Paul Jackson Music

Paul Jackson Music

Wednesday 21 December 2016

#34: Wrapping Up The Present

So as I wrap up another year, I have a brief look back over musical activity in this area. Not one but two Duster Jack albums were composed and recorded and uploaded to the Bandcamp site in the last two months.


Both were fun to write and record and kept within the instrumental electro synth dance style that fit under the Duster Jack moniker.




You can stream and download them here..

Theory Of Something
https://paulajackson.bandcamp.com/album/theory-of-something
Timeline
https://paulajackson.bandcamp.com/album/timeline


Since the beginning of the year I've had a Production album which currently consists of finished backing tracks. I did start recording vocals but want to try again and hope to have that done in the new year. I've also started arranging covers for a possible live venture. I have been toying with the idea of playing live again in some form or the other. Initially I wondered about performing original material in a solo electronic set up, as I used to do, but I've also been mulling over the idea of performing as a covers act - interpreting songs from various eras and styles in my own way and while I've rehearsed and recorded some of these, they need a little bit more work.




And aside from creating music, I've felt that I need to go back to having some sort of landing webpage from which to link to Bandcamp and the Blog and wherever else. So there's a few things to set my mind to in 2017. Until then I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Friday 2 December 2016

#33: New and Ongoing

Following a musical prolific 2015, I hoped I could continue on the same path this year whereby I finish work on various ideas I've previously sketched out, or start and complete new projects. That hasn't quite happened as I intended, but I have found myself embarking on yet another idea that I've probably been spending far longer than is required at this time.
Last autumn I did start writing a new Production album and actually finished all the music for the ten electronic pop tracks that would form it. But I have yet to find adequate time and space to finish recording vocals and mix the whole thing down before setting it free into cyberspace.
At the start of the year I focused a little on how much I have missed performing live - be it with a band or solo, and I began toying with the possibility of breaking the haitus in some way. At the same time as doing my typical thing of overthinking, overworrying and overplanning on how I would action it, my brain has been awash with thoughts on how it might be perceived, how many people would be there to do any perceiving in the first place, and how I would feel in carrying it out.
Would I perform original tracks and pick up where I left the Production 'act' hanging at the turn of the century, or should I maybe not put it under any guise or umbrella and just perform behind a keyboard or two and delve into covers? I've chatted at length with a few close friends who have remained patient enough to hear me pour out ideas and thoughts and concerns and have received generous support in return. I have an idea of how I want to perform and present a selection of tracks - whether covers or originals, but nothing is going to happen until I actually find somewhere to play and turn up and just give it a go. But rather than just procrastinate and worry over it,  I have consistently been collecting songs, arranging and sequencing accompanying synth and rhythm parts, as well as mappingout vocal and piano arrangements of various songs from various eras in various genres. So now I have quite a large bank of material to collate into performable sets, my next task is to record a few so I, and maybe select others, can hear and critique them, before I decide to take the next step.
I was sure I could reach performing stage by the end of the year but it hasn't quite worked out. I'm not too keen on trying it out in public before I feel I've confidently learned the material and my limited vocal and playing abilities are as fit for purpose as they can be.
As well as sequencing and arranging cover versions on my travelling studio tablet set up, I have also occasionally delved into musical ideas for instrumental tracks and reworking early Production tracks which I hope to air sometime in the new year.
A few weeks ago I decided to push myself a little with the challenge of creating some new musical ideas and experiments for another Duster Jack album. Purely for a fun exercise and workout. While starting on the basics for 12 new tracks, I found a bunch of ideas I had put  down several months ago but had never expanded into full tracks. I had forgotten about them.
Theory Of Something


So out of those, I created 12 full tracks for a fourth Duster Jack album now released as Theory Of Something. And the newer 12 ideas were then expanded into a fifth album called Timeline which is all ready to publish. Just need to hit the button to make it live which will happen any day now. So I managed to get to the end of the year with putting something new out into the ether at least. And I hope the fun it was to make the tracks comes across to those who hear them.

Saturday 12 March 2016

#32: Cassette Box




By 1994 I had got into the habit of recording demos of songs from my little synth/drum machine/portastudio set up and making up cassettes to scatter around the corners of the earth. In the summer holidays of that year from university I set up a mini recording area and began reworking and rerecording old songs as well as writing new songs and instrumentals. Partly for fun and partly for the cataloguing side of me I started compiling them as cassette albums. They didn't really venture outside anywhere other than into the hands of a few friends that showed an interest. However it was a way of archiving what become the results of a musical prolific few weeks and it was good fun. I cobbled together some sleeves courtesy of the library colour photocopier and typed up the tracklisting. I was sorting through some old boxes recently and had a little browse through these little cassette tapes from over twenty years ago. The latter two were compiled a couple of years later in 1996 but I never reached the colour sleeve packaging stage. 
So for perhaps posterity and a little nostalgia and maybe even for the amusement of anyone who may remember any of the songs from that time, I've decided to list them here on the blog. 
And while I'm not at any stage to even consider giving the audio another airing, I haven't ruled out maybe revisiting and reworking some past ideas for future ventures. 









A Personal Possession (1994)



A Personal Possession
1. Would You?
2. Let It Go
3. Night Exodus
4. Possessive Mind
5. Let Me Hold You
6. Obsessive Mind
7. Confession
8. Just Another Love Song
9. Be Mind
10. Never Need You
11. Don't Leave Me Now
12. I Couldn't Really Care Less
13. For You

Trks 4,9,11,12 features Simon Partridge on guitars
Trks 1,2,8,13 (1994)  3, 5, 6, 7,10,12 (1993) 4,9,11 (1992)










Dreams and Illusions (1994)


Dreams and Illusions

1. Tomorrow Could Be A Different Thing
2. I'd Rather Not Know You
3. Don't Ask Me Why
4. I Could Do With A Little Love From You
5. But I Forgive You
6. What's It All For?
7. So
8. Would It Be Alright?
9. I'm Not Telling You
10. Isolated Virtue
11. On The Edge
12. Destiny

Trk 7. features Simon Partridge on electric guitar









Dark (1994)




Dark
 
1. Last Night I Stayed Awake
2. I Need A Place
3. I Don't Want To Be Here Anymore
4. It's Not So Easy
5. Wanderlust
6. Miles Away
7. Sitting In A Room
8. One Night
9. Time To Go
10. Poetry
11. One Of These Days







 







Club (1994)




Club
 

1. NRG Overture
2. Moments I Long For
3. Repercussion
4. Nightlife
5. Portrait
6. Don't You Feel Unreal?
7. One More Day
8. Masquerade
9. The Product
10. Would You Like To Take A Trip To The Moon?
11. Interlude 9
12. Productivity (Reprise)
 











Optimistic (1994)


Optimistic

1. It's The Only Solution
2. I Know A Place
3. I Would Like To...
4. After All This Time
5. You Are
6. Great Expectations
7. You Take Control
8. I'd Like To Know You
9. Do What You Have To
10. I Never Knew
11. Your Only Lover

12. What Can I Do?

Trks 8 and 11 feature Hannah Cygan on lead(8) and backing vocal(11)







Synth Disco (1996)





Synth Disco

1. Open
2. We Could Be Good Together
3. Thinking Of Me
4. Together
5. Blowing Your Mind
6. Long
7. Forever
8. Making Mistakes (I'm Alive)
9. Live With It
10. This Could Be
11. Club Pop
12. We Could Be Good Together 
(S-cape mix)

Recorded 1995-96












Machine (1996)






Machine

1. I Want The Machines
2. Someone You Could Change
3. Moving Closer
4. You Wouldn't Want That
5. Calling Me
6. I Could Easily Forget
7. Living Tonight
8. Something More
9. Making It Real
10. Live and Die

Recorded 1996







Thursday 4 February 2016

#31: All things pending....

I'm currently in one of my favourite lunch hour retreats from work where on occasion I sit with my tablet, a notepad and a coffee. I usually scribble down some music ideas and sketches, or on this occasion, take to my blog for a catch up. Last September I began noting down new song ideas which have now taken shape in audio form and I'm just now listening and reviewing all ten backing tracks. Certainly a lot faster process than it was for the 'Tonic' album but perhaps finishing that album has become the motivator to push ahead with continuing to create rather than stagnate. 
The album has taken shape quite quickly and pending some vocal sessions I'm hoping I can put it out into the ether very soon. It rather depends on if I can hit enough right notes to be happy enough.

By the end of 2015 I had managed to finish a few little projects under various monikers I have been accustomed to jumping between, and I wasn't sure whether to continue in that fashion or create a new one and stick to it. Especially as I've been more recently mulling over the idea of maybe trying to do some live performing again. Not entirely sure where, when, what or why but as it's something I've missed doing I think it's at least worth another shot. Tried lots of different things over the years since I last performed and always had the intention, or maybe the hope, that I could pick up where I last left. Before I knew it fifteen years had gone by. So we'll see what happens after I spend a bit of time working on arrangements and performance strategy with a new set up. Maybe if I post it in this blog and I have knowledge that it has been read by someone somewhere, it may propel me to forge ahead with the idea instead of ducking out without good reason.


Saturday 23 January 2016

#30: New Year New Projects

This is me stealing a few minutes on my lunch break in a coffee shop going through some ideas for an album's worth of new tracks. 





More recently I've been tinkering with audio ideas using sequencing/synth/sampling software on my tablet which has become my trusty travel companion. But   I also like to roll back to the old school method of notebook and pen. Usually for lyrics but occasionally to jot down chord sequences, melodies and rhythm patterns. Happy to report those Aural and Transcription lessons back at Salford University weren't wasted. 
Hoping to work a bit faster on tracks this year and work a bit differently to previous projects. Instead of slaving over sequencer lines on the computer, audio editing, mixing etc, I'm aiming to record and write in a more immediate way for some project ideas I'm aiming to tackle. 
We'll see how that progresses. 


For now though, I've moved all musical output to one Bandcamp account which I'll be mainly using for everything regardless of artist pseudonym used.