Voyage to Alpha Centauri

[Mojo1961]

DIY
This is something I came up with while fooling around with an old portable AM radio and my electric guitar. I forget when I first heard of someone using a portable drill (DC only) instead of a pick to get some way out sounds from their guitar. The pickups are disturbed from the magnetic interference caused by the drill's motor. But I also know that the pickups are microphonic and on a really loud clean amp, you can sing into the pups, and hear it. So I've had this chord progression in my head for some time and played around with it, I don't think heard it before but its familiar nonetheless. So I went to test it using a portable radio like an E-bow, so I finger the chords and bring up the radio to the pickups and damn if it don't make some kind of god awful weird noise, like 100 different voices at once but not recognizable . But moving it even a little really changed it. So I played around until it was kind of stable and then changed chords will holding  it there, and viola it modulated the sound to follow the chords, Then ran it through Lo-Fi on my BR-600. This weirdness comes in at 2:25.

The second thing I used on this song, is something I've heard others on this site use, a Korg Kaossilator, and my local music store had one on sale. I used this for the spacey Pink Floyd sound at the intro and then throughout the song, no loops just played. Kind of a cool device, I can see future use for this.

Used my Tele for this, and the Korg went into line in on my BR-600, first time I used that, since it's stereo.

Note: Do not try this on your pickups with AC voltage devices - Could be damaging or deadly.

[Geir]

Very cool spacey tune !!

I've shouted at my pickups, but never tried using a radio! Very cool result !!!

[cuthbert]

I love music like this - pushing the boundaries of what is considered the "acceptable" form for making music. And in doing so, you've managed combine the elements into something that makes for a memorable and enjoyable listen, and I want to listen again - that's what counts!

[launched]

Yes - I love it.

Wonderful soundscape, and clever usage of equipment at hand! And it doesn't sound hokey either, very genuine and classy.

Awesome!

Mark

[bruno]

Spacey, etherial & cosmic.
Great job.
B.

[Mojo1961]

Thanks guys for commenting, you know it's this site and and its community who inspire me to try out new things. I would have never thought up this crazy idea without DIY Fest, seeing the ideas that you guys use to create music.

Geir, thanks for letting me know that I'm not the only one here who talked to their guitar!

Cuthbert - I'm glad you liked it, I had a listen to your Emu Fest song Collapsing Star - nicely done. Doing something like this is outside the box for me, I'd never considered anything like this till I came to this site.

Mark and bruno - glad you liked it, I tried to be a little avant garde with this without crossing the line to the dreaded Musak soundscape 

Martin

[Tony W]

this is really damn cool Martin. It's got a wonderfully hypnotic feel.

[lg]

Very interesting, and creative.
I too sometimes enjoy pushing the envelope a bit....

LG
 

[The Gobi Desert Canoe Club]

Great soundscape ingeniously put together. Respect...............Willie

[fenderbender]

This would fit in nicely to a TV wildlife Docu.
great imagination  Martin



congrats

Tommy