born in devon in the late 90s from the union of a powermac g3 and cubase 2 now producing electronic music incorporating samples in a happy haze
chemboy’s first release, first impressions (in a new world), is available on Bandcamp
sleeve notes for first impressions (in a new world)
rey madura
our traveller has come from a distant planet in the hope of making friends with rey madura. while making up the words the boiler kept coming on and i’d have to stop recording. in the end it ended up on the track. perhaps that was the machine’s intention?
reign on, rey madura
reign on, rey madura
wherever you are
whatever you do
whoever you see
whyever you choose
so private
mysterious
know so little
don’t know much
if only i could be your friend
reign on, rey madura
reign on, rey madura
wherever you are
whatever you do
whoever you see
whyever you choose
reign on, rey madura
take it with you when you go
i’m a big fan of the french house music scene of the late 90s and, while i didn’t set out to imitate them, this definitely has that feel. starting from the bass line, developing the beats, overlaying the fizz. the tricky dicky with this track was the acid part in the drop. trying to get the lfo to play ball at the right time was frustrating, so i found a workaround. i’d much rather learn how to do something properly, but flow is more important than standing still with creativity and i’m very happy with the result
magnetosonic waves
i wanted to begin with less structure, floaty synths, and allow any beats to flow in a less prescribed way. again i feel there’s an ibiza feel to it, or maybe it’s a bit retro, or slightly cheesy? like most of this seam of work, it wrote itself rather than following a known structure, with an eye on the time, little repetition, no indulgent rambling allowed
don’t mess with mine
the composing and recording process is a constant surprise to me, not least because i choose to do them both at the same time. my intent was to bring the pace down a few notches, while the synth line that set the tone and key ended up taking a back seat to what developed. don’t mess with mine just came straight out of my mouth and again i couldn’t think of anything to add to it, so i went for a second take with backing vocals in mind and out popped the m word. i had to stop because i was giggling too much
cleaning frenzy
my first track under lockdown and i’d been working through a series of diy tasks, but had come to a job i didn’t want to start. often if i’m avoiding something complicated i might turn to cleaning the house; it’s simple and achieves something. so i imagined lining all the cleaning products in a row and going for it, lining all the midi notes on the first beat and setting them off, see what makes it to the end. very happy with the bleeps and beats. wet! rub! wipe! clean!
wet! rub! wipe! clean!
what started and could’ve been
another intentional instrumental piece and another covid-influenced track, thinking about a pandemic that would wipe out the human race and what we’d make of our achievements and our lost potential. all those things started and not finished, all the things we intended to be better than they turned out, all the things as yet untried
two wolves
i’m a big fan of chicago footwork and wanted to produce something minimal with few effects. i worked on individual parts, recording spontaneously as i felt i needed something, a much more methodical approach. the lyrics stem from a folk tale i came across and knew i wanted to use here on this track. the lyrics took no time to write and sing, yet the sound of the vocals took ages to get to where they are
two wolves
two wolves
two wolves
one is evil
one is evil
one is evil
one is good
one is good
the other one’s evil
which one wins?
which one wins?
rage, pride, guilt, lies, greed, war, hate
joy, peace, love, ease, faith, truth, hope
which one wins?
which one wins?
which one wins?
the one you feed
the one you feed
the one you feed
back to london
i found a sample of some london friends talking in devon at the time of the total solar eclipse of 1999 and isolated bex’s question. it’s only a 2-second sample, plus i found another word which, when looped, sounds completely different. i like that. that was the vocals done. the track is a journey and is intended to provide some breathing space on the album, whilst maintaining speed and altitude
call me back
i found a sample from 1998 of two telephone messages left on an old answerphone. my mission was to up the bpm, so i set the dial to 140bpm, opened up the ultrabeat drum machine and created a loop. they played beautifully side-by-side, so i added some dark soundscapes on a synth and turned my attention to vocals. never by my phone ‘cause i’m never alone sprang to mind, then off my lips. it needed more of a vocal hook so i hit record again and call me back came out. the song wrote itself in about 30 minutes from finding the sample
le chit chat
blimey another lockdown-inspired track. our summer holiday had been cancelled and my mind turned to last summer’s trips abroad and how precious their memory has become. so i was listening to a sample of us walking through the crowded narrow streets of carcassonne (in august 2019), my mic picking up passing conversations and the general hubbub of the town as we strolled. and i was there, like a spell had been cast, a travelling spell. audio is such a sensory experience for the mind. i wanted my additions to blend in to keep the listener unsure what has been added to the original sample
all tracks recorded between december 2019 and march 2020
