Generative EP by Brother Blue
Second in a series of archival releases assembled from jams and sketches recorded in 2017-2023 (previous was Tanuki House - Setting Sun EP). The public/performance side of my music has been on extended hiatus for a while, as my energy became focused on raising a small child during a pandemic, but I was able to find fragments of free time to work in my studio semi-regularly and have continued to record pieces that fit thematically with my various projects (Tanuki House, Brother Blue and Ethernet, plus some collaborative work). Revisiting my recordings made over these past few years, I found some unexpected commonalities connecting tracks recorded years apart, and gradually the framework of some new collections emerged, which I hope to release over the course of the next year or so...
The Generative EP showcases the end result of my experiments with the Elektron Analog Rytm as a tool for chance/probability-based/"generative" music composition. Tracks 1 and 3 were both recorded live while the Rytm basically "played itself" based on a wide variety of probability settings and LFO-controlled parameters I had programmed into one complex multi-layered sequence.
Track 2 is a stylistic homage to the flawless minimalism of Steve O'Sullivan's masterful Bluetrain project; To be honest, the whole Brother Blue project is an homage to the late '90s-early '00s releases of the dub-techno masters like Rhythm & Sound, the Chain Reaction label roster, and Rod Modell/DeepChord, to name a few, all of whom had a profoundly formative effect on my creativity and desire to produce art. In my opinion, that era of electronic music still stands as the pinnacle of deep dub-techno textural drone experimentalism, and I find myself returning to it regularly, 20+ years later.
Tracks 2, 4 and 5 are the result of a studio setup I was using for a couple of years in an effort to make more "composed" tracks and remixes, with complex LFO-control of synth parameters and FX sends to emulate live dubbing/knob twisting in a more controlled environment (Ableton). The setup consisted of Roland TR-808 & SH-101 clones, and Roland Alpha Juno-2 with FX pedals & spring reverb, plus processed field recordings.
More Brother Blue:
https://recycledplastics.bandcamp.com/album/shoreline-drive
https://recycledplastics.bandcamp.com/album/alchemical-union
Tracklist
| 1. | Interface | 3:23 |
| 2. | Deep Blue | 5:30 |
| 3. | Moonlight Drift | 5:44 |
| 4. | Leading Edge | 5:23 |
| 5. | Night Sky | 8:26 |
Credits
Recorded in Portland and Happy Valley, OR in 2017-2023. Produced with Elektron Analog Rytm, Roland TR-808 (clone), Roland SH-101 (clone), Roland Alpha Juno-2, Waldorf Microwave II & FX pedals & spring reverb, sequenced & recorded with Ableton Live.
Music, mastering & photo by Tim Gray
Dedicated with love always to Vivian & Cora
Victory to the Light
