So, I'm working on this new remix for my friend Allen. The original song is called Depths of the Ocean, and it's pretty cool. Spacey and chill, similar to some early Orb stuff, or, if you pushed it, maybe early Aphex Twin, sorta. He did it in Ableton Live, a very wonderful little program useful for musical composition and performance. So, the remix I'm working on, called Involution Ocean, will push things further into e:mit type territory, hopefully with some interesting, evolving textures bubbling underneath, with hyperkinetic fractal grooves fading in and out of the soundfield, and a distant wall of sound/swirling guitar/shoegazer feedback, in some ways similar to My Bloody Valentine. Should be done by tomorrow, I hope.

With this in mind (and to be honest, really, I really only think that Mike and Allen and maybe Jeremy will find this interesting) I'm going to make some recommendations for freeware VST effects and instruments that can be used in programs like Ableton Live. Or Orion. Fruityloops. Etc.

In no particular order.

Mutant Koto, a VST instrument meant to emulate plucked strings. It comes awfully close at times to sounding like a Koto or a Kora, but you can tweak the sounds into otherworldly realms.

Cheeze Machine, also a VST instrument, which is designed to emulate the ancient 'string ensembles' that were some of the first incarnations of analog synthesizers available to the masses. This makes a very cool, very warm sound that slowly evolves over time.

Minerva, by Tweakbench. If you're looking for a VST instrument drummachine with an instant glitch aesthetic, this is it. Very very cool. Especially if you automate switching the source of each drum hit. Can make the most bizarre, crunchy and distressed beats you've heard in a while. Pretty much everything else by Tweakbench is worth having.

db Tempo Delay, a classic delay effect. Very cool. Can never have enough delay.

dfx Buffer Override, by DestroyFX. This is the perfect effect for creating the glitchiest stuttering effects. Trust me. You want this.

KTGranulator, by Koen Tanghe of Smartelectronix. Instant granulation effects. Add random patterns in Minerva with dfx Buffer Override and KTGranulator, and you have instant Autechre. Glitchy madness. Lots of other stuff by the Smartelectronix crew is worth having.

SupaTrigga, by Bram of Smartelectronix which automagically cuts and slices and dices samples for breakbeat lovefests. Instant jungle, or if you play with it, instant glitch.

Finally, Syntar, a VST instrument version of an Indian sitar. Very very cool. Made in Synthedit, which seems to be beyond my learning curve right now.

Also, in reference to new music, check out ModSquare, which I'm pretty sure I've linked to before, and Cyclic Defrost. Both have reviews of new music that you may find interesting. Or repellent. Whatever. Also check out Igloo. All via a discussion on EM411.

Had a great time this weekend, despite working 2 out of the three days, and helping Kathleen (my wife's sister) and Collin move (a little). What's really cool is I got to see the girls' parents, which is always cool, and we got to go out to eat for Kathleen's birthday. It's good to spend time with good friends. And the Oreo Birthday Cake wasn't too shabby either.