Free Tutorials, Techno iPhone Ringtone from Francis Preve, Celebrating Single “Caboose”

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Sound designer, technologist, and remix artist Francis Preve sends us some gifts of techno and technology to celebrate his first solo release. For your brain, we’ve compiled the tutorials he’s been working on for Beatportal, which together provide a really great look at some basic music production skills. For your ears, we have his new Ableton-produced single “Caboose” which, coupled with a Josh Gabriel remix – and a free iPhone ringtone exclusively provided to CDM by Josh’s label Different Pieces.

Being a technologist often makes actually finding time to make music a big challenge. But I’ve always been impressed at Fran’s ability to do both. Whether this is your type of music or not, it means that when he talks about techniques, he’s talking about stuff he actually applies in his work – and he has eight Billboard Top 10s to prove his remixing skills, including one for Justice. Here’s what he had to say to CDM about making Ableton Live into a way of reimagining just two samples into a whole track:

The interesting thing about the production of Caboose is that - with the exception of the drums - it was made entirely from two very short vocal samples, entirely in Live 7. There were no third-party plug-ins or softsynths. Every sound was either looped and effected, or placed in Simpler and sequenced, or ‘Sliced to MIDI’ and manipulated. Even the bass is that same vocal sample, tuned down two octaves, distorted, then filtered and compressed. The process itself was so much fun that I’ve since incorporated aspects of it into the follow- up tracks I’m working on now.

In the meantime, Francis has compiled for us a complete index to the tutorials he’s been developing for Beatportal, including synthesis, sampling, effects, Reason’s new Thor synth, and other skills:

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MeatWater “Survival Beverage” Offers Techno Stimulus Package for Economy

Photo: Todd Thille. Used by permission. MeatWater (C) Liquid Innovations.

If this economy is getting you down, our friends at MeatWater, the “high-efficiency survival beverage,” have a prescription. A prescription for techno:

MeatWater MP3 Techno Remix

Now, perhaps this is just a crass ploy for MeatWater to sell more of their MeatWater-protein drinks, which come in flavors like Gyros, Beef Stroganof, Hungarian BBQ, and Dirty Hot Dog. But if there’s one thing I believe in more than the health-giving power of proteins, it’s in the stimulating power of techno. I’m steps away from the stock market, so I may take this on a boom box and hold it out front of the exchange, Say Anything-style. Well, until I get stopped.

I mean, who can feel anything but bullish as four beats pound confidently on the … floor?

By the way, if you’re wondering, just … don’t. There’s not really a rational explanation.

You can talk to the bottles on Twitter. They like German. (send them some German techno, okay?)

Delia Derbyshire Recordings Found, Including Ahead-of-its-Time Dance Track

Here’s some very good news from the UK: pioneering electronic music composer, sound designer, BBC Radiophonic  virtuosa and Doctor Who theme creator Delia Derbyshire left us more recordings than previously thought. Some 267 tracks of music and documentation were found in her attic. The Radiophonic Workshop’s Mark Ayres – who has been single-handedly leading the charge to make sure the Workshop’s place in history is safe – had been preserving them. But now this archive will be a “living archive,” meaning, at last, we should get to hear them and new music will be commissioned for the archive from musicians and Workshop vets.

Among the treasures found in the archive is a short track of what could easily pass for an IDM cut released last year – except it was produced by Derbyshire in the late 60s, using far more primitive equipment, at a time when nothing sounded like that. When Paul Hartnoll of Orbital tells the BBC “This could be coming out next week on Warp Records,” he’s not exaagerating. Sci fi fanboyhood aside, I still think the endurance of the Doctor Who theme is partly because nothing sounds like it even today.

And there’s more – Hamlet sound design, original compositions, her signature bell tones. Even saying it’s forward looking isn’t really adequate. Other Derbyshire sounds, with their wailing electronic instruments and wooshes of synthesized noise, sound as though they were unearthed from some ancient era of electronica. Blue Veils and Golden Sands, a documentary about the Sahara, could pass for the music the aliens played on their spaceship hi-fis when they visited Earth and told people how to build the pyramids. (I’m kidding, but you get the point.)

I’m working on finding out what the plans are for the full archive as they evolve.

Lost tapes of the Dr Who composer [BBC News, via Radio 4’s Nigel Wrench]

Thanks to Ben Rogerson from MusicRadar for pointing to this first and sending it my way, and to Jim Warrier for the tip.

Chicago This Week: Andy Vaz Plus CDM’s Liz and Peter, Audiovisual Evening, Free

Andy Vaz.

I’m Chicago-bound this week, and really excited about the events I’m part of, in case you’re in the area:

Wednesday - Re:vivify audiovisual social: Eco-conscious setting and cocktails, all live audiovisual sets. I don’t know these folks, but looking forward to meeting them! “Alexander Bassett going away party, plus live sets by Release, Lokua, Radius, Unkle Garo, with Glen Stephani visuals, Nikki Magdalena readings, Zac Franzoni painting + more.” Expect to spot CDM’s Mike Una making a cameo. I’ll be doing a full live audiovisual set. And Moment Sound, the powerful musical collective, will be showcasing.

Wed., 9p-2a, Grand Blue Line Stop (722 W. Grand Ave. Chicago, Butterfly Social Club)

[ Re:vivify @ Psymbolic + rsvp | going.com ]

Thursday - Andy Vaz meets CDM’s Peter and Liz at Ramp Chicago: The legendary Andy Vaz, the man largely credited with spearheading minimal techno, meets CDM’s own Liz Revision, largely credited with spearheading amazing parties in Chicago, meets me, largely credited with spearheading CDM and distracting you with shiny gadgets in time you should be spearheading some new musical movement. I’m obscenely excited for this one. Eat your heart out, Berlin. And it’s free. I’d say, hey, if you’re in Rockford, Milwaukee, Gary, Indiana, perhaps even Madison or Champaign-Urbana, change those Thursday night plans and come toast with us!

Thurs. 9p-2a, Damen Blue Line stop (1575 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, Debonair Social Club)

[ going.com | facebook | rampchicago.com ]

Flyers and more details …

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