This is the first rasx() music collection of mostly “instrumental” works. This project started back in 1999. This work marks a big change for me, moving from MIDI data sequencing with ghetto tools like MIDI Orchestrator Plus to ghetto-fabulous tools for digital audio sequencing, featuring ACID Professional and Sound Forge.

Brownian Motion

Incept Date: Probably December 2003.

Wednesday, August 11, 2004: Yes, it’s a cute play on words mixing the Godfather of Soul with your high school science class. This cut was primarily a celebration of Songhay System translating Funky-Ass Loops from Redbook CD Audio tracks into ACID WAV tracks—one crazy stunt I plan never to do again. This was also an attempt to capture the joy of playing funk music—studio guys plugging and unplugging right in the middle of song because they know this take is just funkin’ for fun.

Junket of Pillows

Incept Date: Around February 2001.

Sunday, August 08, 2004: The image that inspired this title came from a dream Jimi Hendrix described in one of his interview albums about riding in a caravan under trees casting green and yellow shadows. This cut is arranged in ACID and is powered by the MK4902 driving Emu banks. It needs more bass events and will be okay with me after that.

Tuesday, August 10, 2004: Pumped up the whole track with the Wave Hammer. It’s ready. I’m very proud of this piece for achieving my personal goal of bringing music with an organic ancient feel into the sterility of digital music making.

M386SX Variation 0

Incept Date: Probably March 2001.

Wednesday, August 11, 2004: This means to be one of a series of “variations” inspired by Brian Eno, his cut M386 on Music for Films. Eno was very, very funky. So I want to make this variation mega-funky but got caught up with keyboard solo gone bad. Perhaps I should look for someone who plays keys or just drop the whole thing. I thought it was funny at first but deliberate comedy is really hard to pull off in electronic music.

M386SX Variation 1

Incept Date: Around March 2001.

Wednesday, August 11, 2004: No progress whatsoever. I got a high-tempo beat in mind and reverb-heavy percussive strings. I see a high-velocity vehicle flying through a particle storm.

nkume

Incept Date: Maybe in 2001.

Sunday, August 08, 2004: The title of this cut is a word that means “stone” in my uncle’s Ibo.

This cut is a one shot in ACID powered by the MK4902 driving Emu banks. Improvisation.

notes on desktop synthesis

Incept Date: Probably October 1999.

Wednesday, August 11, 2004: A self-congratulatory track, patting myself on the back for knowing how to use SoundForge to create sounds.

pitch bend

Incept Date: 2001?

Tuesday, August 10, 2004: An irreverent throw-away track meant to communicate the child-like joy of trying to break a MIDI keyboard.

runge-kutta

Incept Date: Maybe May 2000.

Tuesday, August 10, 2004: This was the first song that used loops in ACID the way ACID expected loops to be used. For all you higher mathematics types, yes the song is named after those two guys and their method. But the song is really for that devoted dusky girlfriend from Goa I never had. I can see her now rocking to this beat in some kind of Catholic lotus position.

the adolescence of the cool (dry electric mix)

Incept Date: January 2001.

Tuesday, August 10, 2004: The use of resonant filters really helped with this one. The attempt here was to take some of electronic music of Mile Davis and make it even more electronic—much to the extreme dislike of many Miles Davis fans. People who like it feel like they are in a cool science-fiction action movie and really dig the swelling synth strings over the funky rock beat.

the holistic jam

Incept Date: November 2001.

Wednesday, August 11, 2004: The objective here is to jam. The other songs in Blacktronic Bolongo teach me a lot about desktop sound design and track mixing. But now I need to jam. This need remains largely unmet.

Timex Sinclair

Incept Date: Probably November 2001.

Sunday, August 08, 2004: Homage to the first computer I ever wanted and never got. This cut was arranged in ACID featuring assorted loops and shots.

Tuesday, August 10, 2004: What it needs is some resonant filtering on the treble sound in the foreground. That digital watch beep digs in the ear too deep.