Water is all around me, streaming down my face and shoulders. Falling down, down, down… Lapping at my ankles, pouring down through cracks that have forced their way up and out of the ground below me. Darkness precedes all that is, or will one day be. I am in a moment where everything around sounds faint, far away… I am travelling through time – through space – and through my mind… one second at a time…
I open my eyes, blinking, as bright lights cut a path through the haze that has settled all around me – intruding upon my own, home-made reality and returning me to the present. Reaching for a towel, I dry myself off and step out of the shower. My journey to Mars has begun.
Often the best ideas come at the most unsuspecting moment, at a time when the mind is completely at ease and carefree… Uninhibited. When they come, you have two choices – 1. go with it, or 2. forget about it. I pride myself on being able to recognise a good opportunity when it stares me in the face – in this case, an opportunity by the name of Creativity. Quickly hauling ass into my studio (conveniently located in my home), I breathed life into my iMac, grabbed a pen and pad and got busy.
As the idea began to take shape, I brought Joel, and long-time friend/super talented singer Cassie Wallace into the picture to join me in the songwriting festivities. The first few hours were draining ones – the three of us brainstormed, jotted down lines, scribbled them out, debated, and then re-wrote – always striving for perfection. Once the lyrics were finished Cassie stepped up to the plate – or in this case the silver plated Mic. She literally flew through the vocals, bringing to the table the kind of melodies that I can only dream about. She bounced from harmonies to BVs to adlibs, before sinking into a chair with utterances of contentment – 2 long sessions later.
Now that the scene has been set, please close your eyes, sit back, and prepare to descend with us onto the Red Planet.
One of the most exciting things for me in life is finding (or being shown) new music from which i can draw musical influence!
This weekend saw the discovery of a few new tracks that i would like to share with u and also give a brief review.
It is no secret that here at Jaden, we are big fans of the production of Mr Ryan Leslie. My first discovery is a song titled “Get it right tonight” by an artist named Corey Gunz ft. Ryan Leslie. As always Leslie drops a simple yet PHAT beat, along with a hypnotizing synth hook (think it sounds a little like the one in Coolio’s “gangsta’s paradise” – musical coincidence?) which has my head bobbing throughout the whole track! Leslie is a master of keeping the right tracks simple and once again he has achieved another killer track while keeping this formula. This is the first time i hear any track by Corey Gunz and must say that i am a fan of his flow. Somewhat similar to that of lil wayne, but has his own vibe and as for lyrics, they’re on the money for this track.
The second discovery excites me for a few different reasons. The track is titled “Killer instincts” by Rick Ross and Produced by Cool and Dre.
The first reason this excites me is because my good friend’s band will be heading to Miami in a month to record their album with Cool and Dre. This dynamic producer duo have been recently producing their Hip Hop tracks with a lot of rock influence so i can’t wait to hear what else these guys will be coming up with.
Back to the track……It has a killer beat with a raw sounding live kit (as a drummer i love raaaaaaawwww sounding kits!), great vocal production, and one catchy ass vocal hook! Another track that has me bobbin my head and i’m loving the flow of Rick Ross’ verses.
Third track! – “Believe” By Q-Tip and D’Angelo! – I did find 2 versions of this track so check this 1;
Without even listening to the track i already had a feeling this would be an awesome track! Well, why wouldn’t you……Q-Tip and D’Angelo wouldn’t drop an ‘average’ track.
Once again……raawwww live kit, with a slight swing to make it sound as if its just ahead of the beat. LOVE IT! The key chords are amazing and the little guitar licks throughout the verse are sooooooo tasteful. Great lyrics, great production……and what can u say about D’Angelo’s performance?? well lets just say it’s what anyone would expect. – Smooth.
Joel and I have recently started to work with a new hip hop group by the name of Ace Mental – a couple of young but very keen rappers from Sydney. It has been a while since Jaden did anything serious in the hip hop arena, so I for one am enjoying the change of pace and the new challenges that come with working on something different.
Joel is definitely more adept at composing and arranging in this style than I am; it seems I was never exposed to much hip hop as a kid (I’m sure growing up in the north shore of Sydney played its part in this). For this reason, I’ve been happy to take the backseat a little bit during the recording and writing phases, and take notes (particularly on the new vocabulary I’ve been learning). Production and mixing has been a lot of fun so far, and you can be sure no-one has to ask me twice to make the kick “phat”.
You can check the first completed track “Jealousy” out below. If you like what you hear, stay tuned for more new tracks.
With this great sadness comes my realization of the joy that was shared to the world by an extraordinary man, a man who will never be replaced as not only the ‘King of Pop’ but the ‘King of Entertainment’ period.
So why is it that millions of us who have never even met the man feel such ‘closeness’, a sense of family, a sense of understanding?
MIchael Jackson’s music has something for everyone, It has something we can all relate to. No matter what emotion one may be going through there is a soundtrack to match. His music is so powerful and delicately pieced together, his lyrics simply genius and stage performance so brilliant that it set a standard never to be matched.
History was the 1st album that i bought with my own money and am extremely fortunate i was able to witness the MJ ‘History’ concert in Sydney ’96 thanks to my mum! Throughout high school i returned home most days to an MJ dvd and would copy every dance move (as best i could!) until i knew the choreography for whole concert. This is the impact MJ had on me.
His accomplishments are nothing short of astonishing and have left a permanent mark on the world’s music industry. Unlike my other personal musical favorites such as The Beatles, Stevie, Bob Marley, and Prince, Michael Jackson’s music crossed through many different genres, captivating a vast number of dedicated followers from around the globe. Not to take anything away from these other amazing/influential artists, but Michael Jackson was an individual in a league of his own.
No one will ever be able to relate Michael Jackson, an entertainer who lived the life of a celebrity since he was aged 5. We may be able to understand his pain and loneliness but no one will ever be able to know exactly what this person experienced. One thing we can be sure of is that this is simply a sad end to a story that touched many of our lives and will continue to be told from generation to generation just as his legacy will live though the many entertainers here today and in the years to come.
Much like most other internet trends i’ve caught onto, never did i think there would come a time when i would be blogging!
My question for you today is this:
“In a time where popular music is loosing quality, being simplified, and is sold mostly on image, is there anything the consumer or artist can do to restore pop’s ‘musical goodness’?
-Joel-
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