Happy new year.
My NYE was nothing short of dull. Didn't go out, no parties, nothing. Nada. Nope.
I spent it watching films, drinking 50% proof whiskey, and listening to some music.
I also went to work on the zentar, my signature guitar. The zentar is kinda cool in that i designed/buit the thing around 10 years ago or so.. and still have the original body from the prototype.
Two things i wanted to fix: the neck & the wiring. The zentar is in it's 3rd incarnation now, and as such will feature a fretless neck, so i can play the lovely eastern scales (or maqams). Problem is i defretted a regular neck (with the help of my old man) and made a rough job of it, and filled up the gaps with super glue and laquered the neck. Naturally it's been a long time since i've done that kinda work and i did a pretty sloppy job... So i kinda went about fixing it today.
A fretless neck must be completely flat and smooth, and the problem was that although i'd sanded the laquer down after applying various coats, it was still uneven. So i sanded it down some more today.. it's flatter and better now, still needs abit more work though....
Other issue was the wiring.... The zentar is a fairly complicated wiring job, since it features 5 pickups no less (don't ask...). I hooked up the scratchplate live and ground wires to the ground of the guitar body and the live and ground of the jack... plugged in............BUZZZZZZZZZZZ.........usually when a guitar is buzzing it's ass off...it's a ground issue.. and when you're getting buzzing as loud as the signal itself... it usually means you've crossed the live with the ground.... So i take off the jack from the body unsolder the ground.. try again.. no sound... okay.. so now i KNOW i stupidly wired the thing up back to front (i wired up the jack 5 years ago, not recently... so that's my excuse).
After re-soldering the wires, plugged in...still no sound... hmm... so i turn up both volume knobs and hey! sound!
there's an issue though.. firstly in that the volumes are independant and the humbuckers or single coils should work even if one of the other is off.... and as far as i can tell the humbuckers aren't working either.... so i'll probably have to re-wire them since i'm not sure what's wrong, and i didn't do a stellar job anways 5 years ago....
once i've taken care of those... Zentar MKIII baby...
I've been taking that lucid dream Binaural beat dose for 3 days now, it's weird, i always doze off at around the same part... don't know if that's just a mega coincidene or what. Tonight is the last night i'll be doing it, since i'm curious to try others now.
Anyways, it's january 1st.. and i don't feel different, or compeled to act different, to set resolutions or anything.. it's bizzare... i've never felt so disconnected from life...
Either way i do intend to focus more on reading, learning about the middle eastern stuff properly (now that i have some books!), working on my musical studies, developing my guitar playing to the next level, and working on my new album and projects.
Call all that resolutions if you will... i certainly wouldn't... because i will actually do them all.
Well i'm off to give my brainwaves a tinker...
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same
Well, for the 3 or 4 of you that read this, i hope you've had en enjoyable Xmas.
Last one was an interesting evening. I was feeling quite down, and thought i'd try something i hadn't in quite awhile. For those of you who know about Binural beats/audio, you know the various things/products that exist in that vain. There is allot of sceptisism and rightfully so, but also you have to know that if you avoid all the nonsense on the internet and just try it properly, that for the most part is can work.
Now i've tried various ones with various results, and usually only when i've done it properly and had no expectations has it worked. Last night i tried one which helps to give lucid dreams. Now, i wasn't expecting much, especially since you're supposed to sleep right after it, and i'm something of an insomniac, but interestingly enough, the "dose" kicked in quite well... at some point during it i actually fell asleep (Which is a miracle since as an audio engineer, listening to frequencies and noise, i can never fall asleep if that's going on around me) towards the end of it.
I woke up and saw that it had finished, and was startled. Anways i fell asleep again (also something of a mircale since once i awaken i can never fall asleep again), and had some very interesting dreams... and not only do i remember them in detail, but they were Semi-lucid... as in i was seeing them from my own perspective, as opposed to seeing myself in the 3rd person... and was fairly aware and slightly in control of what was going on... if i had not been interrupted (fucking uncle switched on the lights...) i believe they would have turned into a fully lucid dream perhaps.
I had contemplated doing something far more poweful and dodgy, but i talked myself out of it, since i haven't used the binaural stuff in awhile and didn't fancy giving myself an anxiety attack. Especially since i'd been reading up on the forums about them before using it. It was ironic to see all the stuff i read happen when i took it.. Proof that the mind really does create what we want it to. But i relaxed during the dose, and aside from some REM eye flickering, some interesting visual stuff, i enjoyed the experience. At times it felt like i was sinking, and i could feel my subconcious mind opening, relaxing, making me feel more "Connected"... was the best i'd felt in awhile actually.
My reasons for doing this was purely because this time of year is not a good period for me. Aside from Xmas being a family holiday, and in all reality.. i don't have much of a family, never really did in the normal sense of the word, It's reminder of how things were, and how they are now.
I don't really like to talk about it that much, and have no intention of changing that habit... hence me babbling on about the Binaural stuff like a salesman. Around now till Mid January i'll be in something of a "Funk"... and best thing to do is just keep out of my way so to speak... not that there seems to be anyone in my way.
It's strange.. This Xmas i have realised that in all reality, i really don't have anyone in my life in terms of friends or relations... I mean i have people i know and get along with quite well.. but for the last 9 or so days i've mostly been alone and indoors, whilst most are out amongst friends and loved ones. Weirder still... is that i've slowly become accustomed to that way of living... Heck, it took Xmas to come along for me to REALLY notice how bad i'd gotten.
The problem is breaking that.. Reclusive nature is something which grows on you, and being around people and going out actually becomes an uncomfortable experience... To the point where people are asking you out all the time and you're making excuses for not going out.. when in all reality all you do is sit at home...
I'd be lying if i said i'm going to work on breaking the habit... I'm more interested right now on focusing on my playing and music... Hopefully i'll have the new album out sometime early next year (i'm gunning for around April perhaps..).
Now, i'll leave you all to your parties and social status... Have a fun & Safe New Years Eve.
Last one was an interesting evening. I was feeling quite down, and thought i'd try something i hadn't in quite awhile. For those of you who know about Binural beats/audio, you know the various things/products that exist in that vain. There is allot of sceptisism and rightfully so, but also you have to know that if you avoid all the nonsense on the internet and just try it properly, that for the most part is can work.
Now i've tried various ones with various results, and usually only when i've done it properly and had no expectations has it worked. Last night i tried one which helps to give lucid dreams. Now, i wasn't expecting much, especially since you're supposed to sleep right after it, and i'm something of an insomniac, but interestingly enough, the "dose" kicked in quite well... at some point during it i actually fell asleep (Which is a miracle since as an audio engineer, listening to frequencies and noise, i can never fall asleep if that's going on around me) towards the end of it.
I woke up and saw that it had finished, and was startled. Anways i fell asleep again (also something of a mircale since once i awaken i can never fall asleep again), and had some very interesting dreams... and not only do i remember them in detail, but they were Semi-lucid... as in i was seeing them from my own perspective, as opposed to seeing myself in the 3rd person... and was fairly aware and slightly in control of what was going on... if i had not been interrupted (fucking uncle switched on the lights...) i believe they would have turned into a fully lucid dream perhaps.
I had contemplated doing something far more poweful and dodgy, but i talked myself out of it, since i haven't used the binaural stuff in awhile and didn't fancy giving myself an anxiety attack. Especially since i'd been reading up on the forums about them before using it. It was ironic to see all the stuff i read happen when i took it.. Proof that the mind really does create what we want it to. But i relaxed during the dose, and aside from some REM eye flickering, some interesting visual stuff, i enjoyed the experience. At times it felt like i was sinking, and i could feel my subconcious mind opening, relaxing, making me feel more "Connected"... was the best i'd felt in awhile actually.
My reasons for doing this was purely because this time of year is not a good period for me. Aside from Xmas being a family holiday, and in all reality.. i don't have much of a family, never really did in the normal sense of the word, It's reminder of how things were, and how they are now.
I don't really like to talk about it that much, and have no intention of changing that habit... hence me babbling on about the Binaural stuff like a salesman. Around now till Mid January i'll be in something of a "Funk"... and best thing to do is just keep out of my way so to speak... not that there seems to be anyone in my way.
It's strange.. This Xmas i have realised that in all reality, i really don't have anyone in my life in terms of friends or relations... I mean i have people i know and get along with quite well.. but for the last 9 or so days i've mostly been alone and indoors, whilst most are out amongst friends and loved ones. Weirder still... is that i've slowly become accustomed to that way of living... Heck, it took Xmas to come along for me to REALLY notice how bad i'd gotten.
The problem is breaking that.. Reclusive nature is something which grows on you, and being around people and going out actually becomes an uncomfortable experience... To the point where people are asking you out all the time and you're making excuses for not going out.. when in all reality all you do is sit at home...
I'd be lying if i said i'm going to work on breaking the habit... I'm more interested right now on focusing on my playing and music... Hopefully i'll have the new album out sometime early next year (i'm gunning for around April perhaps..).
Now, i'll leave you all to your parties and social status... Have a fun & Safe New Years Eve.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Last Week Of The Semester, New Music, Old Habits
Well, the break is over and i went to work yesterday.. and boy.. it was a loooooong day... got home at 8:30 pm... nice...
Fortunately this is the last week of the semester, but it's going to be an ass of a week... tommorow especially since after work, i have a small dinner function to play for... at 8pm.. so i'll probably be waking up at 6 am.. and going home at 11-12ish.........nice....
Albet i'm still 50/50 about doing the function......it's great money... but i'm exhausted and showing signs of fatigue....
The weekend wasn't bad, i hung out with someone who i hadn't seen in awhile, which was a nice change from the norm.. The danger of what i do is that sometimes you forget to live an actual life.. and doing so actually feels quite weird... perhaps it's just me... Either way that little change of pace has helped me a great deal: got some new music in the works for my upcoming album..
This next one is going to be really different from most of my stuff... mostly because it will be vocal based... yep... not instrumental. Don't get too woried, there'll still be plenty of guitar on there (i haven't gone commercial or anything), i just feel that there's allot i want to say musically which needs to be put into words, and that's what i'll do with this album. It'll definately be a one off thing though, since i already have plans for the next album, which will be instrumental (and rather different from my other works also).
As for the old habits...well... nothing i can do about that... i always drift around this time of year... eventually around february i pick myself up again.. Somethings change, some don't...
Old Habits Die Hard..
Infinity should be out in 3 days...
Fortunately this is the last week of the semester, but it's going to be an ass of a week... tommorow especially since after work, i have a small dinner function to play for... at 8pm.. so i'll probably be waking up at 6 am.. and going home at 11-12ish.........nice....
Albet i'm still 50/50 about doing the function......it's great money... but i'm exhausted and showing signs of fatigue....
The weekend wasn't bad, i hung out with someone who i hadn't seen in awhile, which was a nice change from the norm.. The danger of what i do is that sometimes you forget to live an actual life.. and doing so actually feels quite weird... perhaps it's just me... Either way that little change of pace has helped me a great deal: got some new music in the works for my upcoming album..
This next one is going to be really different from most of my stuff... mostly because it will be vocal based... yep... not instrumental. Don't get too woried, there'll still be plenty of guitar on there (i haven't gone commercial or anything), i just feel that there's allot i want to say musically which needs to be put into words, and that's what i'll do with this album. It'll definately be a one off thing though, since i already have plans for the next album, which will be instrumental (and rather different from my other works also).
As for the old habits...well... nothing i can do about that... i always drift around this time of year... eventually around february i pick myself up again.. Somethings change, some don't...
Old Habits Die Hard..
Infinity should be out in 3 days...
Thursday, December 11, 2008
It's the Weekend
And i'm bored out of my fuckin skull...
Been off since last thursday actually, because it's a religious holiday here, which was good because i needed the R&R, but alaas.... the free time has bored me to death, and with the lack of motivation that always hits me around this time of year... and you have a very lackluster vibe going on...
There are various things i should be doing... but for the life of me i can't seem to muster any initiative to actually do them....
I guess i should try and get round to working on my music.
Heck.. i can't even be bothered to write anything interesting here... too much bloody effort...
Been off since last thursday actually, because it's a religious holiday here, which was good because i needed the R&R, but alaas.... the free time has bored me to death, and with the lack of motivation that always hits me around this time of year... and you have a very lackluster vibe going on...
There are various things i should be doing... but for the life of me i can't seem to muster any initiative to actually do them....
I guess i should try and get round to working on my music.
Heck.. i can't even be bothered to write anything interesting here... too much bloody effort...
Friday, November 28, 2008
Sweet November
Ahh...........the weekend...
Infinity should be out on the 18th of december, which will be great..
Amongst the mountain of things i need to do now, i'll be going over my hideously bad screenplay that i wrote and taking from a first draft into the final thing.... I doubt i can do much to stop it from being a pile of literary excrement.. but maybe atleast i can make into something just bad instead of god awful.... then i intend to resume work on the newer one (which isn't as bad as the first).
Writing for me is a hobby, and have no intention of thinking i could make a career doing it, but it's good to have a hobby........since both my previous hobbies have really turned into work...
I also plan on going over the book i wrote in 2005... about 80,000 words long... it was semi finished, and i was even stupidly think about getting it publised.... IF anything i may consider turning it into an EBook... but i'll wait and see once i've finished it and passed around afew copies of it to people who can give me some criticism on it...
Music wise i've been incredibly lazy and unmotivated. This lethargy towards my musical endeavours is the problem with teaching... when negative energies build up from teaching.. they start to affect my output.. to the point where i will even stop playing at times.....
Today hopefully i'll muster up some energy and get something done.
failing that, i'll just read something i guess....
On a brighter note, after next week, there's a holiday, and then a week or two more, and i'm done for the semester... which is just absolutely incredible.. because i'm in need of a change of pace....
Infinity should be out on the 18th of december, which will be great..
Amongst the mountain of things i need to do now, i'll be going over my hideously bad screenplay that i wrote and taking from a first draft into the final thing.... I doubt i can do much to stop it from being a pile of literary excrement.. but maybe atleast i can make into something just bad instead of god awful.... then i intend to resume work on the newer one (which isn't as bad as the first).
Writing for me is a hobby, and have no intention of thinking i could make a career doing it, but it's good to have a hobby........since both my previous hobbies have really turned into work...
I also plan on going over the book i wrote in 2005... about 80,000 words long... it was semi finished, and i was even stupidly think about getting it publised.... IF anything i may consider turning it into an EBook... but i'll wait and see once i've finished it and passed around afew copies of it to people who can give me some criticism on it...
Music wise i've been incredibly lazy and unmotivated. This lethargy towards my musical endeavours is the problem with teaching... when negative energies build up from teaching.. they start to affect my output.. to the point where i will even stop playing at times.....
Today hopefully i'll muster up some energy and get something done.
failing that, i'll just read something i guess....
On a brighter note, after next week, there's a holiday, and then a week or two more, and i'm done for the semester... which is just absolutely incredible.. because i'm in need of a change of pace....
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Boredom
It's a saturday night! and i'm bored...
Yep... believe it or not, this fiendish rock musician has been relegated to living a mundane and life. My focus has been on work, to the point now where i look on the last 6 months... I really don't have a life. All i do is work... and when i don't work, i recover from that work, and then hit the gym, and then recover from that..... hmm....
Strange part is that only a small part of me misses it. But the thing that annoys me the most, is that instead of making good use of the time (composing, reading or writing, studying, etc etc.), i end up just "veging" out... like a useless good for nothing potato... or a piece of broccoli (broccoli!!)
Admittedly after all the work i did on the INFINITY project i can't say that i blame myself for just jerking off, but still, i feel there is allot i need to do........ i just can't be buggered to do it...
Maybe a cup of Blackcurrent tea will motivate me....
Yep... believe it or not, this fiendish rock musician has been relegated to living a mundane and life. My focus has been on work, to the point now where i look on the last 6 months... I really don't have a life. All i do is work... and when i don't work, i recover from that work, and then hit the gym, and then recover from that..... hmm....
Strange part is that only a small part of me misses it. But the thing that annoys me the most, is that instead of making good use of the time (composing, reading or writing, studying, etc etc.), i end up just "veging" out... like a useless good for nothing potato... or a piece of broccoli (broccoli!!)
Admittedly after all the work i did on the INFINITY project i can't say that i blame myself for just jerking off, but still, i feel there is allot i need to do........ i just can't be buggered to do it...
Maybe a cup of Blackcurrent tea will motivate me....
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Virtuosity, Chocolate, Coupons, and the Odd cup of tea
Well, it's been an interesting week.
Just to quickly update you all, it's the 22nd of november, and i still haven't been paid by AUC for this semester. They had a system where we get paid half the amount in the middle, and the rest towards the end... and since september up until now..... no pesos.....
I spoke to my department heads about it, and they've been very good and supportive, unfortunately it's not down to them, and aside from complain, there's not much that can be done either..... ridiculous though...
Speaking of ridiculous there is one thing i want to talk about. What is it with every other guitar player calling himself a virtuoso? Do they even know what the word means? I saw some clips of some people and they say clips from the viruoso guitarist (insert name here). I'm sorry but to be a virtuoso... well... you have to be a cut above the rest... a technical control and proficcieny of the instrument that is flawless... and of a very very high standard.
I have some chops.... but i am by no means a Virtuoso. Guthrie Govan, Brett Garsed, Shawn Lane (r.i.p) Allan Holdsworth, Frank Gambale, Stanley Jordan are electric guitar virtuosos.
Tommy Emmanuel, Eric Roche (r.i.p my friend), Michael Hedges (r.i.p) Andy Mckee, Al Di Meaola and John Mclaughlin are Acoustic Guitar Virtouosos.
And for flamenco guitar.. well, only one name comes to mind (and that's only because i'm not that educated on the matter) Paco De Lucia.
Don't go around touting that you're a virtuoso.......because one day... a real one will come by... and you'll be made an example of....
Now back to the AUC. They've given Coupons to the students for food. Did Faculty get any? nope. That's probably because they assume that we can afford exspensive food because of our high salaries.........................AHAHAHA!.........my salary is ridiculously low compared to some staff.........and.......alas.........i haven't even gotten it yet!!!!!
Ultimately i'm giving them until next september, if things are still being done the same way... I'll have to walk away....
Finally..... What the hell? who do you have to kill to get a decent cup of tea in this god forsaken country... Best i've found so far is Ahmed Earl Grey Tea.... Which is not bad. The other kinds of tea are terrible...... no flavour whatsoever.
I'm a coffee man....... but i do love a good cup of tea. A real cup of tea that is... none of that namby pamby milk and 2 sugars nonsense...........
well... I've ranted.......time to go drink some Tea & eat some biscuits.
Bugger off!
Just to quickly update you all, it's the 22nd of november, and i still haven't been paid by AUC for this semester. They had a system where we get paid half the amount in the middle, and the rest towards the end... and since september up until now..... no pesos.....
I spoke to my department heads about it, and they've been very good and supportive, unfortunately it's not down to them, and aside from complain, there's not much that can be done either..... ridiculous though...
Speaking of ridiculous there is one thing i want to talk about. What is it with every other guitar player calling himself a virtuoso? Do they even know what the word means? I saw some clips of some people and they say clips from the viruoso guitarist (insert name here). I'm sorry but to be a virtuoso... well... you have to be a cut above the rest... a technical control and proficcieny of the instrument that is flawless... and of a very very high standard.
I have some chops.... but i am by no means a Virtuoso. Guthrie Govan, Brett Garsed, Shawn Lane (r.i.p) Allan Holdsworth, Frank Gambale, Stanley Jordan are electric guitar virtuosos.
Tommy Emmanuel, Eric Roche (r.i.p my friend), Michael Hedges (r.i.p) Andy Mckee, Al Di Meaola and John Mclaughlin are Acoustic Guitar Virtouosos.
And for flamenco guitar.. well, only one name comes to mind (and that's only because i'm not that educated on the matter) Paco De Lucia.
Don't go around touting that you're a virtuoso.......because one day... a real one will come by... and you'll be made an example of....
Now back to the AUC. They've given Coupons to the students for food. Did Faculty get any? nope. That's probably because they assume that we can afford exspensive food because of our high salaries.........................AHAHAHA!.........my salary is ridiculously low compared to some staff.........and.......alas.........i haven't even gotten it yet!!!!!
Ultimately i'm giving them until next september, if things are still being done the same way... I'll have to walk away....
Finally..... What the hell? who do you have to kill to get a decent cup of tea in this god forsaken country... Best i've found so far is Ahmed Earl Grey Tea.... Which is not bad. The other kinds of tea are terrible...... no flavour whatsoever.
I'm a coffee man....... but i do love a good cup of tea. A real cup of tea that is... none of that namby pamby milk and 2 sugars nonsense...........
well... I've ranted.......time to go drink some Tea & eat some biscuits.
Bugger off!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
More Then Meets The Eye....
Howdy,
I can't believe i forgot to post this here....
If you're a fan of Transformers, then you should check this out: my own take into taking the old original theme and incorporating it into a movie score setting...
DFZ - More Then Meets The Eye
Enjoy!
DFZ
I can't believe i forgot to post this here....
If you're a fan of Transformers, then you should check this out: my own take into taking the old original theme and incorporating it into a movie score setting...
DFZ - More Then Meets The Eye
Enjoy!
DFZ
Friday, November 14, 2008
November Blues
is it me or this month is really sucking?
Nothing is going well.... It's all gone Pete tong.... Pear Shaped.... Bollocksed.
A.U.C is sucking me dry of energy and ambition..... and the fucking powers that be there have thus far still not payed me and the majority of the adjunct faculty.... This will not do.
On a lighter note i'm writing some new material in what will hopefully be a new album or EP.
Also two gigs next year... small faculty showcase in february.. and big gig in april hopefully.
I would write more... but i can't be assed.... besides.... does anyone actually this bloody thing?
Nothing is going well.... It's all gone Pete tong.... Pear Shaped.... Bollocksed.
A.U.C is sucking me dry of energy and ambition..... and the fucking powers that be there have thus far still not payed me and the majority of the adjunct faculty.... This will not do.
On a lighter note i'm writing some new material in what will hopefully be a new album or EP.
Also two gigs next year... small faculty showcase in february.. and big gig in april hopefully.
I would write more... but i can't be assed.... besides.... does anyone actually this bloody thing?
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Felt like an Infinity...
It's finally over..... sigh..... took bloody long enough...
The Infinity Project is done and dusted.. albet i have nothing particularly positive to say about it... so i'll keep my tongue in it's place...
The soundtrack is being processed and should end up on Itunes within the next 4-6 weeks.
Life on the new AUC campus has been.... well..... yeah.... not so hot.... Teaching there has become a real pain... the only positive element is that i have allot of eager hard working students. I mean i also have the useless pile of excrement types too... but the ratio this time around is much more balanced.
Plus this semester i have a fairly heavy workload.. and it's been exhausting doing all this work... teaching various things to various different levels of students is really a full time job... regardless of how you look at it.
On a more positive note, i bought an acer aspire one netbook, which is a really cool little gadget, which replaces my near ancient dell which is near death for all my surfing endeavours. Gotta love technology and the fact that it's moving so fast that it's hard to keep up...... yeah....
Other then that, not much is happening unfortunately.. I'm going to start work soon on my fretless guitar endeavours, and start work on my new projects (if i can find the energy to move...), one which is a vocal type thang.... another which is a futuronica type thing with middle eastern influences... and another instrumental album of large proportions (orchestral stuff, guitars, synths, etc etc).
The vocal project will be the first out since it won't take that long to do/complete... which will then be followed by the electronica album probably... no rest for the wicked i guess.... can always sleep when i retire or something...
I'll start posting more in the next few days in detail about whats up and whats happenin.. right now i am completely burned out from this week, and still have work tommorow too.... f.e.c.k it all to hell....
cry havoc! etc etc....
also, check this site out if you're looking to lose weight: http://dietglove.com/
The Infinity Project is done and dusted.. albet i have nothing particularly positive to say about it... so i'll keep my tongue in it's place...
The soundtrack is being processed and should end up on Itunes within the next 4-6 weeks.
Life on the new AUC campus has been.... well..... yeah.... not so hot.... Teaching there has become a real pain... the only positive element is that i have allot of eager hard working students. I mean i also have the useless pile of excrement types too... but the ratio this time around is much more balanced.
Plus this semester i have a fairly heavy workload.. and it's been exhausting doing all this work... teaching various things to various different levels of students is really a full time job... regardless of how you look at it.
On a more positive note, i bought an acer aspire one netbook, which is a really cool little gadget, which replaces my near ancient dell which is near death for all my surfing endeavours. Gotta love technology and the fact that it's moving so fast that it's hard to keep up...... yeah....
Other then that, not much is happening unfortunately.. I'm going to start work soon on my fretless guitar endeavours, and start work on my new projects (if i can find the energy to move...), one which is a vocal type thang.... another which is a futuronica type thing with middle eastern influences... and another instrumental album of large proportions (orchestral stuff, guitars, synths, etc etc).
The vocal project will be the first out since it won't take that long to do/complete... which will then be followed by the electronica album probably... no rest for the wicked i guess.... can always sleep when i retire or something...
I'll start posting more in the next few days in detail about whats up and whats happenin.. right now i am completely burned out from this week, and still have work tommorow too.... f.e.c.k it all to hell....
cry havoc! etc etc....
also, check this site out if you're looking to lose weight: http://dietglove.com/
Sunday, August 24, 2008
One year older, none the wiser...
howdy, been awhile eh?
for the uninitiated, my birthday was on the 26th of last month... and.. i turned 26.
Aside from being more crabby and hort fused, i don't feel a tad different. Actually last night i flicked through my old pics.... i sure have aged a lot... not in a bad way... but at certain times... i look waaaay older then 26... maybe i need to relax more..
I've been busy over the last few months working on a soundtrack for a stageplay called "Infinity", which you can find in the facebook groups listings. It's an interesting work, with a somewhat interesting score... including chinese/japanese music, native american music, persian music, generic movie score type cues, and electronica.... all in the same soundtrack no less.
It's been interesting, and something of stretch from the kind of scoring work i've done in the past, which has mostly been background/soundbed kind of stuff. Ultimately i've always wanted to go fully pro with the scoring thing, but nowdays it really is not an option. The market is saturated with people looking to break in and get into the elusive circle of elite that handle 70% of hollywoods blockbusters.
I give credit to Zimmer and Co., they're doing some incredible work, and he never fails to suprise me... many a time i'll watch something and say "i liked the score... who did it?" look at the credits and find Zimmers name... most recently being the incredible "Kung Fu Panda" score... really is an amazing score that one....
having turned 26 i can't help but wonder where i'll be in the next 10 years, since 10 years ago i was in a place so different from now.... my previous life seems almost like a dream....
A large part of me regrets that i became a musician, i say became because i don't think it was a choice i made, it was something that wether i wanted to or not was going to happen. Part of me wishes i'd gone into computers or graphics, something were i could lead a fairly normal life.
But that's how it goes... i'd bet good money that if i did get into computers.... i'd be blogging about how i wish i went into something more cool and fun, like music........
It just gets very tiring in this business.... it certainly has declined to a staggering level, i can't even remember the last time i bought an album by a commercial artist.... i'm not even sure current music is even listenable.......
Plus trying to open doors has become impossible.... people are so corrupt nowdays.... it's ridiculous..... For example, i cannot get the famous Guitar9 distribution company to even LISTEN to my album... yet shredders who are producing god awful wankage get interviewed, reviewed and talked about...... go figure. Funny because they built themselves up from nothing, and now they've acheived status... they're acting just like a regular label (no manager, no marketing, no service).
Unfortunately at this point i almost couldn't care... i don't know wether it's age or just accepting the situation... i never used to be like this though. In the past i'd always find a way and get to the goods... maybe i'm just tired of fighting the good fight.....
on a more positive note though, i'll be releasing the Infinity soundtrack on Itunes, and many other online distribution sites, which hopefully might help turn things around abit.
I'll post more about that when i know more about it. The soundtrack should be done by middle to late september, with an almost immediate release i guess.
Oh, and i start work early september, new semester, new campus, new students, new problems.
ahh.......it's...allllll........good.
for the uninitiated, my birthday was on the 26th of last month... and.. i turned 26.
Aside from being more crabby and hort fused, i don't feel a tad different. Actually last night i flicked through my old pics.... i sure have aged a lot... not in a bad way... but at certain times... i look waaaay older then 26... maybe i need to relax more..
I've been busy over the last few months working on a soundtrack for a stageplay called "Infinity", which you can find in the facebook groups listings. It's an interesting work, with a somewhat interesting score... including chinese/japanese music, native american music, persian music, generic movie score type cues, and electronica.... all in the same soundtrack no less.
It's been interesting, and something of stretch from the kind of scoring work i've done in the past, which has mostly been background/soundbed kind of stuff. Ultimately i've always wanted to go fully pro with the scoring thing, but nowdays it really is not an option. The market is saturated with people looking to break in and get into the elusive circle of elite that handle 70% of hollywoods blockbusters.
I give credit to Zimmer and Co., they're doing some incredible work, and he never fails to suprise me... many a time i'll watch something and say "i liked the score... who did it?" look at the credits and find Zimmers name... most recently being the incredible "Kung Fu Panda" score... really is an amazing score that one....
having turned 26 i can't help but wonder where i'll be in the next 10 years, since 10 years ago i was in a place so different from now.... my previous life seems almost like a dream....
A large part of me regrets that i became a musician, i say became because i don't think it was a choice i made, it was something that wether i wanted to or not was going to happen. Part of me wishes i'd gone into computers or graphics, something were i could lead a fairly normal life.
But that's how it goes... i'd bet good money that if i did get into computers.... i'd be blogging about how i wish i went into something more cool and fun, like music........
It just gets very tiring in this business.... it certainly has declined to a staggering level, i can't even remember the last time i bought an album by a commercial artist.... i'm not even sure current music is even listenable.......
Plus trying to open doors has become impossible.... people are so corrupt nowdays.... it's ridiculous..... For example, i cannot get the famous Guitar9 distribution company to even LISTEN to my album... yet shredders who are producing god awful wankage get interviewed, reviewed and talked about...... go figure. Funny because they built themselves up from nothing, and now they've acheived status... they're acting just like a regular label (no manager, no marketing, no service).
Unfortunately at this point i almost couldn't care... i don't know wether it's age or just accepting the situation... i never used to be like this though. In the past i'd always find a way and get to the goods... maybe i'm just tired of fighting the good fight.....
on a more positive note though, i'll be releasing the Infinity soundtrack on Itunes, and many other online distribution sites, which hopefully might help turn things around abit.
I'll post more about that when i know more about it. The soundtrack should be done by middle to late september, with an almost immediate release i guess.
Oh, and i start work early september, new semester, new campus, new students, new problems.
ahh.......it's...allllll........good.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
The End of semester
Thank the good lord... it's finally over...
Spring semester 2008 is over and i'm done teaching. The finals and exams went how i'd anticipated... which is both good and bad.
Quite few students put forth the effort and got an A... and about half the class has to settle for a C grade (and few B's here and there).
For those who read this: Congratulations on your A.. and for those who got a C... study hard... you should not take your time at the university for granted. Many people do not get to further their education, and for allot of you.. you're wasting a crucial point in your life: The time to better yourself and prepare for the years to come... in the real world.
Admittedly most of you are spoilt rotten by your parents and don't take any real responsibility for your actions.. all i can say to you is that you better grow up... because nobody likes an asshole.....
Anyways, now that the semester is done and dusted, i can get to work on all my projects that i've been neglecting to make sure i was doing my job properly. First and foremost i'm going to work on new material to release later in the year, then there is the possibility of some fusion playing with some good players, some production work, some scoring work, maybe some clinics / workshops, and finally, some good hard practise.
more to come when it comes...
Spring semester 2008 is over and i'm done teaching. The finals and exams went how i'd anticipated... which is both good and bad.
Quite few students put forth the effort and got an A... and about half the class has to settle for a C grade (and few B's here and there).
For those who read this: Congratulations on your A.. and for those who got a C... study hard... you should not take your time at the university for granted. Many people do not get to further their education, and for allot of you.. you're wasting a crucial point in your life: The time to better yourself and prepare for the years to come... in the real world.
Admittedly most of you are spoilt rotten by your parents and don't take any real responsibility for your actions.. all i can say to you is that you better grow up... because nobody likes an asshole.....
Anyways, now that the semester is done and dusted, i can get to work on all my projects that i've been neglecting to make sure i was doing my job properly. First and foremost i'm going to work on new material to release later in the year, then there is the possibility of some fusion playing with some good players, some production work, some scoring work, maybe some clinics / workshops, and finally, some good hard practise.
more to come when it comes...
Monday, April 21, 2008
Rock Bottom
what a shoddy couple of days....
The AUC talent show was a total joke... rigged being the keyword. the worse singer won... which makes absolutely no sense.....
add to that the show itself was pretty boring.
I'm finally on spring break, which is good... i could use the time to relax and get my act together. Working out, sorting out my diet, working on new musical ideas... and generally trying to pull myself out of this funk that i seem to be in.
I've been fairly reclusive, but ultimately that's down to the fact that people here suck. Most people only call or meet up with me when they need something... and as such i don't think i'm able to tolerate this attitude anymore... quite frankly i don't care who likes it or not, since those people can go fuck themselves.... Selfish self centered and completely transparent.
Ultimately it's not healthy, but it's all about integrity.... which i'm not willing to compromise.
Anyways, more to come in the next few days....
The AUC talent show was a total joke... rigged being the keyword. the worse singer won... which makes absolutely no sense.....
add to that the show itself was pretty boring.
I'm finally on spring break, which is good... i could use the time to relax and get my act together. Working out, sorting out my diet, working on new musical ideas... and generally trying to pull myself out of this funk that i seem to be in.
I've been fairly reclusive, but ultimately that's down to the fact that people here suck. Most people only call or meet up with me when they need something... and as such i don't think i'm able to tolerate this attitude anymore... quite frankly i don't care who likes it or not, since those people can go fuck themselves.... Selfish self centered and completely transparent.
Ultimately it's not healthy, but it's all about integrity.... which i'm not willing to compromise.
Anyways, more to come in the next few days....
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Work Tommorow
In a few hours i have to get ready for work, teaching at the A.U.C.
Not particularly looking forward to it, since i marked quiz's and papers this weekend and was pretty shocked to see really low results. Most of the students got an F on their papers. I asked them a hypothetical question... one which they couldn't really google and had to research and think about... which is probably why the high no. of failures.
It's pretty scary to see how that people no longer study, and just copy things off google and wiki and submit that as their own thoughts and work. I noticed students doing that in their first assignment, which is why the second paper was set to be on hypothetics rather then fact.
Personally, i couldn't care less wether students choose to work hard or not, the thing that i am not looking forward to is the nagging and whining, they're really spoilt some of them, and more importantly, i don't think they realise that the A.U.C is supposedly a university.. not a college.
Ultimately i know how to deal with them, i just would prefer it if they would ACTUALLY study and actually try and learn something... it wouldn't kill them... although i will if they don't stop being a bunch of lazy spoilt good for nothings.
Well... i won't kill them... just give them a big fat F.
We're going to be talking about the transition from the 80's to the 90's tommorow which should be interesting... albet i think i'll be doing most of the talking... as usual.....
Not particularly looking forward to it, since i marked quiz's and papers this weekend and was pretty shocked to see really low results. Most of the students got an F on their papers. I asked them a hypothetical question... one which they couldn't really google and had to research and think about... which is probably why the high no. of failures.
It's pretty scary to see how that people no longer study, and just copy things off google and wiki and submit that as their own thoughts and work. I noticed students doing that in their first assignment, which is why the second paper was set to be on hypothetics rather then fact.
Personally, i couldn't care less wether students choose to work hard or not, the thing that i am not looking forward to is the nagging and whining, they're really spoilt some of them, and more importantly, i don't think they realise that the A.U.C is supposedly a university.. not a college.
Ultimately i know how to deal with them, i just would prefer it if they would ACTUALLY study and actually try and learn something... it wouldn't kill them... although i will if they don't stop being a bunch of lazy spoilt good for nothings.
Well... i won't kill them... just give them a big fat F.
We're going to be talking about the transition from the 80's to the 90's tommorow which should be interesting... albet i think i'll be doing most of the talking... as usual.....
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Today was the last day for Rami and Raquy here in Cairo. They head back to New York city in a few hours.
They come every year around winter time to spend two months of the year here in Cairo, teaching at the AUC, and performing their amazing percussion shows around Egypt. Since i only just started working at the AUC last semester i didn't know of them, but had the distinct pleasure of meeting and getting to know these two extremely talented and cool individuals.
It's always great for me to be around music and musicans which aren't related to anything i do, usually because it's very humbling to see styles, time signatures and theory which i am completely ignorant to. Naturally i enjoyed being exposed and being able to absorb some great new material and concepts (although i doubt i could ever play in 14/3 or 7/5!) but it was geeting to meet and know these great guys that was the most fun.
Being the artisic type, we tend to neglect the social aspects of our life, but ultimatley Egypt isn't the best place for making long term friends here, especially if you have foreign ties.. people want to use you and exploit you, rather then genuinely be your friend, so it was really a breathe of fresh air being around good people (and good food!).
It's extremely rare for me to meet people that i get on with so well, and whom generally enjoy my company.. i dunno, i tend to think people get sick and tired or fed up with hanging out with me, but the time i spent with Raquy and Rami was truly allot of fun and really felt like home.
Now that they're flying back to N.Y, i can see myself falling back into my old routine, of basically just going to work & and the Gym, and more or less spending the rest of my time indoors. Admittedly i have allot of projects i want to work on, so that will be good in some ways, but i guess fairly negative in other ways too, since i really did not seem to get out enough in the past few months.
Two more months and th spring AUC semester will be over (thank god). I've enjoyed my work, but alas it has been fairly frustrating and time consuming, and i'm looking forward to not working and just trying to focus on my career as a musician and artist.
On a brighter note, my old man might be comin for a short visit soon, which will be nice.
They come every year around winter time to spend two months of the year here in Cairo, teaching at the AUC, and performing their amazing percussion shows around Egypt. Since i only just started working at the AUC last semester i didn't know of them, but had the distinct pleasure of meeting and getting to know these two extremely talented and cool individuals.
It's always great for me to be around music and musicans which aren't related to anything i do, usually because it's very humbling to see styles, time signatures and theory which i am completely ignorant to. Naturally i enjoyed being exposed and being able to absorb some great new material and concepts (although i doubt i could ever play in 14/3 or 7/5!) but it was geeting to meet and know these great guys that was the most fun.
Being the artisic type, we tend to neglect the social aspects of our life, but ultimatley Egypt isn't the best place for making long term friends here, especially if you have foreign ties.. people want to use you and exploit you, rather then genuinely be your friend, so it was really a breathe of fresh air being around good people (and good food!).
It's extremely rare for me to meet people that i get on with so well, and whom generally enjoy my company.. i dunno, i tend to think people get sick and tired or fed up with hanging out with me, but the time i spent with Raquy and Rami was truly allot of fun and really felt like home.
Now that they're flying back to N.Y, i can see myself falling back into my old routine, of basically just going to work & and the Gym, and more or less spending the rest of my time indoors. Admittedly i have allot of projects i want to work on, so that will be good in some ways, but i guess fairly negative in other ways too, since i really did not seem to get out enough in the past few months.
Two more months and th spring AUC semester will be over (thank god). I've enjoyed my work, but alas it has been fairly frustrating and time consuming, and i'm looking forward to not working and just trying to focus on my career as a musician and artist.
On a brighter note, my old man might be comin for a short visit soon, which will be nice.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Friday morning blues
well, it's 3 am as usual, i'm workin, and Friday is upon us. Like most artistically inclined people, sleep doesn't mean much to me, and i find that i am at my best during the hours that most normal people sleep in.
It's not a nocturnal thing (unless i was a vamp in a former life?), i'm just a night person..... or in this case early morning person..... hmm.... dunno.
Anyways, my "work" machine is busy rendering, so i thought i'd blog and kill some time. I've been focusing more and finding more direction... music wise i've been looking to open new doors and horizons for myself to keep growing and improving. One thing i'm definately going to do is get my old uber strat sent here, and rip out the frets from the board, fill the gaps (like jaco) and turn it into a frettless...
I've been wanting to play frettless for some times now, but ultimately i didn't see the justification in buying a guitar which i may or may not end up playing, and would probably struggle to sell on if i didn't take to it. This is cool because if i don't like the frettless thing, i can just change out the neck for a normal one.
With my new weapon, i can start playing all those insanely cool sounding micro tones which are a fundamental part of non-western music, and incorporate that into my style. I definately want to use more of that on my 2035 project... an interesting blend of ethnic, electronic, and industrial progressive ideas.
That and there's the vocal follow up to Silent Echoes, which i've already started work on. For me doing all this stuff, well, that's what it's about i guess.. it's one of the few things that gives me joy in life.. well, more purpose then joy.
Anyways, i'm ranting on. I'll have more interesting things to blog about in the next few days.
It's not a nocturnal thing (unless i was a vamp in a former life?), i'm just a night person..... or in this case early morning person..... hmm.... dunno.
Anyways, my "work" machine is busy rendering, so i thought i'd blog and kill some time. I've been focusing more and finding more direction... music wise i've been looking to open new doors and horizons for myself to keep growing and improving. One thing i'm definately going to do is get my old uber strat sent here, and rip out the frets from the board, fill the gaps (like jaco) and turn it into a frettless...
I've been wanting to play frettless for some times now, but ultimately i didn't see the justification in buying a guitar which i may or may not end up playing, and would probably struggle to sell on if i didn't take to it. This is cool because if i don't like the frettless thing, i can just change out the neck for a normal one.
With my new weapon, i can start playing all those insanely cool sounding micro tones which are a fundamental part of non-western music, and incorporate that into my style. I definately want to use more of that on my 2035 project... an interesting blend of ethnic, electronic, and industrial progressive ideas.
That and there's the vocal follow up to Silent Echoes, which i've already started work on. For me doing all this stuff, well, that's what it's about i guess.. it's one of the few things that gives me joy in life.. well, more purpose then joy.
Anyways, i'm ranting on. I'll have more interesting things to blog about in the next few days.
Friday, March 21, 2008
DFZ gets on the Blog Bandwagon
Greetings,
Usually i blog on myspace... but my disdain for using that site is growing ever rapidly...
I've been busy with work as always, the AUC sucks up most of my energy and time, but that's my fault for not keeping up my gym routine and finishing my work during the winter break... but my prioreties were focused all on finishing "Silent Echoes", my album which i released last december.
The album has reached around 3 thousasnd downloads which is pretty great, albet i've only had afew emails or responses, although they've all been very positive. I'm not entirely sure what i expected to be honest.. since i put the album up for free download.
I have some ideas which i will hopefully start working on soon, and hopefully release during the summer, via Itunes and whatnot. Also later this summer some scoring work is falling onto my lap, which might be a good thing. I doubt i'll be doin the summer vacation thing like last year... i seem to be happiest when i'm busy or working, doing something with the time that seems to slip by...
I'm heading out to Alexandria tommorow, Raquy & Rami have a gig at the Alex Library, which i plan to attend and record the audio for. I saw & recorded their performance at the AUC on wednesday, which was really great, so i'm looking forward to seeing them again, and spending some time in alex, since the atmosphere there is really great... compared to cairo...
Goin to spend the night at the Ramsis hotel, then head back on sunday & finish up my work for Mondays H.O.R class that i teach and the private guitar lessons i give.
No rest for the wicked...
Usually i blog on myspace... but my disdain for using that site is growing ever rapidly...
I've been busy with work as always, the AUC sucks up most of my energy and time, but that's my fault for not keeping up my gym routine and finishing my work during the winter break... but my prioreties were focused all on finishing "Silent Echoes", my album which i released last december.
The album has reached around 3 thousasnd downloads which is pretty great, albet i've only had afew emails or responses, although they've all been very positive. I'm not entirely sure what i expected to be honest.. since i put the album up for free download.
I have some ideas which i will hopefully start working on soon, and hopefully release during the summer, via Itunes and whatnot. Also later this summer some scoring work is falling onto my lap, which might be a good thing. I doubt i'll be doin the summer vacation thing like last year... i seem to be happiest when i'm busy or working, doing something with the time that seems to slip by...
I'm heading out to Alexandria tommorow, Raquy & Rami have a gig at the Alex Library, which i plan to attend and record the audio for. I saw & recorded their performance at the AUC on wednesday, which was really great, so i'm looking forward to seeing them again, and spending some time in alex, since the atmosphere there is really great... compared to cairo...
Goin to spend the night at the Ramsis hotel, then head back on sunday & finish up my work for Mondays H.O.R class that i teach and the private guitar lessons i give.
No rest for the wicked...
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