Hi folks.
Shockingly long time since my last post. The reason for this, however is that I've been busy recording, mixing, mastering, and composing music for the second series (or 'season' as they are know across the pond) of Afterlives.
Afterlives is an audio drama. In this case, a drama specifically for podcast. So, I suggest that you get yourself on over and have a listen. All of the first series is archived on the site, along with the new series. The last installment will be going up towards the end of next week! Anyway, since this blog is about my music, here are some of the pieces used that I composed and a bit about them all:
The
'Spooky' Theme is for the second episode of the second series. I wrote the melody for this piece before I'd even learned to play a single chord on guitar. I was really into Radiohead at the time (and I still am) and wrote by just playing about with the top two strings. I remembered it when the director asked for a piece of music that would be used for when the main characters enter a prison.
The
'Sad' Theme originally wasn't going to be used. The director said he didn't find it sad enough, and that it had a bit of a lounge-groove feel to it. I maintain he is off his head. However it did make an appearance over the prologue of one episode. I feel it goes rather well!
Doing the
Eve Theme for this series of Afterlives was an interesting challenge. The character of Eve already had a theme from the previous series, so I had to write something that harked back to the original piece, but was a bit different at the same time. This turned out to be one of the director's favourite pieces. Personally I think it is cheesy as hell. But that taught me an important lesson when you're writing to order, and in particularly when you're writing just for effect, not for the sake of the music. It doesn't matter whether or not I liked the pieces I wrote for this series, the questions to be answered are does it do the job? does it reflect what is happening with the characters? is it reasonablly universally recognisable as sad/spooky/sinister?
The
Emptiness Theme was fun to do. Music was required to be the theme for a force that comes and destroys all in it's path. The director specified is should just started as noise, banging; anything rather indistinct but which signifies something isn't quite right, but before breaking out it heavily distorted, and barely musical noise. The droning sounds were made by tunning a bass to an open chord then tapping the headstock and back of the next with drumming brushes. The tapping, clicking drum-like noises where done by hitting the strings and then processing that audio through distortions and compressor. The guitar sounds came courtesy of a fat sounding electric guitar through an original 1970's 4-knob Fender Blender.
The
'Dave' Theme was another piece of music that had to mimic the original theme from the first series. The first one I wrote was deemed by the director to be too upbeat, happy and optimistic. However it did get used later on in a happy flashback scene. The similarity to the final piece was strong enough to tie the two together, and the change in tone lifted the mood. The piece here is the final draft, as it were, of the theme.
This was a fun theme to do. Originally I was directed to write something 'Adventurous and Energetic'. I set out trying to write a modern day Indiana Jones theme tune. The director soon put me right however, using the direction of "think more '
darkness comes'". He was very chuffed with the final piece. Again, this piece mimics some music from the previous series. I'm very happy with how this one turned out.
I really enjoyed writing the
'Candleman' theme. The director had put in a request for a 'childlike, sinsiter' piece of music. I had an idea of mimicing a music box, but half way through use a ring modulator on the main meldoy to make the music box sound as if it had 'broken'. When I sent it over to him, he declined to use it for his intended purpose, as he felt it was perfect to display the madness of the 'Candleman' character, and from then on this became his theme. I do really like this one. I feel it hits the nail right on the head for what it was used for.
Ok, that's all from me folks. I will hopefully be back on the '...Samosas' trail soon. I'm moving home soon so hopefully that won't disrupt things too much.
Steplight,
Benz.
Who did some vocals along to a track that was already assigned to my drumming friend Scott. We've turned the song into a kinda duet. Also, a wee sound bit of the two of them chatting.
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