Major Blues

from Major Blues by Black Warrior Lures

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The modular synthesizer can do nothing more than eat, digest and poop electricity. What makes it music? The composer, arranger, conductor, synthesist has to take those random voltages and make sense out of it.

Major Blues is the result of a 1.5 year quest to learn modular synthesis and generative music. Many people think it's computer music, but it isn't. The AE Modular synthesizer is essentially an analog synth. Sure, there are digital components such at the digital version of the Alan Turing machine, the guy who cracked all those codes in WWII. The effects like reverb are digital, even a good number of the oscillators are digital. However, the filters, wavefolders, amplifiers, envelops, gates, even time is all analog electronics from a forgotten era. There is no play button.

For Major Blues, the tune, I wanted to experiment with the essence of the blues form the V-IV-I progression. However, that progression occurs over a very long period of time using minimalist composition methods. Most people can't hear the "blues" because they have preconceived notions of what a blues "has to be." Yet, at one point in time there was no such thing as blues.

PATCH NOTES:

This has fast become a "standard" patch for me. Five oscillators playing quantized CVs from analog sequencers. The "under structure" is formed from four oscillators using a mix of both east and west-coast synthesis. The solo voice is handled by the new rbss module, i.e., random bit shift sequencer. It's a sort of Turning Machine. That was the big breakthrough on the AE Modular system that made any kind of "improvised" solo happen. The signal form the rbss has to be attenuated before quantization. Otherwise it will sound like R2D2 on meth, lol.

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from Major Blues, released October 8, 2021
Tangible Waves
Wonky Stuff

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Black Warrior Lures Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Hey, I'm Damon. I make and test fishing tackle designs along the Black Warrior River in west-central Alabama..

There are many sights to see on the river. The musician in me wanted to record the beauty and simplicity of the river. ... more

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