donderdag 30 mei 2019

Bandcamp

So this is my routine, creating new tunes, breathing life into them. At last, but not least, bandcamp is always on my list of spreading my song around the globe.

The Fly On The Wall Routine

zaterdag 25 mei 2019

The Fly On the Wall Routine: the story behind the Songs


So! 2019, again, a whole year of exploring, writing, playing, recording, mixing 12 new songs. I must have a forbidden agenda in my head somewhere, because the workflow is- maybe predictably- the same everytime. For 40 years I've been exploring my inner creativity. It's like an hypnotic act of fate. I don't think, I do. It's my life in songs. I do think, just right now, after the whole process is over.
How can you describe this album?
The "fly on the wall" is a recognisable person, I guess. The observer, noticing, while watching a great scheme of things passing him/her by. Me? Sure....
For the sequence, the following consequential pattern arose: after an energetic song, a more relaxed one followed... et voila. Also, this album is divided in 2 parts: the first 6 songs each have a more free, stressless atmosphere, after "Kick Together", you'll find the more direct, social concience (serious) songs. Headphones ready?

01.Fly Talk
This was the breaktrough to start a new album. Recognise the fly on the wall type? Guess I'm one of those who kinda look, observe and take notice. This song I happened upon quickly, recorded in a flash. Funky flowing groove, mysterious in character with lots of chopping in between. Before this tune, I had a lot of sketches, motives and melodies for arrangements and other song-ideas and one of them became the instrumental song 12, sort of a coda. Fly talk: deep talk, no chicken talk.

02.Stuck
Laid back, but funky, jazzy Steely Dan-esque hence the chord progression, that's what I bring here. I never got stuck though.

03.Behave
Hypnotic, afro syncopic patterns. I had a lot of fun creating melodies and arrangements on this one. I created piano motifs that changed the vocals I first came up with.That's the way I work a lot: I loop a verse and play along with a guitar or piano to bring another colour to it.
It's all very free and playful, like a kid jumping on a trampoline. Behave!

04.Say The Word
Written on acoustics. let my fingers touch some patterns on piano et voila! Latin groove with a melodic popsong above it. To describe the shape I was in. Say it!

05.Treason
Zappa again? I had fun! Ha, a "Trump" song I hear you say. Triumph! Well, that's too obvious, but that's goovy man. Traitors are everywhere, look in trhe mirror. This took a long time to squeeze out (a lot of tiny little details you don't want to know about), I almost forgot about it.

06.The Vanished Vaudeville
Instrumental shuffle. Just a little dittie I played on my acoustic. Melody on a theramin-like synth. It all went like a flying circus! I had this laying on a shelve for a while, it just happened to fit in now.

07.Kick Together
Kick it! Funky groove. Just dance, freak out!Then a little variation in 10cc (circa 1974) mode in the middle of the song.

08.Not Today
Sort of a ballad with a lyric to express "I'm only human". Still R&B soulgroovy, but basically in a singer-songwriter vain.

09.The Gloves Are Off
Funk with the gloves off. I can get pissed off with moneymakers yes. Not only bankers. The way the worlds rears its ugly head, when it's all show, no tell. All done in the name of funk with a P.

10.Do Your Job
Another one for the hardworking little guys and girls out there. Face the jerk! Laidback, latinesque motives always seem to creep up in my songs.

11.U Know That Now
Slow funky and melodic stuff. Lyrics are about the feasibility of a bucket list.

12.The Fly Off The Wall Routine
Instrumental based on several ideas. "Fly Talk" is the vocal version, the instrumental parts are leftovers put together. They fit! The slow second part I added later. Liked the "concept" method there!

donderdag 23 mei 2019

Review from Belgium!

Hey folks! Going well?

Feedback, I dig it all! To be or not to be...I'll behave...
Thank you Marino Serdons!
Bron: Keys And Chords review



In dutch:
"Al 40 jaren schudt Joost van Dinther alias The vanished Dutchman liedjes uit zijn non-stop brein. Vorig jaar nog schreef de pers het album "Just Say Know" naar de hemelse sterren. Ook "The Fly On The Wall Routine" bulkt van snelle en funky songs waarbij meerdere muzikale lagen een mooi complex geheel maken. Soms valt wel eens de vergelijking met Frank Zappa, in zijn tijd een meester in complexe en dikwijls oeverloze songs. Joost bespeelt het iets praktischer en vooral meer gebundeld. Zelden overstijgt een nummer 3 minuten en toch heb je het gevoel (al swingend) om tientallen instrumenten te hebben ontdekt. Niet alleen intelligent en boeiend, ook enigszins riskant om in alle overmoed er teveel laagjes in the duwen ("Behave")... Gelukkig weet Joost nog nipt de juiste dosering aan boord te leggen zodat het organische niet verloren gaat. Grappig is het speelse "Treason". Een perfecte musicalsong. Niet toevallig gevolgd door een luchtig instrumentaal "The Vanished Vaudeville". In het theatrale maakt Joost het verschil met mainstream funkbands. Naast enkele folietjes herbergt "The Fly On The Wall Routine" een aantal knappe funk geinspireerde songs met ieder hun eigen excentrieke benadering. Een aanrader!" (door Marino Serdons)

In english:
'For 40 years Joost van Dinther aka The vanished Dutchman has been shaking songs from his non-stop brain. Last year the press wrote the album' Just Say Know 'to the heavenly stars.' The Fly On The Wall Routine 'is also brimming with fast and funky songs in which multiple musical layers make a nice complex whole, and sometimes the comparison with Frank Zappa, a master of complex and often endless songs in his time, Joost plays it a little more practically and above all more bundled. minutes and yet you have the feeling (while swinging) that you have discovered dozens of instruments, not only intelligent and fascinating, but also somewhat risky to push too many layers into it ('Behave') ... Luckily Joost still knows to put the correct dosage on board so that the organic is not lost.Funny is the playful 'treason', a perfect musicalsong, and not coincidentally followed by a light instrumental 'The Vanished Vaudeville'. eatrale makes Joost the difference with mainstream funk bands. In addition to some films, 'The Fly On The Wall Routine' houses a number of handsome funk-inspired songs, each with its own eccentric approach. A must! '(By Marino Serdons)

Again a great album from The Vanished Dutchman, JoosTVD. Beside his "classic" funky beats, you will find a few crazy cabaret tunes. How nice music can be!

dinsdag 7 mei 2019

Reviews? Keep them coming!

This is the first one from the netherlands, very well-written by the authors of Timpaan muziek



In dutch:

"Joost The Vanished Dutchman (JoosTVD) is een multiinstrumentalist en heeft een nieuw album uit, The fly on the wall routine. Funky jazzachtige muziek met een onverwacht lage stem, virtuoze loopjes en ingenieuze tegenmelodieën vullen elkaar continue aan. Met een duur van 36 minuten duren de twaalf tracks van het album niet heel erg lang.
Is een nieuw album routine voor JoosTVD? Zo klinkt het in ieder geval niet. Het eerste nummer Fly talk straalt urgentie uit, wordt voortgestuwd op syncopes in de bas en swingt. Daarmee een uitstekende opener van dit album. in de tekst komt de albumtitel al gelijk naar voren. Opener Fly talk vormt met afsluiter The fly off the wall de omlijsting van het album. Stuck gaat in dezelfde stijl verder. De stem van JoosTVD klinkt in vergelijking met zijn vorige album meer op de voorgrond en dat komt de balans ten goede.
Met Treason is het onmogelijk een lach te onderdrukken. De olijke melodie alleen al en het he-he-he, ho-ho-ho en they will never let me go-go-go vullen elkaar grandioos aan. Het nummer stuitert hoekig door de riffjes heen. The vanished Vaudeville is een miniatuurtje. De variété is niet verdwenen in de muziek van JoosTVD. Kick together en The gloves are off klinken weer  serieus. I don’t need your stinking money, even if you’re think I’m funny, zingt JoosTVD. The fly off the wall routine (nee, geen typefout het is off en niet on in de songtitel) sluit het album met een instrumentale track af.
JoosTVD levert opnieuw een technisch hoogstandje af. Hij bespeelt wederom alle instrumenten zelf en zet de ingewikkelde muzikale melodieën overtuigend neer."
Eindoordeel: 8,5

Happy dutchman


In english: 

'Joost The Vanished Dutchman (JoosTVD) is a multi-instrumentalist and has released a new album, The fly on the wall routine. Funky jazz-like music with an unexpected low voice, virtuoso loops and ingenious counter melodies complement each other continuously. With a duration of 36 minutes the twelve tracks of the album do not last very long.

Is a new album routine for JoosTVD? That is not how it sounds. The first song Fly talk radiates urgency, is pushed on syncopes in the bass and swings. This makes an excellent opener of this album. the album title already comes to the fore in the text. Opener Fly talk forms the frame of the album with the closing act The fly off the wall. Stuck continues in the same style. The voice of JoosTVD sounds more in the foreground compared to his previous album and that benefits the balance.

With Treason it is impossible to suppress a smile. The merry melody alone and the he-he-he, ho-ho-ho and they will never let me go go-go complement each other beautifully. The number bounces angularly through the reefs. The vanished Vaudeville is a miniature. The variety has not disappeared in the music of JoosTVD. Kick together and The gloves are off sound serious again. I don't need your stinking money, if you think I'm funny, JoosTVD sings. The fly off the wall routine (no, no typo it's off and not on in the song title) closes the album with an instrumental track.

JoosTVD again delivers a technical tour de force. He once again plays all the instruments himself and convincingly puts down the complex musical melodies. '

Final assessment: 8.5 


 

zondag 5 mei 2019

TVD's Recording History

Ok, a little (recording) history then
Let me see....I started writing little ditties in 1979 and have been recording since then. First on analog tape of course. I was hooked, played (drums, bass, guitars, sometimes synths, vocals) on primitive, cheap instruments most of the time  and recorded my ass off! Here are a few machines I've hassled with (note: I am a musician , no technical chef):

I recorded mostly improvised stories, sometimes filled in the silences with jokes and dirty sounds


Remember the SOS function? Well, overdubbing with hiss was a non plus.


More tracks, more overdubbing, less hiss, still hiss on the tape

A 4-track Tascam did the trick for 43(!) tapes till 1998, followed by the digital/ virtual recording with a firewire and a cd burner. Since 1998 I've recorded 22 albums and 15 of them you can stream on www.

Digital, pre-amps, firewire, no hiss!

My present setup?
I have used the digidesign 003 since 2011 with Pro Tools and now as I've bought the Thunderbolt Apollo Twin Quad and a very heavy game laptop, so I'm in the middle of switching stuff. It gets smaller by the day!

Digidesign 003, possibilities....
Apollo Twin Quad, small stuff!
getting mobile game laptop