Anima

Released: November 2025

Equipment: Korg Opsix synthesizer, Arturia KeyStep Pro sequencer

The recording of Chosen and Garland had gone fairly smoothly (& quickly) but things started to slow down as I began working on my next album. The burst of creative energy that had come with my retirement seemed to be fading as I contemplated how this new state would change my life going forward, giving me time to consider what I wanted to do with my new freedom rather than just plunging into the Next Thing. I'd decided to stick with the Opsix as my sole instrument and was (already!) trying to avoid slipping into set routines with this new synth, adding another layer of self-examination and delay. But slowly things clicked into a new gear and I found myself creating new pieces, albeit not at the rate I'd managed earlier in the year.

During the recording of Garland I'd relaxed a couple of my (self-imposed) rules, notably allowing myself to use one of my earlier patches when starting work on a new piece rather than setting up each tone from scratch. This allowed me to immerse myself in the notes & chords while noodling around, I'd always end up tweaking the sound as I went along but without getting over-analytical right from the start. This made the initial process run more smoothly but led to complications later on as I found myself having to work out what chords & keys I'd wandered into before I could flesh out the harmonies & arrangement. My grasp of music theory is, at best, tentative so a lot of the time I fell back on trial & error, on the basis of "I don't know much but I know what I like". This could get tedious at times as I had to hunt for what felt 'right' but it did lead me away from some of my familiar paths and into new, strange places.

With this more 'experimental' approach I found myself more willing to record an overdub and then go for a walk to listen to & evaluate it - previously I was more likely to agonise at the keyboard but then rarely reevaluate a new addition. My success rate was a little dispiriting as quite a few ideas ended up in the bin but the ones that survived seemed more 'interesting' than before, at least to my ears.

Although the overall sound is still recognisably 'me' these 'interesting' changes have had an appreciable impact on the resulting tunes. There's more variety in the song structures with different time signatures (sometimes in the same song!), irregular phrase lengths, extra 'linking' bars, and a more playful approach to verse/chorus distinctions. Tonally there are more dynamics in the 'washes', more short & choppy ('plucked') sounds, and a greater willingness to let digital artefacts remain in the final patches. It's definitely a more idiosyncratic end result but still (I hope) pleasing on the ear.

The title refers to the 'irrational part of the soul' (philosophy) or the 'part of the psyche in touch with the subconscious' (psychoanalysis), both of which give an insight into my creative process this time around.

Replicant starts thing off with some driving bombast, short verses & choruses with lots of variety before entering the smooth middle section.

Safehome has a gentle 'tumbling' rhythm, accentuated by the offset bass pattern. A very nice chorus, especially the 'extended' one at the end. I particularly like the way I disguised the 'on' beat at the start. One of my favourites.

Impasse started life as a rising chord sequence and a descending bass line, put together they caught the feeling of indecisive stasis. The nice, simple middle section provides contrast and the little linking sections hint at further prevarication.

Anamnesis has the feel of looking back at a life, maybe one's own, to which the churchy sounds at the start give a hint of requiem. Some nice drifty tones & tinkly 'piano', and one of my favourite middle sections.

Hopscotch is built around a 'skipping' rhythm based on a Balkan folk dance. The restrained first verse gives way to more exuberance and then to a rhythm change for the middle eight. The final verse is a nice mix of smooth waves over choppy beats.

Throwback was originally named for the retro drum machine sounds but developed more of a groovy 60's feel, especially the psychedelic solo in the middle section. Great fun.

Remembrance began with the 'piano' phrase and developed into a series of variations around it. I kept the sounds very raw & unpolished to maintain the emotional edge.