The Summer of Recording

2008-06-20

So the studio is up, wired, and tested. We're good to go!

Everyone is already scrabbling to get some time slotted..but in a real laid-back sort of way. I'm aiming to start recording tracks for darkworld.com in July and hope I'll get it out in autumn. Kris has been planning on the production and wants to try something new. Still talking to our studio manager about how to wire it.

We've got tons of jamming planned, of course! My brother is scheduled to get back in and finish Tor's Angst, and yes, Deemed Psychotic WILL get the much waited for second release done.

You may have already seen Kris' posts on the new Johnny M and Dream Quest. Check them out!

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The Lizard King

2008-05-02

This was originally an improvisation from my time with Stygian Tars, a group that I just love to pull material from. My version is, naturally, cleaned and tightened up. Sven (Korth) had brought in a gorgeous sample that we built on and I recreated it weaving 4 separate keyboard lines. I’m particularly proud of my lead on this, which I coaxed out of another keyboard sample. This songs really grooves for me, and the industrial flairs and accents I added just pull my ear along the melody. And no, there’s no live guitar in it; everything is from keys.

Lyrically this is one of my character songs; I can see the Lizard King very clearly in my mind. I based him on a conglomeration of people I’ve known (which is what I usually do) and he’s a complete cartoon in my head; albeit a darker cartoon along the lines of Akira rather than The Simpsons.

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A Cup of Hope

2008-04-18

According to my brother Tor, this song is the most honest I've done. I was asked for a lighter, happier song to balance the moodier pieces on VOX, and A Cup of Hope came out.

I'd already recorded most of the big pieces for VOX by the time I got around to A Cup of Hope, so I was really relaxed going into it. Most of the groove came from my Roland MC-303 (I call it Bobbie). Sometimes I use some presets for rhythms; sometimes I don't. On this one I didn't. I was stuck for a lead instrument and it was suggested I try just singing some nonsense syllables. I found out just how hard it can be to sing off my own voice on that!



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Laying down the grooves

2008-03-09

I was in the studio yesterday laying down the underlay grooves for two new songs to go out on the internet. Headed back in as soon as I sign out to do 2 more. I'm in the zone!

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About my name...

2008-03-03

Well, it should be easy to tell how I chose my name; it's my name! The more popular question is: HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE IT? My name has 3 syllables and the first 2 rhyme with sky, so say it with me: KY-LY-RA. Simple, yes?

I've been asked innumberable times if my name is of Irish origin & what it means. I was told there was an old Irish legend about the Tuatha de Dannan that included the name, but having gotten here to Irish soil I can't find any trace of it....

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Invisible Threads

2008-02-21

ABOUT INVISIBLE THREADS

Invisible Threads is actually the last song on VOX. When you take the time to listen to VOX in full (which I recommend) you'll find Invisible Threads is actually a postscript to the story line (yes, I'm old fashioned enough to want an entire flow to an album and to hell with the radio edit lengths). VOX is my personal story; my brother Tor has said it's my most honest work to date.

I went a slightly different direction in writing Invisible Threads. First, I fashioned a lot of sounds out of my MC-303 for it. Second, I went very simple with the lyrics; it's just a four line poem (that was on suggestion by Dark World staff and a nudge from my brother - thanks for that!). I sang the full chorus, and then my lines were cut & pasted for effect through the verses. After some of the angst released on the earlier songs in VOX, Invisible Threads is a very spiritual epiphany oriented song.

Invisible Threads will lead my fans from VOX into my next vocal release. In between you'll have to put up with darkworld.com, my techno work;) I'm scheduled to go into the studios with it sometime later this year....


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Music from VOX and before...

2008-02-16

I see Dark World has managed to get a few more songs up here for me...only up to 10 though, they've got a long way to go ;)

I see one of my fave songs from VOX got up - The Hip Modern Girl. Took a while to get the mix right; it's got a waltz feel and musically I threw it into an old world feel. It just wasn't right until I got the sample of a whip cracking in it...that made it.

The song is very sarcastic, if you don't get the lyrics. It's my take on what society expects of women. And no, for any wankers out there, that does NOT mean I'm a dyke. It's that kind of attitude that prompted the song, as a matter of fact....

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MIDI frustrations

2008-02-14

Okay, so I headed into the studio the other day to set up for my next release, darkworld.com. I've got 2 Roland pieces; an old Groovebox 303 model & a new key workstation, GT7. They should be able to talk to each other easily through MIDI...or so I thought.

Goddess, I hate MIDI programming! I love what it can do for me, once I work out the kinks, but DAMN! It's hard to get going. And now my GT7 is a new piece of equipment so I haven't fully explored it...obviously, since I'm bitching here. I know this is going to be so sweet once I get it up...just have to make it work.

And no, I won't use a computer. I don't need to get yet another bit of equipment in to figure out. Does anyone beside me use MIDI anymore?? Have we forgotten the sweet analog sound??

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Upcoming release

2008-02-12

All the interest I've seen out on the web for my earlier work has really given me the drive to go and finish my new techno release. I'm titling it 'darkworld.com' and it's musically based on the website. Actually, some of the material got used when the company released a North American pilot telly program and I'm finally letting everyone hear the stuff in full.

Been itching to get back to it but need to clear out my schedule first......

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The look of Dark World

2008-02-08

Well, our pages out here are finally looking like Dark World International artist pages should! My bro Tor has been helping out with all the web work; he's done a great job! I love having my background up :)

So some of you may have noticed the Dark World explosion out here...if not, here's the current listing that my poor little brain can manage to remember this morning: Deemed Psychotic, Infinisynth, Milwaukee's Black Orhcid, Stygian Tars, Tor's Angst, Future Dialogue, Dream Quest...I think that's all of us for now. Jam for the Dead will be added soon as well as Johnny M. And Doctor When will be coming in as well.

We've also added links back and forth between www.darkworld.com and Cyqo Music, so be sure to check it out!

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