cloven

Released: February 2018

Equipment: Waldorf Blofeld synthesizer, Korg Volca synthesizers

Listen:

Just a month after Tryst I'd recorded another 30 minutes worth of new music. There was a definite effort to incorporate the Volcas into more pieces (despite the fiddliness of their sequencing controls) and overall cloven had a bit more variety than previous albums.

Kalidofon used a tone that reminded me of a fairground calliope for the main pattern, hence the name. There's a strong contrast between verses and chorus, an effect I would return to many times. No middle eight, which was unusual for me.

Mutagen was an attempt to produce a more 'traditional' electronic piece with a sequencer line running all the way through. All four of my Volca units made an appearance (Keys, FM, Sample, & Bass), the only track where I've managed this. There's an unexpected sound in the fade-out as I held a note that turned out to have a very gradual effect envelope!

Flatfoot stomp was a lot of fun, the relentless arpeggios offset by the lumpy, keyboard-played drums.

Outlier saw the Volcas in action again, Keys, FM, & Bass this time. I like the sparse feel of this one, especially in the middle eight.

Silkpurse was salvaged from the pig's ear of its central pattern - I was hesitant about using the repeating sequence but decided to go with it and see what ensued. More Volcas (FM, Sample, & Bass) and another sequencing error that I decided was a gift from the gods.

Sahara came from a Blofeld preset and a simple set of chords. There's very little there but I managed to avoid trying to gild it.

Möbius started off as an intellectual exercise, swapping between two keys for alternate verses, but soon developed a life of its own. The rhythm section consisted of Volca Sample & Bass.