Author: snug

Thursday Throwback – August 11, 2011

So I’m playing a live techno set this Saturday under the monicker “Dr. Beardsley”. It’s all very bass/synth-heavy techno so I figured it was only fitting to post a classic track with a big bassline. As the majority of older techno I know doesn’t actually have big basslines we’ll have to go with a minimal bassline…

I really wanted to post Henrik B’s “Stuntman” but was unable to find it online and unfortunately didn’t have the time to upload it. Just going through my techno crates now I came across something similar though, and something much more significant and relevant.

Relevant because I played a show with this guy in 99, around the time the track was released. Not only that, but my set was…. yup… live techno!

Significant because it was at this show that I started dating my wife. (Aww, young raver love!) What really brings it all full circle is that we got married on that same day 11 years later, and will be celebrating our 1 year anniversary in exactly one month from today.

So there you have it, a story of love and techno. And quite understandably, this track always sends chills down my spine.

D.A.V.E. the Drummer Hydraulix 2 side A c. 1999:

Now back to work preparing for the show!

New EP in the works

(Just submitted this to The Coast’s Fall Music preview and thought I should share it here too)

For immediate release:

Dartmouth-based electronic music producer Snug is planning a follow-up to his 2010 album “Time Travel”. The EP, tentatively titled “Starstruck”, will contain 6 of his strongest tracks from the last two years in his trademark style – deep, introspective, melodic and rhythmic. It will be released digitally as a free download, with CDs available for purchase.

Artist: Snug

Title: Starstruck

Genre: Electronic (drum & bass, downtempo)

Format: free digital download, limited run CD

Release date: November 15 2011

Label: Independent

Thursday Throwback – August 4, 2011

So for this week’s throwback I wanted to do a little ode to “acid” (not the drug, but the form of music – acid house, acid techno, etc.)

As I’m sure most of you are aware, it was Roland’s TB-303 that was responsible for the birth of acid. It was released in 1981 as a “bassline synthesizer”. Of course it sounded a hell of a lot more like a “synthesizer” than a “bass”, but I’m sure at least a few artists used it for its “intended” purpose.

This week’s track is one which I wasn’t intimately familiar until today. I’m sure I’ve heard it before but would not have been able to place a name to it until now. Some would argue this was one of the first acid tracks. Others might argue it was something off of Charanjit Singh’s “Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat”. I’ll let you be the judge. I’m going with the former for today, but be sure to check out the later too.

“Acid Tracks” from Phuture, c. 1987:

So there you have it. I’ve learned something new today. Hopefully you did too.

Have some other classic acid tracks to recommend? Leave a comment!

Thursday Throwback – July 28, 2011

So I’m playing an all vinyl set tomorrow night. Not only that, but an all 90s drum & bass vinyl set! Going through the old records brings back a lot of memories. Now, this is not going to be a post about how vinyl is better than CD/MP3/the digital age/Jesus/etc. Hell, I don’t necessarily think it is. I looove the digital age.

I will say this though: what I like about vinyl or physical mediums in general is that each one has a story to tell. You just don’t think about an MP3 like “Hey I remember the day I logged onto Beatport and downloaded that track”. There is generally a time and a place associated with a piece of vinyl.

Many of my vinyls have stickers from the stores where I purchased them… Bowggy Records, One Unity, etc. Classic record shops in Ottawa that I used to go to weekly to source new tracks. These days you can just go online and buy an MP3 without having to talk to a single person. Without meeting anyone new.

That’s not to say the option wasn’t there to order online when I was buying vinyl. It was, and often I would because the shops just wouldn’t get certain tracks or labels. But it was nice to have the option to go somewhere and buy music among other DJs.

I guess one could argue that you could just go to a Starbucks with your laptop and buy music online in the presence of others, but it’s not the same. The record shop was the place to talk about the newest tracks, production, shows, setup gigs, etc.

So if there’s one thing I miss about vinyl, it’s that. That, and it’s fun to play. Other than that, I hate it! 😉 It’s heavy, it’s expensive and it degrades.

So yeah, this week’s throwback is an ode to vinyl. As I already posted the very first vinyl I bought, I will post what I think might be the second or pretty close to it.

Ed Rush & Optical, Funktion, c. 1998:

Thursday Throwback – July 21, 2011

Another retro game throwback this week and, in my opinion, one of the most classic video game themes of all times.

I was introduced to Mario at the ripe young age of 8. I got my first video game console (the NES, of course) along with Super Mario Brothers 2. I know, it wasn’t actually a “real” Mario game but it was good nonetheless and definitely raised the bar on platform games (and video games in general).

A couple years later the Super Nintendo was released, along with Super Mario World, and the bar was raised again. By a lot.

Completely random side-story: I remember me and my friend had rented a SNES and were playing in his parent’s bedroom for whatever reason. On the night table is what appeared to be a… dildo. Apparently he was told it was a back scratcher. To this day I’m completely confident it was a dildo.

Why the hell would you keep that in plain sight and tell your kid it was a back scratcher? Would it not be completely awkward if said kid then started to use it for its “intended” purpose?

But I digress.

Apart from that awkwardness the game itself was awesome. An instant classic. What I think is so great about the music is the motif that’s carried all the away through. That same riff is used in all of the background music, often switching to a minor key, a different time signature, etc. To this day I’m totally in love with that idea and feel and am disappointed we don’t hear more of this. I suppose this must be fairly challenging to pull off without becoming repetitive, but it was definitely pulled off masterfully by Koji Kondo.

So here’s the background music from the first level in SMW, c. 1990:

Oh yeah, and if you enjoy this at all or it brings back fond memories, do check out XOC’s one-man-band reinterpretation using dozens of instruments.

Free drumstep sample pack

“Dumbstep” is a cleverly named drumstep sketch I started late last year. I’m working on a collab with shortcircuit and we’re using it as a starting point. Since I was already uploading these loops to SoundCloud anyway I figure I’d make them public and see what, if anything, comes of it.

So feel free to use them anyway you please. All I ask is that if you release something with these stems you give me credit. If you mangle them beyond recognition then whatever 😉

If you want something more specific, like individual drum hits or individual stems from the beat, just let me know and I’ll pull that together for you.

Dumbstep stems by Snug

Hoping to make this a regular thing BTW – I already have loops exported from a dozen or so tracks as a result of my live sets, so it’s only a matter of time.

Thursday Throwback – July 14, 2011

So I’m headed into the studio next week for a week-long recording session with The WAX. I can’t help but think back to my first recording experience with my little high-school rock band.

It must have been 1995. I was just starting to find out about real electronic music at the time so I would have been listening primarily to the grungey rock sound of that era: Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins and of course Canada’s own Treble Charger.

We recorded at this dank little studio in the basement of a strip mall in Orleans, Ontario (suburb of Ottawa) over the course of a couple nights. I remember that the owner was in a Doors tribute band and had the biggest drum kit I’d ever seen.

We recorded everything live off the floor to ADAT and overdubbed vox. No click tracks or computers involved. A far cry from the way things are generally done today.

As I recall I don’t think we ever actually released the album, although I’m sure there are still a few copies floating around on tape. If you happen to have one please either destroy it or send it to me, hehe.

Anyway, I was ultimately kicked out of the band because my songs were too “easy listening”. Not all that much different than today, I guess 😉 I can listen to and enjoy the heavy stuff but when it comes to writing I naturally gravitate towards music with depth and emotion.

I chose today’s throwback because I specifically remember writing a song with the same rhythm as the verse… though with different chords, I think (/hope). They say imitation is the best form of flattery, anyway.

From Treble Charger’s “Self-Title” c. 1995:

Thursday Throwback – July 7, 2011

This week’s throwback is an absolute drum & bass classic, without a doubt. I heard this for the first (or maybe second) time on LTJ Bukem’s Promised Land Vol. 1 mix, along with several other Adam F tracks, and instantly became hooked.

I remember hearing somewhere that the initial release of this track didn’t do so well, and it was re-released with a few tweaks (faster tempo, extra vocal sample). Can’t find anything on the net to corroborate this though so if you know for sure please leave a comment 🙂

This is one of those tracks that you need to give a good listen to at least once a year. Preferably more. I’m posting a shorter version simply because there’s a video to go along with it. The full version is actually 8:30.

Adam F’s “Circles”, c. 1995:

Thursday Throwback – June 30, 2011

For better or for worse the Chemical Brothers played an integral role in bringing electronic music to the masses in the mid 90s. Being backed by a major label certainly didn’t hurt, as it funded their music videos and got their music out there via widespread distribution.

Today’s throwback – a collaboration with Noel Gallagher – really sealed the deal. The music video saw regular rotation here in Canada on Much Music (back when they actually played music videos) and the single debuted at number one in UK. No doubt this, along with Gallagher’s vocals, brought “electronic” (I use the term somewhat loosely) to a whole new demographic.

Coincidentally this was actually the first MP3 I ever downloaded. I have no idea where I found it – MP3s were fairly new at the time and it wasn’t till a few years later that file sharing become more prominent.

Personally I wouldn’t say this is the best track by the Chemical Brothers, nor does it stand the test of time as much of some of the other throwbacks I’ve posted, but it definitely represents a key turning point in electronic music in my humble opinion.

Chemical Brother’s “Setting Sun” feat. Noel Gallagher c. 1996:

For those of you in Canada: have a great Canada Day. For those of you not: you should visit some time, it’s nice here.

P.S. sorry for the lateness in posting this – vacation followed by work followed by intense writing/jam session in preparation for The WAX recording in a couple weeks!

Thursday Throwback – June 23, 2011

Sorry for the lateness of this throwback but I had a corp event today that went well into the evening.I think today’s throwback is actually the first house track I’ve posted. This was my favourite house track when I was like 16 (are 16 year old boys supposed to have favourite house tracks… ?)I had it on a mix I recorded from the Planet Rave radio show – one of the shows that introduced me to techno and house music. I remember my electronics teacher used to let us play music in class and I played this mix, much to the confusion of the class. Oh well. (I still miss the smell of electronics class though – burnt plastics and solder… mmm.)I listened to a fair bit of house via the radio at the time but was drawn to the loopier stuff so this track was right up my alley (Madame B “It’s Not Enough” also comes to mind). Although the track is fairly simple the part A and B thing keeps it from dragging on too much. And all the layering keeps the ears occupied anyways.
So here we go… the Todd Edwards dub mix of St. Germain “Alabama Blues” c. 1996:

P.S. Dr. Beardsley remix in the works – we’ll see how that pans out 🙂