dacca

Rock with a sting.

Image: Cuckoo wasp,University Of Texas, Austin.

All synths played manually in Logic Pro X, including synth choir and singers. The EDM drums are a Logic Pro X drummer track (pile driver).

Tell Me What You Are Going Through by dacca

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Arthur C. Clarke.

I recently came across a newish (2013) science-fantasy roleplaying game which I found quite inspirational (and so far I've only played the intro to the computer game version), called Numenéra and created by Monte Cook:

http://numenera.com

It's set a billion years in the future, on the Ninth World (what the human inhabitants call a future Earth). Humans who live there search for devices and artefacts - called Numenéra - from from the previous eight iterations of the world and its lost civilisations.

I watched an interview with Monte Cook by The Gentleman Gamer, in which they discussed the music being a mix of synths and orchestral, hence the sound that I went for.

So I thought I'd try and create music that evoked the sense of wonder that the game and its artwork does.

I do hope you like my visit to the Ninth World.

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The artwork used for my track is simply free art available for commercial use (no attribution required), and approximates the stunning art of Numenéra.

We've all heard the tag line from "Alien" - in space nobody can hear you scream. This track turns that idea around, and imagines a person screaming at their own slow death inside their spacesuit...alone in deep space. Our unfortunate person CAN hear their own scream.

The backing track was created using Novation Launchpad, to which I added my usual GB hard rock guitar (on dacca standard settings), plus ThumbJam guitar played through the Pool Of Tears metal guitar amp from AmpKit, and some manual Live Rock Kit drum kit playing.

Inspired by the excellent "Stranger Things" Netflix series, itself inspired by Dungeons and Dragons, and H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.

An unusual track, no doubt. I created the electronic backing track via Novation Launchpad, then added manually played vintage drum kit, bass, double bass and the early pizzicato strings. The remaining strings are GB smart instruments, quantised.

Almost a chill out track...but can we ever relax on an alien shore? Just a hint of menace here and there to unsettle that warm fuzzy feeling as we admire the local beauty.

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Art by Animaniax - Pantolomin StarAlliance

I shamelessly borrowed the title from a fantasy role-playing game of the same name by M.A. R. Barker, set in the world he created called Tékumel. I owned the game when it came out, and the name and some of the world Barker created have remained with me since.

In my creation I fuse that wonderful title with Chinese opera vocals and the traditional erhu instrument. The rock track is a combination of Blocs Wave plus a ThumbJam metal guitar played through 'middle atmosphere' amp from appkit and my favourite GB rock guitar on my usual settings.

Imagine day after day in an unchanging paradise...