Hi friends - hope all good :)
Massive thanks for the support so far for Brendon’s wonderful album. As a huge fan of the original dubmasters - King Tubby, Scientist, Lee Perry and others - I’ve always followed dub’s trajectory and influence throughout later music, particularly the techno and house variants.
Brendon always stood out with his singular take on it, always carving his own path and making music that was innovative and diverse, always looking to the future while nodding at past.
Mirage is the next step in this always evolving creativity - thanks so much for all the love and positivity x
CDs shifting fast and still left if you want, remember to message me for a download of the unique long-form CD version if you bought one.
Listening party tonight - 19:00 UK time.
You all know how much I love these parties, getting to hang out with you all is one the highlights of every release - Brendon’s first too so let’s make it a good one! Hope you can make it :)
First lot of CDs went yesterday so hopefully arriving today - love seeing them in their new homes so please feel free to share some pics - very cool to include you all in my shout-outs so tag me if you do.
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Now Part One of our Q&A with Brendon - this was an enlightening chat with someone who’s truly dedicated their life to music, as inspiring as it is insightful.
Please tell us a bit about your background and history in music
My love of music became apparent to my parents when I would sit in my room waiting for my favorite songs to play so I could record them onto cassette and play them over and over and over again. My parents decided to send me for piano lessons. My teacher was a sweet old lady who taught me the basics but never gave me the opportunity to learn or play the songs I really liked, so after 3 years I quit. I tried the trumpet for few months but wasn’t my thing. I was all about rhythm and it was in college where my fantasy of being a drummer was realized when I bought my first kit and began playing in a band called HoneySlide with my mates. I wasn’t a great drummer because I was too busy with college and girlfriend to practice diligently. Things got serious when I decided to leave Johannesburg and move to NYC to pursue becoming an electronic music producer. Inspired by the likes of The Orb, Andrew Weatherall, Aphex Twin and A Tribe Called Quest, I purchased my first synth, drum machine and a 4-track cassette recorder. My life as a studio rat began to take shape.
Please can you describe a bit about your general philosophy and process as an artist?
My general philosophy is that we are what we do everyday, so I make it my business to be in my studio jamming and composing everyday. My process is not set in stone. Sometimes I will jam my way to composing and producing tracks, other times I set out in a more conceptual way, as I did with Mirage. Sometimes I will just jam for the fun of it and not be bothered by a desire to record or “save” anything. Experimenting with my hardware is like a drug, an escape, transcendental, so when I can I get lost in sounds and rhythms. My process usually involves a combination of hardware and software. All the final arranging and mixing happens in Ableton, but I have also at points in my career just run off mixes straight to a stereo master. When it feels good I go for it. I try to live with new creations as long as I can. Time is the great equalizer.
What does quiet details mean to you and how did you use that to approach this album?
To me, quiet details refers to those elements in life and in nature that exist outside of the obvious and bold. These elements are tuned into once one blocks out all the noise that is always attempting to consume and dominate our thoughts and feelings. With this in mind I set out to capture the quiet details of a Summer heatwave I was experiencing at the time Al contacted me about putting together an album for his label. While the heat and humidity were dominating, the quiet details began to emerge and so did the album that is Mirage. The first part of my mission was to record as much of my natural soundtrack to my everyday life. Once I had a good couple hours of field recordings I went into the studio and began experimenting with what sounds I felt could coexist with them.
Big thanks again Brendon for being so open and for the incredible music, Mirage and everything else.
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Now some shout-outs:
Grateful to Tony (Surgeon) for playing a track on the Nog Zone on Noods Radio
Thanks to Peppe for the lovely review on SoWhat Musica
Thanks to Josef Sedloň for the play here on Seance
Beautiful words from Gino Dal Soler in Blow Up Mag
Support these lovely people!
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Thanks again friends and see you later :)
Much love
Alex
quiet details studios - mastering and audio services
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