Originally crafted as a background for improvisation, MYST is phrygian.

Phrygian in music that is. We’re not talking about the region in Anatolia.

Hmm, I don’t know how widely known this following fact is: Did you know that the modes of the major scale were named after regions in ancient Greece? (Or the whole story is a bit more complicated but, still…) The modes (that are also scales derivated from the major scale) being Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian.

This is something that every musician out there knows.

Now you know too. Welcome to the club!

I kinda remembered this one… Or it’s title, I should say. PASTORAL PRESENTE is the name, concluding our little retro-futuristic-cyber-dance-trilogy is the game.

All the pieces can be found in the electronic category, and they are, in the order of appearance:

Nomado Futuro
El Grungo Pasto
Pastoral Presente

Yay, more trilogies! That’s exactly what the world needs!

Not.

In case I’ve never mentioned: At the end of each month, I write these postings for the next month. As in late july (or right now, as I’d like to call it), it feels really weird to write these words for the august, because I’ve been taking a well deserved break from producing music.

I’m like: “What’s this tune then? That’s pretty good! What the heck, did I make this?! Bagpipes, really, bagpipes?!”

Etc.

I guess the confusion tells me that my break has been a succees.

Slowly towards the autumn & arki.

Almost forgot: BLINK. It’s guitarless, guitar-pop. Unlike alcohol-free beer, it actually works!

HOPSCOTCH.

Didn’t know the gameplay mechanics nor the rules.

Now I know.

It’s surprisingly complicated, not just jumping around.

Well it’s not complicated like The Twin Prime Conjecture or “it’s complicated”, but still.

I have never played hopscotch. Do I wanna? Sure why not, although I probably never will.

Croquet is my game.

Did you know croquet was featured in olympic games of 1900 and 1904.

#bringbackcroquetparis2024

I now kinda wish I didn’t name todays masterpiece LOST LOVE. Using such a strong title takes away the fun of bringing in your own interpretation. I grow more fond of the idea of abstract music every day.

Oh well.

Also, in this piece, you can hear all the sections (strings, brass, woodwinds) doing their own thing. This creates a very clean sound, that is easy to listen.

Oh yeah.

Usually when making a period piece, you gotta be really careful not to break the immersion.

Like, imagine british soldiers with modern pompadours, listening hip-hop from a boombox in WW1 trench setting. It’s a pretty funny image, but nothing but silliness in being established there.

I tend to be a full-blown puritan when it comes to such matters. No powerful drum sounds in 60’s pop, no guitar shredding in polynesian folk music, and no synthesizers in romantic classical music.

VINTAGE CHILL is an exception, albeit not as extreme as the examples I just made. It’s kind of… 60’s to 80’s vintage chilly-chill stuff.

The illusion is gone, but I like it!

13 seconds of moshing – Doesn’t even break a sweat.

3 minutes and 27 seconds of moshing – Not bad. Some sweat, minor dizziness & a couple of barely noticeable bruises. Mind the phone though.

Gigful of moshing – Several minor bruises, elbow to the cheek bone, stiff neck. Clothes covered in various unwanted substances. 10 % chance to lose car keys, 20 % chance to lose phone, 85 % chance to lose Dave. Nothing a good nights sleep won’t fix.

Lollapalooza of moshing – Achievement unlocked: The leaking tent.

Decade of moshing – Whiplash, 1d3 missing teeth and permanently hardened toenails. Gained a need to wear an embarrasing hat, use the word “man” in the end of every sentence and several bad tattoos. Tinnitus.

Full professional career of moshing – Earned the title: “Kerry King jr.”

500 YEARS OF MOSHING

In the beginning, was the intention to rip-off “Walk on the Wild Side” by Lou Reed. (Or at least it’s famous bass line thingy)

In the middle, someone dared to add in more happy-happy things, like guitars, harmonics and ding-ding.

In the end, there’s even a positive bend, on loan from country music. (Not that I’d ever return it) That was meant to be the “open door” in OPEN DOORS.

Uh oh, lots of name-dropping going on this month.

Here’s one more: Phyllis.

How many famous Phyllis’ can you name?

My Phyllis count stops at 1. Logan.

Now I’m off to listen the Lovejoy main theme. It’s soooo good.

Octave bass. It’s great, isn’t it?

To answer my own question, yes, you’re absolutely right! Octave bass is wonderful!

Although it’s heyday was a good 40+ years ago, I still think it’s somewhat too dominating element to be used frequently. It’s like you have to hear it being used by someone else to gain the permission to stick it in your own music.

You know what, I did hear it being used.

Therefore UNKPOP has it.

Hmm, listening Maurice White & Co. more often would grant me a truckload of octave bass-tokens.

Mother of all hmms.

Producing SPELKLOKK was a theoretical struggle. It was all about taming the chords – making them sound smooth, although the structure is actually pretty complicated.

Well, maybe not that complicated. More like clever.

The process reminded me of something my high school finnish teacher said about writing a good essay: The writing part must be hard in order to make the result easy to read.

Well said!

So, what you’re hearing today is domesticated nightmarish glockenspiels.