Archive for the ‘Johnny Yen Blog’ Category

A Little Dirty

I cannot say I am a fan of the state of Nebraska. The whole concept just doesn’t work for me. The reality of going into anaphylactic shock in the middle of a dark parking lot with horses vibrating their furious neighs, and the sounds of hooves crashing into the side of a trailer is an odd one too. I was drowning and choking in the grim windy skies there, and nobody could hear me, no-one at all. I think if I were forced to live there I would cut out my heart and just bury into the gravelly soil, and merely listen to the sounds of slaughter all around me, chainsaws of death roaring in the distance.

I utilized a sample of mixer Nittso’s song “Good Feeling” and came up with something I never would have on my own. Being an electronic composer sometimes forces one into a confining solitude, his sample was in E major- a key I usually avoid because of all the flats and sharps. It also challenges my upper register, so I am sure my neighbors were thrilled by this song today- with its 7 vocals takes, and 10 attempts (eventually abandoned) of harmonies. So it is nice to work with another human’s take on the world. We merely trade Mp3s through Yahoo IM, the world is amazing now- no practice space rent, stolen equipment or blown out Marshall Stacks.

The violins actually come from him, and the good big beats too. I supplied my usual ambient FX & detuned my guitar to sound like a bass! I blasted it out too, because breathing is a wonderful thing.

Also thanks to Brian for the nice shout out on his excellently prolific and widely read blog. Maybe someone will hear me besides those damned horses.

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