#look the fight scenes that match up with the bpm of the song in my daydreams can’t be ignored

[azxremoon]

i wish i was joking when i say i can’t go mimimimimimi SNOOOOOORE mimimimimimi without having a fire emblem challenge run on in the background

[hierbamalita]

Rhythm

I’ve mentioned this album before because it is one of all time favorites. It’s full of genre-bending songs with touching lyrics and soulful harmonic tones alongside experimental beats. Liv.e’s voice is heaven-sent.

Analysis

The song begins with a repeating loop, establishing a bpm norm to expect. However, around 0:30 min, there is a shout and the tempo slows down for about about 15 seconds before returning to the previous tempo and melody. This is alternative rhythm, once presented it can be expected again such as in 1:30 min, where the tempo slows down again. I think this created an interesting narrative if you look at what lyrics are sun when the song is slowed down.  

Below are the lyrics to the song. Highlighted are the parts that slow down.

I can't keep breaking my focus Gotta find a way to unplug I'm so wired, I’m troubled At least I'm not alone in this club My eyes doin' me dirty I know this ain't real, how could I even try (Unplug me!)

How am I suppose to tell if I'm here?

(Blink once and wiggle your checkbook)

Losing my money (I can’t keep) Losing my money You niggas always finding a way to keep me broke But is it bout money? Is it really all about money? When you can’t even own your shit, when it’s tangible… It’s funny how they get into my head… How are they playin' with my mind? I'm so wired, I'm troubled… I know this ain't real, how could I even try (UNPLUG ME!)

How the hell am I going to escape this grasp?

(Pick one: machete or handbook…)

Tap out, baby… (I'm really tryna') Tap out, baby… (I'm tryna') Live in the now, what’s it hittin' for? Switch off, baby… We’ve gotta turn off, baby Cause if I want your online attention, then it really ain't pure… Take it off baby… I'm boutta turn it off, baby

Sometimes it's too much for me and I really ain't sure…

Unplug me!

[vocalizations]

Its like when the music slows down, Liv.e is taking the time to think for herself and the situation she has been placed in with decisions she must now take. It is suspenseful and adds to the story of the song. On the final tempo change at 2:55 min, instead of coming back to the pattern we’ve been presented with, progressive rhythm presents itself. The song is evolving, slowing down, losing the melody of the song as her voice ends the song overpowering everything else. Liv.e is such a genius. I hope you liked the message in this song as much as I loved it.

Rhythm Glossary

Rhythm​ is caused by patterns in movement. What are those footsteps in the dark room? Are they slow or fast? Running or sneaking up on you? Rhythm controls the pace of action in your story. Rhythm can be repeated character types, weapons, or color strategies. We see and hear rhythm throughout nature as well as in our digital environment. Rhythm organizes units into patterns. Rhythm is created through repetition, alternation, and progression. 

Alternating​ - Alternating rhythm is a form of repetition and is predictable. We switch back and forth from one thing to another like a tennis match. Alternating rhythm can create tension, such as switching close up head shots of one character arguing with another.

Audio ​​Rhythm​ - sounds that create patterns such breathing or shooting rounds of ammo.

Conceptual​​ Rhythm ​- Intensifies, moves along, or calms the story. Conceptual rhythm coordinates visual and audio rhythm with the pace of your story.

Contrasting Rhythms​ are two or more sounds or motions at obviously different  tempos.

Legato ​means music in a smooth flowing manner, without breaks between notes or a smooth flowing motion.

Polyrhythmic patterns​ - use of simultaneous contrasting rhythms. A battle scene has many(poly) rhythms such as big guns, small guns, shouts, rumbles, footsteps, and explosions.

Progressive​ rhythm is a pattern that changes over time to more or less intensity. Progressive rhythm makes us feel that. something is in an evolving state of change. We can tell when the battle is heating up by the rhythm of the sounds and the actions of the characters running toward or away from the fighting

Repeating-​ The same thing again and again gives us a feeling of predictability

Rhythm and motion​ - When a motion repeats, speeds up, slows down it creates a rhythm. The rhythm of tai chi is slow. The rhythm of Kung Fu is fast.

Staccato ​derives from the Italian verb staccare, meaning "to detach," and can now describe anything - not just sounds - made, done, or happening in an abrupt or disjointed way.

Visual​ Rhythm - When motifs such as lines or shapes repeat visual rhythm forms.

[2bstudioblog]

Flame vs Katy Perry

So, a terrible thing has happened in the music world and that makes my calling of not pursuing a commercial career more and more evident due to the latest ruling between Katy Perry vs Flame case. First of all let’s go over the points again what it means when it comes to copyright in music.

What can you copyright?

You can copyright lyrics and melodies. That’s pretty much it. Anything else are the building blocks of a song that makes up the genre.

What CAN’T you copyright?

In music we say that melody is never complete without the ornamentation surrounding it, that will say the building-blocks that are required to make up the genre. If we start copyrighting a genre, we wouldn’t have genres to begin with.

A genre is built up with the following things besides the melody:

Chords

Chord-structure

Bass-line

Rhythm (Percussion and drum-patterns, now included MPC based hiphop rhythms)

+ plus any orchestration techniques spanning from the last 300 years.

Music is not a SPORT, it should be enjoyed!

When it comes to writing music, most commercial artists are moving around the circle of 5ths, a kind of a chord-relation-chart that tells you basically which chords are connected that could lead to other 5 chords surrounding the song. But other genres like jazz basically goes beyond the circle of 5ths, trying to explore new grounds. And just like with jazz, in the early days, it all started with taking already existing songs and twists them in a certain way so they became something very different from it’s source. For many people this is a challenge that gives people, who are good at their craft, when crafting a cover, respect. For me, privately, I was never a big Beatles-fan, but I find arranging their simplest songs into something more complex exciting and fun! And if I can take their pop-song like “Day Tripper” and turning it into a slick funk-jazz version, with new harmony and melody and keeping the lyrics, I’m honoring the original material. And of course, when I perform the song I let the audience know that I’m doing a cover, not a copy-band project. And with that said, I contribute to The Beatles royalties by honoring them with a new version of their song.

But taking a 4-chord song like Day Tripper means I can change so many things about the song, but the most important thing I try to not to disturb too much, is the melody, but I do have to compromise with a new voicing, changing the line to match up with the new harmony. But the lyrics have not been changed. So no matter what, this is still “The Beatles” copyright I’m dealing with.

If I would pass this on as my own “original” work, oh boy would I be in trouble.

Song vs Song

There are a few similarities in the song, but also those similarities are broken when we start listening for the things more in detail. Let’s break it down really easily with the first thing that hits our eardrums first.

THE OSTINATO

An unbroken rhythm in 1/8 division. In Flame’s song it starts on C and crawls down to an A on the keyboard, chromatically in the key of A minor (The C-major’s little brother, all white-keys on the piano. The rhythm looks like this: CCCCBBBA.

Katy Perry has a similar thing, but not in a synthlead but with a voice-based synth. It’s in a different key, but let’s pretend that it’s in the same key, her ostinato goes like this: CCCCBBAA

Verdict: Not the same. I consider this to be a RIFF, not a melody.

THE TEMPO

Tempo comes from the Italian word, that basically means “TIME”. You can’t copyright time. Tempo really determines the feel of the song and sets up all the instruments way to be played. On a score-sheet you will see a designated tempo in bpm: 120 bpm (120 beats per minute, or 2 beats per second.) Besides the tempo, you might even get an indication how the beat/tempo should be felt. Like in swing music we usually notate it with 2 8th notes, tied together with a triplet indicator. But to write it all out like that, to simplify the notation with usually write 2 8th-bar notes, then an = sign telling the result on how to read it as a dotted 8th tied to a 16th note, explaining a shuffle-feel.

In this case, both songs are played STRAIGHT. No shuffle what so ever.

Verdict: not the same, but you can’t copyright a TEMPO.

INSTRUMENTATION

Flame’s instrumentation is sparse, very simple. Using prominently a saw-tooth synth with a slow-portamento (glide effect between 2 notes) that actually obscure the “true pitch” in the ostinato.

Katy Perry has a more full-fledged arrangement with more instruments, harmonies and different sound-sources. Her ostinato consists of a more organic, voice like quality sample.

Verdict: This would be silly if we all could copyright instruments. We can’t.

Melody

This would be THE MOST IMPORTANT thing to see if the songs are similar. But they AREN’T.

In Flame’s case, majority of the verses are being RAPPED, without any melodic content to the voice.

Katy Perry actually sings a real melody.

Verdict: Not EVEN CLOSE! Katy Perry is in the SAFE ZONE on this one.

Lyrics

Tightly connected to the voice are the lyrics. Are they the same? Thematic content? DO they line up EXACTLY THE SAME?

In Flame’s song, the lyrics is about Religion.

In Katy Perry’s song it’s about Friendship, wins and gains, not making enemies, of course looking at the video it kinda contradicts the message in a fun way, but that’s what video-producers do.

Remember the fight scene in The Punisher (2004) between The Punisher and the tall Russian? The music behind it is a classic Italian opera, which really turns the gruesome battle into a dark comedy.

Verdict: Katy Perry is SAFE on this one as well.

SAMPLES

On this note, it gets a little bit hairy. The biggest question is, did they use the same phrase, the same wording from FLAME’s recording?

Is it a common phrase used in that genre of music? If so, Michael Jackson would sue everyone for using his classic -”c’mon!” from millions of other artists.

Where the phrase lies in the song is about the same, it’s like the introduction before the artists start singing in both songs.

Biggest question of them all, DID TEAM PERRY STEAL a sample, from a song they claim they haven’t heard? The voice who introduces the song also include Katy Perry and the Rapper Juicy J in his voice. Another voice-actor and not the singer from FLAME’s recording? This is a tough one to break. But it’s only 4 words we are talking about. And it happens in the same area of the song.

It just happens that sometimes, songs overlap each other like stars in the sky, making a perfect line. I know a lot of songs that sounds alike, but nowhere close to be copyrighted because of LYRICAL and MELODIC content.

VERDICT: This is the only point that’s of interest of the discussion. Would love to hear the process of how they both ended up with the same wording and a similar voice on both of the recordings. The voices sounds really close to each other, but the other voice still extends the recording, making me believe it is NOT a SAMPLE but an ORIGINAL RECORDING specially made for KATY PERRY’s SONG. 50/50. But I’m pretty sure it’s an ORIGINAL RECORDING. And copyrighting a COMMON PHRASE would be LUDICROUS. Then Shakespear would OWN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE!

These were my thoughts.

[gaiabros]

Short on time? Head on over to our ELECTROWEEN Mixes page where we have created an archive for all of our ELECTROWEEN productions. There you will find our latest 2017 mixes to stream and download. We will be adding additional mixes from other projects in the future, so please subscribe to GAIA BROS to receive forthcoming news and announcements.

Prologue: Alone In A Basement (An Origins Story)

In October 1994, somewhere in a small suburb of Detroit, I was playing by myself in my Ghostbusters tent in the drafty unfinished basement of my parents’ house. All of the lights were off, with the exception being the ceiling light near the stairs heading up to the main floor. It was almost Halloween, and my curiosity was unquenchable.

I had inside the tent with me a single battery powered cassette player and a tape that I had smuggled from my parents without raising suspicion. Being young and foolish, my inquiring mind drove me to ask but one innocent little question:

“What else is there?”

With the help of the internet, I tracked down the memory of a tent that had almost been consumed by time. What is shown below closely depicts the visual atmosphere of this personal memoire I wish to share. This I remember vividly.

Encounter With The Tape

I had managed to load my cassette player with the blood red Halloween tape my Mom used for luring brave trick or treaters to our doorsteps. This particular tape included all sorts of haunted sounds, noises and things within the realm of the supernatural. Ghosts shrieking. People screaming. Chains dragging on cement. Zombies moaning. It was truly horrifying for a seven year old boy; my brain at that age often blurred the lines between fantasy and reality. I dared myself to listen as long as my bravery lasted, which was no longer than five minutes. Spooked by my imagination recreating all of the surreal scenes around me, I ran upstairs as fast as possible, never stopping to look behind me at what was following and chasing me…

Leaving that tape to continue to play on, into the empty darkness of bare, cold concrete and musty air…

A Tale From A Dark Place, Carried

Undoubtably, this was one of the scariest experiences of my entire life. I distinctly remember the feeling of being chased by the void and my heart racing at insane speeds. The influence of that vivid moment in my early childhood left a permanent scar on my subconscious mind. Looking back, I can say that it planted an endless curiosity of the unknown — and an eagerness to come to terms with it.

“No End Darkness” — my latest mix released for ELECTROWEEN 2017 — is the most recent and honest attempt I’ve made at revisiting that frigid, dreadful basement and remembering what it was like…

Sensing the coldness of the air…

Grasping the presence of absence….

Witnessing the canvas of the void…..

Feeling hopelessly vulnerable and alone.

Twenty three years later, that tape still plays its haunted cacophony into the atmoshere within the depths of my soul.

Reconciliation

This is my personal encounter that I’ve chosen to share with the world, and by doing so, have come to confront my fears and the wholeness of life once again.

Knowing the darkness is a personal experience we must all wrestle with in some aspect of our mortal existence. However, it is through the honesty of our shared vulnerability that we discover the most promising truth of human existence:

That each of us is not alone.

“No End Darkness” Mix Liner Notes

From Scott: These are the sounds of a past golden age, paired with the technology of the present. Some of these tracks have echoed in my mind for the past 20 years and never left me. They are the video games and stories I grew up with, forever entwined in the fibers of the visionary synthwave works and gaming titles of today. This is the present in full reconciliation with the past. Everything is relevant, and nothing is forgotten.

These artists and their counterparts communicate the importance of narrative, of colossal struggle and the great lengths protagonists go to fulfill their missions. They tell of creative diligence, uninhibited imagination, and a reconnection to the core essence of humanity; that is, the capacity to endure life’s most difficult trials in dark times.

Key influences for this mix include Castlevania (The new Netflix Original series released in July, created by American film producer Adi Shankar), Stranger Things Season 1 (in anticipation of Season 2 releasing October 27th!), Game of Thrones (HBO’s masterpiece, particularly season 7 here), and all of the timeless 80s/90s NES masterpieces (in particular: Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania, The Legend of Zelda, and Mega Man series). While I know these creations are not for everyone, I could not hold them in higher regards nor offer more significant recommendations for those adventurous in spirit, mind, and heart.

I should note that No End Darkness is just as much of a political statement as it is a memoir. Perhaps some of the included pieces speak to your own experiences this year; maybe none of them will. It is crucial for me to note that my objective is not to seek agreement nor acceptance from its creation. This project came out of a need to express myself and challenge the forces dictating this very moment. Now that it has been released into the wild, it may very well speak for others too, but not intentionally.

This work is dedicated to my loving parents and brother; for introducing me to the darkness at an early age, and giving me the strength to learn from it and fight it, no matter the cost. Thanks for all of your support along the way. I love you guys.

“The Nightmare Begins” Mix Liner Notes

The Nightmare Begins came into being after one of the best gaming experiences I have had. Early this year The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild released with the Nintendo Switch. Then the idea was fully formed with my viewing of American Horror Story: My Roanoke Nightmare. From those inspirations came a steadier mix filled with atmosphere instead of the bombastic electro that came in years prior.

Zelda BoTW is a video game all about exploration. Within the land of Hyrule, there are no waypoints or map markers telling the player where to go. Every destination you must set on your own by climbing up a high area to see interesting points in the distance. Complete directionlessness is given to you, but the developers trusted they built an interesting enough world that you’d want to explore anyways. In addition, I decided to play with the pro-HUD on, which takes away the minimap and forces you to remember your surroundings and paths. Just getting lost in the world was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had in a video game. Combined with themes of loss and Zelda’s timeless charm this is a perfect combination for ELECTROWEEN.

Getting LOST was what I took away from this game. The point was to go for a jaunt in the woods and get sidetracked. Find something that sparked your interest? That something could turn out to be a cute Korok (a type of woodland spirit) or a dangerous Guardian that could down you in one hit. Whatever the consequences it was always compelling and fun. Link, the character you play as, wakes up at the beginning of the game to find his own nightmare come to fruition. As Link, you must go through this waking nightmare. I wanted to reflect this in my mix, but with a much darker and slower tone than previous years.

I first came across American Horror Story with my girlfriend, Jessica. She asked me to watch it with her, as it is one of her favorite shows, I was reluctant. Historically, I’ve not been a fan of extremely scary tv or cinema. For those not familiar, American Horror Story changes every season in what story is told and the way in which it is told. We started by watch season 5: Hotel. Other than the performance by Lady Gaga, I didn’t enjoy the show. It was watching this year, season 6: My Roanoke Nightmare that got me hooked. The first half of the season is done in the style of true stories, that is, the “real” people are recounting their horrible time at the Roanoke Manner while actors act out the scenes. The second half of the season is played out like a reality show. The entire season is thrilling, tense, and extremely graphic. The many times I wanted to cover my eyes in horror, I also wanted to dive back into the show night after night.

Yes, a theme of My Roanoke Nightmare was getting lost in the woods. Unlike Zelda, this usually played out poorly for the heroes. Both Zelda and American Horror Story were my two and only influences for this mix. Usually, I have several others, but these two pieces of media were masters of their respective areas, it only felt right to draw from them.

Inside The Nightmare Begins: Different From Years Past

The Nightmare Begins is much slower than previous ELECTROWEEN mixes. It was very difficult for me to find songs that fit into what I wanted at the beginning. I started with a list of about twenty songs I thought could work, knowing that many had to be manipulated in ways I wasn’t quite comfortable with yet. I ended up throwing about half of my original track list out and completely replacing those selections.

The first song I knew I wanted in the mix was Hot Lights by Lany. This song set the tone for what I wanted the mix to be. A plodding medley focused on the somber mood, yet something you could dance to. My usual sources of Bandcamp and Beatport were quite useless at the beginning of my search. Fortunately this year I was exposed to quite a bit of Lana Del Rey, thanks to Jessica. Three of Lana’s songs are in The Nightmare Begins since she captures such a dreamy darkness with her voice. It was a perfect match!

Most, if not all, of the song selections were slowed down between 10 to 40 bpm — even Lana Del Rey’s songs were slowed down. Two songs, Somebody Else and Starboy were fast upbeat club remixes. Both of the song tempos were reduced heavily to give the exact feeling I wanted. Personally, I thought the slowed down versions sounded amazing. Check out the originals below:

I discovered it was difficult to pick out songs because I had to listen to the songs as if they were already slowed down. I had to see if the music would sound good together in a much slower tempo. Fortunately, it worked out for the best and now you can enjoy The Nightmare Begins.

Art and Music: The Voices of The Times

One takeaway we hope our work conveys is the reminder that no art form exists within a vacuum. Every personal creation is subject to the circumstances of the time and age from which it is crafted. In this way, these mixes give voice to an era ravaged by the evil-doing of cowardly men and women, the few seeking to fulfill personal agendas at the expense of the many. Every day has felt darker since their arrival, and the nights longer…

Right now, this Halloween season, we ask Karma to return the light to these lands again soon and conquer the darkness in which we find ourselves living. The great balance will be restored. In the meantime, we suffer through the long night together. Not just as a people, or a nation, but more so as a species that has survived hundreds of thousands of years of pain, grievances and tragedies alike.

As we continue to endure the darkness and nightmares before us and within ourselves, let us never forget the pendulum swings both ways.

Yours,

SW (VII) and MK (Loveless)

ELECTROWEEN 2017's No End Darkness and The Nightmare Begins are musical journeys into the depths of Hell itself. Short on time? Head on over to our ELECTROWEEN Mixes page where we have created an archive for all of our ELECTROWEEN productions.