Humbly Asking for Feedback

[Edwardo Piet]

I've put Hammy's soundcloud channel on when I tire of my Spotify study list, too.

You really like it that much?

What's your favorite? What do you want to see more of? I haven't made any music in weeks (actually it's probably months now) but encouragement like this makes me want to make more.

@Faith No More

Sorry this is your thread. I feel bad talking about my own music on it.

I always love your music, Faith, I'm not good at criticising music. If I suggest anything it would never be a criticism it would only ever be to suggest ideas that are more aligned with the sort of Techno I like.

One of my favorite things to do is to make music in exactly 127 beats per minute. Because at that speed every 8 bar phrase is 15 seconds and every 16 bar phrase is 30 seconds. I find that helps me arrange and layer all the music at the times I want to arrange it. Then I just change the BPM after I've arranged the song and the size of the phrases then change but it all stays in proportion to the music I made when it was easier to arrange in 127 BPM where each 8 bar phrase was 15 secs and each 16 bar phrase was 30 secs.

It's just so easy for me if I want to think of a 2 minute section of music and I think "okay at 127 BPM that's 4 16 bar phrases or 8 8 bar phrases or 2 16 bar phrases and 4 8 bar phrases", etc.

I like doing a similar thing when making loops too. There are certain synths I like to write my loops in. Like basic square leads that are very clear to hear. And basic drum kits I like to write my drum loops in.... and then I just change the synth and the drum kits after writing the loops in the generic one I'm used to hearing things in.

Something else that is going to inspire me to make music.... Orbital are BACK and the personal differences that stifled them are out of the way:

Orbital’s 2017 reunion is, according to a statement, more than the re-forming of a musical partnership. It is: “The end of a little-known, unhappy standoff between two brothers, an estrangement that lovers of Orbital’s euphoric music might find surprising.”

The statement says the relationship between Paul and Phil “has often been tempestuous. Worse than musical differences, they’ve been through the personal clashes and resentments that only brothers can really understand.”

“I didn’t speak to Phil for five years after we split in 2012,” explains Paul. “It was horrible. It’s like a black stain on your heart.”

The statement adds that Paul was haunted by a childhood photograph of the Hartnoll family on holiday on the Isle of Wight. This was a constant reminder of the separation from his brother. “You feel terrible,” he says, “and you want to fix it.”

During their split, Paul worked on his own album 8:58 and the Clarke:Hartnoll album 2square with Vince Clarke, as well as film and TV soundtracks, including American Ultra and Peaky Blinders. Phil, who says he did not want to split up in the first place, spent his time DJing internationally.

Realising there was something lacking in his career, Paul approached his brother and promised to change his controlling nature.

“I tried to turn Phil into me, and that drove us both mad,” he admits. “Now it’s just, be yourself. Be you. So far, it’s working brilliantly. It’s really good to be talking and working together again.”

“Orbital is too big a thing for us to leave behind,” adds Paul. “I always wanted us to be the Status Quo of techno – I’m Francis Rossi, by the way – because I always admired their staying power and their total, tough, motorik thing. If those two guys made their peace, so can we.

“We’ve a tempestuous relationship, not because we don’t love the music, but because we do. Sometimes it’s been impossible to carry on. But we’ve sorted it out now. And this time, we’re going to keep it.”

The duo previously split in 2004, releasing the Blue Album as what many believed was their final statement. They returned in 2009 for a series of 20th-anniversary shows, and recorded a further album, Wonky, in 2012.

I met Phil in 2006. He's a really nice guy.