Video of the day 24th of February - Tobias recording the Stylophone 350s

One girl playing the Stylophone 350s and three obviously deaf people looking on.

....let me explain...The sound of the Stylophone isnt necessarily the smoothest sound you will ever hear. But it has a weird way of fitting in a mix. The most common one is a small toy-like instrument that is played with a pen. The 350s is a attempt to make something a bit more....professional. I have used it on recordings with Vera Vinter, Akaba, Vijaya, Andreas & jag and Necromonkey

Stylophone 350s.

...and here is what Wikipedia thinks of the 350s.

The more versatile 350s version of the instrument was used by UK experimentalists Camberwell Now, and appeared on their album All's Well. The 350s dual-stylus version was also extensively used as a lead instrument by British band Pulp from 1992 to 1994. Its glacial tones are particularly evident on their breakthrough album His 'n' Hers (most notably the songs "Happy Endings" and "Pink Glove") whilst the 1993 album, Intro – The Gift Recordings, features a track called "Styloroc (Nites of Surburbia)" which revolves around a riff played on the first model. Pop/rocker Richard Barone features the 350s prominently on his 2010 album "Glow" (Bar/None Records), particularly on the title track, its instrumental reprise, and cover of T.Rex's "Girl," on which it is played by producer Tony Visconti.

Video of the day 22nd of February 2014....Akaba sessions.

Tobias Ljungkvist and the Vox String Thing

A great day in the studio yesterday. We started off listening to a Akaba track called Everything Matters to sort of close the book on the track but realized very quickly that it needed....lead vocals and drums (maybe).

So we moved on to another track with the horrible working title Rifle gun. Its a weird track and were are not completely sure wether it will make it on to the album. So we started by having Tobias recording his signature instrument, the baritone guitar. 

Tobias recording Baritone guitar

I think its very important to do stuff in productions that work as question marks. So we pulled out an old Vox String Thing and pulled it thru NecroDavids Peavey.

Recording the tremeloed Vox String Thing

This pushed the track in a completely new direction so we recorded two takes with the tremelo at different settings to create a weird fluttering effect. As bass we added the Stylophone 350s. To give the choruses more high end energy and movement we recorded two takes of Mono/poly arpeggios. By doing this we had changed the whole feel of the track making it much more electronic in a slight 80s fashion. The half tempo drums I had recorded sounded utterly out of place and probably wont be used. To get the drums more harmonic we used the Vocoder plus to make the electribe follow the chords....and then we ended it all by recording a Chamberlin Piano thru a rather dull sounding Boss Leslie pedal.

Video of the day 20th of February 2014

When I write my blogs I realize that its very hard to keep someones attention for a very long time while so by having pictures people find it easier to keep their attention as well as initially capturing it. It is also a great way of adding a layer of info.

Video of the day is of Martin von Bahr recording Oboe on Necromonkeys track Transteens. Its from the 20th of February last year.

So I went online and searched for vintage oboe picture and this is what I found.

I think I need to have a little chat with Mr.von Bahr.

The future of Rock as we know it.

Martin has payed on a bunch of tracks for Necromonkey and is a real trooper. He also played a Oboe quartet on Vera Vinters drömde om dig. 

Video of the day 12th of February 2014

Stephen Hawking in zero gravity. Look at that smile!

So smart and still no gravity. Makes you think.

Yesterday I posted a video from the Carl Hasselrot sessions recording the wonderful Juno 106. This is a synth that I havent used too much but Im using it more and more.

This little film is from the latest Akaba sessions. Roth Händle veteran Tobias Ljungkvist doing his thing and trying to sneak in a pitchbend. A messy one too.

Today Ill be mixing another track for the all Optigan/Mellotron/Chamberlin/Orchestron album. 

Its a really fun track with a slight Tim Burton edge to it.

I Think.

Tobias wrestling a oily Pez.  

That sounds a lot more interesting than the truth right?

Tobias punching a nun in the face. OMG! OMG! OMG!

A bit too violent but still pretty happening.

Stephen Hawkings last shave

Now...thats just sad, isnt it?

Video of the day 10th of february 2014

Video of the day is another one from the Carl Hasselrot sessions.

The wonderful Roland Juno 106 going thru a swamp of Moogerfoogers.

Recording the Juno-106 with Moogerfoogers

Apparently all of these people like the Juno-106 too!!!

William Ørbit, Überzone, Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim), Autechre, BT, Vince Clarke, Moby, 808 State, Underworld, Leftfield, Fluke, Josh Wink, Todd Terry, Depeche Mode, Eat Static, Biosphere, The Prodigy, The Shamen, Bushflange, Cirrus, Astral Projection, Apollo 440, Faithless, Union Jack, Computer Controlled, Pet Shop Boys, Sneaker Pimps, Erasure, Freddy Fresh, Rabbit in the Moon, Kevin Saunderson, Jimmy Edgar, 

Laurent Garnier, Vangelis, Sigur Ros, 

and the Chemical Brothers.

I think we are in good company.

Video of the day 8th of February 2014

An easy way to encourage and develop randomness is to be lazy. In this little video Im using the same effects on several different overdubs. It wasnt what I was planning to do but it turned out to be really interesting in the end. 

So the lesson is simple....leave everything plugged in and you will be fine. 

Leaving everything as it is.

Video of the day 29th of January 2014

Im sorry I havent written anything here for a while but there has been a lot of things going on. My wife turned 40 on Saturday so we had a big party in the studio which meant that there was a lot of cleaning to be done before and after. 

Todays video is from the sessions for the Opium Cartels second album Ardor.

One year ago. To the day.

I dont think it survived to the mix but its still an interesting idea.

Kaoss padded Glockenspiels for the Opium Cartel

Now Playing: Bad street - Twin Sister

Video of the day 19th of January 2014

One thing that I find to be very interesting is how we are fooled into believing that the more difficult and complex things are....they must by default be better. Here is a remarkably simple percussion idea from my dear friend Henrik Olsson.
We share the drum duties in our Krautband Walrus. I love this...simple and very inspiring.

I have since this video was made built a tree of bowls that we use live with Necromonkey and it will be making its album debut with Kaukasus.

This video was shot in 2012 during the Änglagård sessions for that pesky third album.

The kitchen gamelan

Video of the day 18th of January 2014

Musicians are generally really nice people. 

Openminded, curious and often interested in a lot of things.

But something happens when it comes to buying equipment. Its like the brain sort of shuts off and something known as G.A.S happens. It is short for gear acquisition syndrome.

Musicians want to buy things. We also have this weird feeling that if we only get this one pedal or synth everything will work out. Everything will change for the better. But we need somekind of fuel for our G.A.S and one simple way of getting the buyers juice 

flowing is to have some cool references.

Video of the day is of me on the 17th of January 2010. 

Im treating my drums thru an Octave Divider. 

A pedal that adds lower octaves to the signal that comes in. 

The MU-tron Octave divider isnt a spectacular pedal. It looks a lot cooler than it sounds. It is confused and has a tendency of lying or embellishing the truth. Often it makes stuff sound like slightly fuzzy teddybears which is terribly cool. But it isnt that hot as a octave divider. 

BUT...Neil Young used one and has said that it is his favorite octave pedal. This means that the pedal immediately becomes ever so desireable. So if you watch the video below you just might hear some of that cool rugged Neil Younginess going on...

Treating drums thru the MU-tron octave divider

How a spanish guitar saved my day

A Mellotron model M300.

Yesterday was a good day. Occasionally difficult and messy but good. As a birthday gift I received an expansion card for my digital Mellotron the M4000D. I own several Mellotrons and Chamberlins so the M4000D is mainly for live work but as I have 100 new sounds to work with I have had it hooked, miked and ready to go. The 100 sounds include a bunch of farly odd sounds like Roxy Musics special effects and Black Sabbaths choirs.

If you dont know the Mellotron is a tape replay instrument from 60s. It plays snippets of sounds from pre recorded tape. Some of the most famous sounds are strings (King Crimsons starless), Flutes ( The Beatles Strawberry fields forever), the 8 voice choir (Radioheads exit music for a film) and the Cello (Oasis wonderwall).

Yesterday I started playing with a sound from the M300, the spanish guitar and it was mesmerizing. The sound is crooked and wobbly but it had something really special about it. Im not even sure if you could hear that it was a spanish guitar if I didnt tell you.

I wrote a song on the sound and then added some other Mellotron parts. I had loads of other things to do but I just felt it was important to follow that first initial idea and record so that it wouldnt disappear. Now I have it more or less finished. It works as an instrumental piece but could also work with vocals.

Remove the head, unless it is to be used for taxidermy purposes. Most taxidermy projects require a different, more difficult method of skinning, but that method is not the focus of this article.

Another thing that was really great was also that we received a remix of a Akaba track from Emanuel Lundgren (Im from Barcelona) which was really great. Usually when people do remixes they are fairly respectful but this was just pretty bananas from the start which is fun and refreshing. Sometimes you dont want to get what you ordered.

Today Ill be recording keyboards for a Heavy Metal album. Interesting indeed. As far as I can tell here will be no Spanish guitar on that one. 

NP: John Coltrane & Duke Ellington

Neanderthal Blind Jugglers and Cooking in the dark.

A neanderthal version of the Blind Juggler.

A Bontempi Organ going into a Autopanner and then into 

two different Delays set at different tempos.

Worked yesterday for the first time since christmas. Recorded four different ideas for a film. I was about to write one of those mattias-isms " A lot of fun ". But its not fun...I very seldom feel any joy or happiness while Im working. Its more a feverish stream of ideas that I want to record before they are lost. Its not like Im giggling while Im doing it. Im also constantly fighting my two biggest conflicting emotions...lazyness and ambition. How much information should I put into this to make my point? How much is necessary? If I record this how much will I need to clean it up afterwards to make it listenable. TMI generally refers to detailed descripitions of bodyparts with disease, blisters or puss. For me TMI can be an acoustic guitar on the chorus or two many backing vocals. The less you say the more they listen, right. Like Facebook. If there was to be a official quiet day on facebook I wonder how many people would rush there to speak their mind."...and one more thing!" 

I went and had a chinese dinner with my oldest daughter a couple of days back and my fortune cookie read " You strive for perfection " which is a joke. I got the feeling that cookie knew nothing about me or my life. I have often said that pastrys tell you the truth wether you like it or not. I strive for imperfection and confusion (which is generally easy, I just put on my pants and then the imperfection and confusion starts). Things that will make you look or listen a second time. 

This is also why I like cooking in the dark. Imperfection and confusion quickly turns into a game of edible or not edible. My wife has also made the valid point. If you cooked it in the dark maybe you should eat it in the dark.

Anyways...I have said too much even before I started.

Here is a little video from yesterdays Neanderthal blind juggler. Dropping balls in a cave.

Neanderthal Blind Juggler