become an obsession. I'm constantly thinking about what needs to be done, what is missing in the recordings and mixes I'm working on. I haven't played the tracks to many people yet, so find it hard to be objective about my own stuff. If anything, I'm becoming overly critical, because it's been part of my life for so long. I just need some space from it so I can get my perspective back. Think I'll consult Eno's Oblique Strategies when I start again tomorrow.

posted by deprogram @ 9:00 PM

I can hear the strains of carols echoing from the beach. Lots of enthusiastics voices being led by operatic leaders and probably some long-forgotten local celebrities. I'm trying to concentrate on my web surfing - do you mind?

I've decided to take some time off from music to catch up on my neglected duties of web maintenance. All going well, I should have some new mixes up soon. After listening to the stuff we've done so far, a feel like the sound is so close. Almost there. But sometimes the final details heading towards completion can be the trickiest part.

What I can't stop listening to:

Global Pop Conspiracy Radio

They play everything from Gladys Knight to the Russian Futurists, Ladytron, Stereolab and Goldfrapp - well a lot of interesting new music to give me inspiration during downtime. And it's doing a good job at drowning out those Christmas carols.

posted by deprogram @ 7:41 PM