dreamSTATE - Snowdaze

[Scott M2]

I'll be posting dreamSTATE pieces to the forum here from time-to-time.
(Some of these will have been previously shared with our newsletter subscribers.)
We certainly hope you enjoy them. ~  Scott M2

Scroll to the end for the latest posting - dreamSTATE - Snowdaze a new live performance video.

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In the Dead of Winter - (Scott M2, Jamie Todd)

This piece was extracted from a set dreamSTATE played, right after a major snow storm
in Toronto, on Dec. 17, 2007 at an Altaira Ambient night - presented by Toronto Noise Promotions.

HiFi: http://www.dreamstate.to/audio/dead_of_winter_128k.mp3
LoFi: http://www.dreamstate.to/audio/dead_of_winter_56k.mp3

[Jeff Sampson]

Beautiful piece, Scott. It easily conveys a picture of your description. I'm bummed I didn't get to see the two of you play before I moved west.

=j=

[Scott M2]

Thanks Jeff!  I've been meaning to upload a summer piece
to balance the vibes out and this is a good reminder.

Hey - Is your avatar-photo from your performance when you
journeyed to play at the PiNG with Embrasing the Glass a few years ago???
That was a sweet set!

[Jeff Sampson]

>Thanks Jeff!  I've been meaning to upload a summer piece
>to balance the vibes out and this is a good reminder.

Cool! Looking forward to hearing it.

>Hey - Is your avatar-photo from your performance when you
>journeyed to play at the PiNG with Embracing the Glass a few years ago???
>That was a sweet set!

Yessir, it is. Thanks for the compliment - we had a memorable time in a great club with wonderful people.

[Scott M2]

Time to post a summer piece before the season is gone...

Her Terrain - (Scott M2, Jamie Todd)

This one is from a set dreamSTATE played way back in 2000
and, to me, has a late-summer, late-night vibe. See how you feel yourself.

128k - http://www.dreamstate.to/audio/her_terrain.mp3

[Jeff Sampson]

Mmmmmm... I like this, Scott.

I keep getting a picture of someone dreaming peacefully with an "outside" influence trying to get through to the subconscious.

That said, it loops very nicely with Dead of Winter. I'm already looking forward to the next piece.

=j=

[Scott M2]

The new Buddha Machines - Version 2 have arrived in North America in November.
They seem identical to the later V.1 edition but with 9 new loops and a new dial to adjust the loop-speed/pitch.
They're in 3 new colours and are at least as Lo-Fi as before). I'm looking forward to spending some time with them.

This reminded me that two pieces which had I previously posted here in 2007 were lost in the Hypnos Forum meltdown last year.
I've now reactivated the files and hope you'll enjoy these Lo-Fi escapades - each created using real-time mutation of 2 Buddha Machines and later reduced by editing.

Kan - HiFi - http://www.dreamstate.to/audio/kan.mp3
     - LoFi - http://www.dreamstate.to/audio/kan_32.mp3

Sidd - HiFi - http://www.dreamstate.to/audio/sidd.mp3
      - LoFi - http://www.dreamstate.to/audio/sidd_32.mp3

*A Buddha Machine is a small plastic soundart object/toy designed by Chinese duo FM3 to play their ambient loops.
It's very Lo-Fi but is a charming device.

[Scott M2]

A photo of the gadgets I was manipulating to create the tracks in the previous post.

[Scott M2]

Jamie & I have a tradition of jamming on New Year's Day to bring the year in on a positive note.
For 2009 we were joined by our friends Eric Hopper (Sylken) and Steven Sauvé (karmafarm).
I've extracted this piece and titled it Heliocentric Migration as it starts off ambient then takes off... perhaps to Venus.

Heliocentric Migration - (Scott M2, Jamie Todd, Eric Hopper, Steven Sauvé - 2009)

HiFi - http://www.dreamstate.to/audio/heliocentric_migration.mp3
LoFi - http://www.dreamstate.to/audio/heliocentric_migration_56k.mp3

[Ekstasis]

I did really like "dead of winter" thank you...

Out of curiousity, what are those touchpad devices to the right on the picture ???
They look interesting :)

[APK]

I'll jump in ... Immersion,  they are a couple of Korg Kaoss Pads, looks like version 1 and version 2.

[Ekstasis]

I'll jump in ... Immersion,  they are a couple of Korg Kaoss Pads, looks like version 1 and version 2.

ah ok I think Steve Roach did mention he used some of those. But the one I remember is Red and black ?
I guess that is a newer version...

[APK]

Yes, the most recent Kaoss Pad is black, with a red rim around the pad.
I use one of these, and its a very flexible, hands-on piece of gear. Worth checking out at Korg's site.

[Scott M2]

Thanks for fielding the questions Anthony!

I'm a big Kaoss Pad fan and have the works. Although they get more powerful with each version,
things also get left behind - so each one has it's own personality. The black/red KP3 that APK uses
is strong in the sampling and quantized effects and the silver KP2 is stronger for non-quantized
playing of effects. My favourite delay from the KP1 did not get carried forward to later generations.
They're all terrific for live performance - where you can spontaneously transform your sounds.
BTW - The KP3 is the strongest as a MIDI-controller if that is also important to you.

[matthew]

The problem with live recorded music is that it is no longer live when it is a recording. That must seem like an obvious thing to say and perhaps you completely disagree with me Scott, but listening to live music when it's not played live is a very different experience from listening to live music as it is being played.

There's something about being in a room with a lot of people, and experiencing a "performance" where musicians are able to interact with the group. Most bands have sets and play lists so the effect is minimal, but it's often still noticeable. With electronic, free form, abstracter music the effect is far greater though, almost like being outside in nature, part of a group wandering.

Yet, and having said that, I really do like listening to your work even if it's a recording. It's obvious you're also wandering while you where playing and not following a predefined path. I say obvious, but that's how it comes across, maybe you DID plan very well (and in that case, very good too).

Somehow, the tension of a live performance (where will they go next, where are we now?) comes across well in these samplings.

I also like how as one layer of attention and sounds goes away, there is a shimmer of sound behind it...often the point where you fade out the track and I think...ahhh...I wish I was there to hear where they go next. I especially like her_terrain, sounds modern and old at the same time, I really like it. 

Thanks for sharing these!

[Jeff Sampson]

That's a sweet piece of music, Scott. You really are making it tough on those of us who can't get to Toronto to see you all play.  :'(

Jeff

[Scott M2]

The problem with live recorded music is that it is no longer live when it is a recording. That must seem like an obvious thing to say and perhaps you completely disagree with me Scott, but listening to live music when it's not played live is a very different experience from listening to live music as it is being played.

There's something about being in a room with a lot of people, and experiencing a "performance" where musicians are able to interact with the group. Most bands have sets and play lists so the effect is minimal, but it's often still noticeable. With electronic, free form, abstracter music the effect is far greater though, almost like being outside in nature, part of a group wandering.

Yet, and having said that, I really do like listening to your work even if it's a recording. It's obvious you're also wandering while you where playing and not following a predefined path. I say obvious, but that's how it comes across, maybe you DID plan very well (and in that case, very good too).

Somehow, the tension of a live performance (where will they go next, where are we now?) comes across well in these samplings.

I also like how as one layer of attention and sounds goes away, there is a shimmer of sound behind it...often the point where you fade out the track and I think...ahhh...I wish I was there to hear where they go next. I especially like her_terrain, sounds modern and old at the same time, I really like it. 

Thanks for sharing these!

Thanks for your comments Jeff and Matthew and especially the deep thoughts about the difference in experiencing live music vs experiencing the recordings of live music. Sorry to take so long to respond but here it is...

Having experienced hundreds of ambient (and mainly improvised) performances at THE AMBiENT PiNG, I can only agree with you Matthew. Even the periods of probing and
uncertain wandering can make the areas where the music all comes together stand higher in the journey of the set. The sharing of the trip changes and charges the experience. Since most AMBiENT PiNG shows aren't in concert venues but in bars and clubs, the experience of each person in the room of the performance will also be different depending on their level of focus at any moment and if they're just letting the music be an environment vs a concert - as per Eno's original definition of ambient music.

When I release a dreamSTATE live recording - I don't hesitate to edit out the "periods of probing and uncertain wandering" if I can achieve it gracefully
and leave what I consider to be the more interesting or more feeling parts of a set. (This is why I usually describe such live excerpts as edits, extracts or ummm excerpts.)
Therefore, listening to the results is definitely a different experience from being at the performance and perhaps more like photos or videos from the journey.

On the setlist front - Jamie and I traditionally draw up what we call a "map" to help keep our set moving along (slowly but surely) so we don't get too trapped in a fog
of our own creation along the way or stuck in a key or drone forever!  A tempo indicator helps us set up delays/loopers/arpegiators to be synchrosonic and grooving.
Something along the lines of: 1) Dark intro (G#m) 10",  2) Atonal 5",  3) Pastoral (A) 10"  4) Groove (Em T80) 10" etc...   We'll nudge each other to move along, if required. Although the general "path" is predetermined, I know one hand will often be setting up a fresh sound anticipating a new twist in the flow and we'll end up traveling in a different direction altogether and the scape is abandoned before being birthed. You may not experience that aspect Matthew as my impression is that you might use a single instrument in live performance, while I like to have at least three - so that one can be setup while playing the other two.

[Scott M2]

After the previous discussion it seems appropriate to post another live recording and this track
has been previously edited and uploaded - so I can just describe it and post the link.

"The Storm Within" was recorded exactly 9 years ago today on June 13th 2000. dreamSTATE
was in the midst of a yearlong project called "The Drone Cycle 2000". Each month we improvised
an ambient/experimental concert with a special guest (or two) based around a drone note from
the chromatic scale. (January C with Wally Jericho, February C# with Kurt Swinghammer...).

The Drone Cycle shows had no "maps" - except the July (F#) performance with Steven Sauve where
all 3 of us were playing synched Nord Modulars and we'd actually had a prep session to ensure
that things would successfully work together. Audience members stated it was the best show yet -
so, of course, I'd pressed Play instead of Record and the ADATs were blank.

Our guest for June (F) was cellist/looper cheryl o with synthguy Steven Sauve (aka karmafarm)
who provided additional processing for cheryl from a station in the audience.

As for what I can remember about the editing (on a program (Logic) I no longer use - so I can't
just check the files) the main changes were adjusting the volumes of tracks to feature whomever
was creating the most interesting textures to advance the flow. I do remember that at the end of
this "piece" I was already introducing a new sound to continue the set (which was about an hour long)
and I mixed it right out, to end on cheryl's modulated cello - now "solo" with Jamie's thunder recordings
(from MiniDisc).

Hmmmm - This has turned into far too much text - so I think I'll skip all these extra production musings
in future mp3 postings. Here's the music...

The Storm Within - (cheryl o, Scott M2, Jamie Todd)

128k - http://www.dreamstate.to/audio/the_storm_within.mp3
64k - http://www.dreamstate.to/audio/the_storm_within_64.mp3

* Please note - a remastered version of this track is now available on our "a decade dreaming" album available here:
http://pingthings.blogspot.com/2009/08/download-decade-dreaming-by-dreamstate.html

[modulator_esp]

just listened to all of these and though I enjoyed them, for the live pieces would have much prefered to hear the full sets

any chance of these being released at all?

[Boris Lelong]

Scott, I just discovered "Her terrain", and I absolutely love it ! Warm and deep, I am fond of this type of sound... Thanks for sharing it !