The great Steven Wilson held a remix contest at http://thefuturebites.com/remix/ to promote his new single “Personal Shopper”.

I’m a big fan of Steven Wilson. He’s eclectic, original, and consistently delivers on melody, mood and energy. The new track doesn’t disappoint, and you can hear its original version here: https://youtu.be/O_H0NO-Cyew. We are talking about a 9’49” epic of a song, a blend of alt rock and electronica, a very non-standard structure with ups, downs, and a 2’30” breakdown featuring spoken words from Elton John. The lyric points out the absurdities of consumerism and the title was inspired by the movie of the same name.

I found out about the contest on the late (Tuesday night!) so had only two days to scramble a remix. I hit pause on my other projects and had a blast with this project!

It’s the first time I’ve done anything like this and I’m very happy with the result. It’d be silly for me to say it’s “better” than the original, but I have to admit that I do prefer my remix. I find it very satisfying. I guess it’s aligned with my personal sensibility. How cool that potentially every listener could make their own personal version of the song, fine-tuned to match their personal sensibility!

These are the main changes that I brought to the track:

1. New chords: I have changed the chorus chords the 3rd & 4th time around to C – Dm – Bb. This progression feels very natural and satisfying to me. From the moment I first heard the song, I wanted it to go there! So, it’s a great satisfaction for me that I could make this change.
   
   
2. Additional instrument layers: mostly a very prominent pulsating pad on the intro, chorus and bridge, as well as an additional string pad on the bridge, and power chords on the final chorus. It definitely gives the track a different feel and some might like it, some might not. To me, it sounds fuller and more satisfying.
   
   
3. Streamlined structure: with a reduced running time of 7’15”. I was still able to retain all the key elements from the original track, but IMHO, the streamlined structure is punchier, more effective, and to me, more satisfying.
   
   

So, there you go. I hope you like the remix. Let me know in the comments!

I was given the opportunity to take part in “Ludum Dare 46” over the weekend.
This is a “game jam” where indie game developers have to make a game from start to finish in either 48 or 72 hours… that’s pretty intense! Not a lot of sleep, but a lot of fun was had!

So I teamed up with my friend Alex de Rosée (coding), Tim Rust (graphics), and I did the music soundtrack and sound design.

It’s called “Only You Can Save the Space Whale Multiverse”.

For a game that was made in less than 72 hours, we think it’s pretty cool!

Please try it out! PC and Mac versions can be downloaded from here:
https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/46/spacewhale-multiverse-only-you-can-save-the

The game can be played on the keyboard with CTRL, ALT, space and arrow keys, but it’s quite hard, and plays much better with an Xbox or PS4 controller.

For the non-gamers, I uploaded an edit of the Intro and Battle Themes to SoundCloud, which you can listen to here:

There’s additional themes and sound effects that we didn’t have time to incorporate in this release of the game. Perhaps we’ll polish it a little more and add these in an upcoming “Director’s Cut” of the game?...

Anyway, many thanks to Alex, Tim, the LD Jam organisers, and anyone who will give our game a spin! Hope you enjoy it!

Earlier this summer, I was given the opportunity to write and produce a track for Nick Luscombe’s “Musicity” programme, which pairs original pieces of music with buildings and landmarks in cities around the world.

The result is “Inside Out”, performed by SuperCool-Guy feat. Fay Cannings.

The song was inspired and written about the Lloyds building, architected by Richard Rogers and nicknamed the “Inside Out building” for the structural elements that make up its striking and distinctive exterior.

It was unveiled with a live performance by SuperCool-Guy and Fay Cannings on 21 July as part of the “Musicity x Sculpture in the City Live” event. 

So where can you listen to the song now? 

First, you’ve got to make your way to the Lloyds building, 1 Lime Street, in the City of London… where you might find this mark: 

Once in the vicinity of the Lloyds building, take out your smartphone, put on your headphones, and go to this page: https://www.musicityglobal.com/tracks/inside-out/

(please make sure that your browser app does not block geolocation)

It’s worth bookmarking the page, because once you’ve “unlocked” the track, you can replay it anywhere, not just on location (unsure whether this is a feature or a bug, but it’s definitely welcome).  

And while you are there, take a stroll across the City of London and Southbank to discover some of the other great Musicity tracks on www.musicityglobal.com.

I hope some of you will make your way to Lime Street and enjoy our soundtrack to this great piece of architecture.