swaying smoke

The End of This Blog.

2009-12-01T09:57:00.000-05:00

In an effort to consolidate my online accounts, I have moved this blog to http://swayingsmoke.com. This blog will be deleted in the near future. Thank you.

Encompassed by the Rain Remixed

2009-10-07T08:49:00.001-04:00

My song from the Public Spaces Lab netlabel compilation, Ceci n’est pas une pipe, has been remixed by Quarterbit.

He will be performing a showcase of that compilation at the Netaudio Festival in Berlin.

I wish I could be there to hear his set, but Berlin is well over four thousand miles away. It’s a bit of a hike from here.

23. Cement

2009-10-01T08:54:00.001-04:00

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/track/cement">Cement by Swaying Smoke</a>

22. Finally

2009-09-25T08:56:00.001-04:00

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/track/finally">Finally by Swaying Smoke</a>

It’s been too many months since I’ve posted a song, but here is a new one. Unfortunately, real life has a way of interfering and stopping this sort of work. I wanted a MIDI controller so that I could have a more hands on approach to recording the soundscapes and drones that I make. A couple months ago, I got the Akai APC40. The controller is great (of course) and it gave me the ability to “play” my songs. But I had to rethink the way that I compose to really use it effectively.

PS010 on Mashable

2009-09-15T08:58:00.001-04:00

Mashable reaches a whole new audience for our releases and specially for PS010, a release that we are very proud of and our servers already felt the power of it with some downtime that we took care of immediately. This is a feature that we feel very proud of because, being a netlabel, we are all about sharing the music we release to the biggest audience possible and Mashable just has given us the opportunity to do just that.

- PS010 featured on Mashable | PublicSpacesLab

21. Speaking Machines

2009-08-18T09:04:00.001-04:00

There is a new compilation out today on the Earth Monkey Productions netlabel entitled Field Notes. I have a song on there called Speaking Machines. It is comprised entirely of field recordings I made of various machines. I then used those recordings to put this track together. It is noisy and a little harsh, but the soundscapes of machines are not necessarily soft on the ear. I’ve been anxiously awaiting this release. It has been in the works since March but is now here. Go! Download! Enjoy!

Earth Monkey Productions - Various Artists - Field Notes

20. Various Artists . Ceci n’est pas une pipe

2009-08-07T09:41:00.004-04:00

A song of mine, Encompassed by the Rain, was included on the latest release from Public Spaces Lab: Various Artists . Ceci n’est pas une pipe

Artists: mapmap, Somio, QuarterBit, DigiTube, SpectaCiera, Evelon, Løser,ambienteer, Swaying Smoke, Bleak Emptiness, IOK-1, Coax, I Buried Paul, Benjamin Dauer, Carl Sagan’s Ghost, Julien Mier.
Mastered by: Pure Tone @ Pure Tone Mastering Studios, UK
Graphic Design: Fernando Mateus @ Atelier Fernando Mateus, PT

It's a huge release, 1 hour and 45 minutes, but it is all very good. Make sure that you look through the 40 page PDF booklet. There is a lot in there.

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/track/encompassed-by-the-rain">Encompassed by the Rain by Swaying Smoke</a>

You can download the release from Public Spaces Lab for free.

Muxtape

2009-07-10T08:09:00.002-04:00

I received an invite to Muxtape.com from Twitter friend @madebyrobot the other day. Thanks again, pal!

All I have on there right now is the cover art for Hidden Beneath the Soil, the songs for streaming and a few links. I'm still thinking about what to do with it.

http://swayingsmoke.muxtape.com/

19. Fireworks

2009-07-06T12:03:00.004-04:00

I recorded some of the sounds around me as we were watching the fireworks on the Fourth of July.

Today, I manipulated the sounds from the recording and added some effects to create this little track:

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/track/fireworks"&amp;amp;gt;Fireworks by Swaying Smoke&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

The slight bit of noisy melody was captured from an ice cream truck driving by in the distance. You can also hear people talking. My favorite part was when my daughter clearly exclaimed, "Whoa!" I had to separate it from the rest and sound it on its own.

18. Blend

2009-07-03T10:43:00.003-04:00

New minimal drone with small bits of texture and melody layered on top.

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/album/digressions-iii">Blend by Swaying Smoke</a>

17. Travel (Seven Pieces)

2009-06-05T09:36:00.002-04:00

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/album/unreason">Cement by Swaying Smoke</a>

16. Exhaustion

2009-05-27T09:49:00.002-04:00

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/track/exhaustion">Exhaustion by Swaying Smoke</a>

15. Remix of Ennio

2009-05-01T10:00:00.001-04:00

I’ve remixed a song by Ambienteer called Ennio.

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/track/o-nine">O Nine by Swaying Smoke</a>

14. Hidden Beneath the Soil

2009-04-21T10:20:00.003-04:00

My latest album, Hidden Beneath the Soil, was released today by the Public Spaces Lab netlabel. It’s available for free download from them here.

This album describes the dark things hidden underground, lurking in forgotten passages and tunnels, mixed into the very ground that we walk.

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/album/hidden-beneath-the-soil">Tunnels by Swaying Smoke</a>

13. The Invocation

2009-03-31T09:29:00.001-04:00

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/track/the-invocation">The Invocation by Swaying Smoke</a>

12. I Know What You Are

2009-03-28T09:27:00.001-04:00

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/track/i-know-what-you-are">I Know What You Are by Swaying Smoke</a>

11. Brilliant Red

2009-03-27T09:29:00.001-04:00

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/track/brilliant-red">Brilliant Red by Swaying Smoke</a>

This song was created entirely from samples of birdsong that I had recorded. Most prominent in the samples was a brilliant red cardinal and some crows. I put it all together to create an ambient drone. I added unaltered birdsong to it as well. To top it off, I slightly manipulated the song of the cardinal and the crows and added that in as well.

10. Blister

2009-03-27T09:25:00.002-04:00

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/track/blister">Blister by Swaying Smoke</a>

9. Buddha Machine 2:3 (Mistakes Remix)

2009-03-16T09:30:00.001-04:00

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/track/buddha-machine-2-3-mistakes-remix">Buddha Machine 2:3 (Mistakes Remix) by Swaying Smoke</a>

I made this song from the Buddha Machine 2. I’ve altered the third track on there and also included some accidental noise.

I created this song to test out my new computer. I finished it all up and was just listening to it and typing at the same time. My computer apparently has a mic on it somewhere that picked up the sound of my typing, my chair creaking and other ambient noises.

I thought that this added a nice touch to what I had already worked up. I messed around with the new noise to add it in.

8. One

2009-03-09T09:28:00.003-04:00

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/track/one">One by Swaying Smoke</a>

This song was originally a short piece for piano. Then it morphed into a piece for orchestra. From there it became a shimmering piece of ambient drone with a nice bit of orchestral ‘noise’ in the background.

About two weeks later, I decided to rework it to include the original piano music I had written. Yes, there is actual straightforward, melodic piano in one of my songs.

7. Bitter Fragments Emerging

2008-12-16T10:44:00.001-05:00

Originally released by Crumbling Wall Records.

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/album/bitter-fragments-emerging">Futility Held Close to Heart by Swaying Smoke</a>

6. The Xmas EP

2008-11-30T10:45:00.001-05:00

I'm not a Christian, but I do enjoy Christmas music. This EP contains three Xmas songs that I put together just for kicks.

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/album/the-xmas-ep">O Come, O Come Emmanuel by Swaying Smoke</a>

5. The Firmament

2008-09-12T10:49:00.001-04:00

Originally released by Mz'umf Records

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/album/the-firmament">The Firmament I by Swaying Smoke</a>

Birth - Mz'umf Records

2008-08-26T10:58:00.000-04:00

A song of mine, The Firmament, was featured on the Birth compilation put together by Mz'umf Records. You can download it for free from the Internet Archive.

Update:

Mz'umf Records seems to have shut down. The release is still on the Internet Archive, but just in case someone decides to remove it, I am also hosting the track on my music sub site.

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/track/the-firmament-i-2">The Firmament I by Swaying Smoke</a>

4. Sensory

2008-08-26T10:50:00.001-04:00

Originally released by Crumbling Wall Records netlabel.

The five ambient pieces on this EP are made of haunting drones, sparse melodies and the occasional percussion.

<a href="http://music.swayingsmoke.com/album/sensory">Drowning by Swaying Smoke</a>