Small Colin (The Blog)

Small Colin @ Facebook

2011-09-09T09:50:00.000+02:00

I realised I haven't given the link for the Facebook profile page yet so here it is:-

Small Colin @ Facebook

I would appreciate a "like" not only for my own ego but also because it means you will be kept in the know of updates of the Small Colin variety.

Thanks

C x

Bandcamp, Soundcloud & Onesheet

2011-09-09T09:46:00.000+02:00

I now have an account at bandcamp.com and I will be using it only to have older songs & early versions of already released tracks. All of the music will be free to download so go check it out now

http://smallcolin.bandcamp.com/

My soundcloud page has also been updated with a couple of tracks

Small Colin @ Soundcloud

I've also set-up a profile at one sheet.com that basically is a page that links to all Small Colin related sites online. There you can listen to music (via soundcloud), read my Twitter feed, read this blog & entrys from my Facebook page and check out any vids I've uploaded to Vimeo. There is also links to buy my first ep on iTunes.
I think its a great idea to have everything in the one place as it saves having to keep loads of different bookmarks for several sites. Here is the link for it:-

http://onesheet.com/SmallColin/

Take care now

C x

Retro Masters

2011-09-09T09:19:00.002+02:00

As you might have guessed by the non-happenings here i now post nearly all of Small Colin news on Facebook. The reason for this mainly is i'm not sure how many people check in on this blog whilst on FB I know of at least 100 odd people that see every entry.

Never-the-less, i'm posting now just in case anyone reading doesn't know about the release of my new ep.

I have 5 new tracks available for a free download from the awesome net-label rec72. The songs are actually all recorded between 2006-2011 hence the title. The cover also plays in with naming as it features an old toy.

Here is a direct link to the dowload page:-

Retro Masters

And the cover:-

All tracks were mastered by Peter over at Sound29. I am very pleased with the results so will definitely be using his services in future. I would recommend you do this also.

Sound29

One of the tracks features the beautiful vocals of a german girl called Julika Poly. You should check out her music here:-

http://www.polymusicworld.com

As always I would love to hear your opinion on the music so don't hesitate to leave a comment

Till the next time

Cheers
C x

Leaf Shaped Feelings Remix ep/lp out now

2011-01-03T22:03:00.000+01:00

Yip, you read right. 11 remixes of the Small Radio track have been collected, arranged & packaged together with an awesome cover photo by Koki Abra.
Remixers who have contributed to the project are found below.

1. Cube2the3rd
2. MCM
3. Adrian Carter
4. Clutter
5. Pandacetamol
6. Noise Research
7. Anclove
8. Forrest James
9. 7the Gear
10. Coco Bryce
11. Lofiuser

A big thanks goes out to all those involved. Myself & Scott are (as always) extremely grateful & thrilled to be involved with such talented people.

Check it out good folk!!!

Small Radio - Leaf Shaped Feelings Remixes

Headphonaught review on Le Migre #2

2010-12-23T16:49:00.001+01:00

Hey feeling bored just before Xmas? Have a read of the review of Le Migre #2 over at

Headphonaught's Nanolog.

Nice. My favourite part, "This modern day "wall of sound" is a delightful addition to the albums on my iPhone and one that I would heartily recommend."

Merry Christmas to one & all from within the Small Colin family. xxx

Excellenti Features…

2010-10-09T23:01:00.001+02:00

………on a new Creative Commons compliation entitled, well, "Creative Commons Compilation 2010". The album has been complied by a German guy (I think). And as you've probably guessed all the stuff on the record has been released under the Creative Commons License.

It really is a great album so get involved now & listen to some good free music.

all2gethernow - Creative Commons Compilation 2010

Tack

ps You can read up more on the aforementioned Creative Commons stuff here:-

Creative Commons

pps check out the weird file naming when you download the tracks! :)

Release Day!!!

2010-10-07T21:38:00.000+02:00

And it's out there…

Thought you might like to know that myself & Scott have our new Ep released today on the net-label Rec72.

Head on over there now to listen & download the four tracks

Le Migre #2

Must give a big shout out for Kourtney Buchanan (Kourtney Demaine) for the artwork. Amazing stuff!
Also, big cheers to Marco over Rec72 for demanding this since we handed him Le Migre #1. You're a hero M :D

Cheers

Colin

btw Feedback is always appreciated so don't be shy

1 day left now

2010-10-06T22:44:00.001+02:00

In just a few hours the world will be available to download & listen to some new Small Radio material. If you can't wait that long, click on the link below:-

Hear SR in advance

There you'll be available to both listen & download the track "Excellenti" in full. While you're on that page, you might as well d/l the whole compilation album. It has some superb (free) music on it. As usual myself & Scott where really pleased that our track is featured.

Until tomorrow………

2 Days to go…

2010-10-05T22:28:00.000+02:00

Yes, people its almost that time. Le Migre #2 will released on the netlabel Rec72 on Thursday the 7th October.

As a little taster here's a link to the promo clip for the track "Excellenti"

Excellenti Promo @ Vimeo

Hope you enjoy! (btw Cheers to akustikfilm for the visuals!)

C

ps if anyone was waiting for the review I promised on the Novation Launchpad, I'm sorry, its not going to come I'm afraid. I've had far too many other commitments so unfortunately you'll just have to find a review elsewhere. Never-the-less, its definitely worth purchasing though. I can honestly that my use of Ableton Live has gone up at least 1000% percent because of it.

Short Post

2010-08-02T00:13:00.000+02:00

Just a short one today to mention the fact that I got the masters for Le Migre #2 last night. Scott has done a wicked job. The tracks sound great. Actually no, they sound really great!!! I'm sure you will love them too

As it looks the Ep will be available in September for free download from Rec72. Details will follow on this.

Oh yeah, I'm still working on the review of the Novation Launchpad. I promise it will be posted soon.

Another Day…Another Purchase

2010-07-30T00:55:00.000+02:00

Today I took the plunge and purchased my first ever full copy of Ableton Live. Live 8.14 to be precise.
I've been using lite versions of the software since Live 2 and kind of drifted in and out of using it as a studio tool since then. Although strangely enough, I have actually always used it when playing live as its entirely more reliable than Cubase, Logic or Reason in my opinion. Anyways, after the purchase of my Launchpad the other day it kind of made sense to upgrade my software at the same time.

For those of you that already use Ableton in your set-up I really don't need to tell you how good it is. But for those that don't………Get it. Get it now!!!

Read up a little on it here:- Ableton Live

Today I managed to create four completely new tracks that are maybe, 80% complete already & I finally managed to do a re-take on my earlier (much-loved) track, We Are Denied. I'll be uploading some of these tracks onto Soundcloud when they're done & as a token of thanks to all the people who have supported me with my music the "We have denied" re-take will be available for a free download.

Oh yeah, the review of the Launchpad is coming. I've just been too busy actually using the device to write anything here. I will say this though, combined with Live the Launchpad is almost perfect.

Here's to happy music-making.
C x

Novation Launchpad

2010-07-27T22:35:00.002+02:00

After a short while pondering whether or not I actually needed one of these (fairly) new-on-the-market midi controllers I finally decided to order one last week. It came in the post today! So far…it is absolutely amazing!!! Its so simple to use and fast too. I've only managed to play around with for a few hours but when I've properly investigated it I'll post a review type thing up here. Keep looking in for that.

In the meantime here is a direct link to a page where you can read Novation's own opinion.

Launchpad

Bye for now
C

Dans & Elektronika Live Set

2010-07-15T13:16:00.001+02:00

I've just now uploaded a live set from 2 years ago onto Soundcloud. It was performed for a theatre show in Jönköping. Listen

I found it this morning on a disc and thought people might be interested in hearing it. You might notice it is a bit messy with volume levels & stuff but rather than fixing everything I wanted to present it as it sounded that night. Hope you enjoy it.

Lots of Info…

2010-07-09T18:31:00.000+02:00

Hi

I have a lot of stuff happening right now that I felt I should inform you all of. What with being on vacation at the moment, I've been able to get back to not only writing music but also updating my various online profile pages. Lets get to it…

SOUNDCLOUD
Today I uploaded another track to my page on soundcloud. This time its a track you may be familar with. "We Have Denied" featured on my "…Is An Athlete" ep from 2007 on the Electroreptil net-label. It is probably my favourite song (that i have written) and others seem to like it too. Btw you can still purchase the ep on iTunes. It has that track & 4 others as well.

Another couple of points on Soundcloud. The first being, you can now download a few of tracks to your computer for offline listening. The second point is, I have added a dropbox widget to my blog. So now, if you want, you can send me a track (or two). Just click on the box and upload your song & I'll give it a good listen.

SMALL RADIO
All four of the songs for the second ep have now left my hands for the last time. Scott is currently mastering them & after a final check we will ship them onto Marco @ Rec72 for a September release. It feels strange to have them done & dusted but hey, onward to the next project.

Speaking of the next project, I'm currently working on my next Small Colin ep. It will more than likely include a few tracks that have been lying around since "…is an athlete" and a few new ones. Its been too long since the world heard some of my solo stuff I think…… Information will come when its ready to (as always)

C x

Posting from my iPhone

2010-06-30T21:17:00.002+02:00

This is just a quick post to check if a new app i downloaded works or not. The app is named "Penmyblog" btw.

A new look also

2010-06-24T15:04:00.003+02:00

You might have noticed I changed the look of my blog also? I was gettting bored of the white so decided to use a more classy beige colour scheme. Opinions?

Also keep checking in on my Soundcloud page for older Small Colin tracks. I'll be uploading a few more today so feel free to have a listen to how I sounded in the past.

x

KRK Rokit RP-5 G2

2010-06-24T14:42:00.005+02:00

By the title of my post you may be able to tell what I have just obtained for my studio… if not, they are the name of my brand new nearfield monitors (loudspeakers to everyone else).

What can I say about them? I know, they are absolutely amazing!!! So far today I've been trying out all the genres I could imagine & they are killing every single one. The sound is both crisp & clean whilst the bass is booming just the way it should. This applies to all volume levels by the way. I honestly can't believe I went so long on just a normal set of (albiet good quality) stereo speakers.

For now i've got them lined up along side my older speakers so I can break myself into learning their qualities rather than just going directly over to them. The main reason being I know the old ones so well now that I can use them to help me adjust to the KRK's. My thoughts are to eventually get rid of the older pair but we'll see how that goes. I might just hold onto them as the set-up looks pretty great with both units in place. Judge for yourself in some of the pics below

I'm really looking forward to working on some of my own material with these monitors now (as you can imagine). As always, I'll post some details when I'm happy with something & its ready to share.

Keep listening!

Soundcloud

2010-06-01T13:12:00.002+02:00

I finally got around to setting a page up on Soundcloud after many months/years of essentially being stubborn. Get yourself over there to check out some (mainly) older tracks of mine from a few years back. And please, feel free to leave any comments on the tracks.

Small Colin @ Soundcloud

While I'm here I can give you an update on the forthcoming Small Radio ep. I'm currently adding the absolute final touches on the four tracks. Then I'll send them onto Scott and he'll master them. Then around August the ep will be released for public consumption. (I know I previously said it would be in June but due to yours truly just having a baby the project has been pushed back slightly.)

Hope everyone is well & enjoying the sunshine. Have a great summer!

C

And again with the laziness.

2010-05-06T17:28:00.002+02:00

4 months since my last post. What can I say about that? nothing really if I'm honest. I'm lazy!

Anyways lets get to the important stuff. Small Colin news…

I haven't really been working on my own stuff at all recently. There are some songs nearly finished & some some sketches of tracks sitting ready to be explored. I will get around to them some time but not now.

The reason for the lack of Small Colin material is mainly due to the fact that myself & Scott have been working fairly intensely of the follow up to Le Migre. We have four tracks that are 90% complete. ie at the final mixdown & mastering stage. The titles of the tracks are:-

1. Leaf Shaped Feelings
2. Excellenti
3. Blakt In The Darq
4. Jefternet

The title of the ep shall be "Le Migre #2". Also Kourtney Demaine has again provided some awesome artwork which we are over the moon about. The release date hasn't been finalised but at the moment it looks like it will be some time in June. Keep an eye out for it.

Other news for me is I will also be becoming a dad in June so I'm in for a busy summer. Hopefully a good one though.

Until next time…

Lego Head

2010-01-16T12:26:00.002+01:00

If any of you have an iPhone you will no doubt have tried many of the cool apps that you can get for messing with photographs. My current favourite is one entitled LEGO PHOTO. As you can imagine from the title it converts any photo to look like it has been made with lego. Here is an old pic of me that has been treated:-

go get it!

Le Migre blogged up to it…

2010-01-05T22:43:00.003+01:00

I actually found this a long time ago for forgot to mention it here. Another cool blog called "Anti-Gravity Bunny" covered the first Small Radio ep. Its not much but its still worth a look at their blog. We like!

Link for Anti-Gravity Bunny

C x

Merry Christmas to everyone/ God Jul till er Alla

2009-12-24T12:34:00.002+01:00

Forgot to mention in my last post that I'm also (as always) working on new Small Colin tracks. Hopefully next year some time you'll all see and hear a new ep from me. Fingers crossed :)

Also Merry Christmas to everyone. Hope you have a great festive period with your family & friends.

C x

OH MY!!!

2009-12-24T12:18:00.003+01:00

Seems I've not posted an entry since the 4th of September! Well as usual I've been a busy busy boy. "What have I been doing with my life?", I hear you all ask. hmm, let me see……I been working & travelling all over Sweden, I've been working quietly on new Small Colin material, I've been dancing in the home of Henke, I've been being lazy as only I know how, I've been blah, blah, blah. You know how it is……

Now for some updates:-

Both myself & Scott have started on the 2nd ep for our Small Radio project. The ep will be called "Le Migre 2" and it will probably be released around March/April 2010. At the moment I'm slightly unsure what direction the tracks are going in but for me that is what makes this thing so exciting. We never know whats going to happen with it. Updates will be provided when & if they're available.

I recieved an email from Scott the other day informing me that our track "By Any Means" is featured on a free download compilation entitled "Cologne Commons Compilation 03 # Be Shareful". As you can expect, we are over the moon about this. It gives us even more exposure for our sounds. Click on the link below to visit the page. And make sure you download the album also. It is excellent!

Be Shareful

Some Pics

2009-09-04T11:58:00.003+02:00

Here is some recent pics I have taken with my iPhone. They're not really relevent to the music of Small Colin but I like them. :)

Fem Över Tio

2009-09-04T11:55:00.002+02:00

As you might have noticed I have uploaded a brand new Small Colin track to my player on this very page.

In my opinion it sounds very "Small Colin" but the vocals are very different to anything I have done before. Hopefully you all will like it just as much as I do.

btw yes, it is me thats doing the high vocal parts. :D

Some updates on Le Migre

2009-09-04T11:48:00.003+02:00

First, another blog write-up…

Headphonaught's Nanlog

And secondly, we have recieved the latest stats from Marco over at Rec72. Up to the 3rd of September there has been 467 complete EP downloads & around the same in single tracks as well. Not bad for the first month I think you'll agree. But we're not resting at that so make sure you tell all your friends/enemies to help us out.

C x

DeepGoa's Electronic Sessions

2009-08-11T21:47:00.002+02:00

Another feature on Le Migre in this worldwide DJ blog.

Linkage

Also a quick mention that I've now started back at my "regular" job so unfortunately the music creation will slow down a bit. But watch out for some new Small Colin tracks in the next month or so.

Another day, another blog mention…

2009-08-06T22:26:00.004+02:00

…well two blogs actually.

Small Radio has a full feature on NewTechnoID & a video entry on My Modern.

Exciting times!

Vids up & running

2009-08-04T23:54:00.005+02:00

One of the guys over at rec72 was kind enough to make some short promo videos to co-incide with the release of Le Migre.

Both videos can be found on the superb vimeo.com website.
Direct links for each vid are:-

Ricky Richardo

By Any Means

Both myself & Scott are super happy with these and hopefully you will be too.

The blog they call "Milk Milk Lemonade"

2009-08-04T23:51:00.004+02:00

Our very good friends over at Milk Milk Lemonade have featured the Small Radio ep on their blog.

Check it out here

Thanks for this Casey. You are a legend!!!

Small Radio proudly presents…Le Migre EP

2009-08-02T20:18:00.002+02:00

Hey folks,

It is now the moment you have been waiting all of 2009 for.

Radio Scotvoid and Small Colin is proud to announce that the first ep under the name "SMALL RADIO" has been released on the internet based record label, "Rec72". Click on the link below to download your free copy of all four tracks.

http://rec72.net/

(To download all the tracks at once just click on the picture at the top of the page.)

To read about the project click on the link below.

Details

As always feedback is most welcome. And please tell your friends

ps if anyone is having any problems with the downloading part just send me a message & I'll help you out.

Tomorrow is the day…

2009-08-02T15:21:00.003+02:00

Le Migre is finally being released tomorrow on Rec72. I'll post another entry later today or tomorrow with some links, etc.

For now you can listen to all the songs on the new Small Radio myspace page.

Small Radio @ Myspace

Get clicking...

Advance review of Le Migre

2009-07-02T00:15:00.002+02:00

Hi there, Just a short post giving you all the chance to read an advance review of the forthcoming Small Radio EP.
As you can imagine both parties are pretty happy but have a read for yourselves.

From Under The Radar by Adrian Carter

BTW I know I always promise to post more and always let you down. Well from now on I really, really intend to do at least one post a week telling you what's what.
I can promise you one thing though……over the next while all blogs will be about the Small Radio project.
For example, the next one will be dealing with some of the details of the video myself & Scott are making for one of the tracks. (Hopefully).

News on the forthcoming Le Migre EP

2009-05-24T10:27:00.005+02:00

Ok, like I said before, the ep will be released on a German net-label in the coming Summer. The name of the label is "Rec72" and it really is a great place to get new music. Both Scott & I are overjoyed that they wish to release our project on their imprint. Check out their site in the link below:-

Rec72

There was some other details I was going to mention but I think it would be better to save them for when you have the music to refer to. So in the meantime, keep checking both of our sites for news of the release date.

Yip, I'm still here……

2009-05-24T10:12:00.006+02:00

Hi. Jeez, its been almost 4 months since my last post!!!
So my apologies for anyone wondering what I've been up to. My lack of updates has been mainly due to me getting a new job that eats up almost all of my time. But hey, enough about that lets find out whats what.

A good few new tracks have been completed recently. Hopefully I will add them here & to my Myspace page soon. Maybe today infact……eh, we'll see.

The Radio Scotvoid remix I spoke of in the last post has now been released on Earth Monkey Productions. You can download it (and the all the other tracks) from the link below:-

Radio Scotvoid - Fragment (Consider Remixing)

This is actually a superb album that I keep going back to for both listening pleasure & for inspiration. Its amazing what you can learn from other producers who are in a similar stage (of their carrers) as yourself. Great stuff.

One other major thing that has happened is the co-lab ep I'm always bleating on about has now some backing in the from of a net-label but since there is quite a few details about that to be said, I'll talk about that in a separate post. Until then…

More news!

2009-01-24T11:08:00.004+01:00

I also finished a new song and a remix also since the turn of the year.

The new song is called "Gudrun Och Andrej". Its actually a song I've been working on for about 6 months but I had shelved it because I wasn't happy with some of the guitar parts. Then one day just after new years I decided to give it another bash & I'm very happy that I did. The new guitars I added make it sound much more "live" than it did before. I also added some singing that I think adds a another flavour.
You can hear the track as I uploaded it to the player on this page just now. So give it a listen & as always, tell me what you think!

The remix I talked about was another one for my man Radio Scotvoid. As I have tackled a track of his for every remix album he has released, he asked (or demanded) that I do one for this as well. I choose the song "Dooshbag (Stop It Mix)". This of course is from the great ep "Fragment (Consider Revising)"
As always when I remix his tracks I take a couple of excerpts then go in a completely different direction although, I did use his vocals a lot more this time around. I think overall it sounds like something you would hear when watching a film or short movie……but still very Small Colin.

You will be able to hear this remix soon as I believe it will be released with 12 other remixes on Earth Monkey Productions in the close future. I'll post more details when I have them.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-24T10:28:00.004+01:00

So apparently this is my first post of 2009! For once it is not a case of me being lazy, it's actually on account of me being busy (if you can believe that).

Ok then, what has been happening? Well, I have been working on a lot of new songs & I completed all 4 of the songs for the "Le Migre" ep.

All the newer tracks are now almost at the Logic stage in the life. By this I mean thay are ready to be tracked & produced properly. I think I have about 4 songs in total that are at this stage. Some working titles are "Typhoon Forecast & Wayward Drama" These two are my favourites at the moment. Both will definitely benefit from some vocals, possibly some guitars & maybe even some live percussion.

For the "Le Migre" ep, I have now handed over my last input to the whole process. I'm not sure if I've explained what this project is about beforehand but I shall do now again just incase.
Basically a long while ago myself & a guy called Scott Buchanan (who records under the name Radio Scotvoid) decided that we wanted to work on some tracks together. We both chose two sketches of songs that we had lying around & sent to them on. Then after working on each other tracks (adding instruments, editing, etc) we would send them back to the other to do the same. This process was carried out possibly 4-5 times so far. Now though, we both agreed it was time to call an end to the editing part of the process. So as long as Scott is happy whith my latest efforts he will start the mastering as soon as humanly possible.
The whole ep will be (hopefully) released soon on a net label so that means people can download it for free. Obviously we would prefer to sell the songs but sometimes raising our profiles is more important than making money. I'm not exactly sure when it will be released but I will post a blog when it happens for sure. Watch this space!!!

Happy New Year (This is definitely the last post of 2008)

2008-12-31T17:46:00.003+01:00

Hey,

I just wanted to post a final entry before this year ends. 2008 was a good year for myself, I hope it was for you all too. Thanks for any support you have shown towards me during the last 12 months!

Lets make 2009 a good one too

Small Colin x

Last Post of the Year

2008-12-30T23:33:00.006+01:00

Its been almost 3 weeks since my last update so I thought I would let you know what I've been up to during that time. First I went to Scotland for 9 days for a short holiday, then when I came back Xmas was happening. Then I got sick. Now New Years is coming…

Tonight though, for the 1st real time in ages I have been able (or fit enough) to work on the "Le Migre" EP. I did some arrangement fixing & some fills and lead-ins. You know, the boring stuff! It has to be done though and I find doing this stuff is the best way to ease myself back into music making after an absence.

Obviously with tomorrow being the end of one year & the start of a new one I should probably be making some resolutions to try & stick to for 2009. Here are a few I can think of now:-

1. Write more music.
2. Learn Logic properly
3. Learn the piano properly

I will probably come up with a few more later but I would be really happy if I could fulfill all of these by this time next year. Fingers crossed.

With that I bid you farewell. Hope you've all had a great 2008 & here's to a even better 2009. Thanks for reading. I appreciate your time.

Small Colin x

ps I forgot to say, I'm writing this post from my desk that is situated in my brand new studio room. Yes, it is finished & I've moved in. I will post pics soon…

Yip, Yip, Yip!!!

2008-12-12T01:22:00.003+01:00

As mentioned in the previous post, I met up with the Knivderby boys again last Friday night to finalise & master their 2nd album.

Everything went according to plan I'm happy to report. They met me at the train station & from there we went direct to the studio in Huskvarna. I really nice dude called Mats was good enough to lend us his space for the evening & it was a very nice space indeed. After settling in we got to work straight away.

Some final mix details were tackled first (& defeated) then we started on the mastering process. This took a bit longer than usual but we got there in the end. Then after some fade in/fade out edits we were done.

Overall I'm much happier with this CD than the last one. I think the drums sound a lot better, the mixes are much more balanced & in general it justs feels right. Don't get me wrong though, I still love the first CD I did with them. Its just this time I believe I have matured as a producer & hopefully it shows. But hey, why don't you judge for yourself.

You should have the address bookmarked by now but if not, here it is again:-

Knivderby @ myspace

You can listen to 3 of the 5 new songs there. For the other two you will need to buy the CD. Be quick with this though as they only have 100 copies of the release available.

Its actually a little sad to be finished this project as they are a great band & an absolute joy to work with. But you know, everything good comes to an end eventually.

One more positive thing to take from the completion of this work is I can now concentrate on the Le Migre EP & a Radio Scotvoid remix I've been working on for a while.
As usual, I will keep you as updated on progress as much as I can.

Small Colin signing out...

Just a quick one...

2008-12-05T00:29:00.003+01:00

I know its been a while but I've been super busy the last few weeks. First I was in Denmark for a few days, then I got sick & then well, some other boring stuff. You know how it is!

Anyway the reason for the this post is tomorrow I go into the studio with Knivderby to finalise & master their 2nd demo/album. I have to travel back through to Jönköping for the day to meet up with the band at another friend's studio. Really looking forward to it to be honest!

I'll report back with the results soon.

C x

Goddamn Re-decorating!!!

2008-11-18T17:23:00.002+01:00

I'm starting to get really bored with this whole wallpapering/sanding/painting lark. Infact I might even change the subject of this blog to DIY. Then again, maybe not. Best leave that to the experts. The good news is I'm almost done so I can hopefully have my studio set-up by this time next week. Fingers crossed!

Nothing much to report on the music side of things except I played electric guitar again for the first time since I moved. It was a strange feeling playing with such a small neck again (instead on the blocky neck on my nylon-stringed acoustic). Its nice though. I do love my telecaster.

Also as you might have noticed, I now have a mini music player on my blog. The good people at ReverbNation provided this service free of charge. If you time, have a look at my profile page over there. Link below:-

Small Colin @ ReverbNation

In time I will add some more music but for now its just two old songs (from the "...is an athlete" EP & a new track that will more than likely feature on my upcoming release (no real details on that as I keep changing my mind on the tracks). This means you can not only read about Small Colin, you can listen too.

Happy living! x

More of the same!

2008-11-12T03:43:00.003+01:00

Another week gone, another week spent on the house. This time painting was the task in hand. To be honest I found it both very relaxing & a great way to really listen to music. I must have went through well over 50 full albums during the proceedings. It was quite an eclectic mix of old cd's I hadn't listened to in ages (Deltron 2020, Quannum, Weezer) & new stuff (Jenny Lewis, B. Fleischmann, It's A Musical). Superb!!!

When this was going on I realised how valuable the actual process of "listening" to music is to a producer. In my opinion every single piece of music ever recorded has its own merits. Whether it be the sound, the techniques, the instruments, etc. All is important (for the education of oneself).

With that main thought in mind I set aside some time to record some new Small Colin music. Unfortunately nothing really came of the work apart from some beats & a few guitar loops. But hey, they'll come in useful at one point, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

Other news:-

1. Got some comments back from the Knivderby boys. They seem happier this time (with the mixes) & only really need some levels adjusted here and there.

2. Found out some really interesting tips for playing live in a DJ style from my man Radio Scotvoid. Check the vid below to see him in action.

Easy now...

A Slow Week #2

2008-11-04T23:03:00.002+01:00

Again due to circumstances beyond my control (painting, furniture moving, box-lifting) no studio time was available to me this week. Well actually, I did manage to lay down some arrangements for some "work-in-progress" tracks in Reason but that was only for about an hour so its barely worth mentioning.

One thing I did do this week was discover an artist called "Bonobo". Tis quality stuff. Very chilled & great grooves. Reminds me of Ulrich Schnauss in parts so well worth checking out if you have time.

Bonobo

This is one of the great things about the internet. Bands that have been about for ages that for some reason or another, pass you by. Makes you think why though!

Until next time. Keep checking in!

Peace

A Slow Week

2008-10-29T17:49:00.002+01:00

For various reasons not much in the way of music creating was done in the last week. Mainly laziness but also Far Cry 2 were the reasons for this.

Today though, I managed to send back 4 of the edited Knivderby tracks. I'm quite happy with these but we'll see what the band have to say.

I think I've also finished 1 of the 4 tracks of the Le Migre EP (with Radio Scotvoid). The track in question (2K Summer House) has a nice combination of soft & harsh sounds. Infact all the tracks have that ying/yang thing going on. I believe they really show both aspects of each artist's music. Should be a good one...

Until then, stay safe

Knivderby News

2008-10-21T19:37:00.002+02:00

After I sent off some early mixes to the boys with knifes, I received their first thoughts about the progress of the new CD. They seem happy so far, and were great at picking up on things I missed (or they didn't like). So for the next short while I will be mainly working on these adjustments...

Monday Updates

2008-10-13T15:43:00.000+02:00

I managed to start a new track on late Sat, early Sun. It began with a few Fx samples that I messed around with, then quite quickly I added a simple swelling bass & a rhodes part. At that point it was screaming out for some drums. I managed to find an excellent house beat (that I made maybe 3 years ago) that fitted perfectly. Next up was some hi-hat patterns and another kick & snare for some more power.
After dancing around the room to some deep but funky house music for a good 10 mins I decided it needed an ARP melody. Luckily I had a pre-made loop lying around. Again this fitted perfectly so not much work was needed to match it to the sounds already created.

When I write a new track, I absolutely love it when this happens! It goes so fast & easily you question whether or not its any good. This one is though, as it passed the "Next-Day listen" test with flying colours. I'll have another listen tonight or tomorrow then probably move the track into Logic for the better quality production techniques available.

Keep coming back to check for updates on this track. It's called "Blocked In The Dark" And as usual, I've got no idea where this name came from. It just seems to fit the mood of the music.

One other thing to report is, my hearing is almost back to normal. There's still a bit of "cloudy-ness" but its a lot better than it was Saturday. The almond oil seems to be working!

Hearing Problems...

2008-10-11T12:49:00.000+02:00

Over the last 2 weeks I've been having a minor problem with my right ear. I can't really hear any high frequencies which is kinda annoying. It feels exactly like when you have water trapped after a shower or bath.

I think the problem has been created by wearing closed capsule headphones for too long a time. ie all day in some cases. Some rest to the ears is called for. I'm also going to try some almond oil for clearing any built up...eh...you know!

Unfortunately because of this, I haven't really done any music since Tuesday. I did sort out some samples loops that I love doing, but it can get a little tedious after the 15th loop...

Another thing, I signed up to Twitter as well. If anyone knows exactly what it is or does could they let me know?

Weekly Update

2008-10-08T02:58:00.000+02:00

Not done much in the way of Small Colin since the last post. Until today anyway.

Two more mixes were done for Knivderby, a new Small Colin track is almost done (The Coward). Some noodling with the Le Migre Ep (Radio Scotvoid) was also achieved.

A good day...I'm quite happy with the progress.

Until the next time here's a pic of the ocean between mainland Sweden & the chicken island (Hönö). It was taken when I arrived from Jönköping just over 2 weeks ago.

Novation Nocturn

2008-10-03T15:40:00.000+02:00

I am now the proud owner of one of these small midi controllers:-

It basically gives me a more hands on approach when making music as instead of using the mouse to turns knobs/sliders you can assign one of the physical controls. The whole process is now much faster also.

Don't let its size fool you though, it is a very powerful tool (especially the "Speed Dial" function).

The intial Automaps are great but it really comes into its own when you create your own maps.

Check here for more details & specs.

Awesome!!! ;-)

Small Colin on XFM Dublin

2008-09-29T22:24:00.001+02:00

On Saturday night on the aforementioned station they played my remix of the Radio Scotvoid track "I'm A Groover, Not A Raver". Its really good coverage for both myself & for Scott as the song was featured on a show called "The Chillage Idiots" which is apparently a very popular programme.

To listen to the show again you can either visit the website here or d/l the whole show directly here. The song is played right at the end of the set. (around 2:06:00)

I'll leave you with the words of the presenter,

"...the track is a humorous mixture of hip-hop and techno"

New Track up on MySpace

2008-09-27T23:48:00.000+02:00

I have uploaded a new track onto my profile page on Myspace. It is named "All On Me (The Clock Is Ticking) and it is infact an old instrumental song that I always thought needed a vocal. The problem was I could never find a strong enough melody to use. I'm very happy to have "finished" the song finally.

Check out the possible sing-along chorus/break part in the song! Na-na-na, etc.

2 track finished...

2008-09-25T23:17:00.000+02:00

...today. I just need to master them then they're are done! ;-)

Their names are "Vara" (named after the place where Eyrún is going to work) & "Hand Clotts"

I should really describe them but I'm pretty bad at that sort of thing so its probably better if you listen to them then you can decide. I can tell you that both are instrumental songs.

Problem... I'm still haven't figured out how to upload music here so in the mean time I will upload them to myspace (when they're mastered of course). Hopefully I will do that tomorrow so keep one eye on there.

I also managed to do a rough mix of a new Knivderby song (Nere För Räkning). Needless to say, it rocks!!!

BTW I don't think I've been this productive musically in ages so long may it continue. :-D

Wednesday Photo

2008-09-24T23:31:00.000+02:00

Following on from my photos from the 1st place I lived in Jönköping here is a pic from the 2nd place I lived. You are looking at the Munksjö (same lake one as the one in the pic from 18th Sept) at 7 in the morning. Beautiful!

The studio I had in this house was unbelievable. It was almost as if the room was designed for making music. Due to the alcove at the window, a small recess at the back & a sloping roof the acoustics in there were superb! I really miss it actually :-(

Music Update

Some new songs are coming along nicely. A couple of the Knivederby tracks are almost at "1st mix" stage as well.

Ya!

Back To Gothenburg...

2008-09-22T20:52:00.001+02:00

...and the first thing I did was set up the gear. Well a temp set-up anyway until my studio room is re-decorated & stuff. It was a really great feeling to play keyboards & electric guitar again. :-D

Hopefully in the next week or so I can get some serious music making time in.

Yipeeee!

Photo of the day

2008-09-18T18:28:00.001+02:00

Going on from yesterday's pic I thought I would post a pic that was taken nearby my first apartment in Jönköping. (Well to be honest its a bit away from it but I did live in that 1st apartment at the time of the pic)

Watch out for a pic from close to my 2nd & 3rd place in Jönköping soon. This could become a theme actually? ;-)

Tidy, Tidy, Tidy

2008-09-18T18:28:00.000+02:00

One of the good things about not having my studio set up at the moment is it forces me to do things I tend to put off. It was the turn of the External Hard Drive today. Now it not only looks neat & tidy when browsing, it is completely free of old & unused samples and songs. Yeah!!!

Not only that but I managed to do some work on a collaboration EP I'm doing with Radio Scotvoid. I will post all the details of this project soon. Needless to say the music is pretty good (if I do say so myself).

Knivderby updates & a random photo

2008-09-17T16:09:00.000+02:00

As well as my own songs I've also been working a little with the new Knivderby demo but as I don't have my full set-up with me at the moment its proving a bit difficult. Their new songs are very good btw.

As you can see my post frequency has increased recently. I hope to keep this rate up by adding some photos as well to make it abit more interesting to both you & me.

This photo was taken outside my first apartment in Gothenburg a few years back. I wrote a lot of music in that place so I thought it would be a nice touch to have it included here...

New Tracks

2008-09-17T16:02:00.000+02:00

Over the last few days I've been working on some new Small Colin songs.

"The Coward" is a Nightmares On Wax type track that probably will feature vocals at one point. Very smokey :-D
"Vara" is an ambient track that I love actually. Very smooth, very relaxing
"Its Your Call" sounds the most Small Colin-y. Again no vox yet...

Once I figure out how (and if) you can upload music on here I will start to add clips of the songs. And maybe even full demo versions of them too.

Stay safe...

Pics from gig in Växjö

2008-09-15T23:51:00.000+02:00

I recently played a festival gig in the middle of Sweden in a place called Växjö. It was a great evening with loads of other good music. Here are some photos of my performance (Thanks to Louise Wargklev for the pics)

You can check out the Kompisfestival website here Also you can see other pics from the event here

Nothing really new to report...

2008-06-29T17:21:00.001+02:00

...but I did recently purchase a MacBook Pro. So I'm in the process of learning Logic at the moment. Great program but it has a steeper learning curve than I had hoped. Nevermind though, perseverence is the key and already I have been pleasantly surprised with the results. Heres to the future!

No posts in a while...

2008-05-24T20:46:00.000+02:00

...heck I've been busy so sorry if anyone is missing me! I've been making loads & loads & loads of new music. Check my myspace page for a couple of the new tracks.

I've also been working on the first official Small Colin website. Should be going live soon but hey, you never know!

One other thing I've been up to is recording the new album/demo/ep for Knivderby. These boys really do rock! Hopefully updates on that & everything else will be continued on here a little bit more regularly.

Keep it nice people.

Photo check

2007-10-11T20:40:00.000+02:00

Hej, my new EP has been released on electroreptil records.
It features 5 tracks, some old & some new. Guest artists on this release are Eyrun Thorhallsdottir & Daniel Larsson. Brian Sweeney contributed the artwork.

Click on the pic below for a direct link to my myspace site where you can get further info on the ep:-

You can also purchase from any of these online stores:-

Small Colin really appreciates your interest!

You're Being Spoiled!!!

2007-08-30T23:24:00.000+02:00

You wait for ages for a bus to come along....eh nevermind, you know how it goes!

I finished a remix for a German Acoustic-Screamo (eh?) band recently. Here's a link for the bands homepage:- Thoughts Paint The Sky
It was great fun to work on something a little different & to make it my own. The band liked it so much they decided to release it on a remix album! Check it out:- Free Album

In fact while you're there, have a look around that website. It really is a cracking digital record label that release not only music, but also poetry & visuals.
Here's a direct link to their home page:- Digital Kunstrasen

Here's a link for the bands homepage:- Thoughts Paint The Sky

It's been a while...

2007-08-30T23:20:00.000+02:00

After a long summer of traveling around Scandinavia, I'm back home. Hopefully this means more blog posting, but you never know. In the meantime check out the new website from the label that's going to release my new EP.

Electroreptil

Hopefully the release will be soon. I'll keep y'all posted ;)

San Toy

2007-05-15T01:52:00.000+02:00

I discovered this excellent band from Glasgow, Scotland whilst browsing on myspace.

San Toy

The best way to describe this band is simple to use their own words:-

"Our aim is to try and make music with emotion. We don't claim to sound different from everyone else. We only try to be as original as we can."

I love this honesty, and I think it really shines through with their music.

You should definitely check them out.

Voting is Opened...

2007-05-15T01:41:00.000+02:00

As of today, the voting is open for the Rockbron competition I entered.
Anyone can vote, as long as they have a name & an email address.

The page is in Swedish but the instructions are simple:-

1. Go here:- Vote For Small Colin
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page.
3. Enter your name, email & (most importantly) chose Small Colin
4. Click the button marked "Skicka in omröstning"

Thanks for your time & remember, Every vote counts!

Excellent News

2007-05-15T01:35:00.000+02:00

Last night I had a track played on the radio in Scotland. The station is called "Sunny-Govan 103.5 FM" and my track was played on their new music show that airs on Sunday evening's between 8-10pm. Hopefully this will give me some exposure in my home country & then lead to better things!

You can listen to this station either by tuning your analogue radio to 103.5 FM (UK only) or via the internet (with Realplayer) here:-

Sunny Govan 103.5FM

Knivderby Demo

2007-05-12T15:02:00.000+02:00

Last year a local band here in Jönköping asked me to help them record & mix a demo for them. It has been a long process but it's almost complete! All the recording & most of the mixing has been completed so all that's left now is the finishing touches to the mixes & the mastering process.

You can check out the band here:-

Knivderby @ myspace

I will post further details of the band when I have it. (Gigs, etc.)

Some quick news

2007-05-11T12:11:00.000+02:00

I have entered a "battle of the bands-type" competition called Rockbron here in Jönköping. Hopefully with some help, I will be 1 of the 4 bands playing in front of an audience. This help I speak of comes in the form of voting. I will post more details & info on this when the polls open.

Here you can find my profile & interview (in Swedish):-

Small Colin @ Rockbron

You can check out some of the other bands here:-

Rockbron

Hello

2007-05-11T12:05:00.000+02:00

Hi.
This will be hopefully the first post of many on my brand new blog. I hope to update this as often as possible with news & other stuff from the world of Small Colin.