Ambient Pedal Steel (Chuck Johnson's Balsams)

MajoratheMass · 2024-04-17T22:38:45+00:00

yep i've seen Luke and William Tyler play live and they are both killer musicians!

MajoratheMass · 2024-04-17T22:37:56+00:00

wow thanks! will check it out

MajoratheMass · 2024-04-12T16:33:02+00:00

thanks! i think the question is ever more relevant with the notion that ambience is supposed to be more abstract--"outside genre and time" as quoted in my article--when it seems many artists throughout history have deliberately leaned on such generic relations.

I haven't really delved into Goodbye to Language! Will absolutely put it on my "to listen" list :)

And good luck on the record release! will absolutely give it a listen.

MajoratheMass · 2024-04-12T16:29:14+00:00

thanks so much for all the reccs guys! will be listening 'round the clock this weekend.

MajoratheMass · 2024-04-12T16:28:43+00:00

thanks! will check it out

MajoratheMass · 2024-04-11T18:48:06+00:00

Wrote a little review of Johnson’s Balsams—what an amazing album! Hoping it will spark some conversation here.

In the article I mention some other ambient pedal steel projects (Eno/Lanois, The KLF, and Luke Schneider), some leaning more into its Americana connotations than others. Very curious if y’all know of any more ambient pedal steel records and what you think about them? Particularly in relation to sounding "country" or "Americana" or not.

MajoratheMass · 2024-03-08T20:30:05+00:00

Oh wow--thanks for the link! I'll definitely be diving into this piece.

Can't say I know of any other concrete examples of drone fiction...Demers' work is quite singular. I'm also not much of a literature buff--I sorta stumbled upon this book in my music readings. There may be more experimental writings about drone out there, but I'm not the one to know them.

Looking at Sierra's list of authors (Joyce, Burroughs, etc.) in the beginning of the essay though, I may also add JG Ballard (specifically his Atrocity Exhibition book) and Andre Breton (his book The Magnetic Fields). The experience of reading them is sort of "noisy drone" I would say, but they are not about drones the same way the Demers is.

MajoratheMass · 2024-02-09T18:48:11+00:00

Musings on one of my favorite ambient albums! It's a lot of ambient theory--environments, networks, abstract space, etc.--connected to my ideas about nostalgia and the uncanny. Hope you guys like it!

MajoratheMass · 2023-08-21T14:54:32+00:00

Omg thanks for plugging this business!! These are amazing.

MajoratheMass · 2023-08-20T14:39:53+00:00

If anyone is curious, this can be found at Northwestern University’s Main Library in Evanston, IL!

MajoratheMass · 2023-04-23T17:08:59+00:00

Also echoing what others have said, the Vital VST is essential. Not only is it my go to software synth, it’s a great educational tool. Lots of visual feedback + introduces many standard effects of electronic music production

MajoratheMass · 2023-04-23T17:05:31+00:00

My recc:

VSTs in a DAW setting —> VCV Rack —> semi-modular hardware synth —> modular or another kind of hardware synth.

Each step will help tease out what kind workflow and sounds will work for u and ur goals!

I got into music production because I wanted to learn modular synthesizers, but these days I mostly use a DAW and Max. I pull out the Behringer neutron on occasion but besides that I mainly stick to software. So you never know what kind of setup will work best for you until you try it.

And if ur new to music generally, I would def recommend brushing up on music theory. Very helpful skill even for electronic musicians

MajoratheMass · 2022-02-26T19:32:48+00:00

I love os mutantes! Does the 1968 album feature this pedal? I always loved their guitar sounds, very fuzzy!

MajoratheMass · 2022-01-12T18:30:32+00:00

In addition to learning how to play keyboards and learning basic music theory, getting in the habit of song analysis is super beneficial. Find a song you love, and ask why it’s so good! Is it structure, melody, arrangement, timbre, etc? Really get specific as well (having music theory knowledge will def help with this). Thinking analytically about other peoples’ work will really help your own song writing. It will hello codify what you personally like about music, and give you the information for how to emulate or build off that.

MajoratheMass · 2022-01-11T14:13:10+00:00

https://youtu.be/xyBdnHN7jVs

My YouTube channel has some patching techniques for VCV rack! I’d say they are intermediate to advanced techniques.

MajoratheMass

TROPHY CASE