[TR24][OF] The Soviet Space Dog Project - Viewpoint - 2022 (Electronic, Berlin School, Ambient)

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Sometimes life events can help you to sharpen your viewpoint on this moment that we’re all experiencing and a couple of weeks before Christmas, a good friend sadly, and unexpectedly, passed away. Answers are in short supply, but questions are freely available, or so it seems.
Here are four pieces that I played recently. There’s no deep meaning, it’s just what I was feeling when I sat down and heard what came out. I’ve been playing with some new instruments and techniques, as well as having some fun.
The first piece was live and was originally twice the length, but being live it meant that I played some things that weren’t at all pleasing to the ear – never fear, constant listener, I have cut to the second after they finish. The sequencer part was a work-out for a Penterakt idea, using a lot of real-time control. I’ll be getting on with that next.
The second piece was originally called “Tape Experiments”, which gives away what I was doing, albeit in the digital domain, rather than with real tape. I set up three instruments and a couple of software loopers (Enso), pressed record and off I went. I also added a tape emulation onto every channel so that it would be baked-in, rather than added later. This was high risk and there is distortion in places – and it’s not coming out. The overall effect was that I had great fun and all mistakes were left in.
The third piece was based around some interesting Ligeti-style choir samples (think of the film 2001). I really crushed the tonal changes to get that crowded feeling that Ligeti achieved. Well, that’s how I interpret it. Again, I played this live and hence it’s only quite simple sequencing that comes in, although I did pass it through a filter that was modulated by four different stochastic (i.e. difficult to predict) processors.
Finally, the fourth piece was made as I know it would have made my friend laugh out loud. Any fans of Klaus Schulze will, I hope, also laugh at this piece. I still remember the effect back in April 1983 when I saw him live myself.
To me, this release is coherent and that doesn’t happen often. I was in a contemplative mood as I played the pieces and the last one, in particular, has a meaning to me. There is about 80 minutes of music, so I’m afraid it’s a double CDR if that’s your bag. The files are all 24-bit and could sound more pristine… if I wanted them to sound that way. I will write a piece on my “tools and techniques” as a few of you have asked.
I hope that you enjoy the release and remember to laugh, or jump (or both in parallel or serial, your choice) during the fourth piece.
Dedicated to my good friend Tony. I know you would be laughing.
- Andy Bloyce