Producer DJ RAM and I are flattered by your response to “In an Hour from Now,” and thought you might appreciate a pair of remixes. Both are called “potential energy mix,” a rather obvious choice considering the lyrics. Feel free to download them by clicking the downward-pointing arrow on the players.
The first was featured on the limited edition 2CD of the album, which I don’t own so I don’t know who to credit:
The second is by Ruslan Tagirov of Inbox, who I collaborated with on three songs including “Can’t Wait for the Night.”
Hope they provide “traces of ecstasy.” 
I rarely find time for collaborations, but the handful I’ve done have been a treat. This partnership with producer DJ RAM let me step far outside the typical Color Theory persona, into a seedy Moscow club in the exhausted darkness before dawn. The lyrics are desperate and nasty, the spiritual predecessor to “Two” from my latest album.
We could be dancing past last call
Reeking of alchohol
Bumping to the beat of DJ RAM
Vibrating the walls
Used to feel so self-conscious there
Now it’s too late to care
As you spray me with the salty sweat
Spinning from your hair
We’re in full swing
I’m up for anything
I don’t care how
Say you’ll be with me in an hour from now
Moments of truth
Lost on our wasted youth
Let’s take a vow
Say you’ll be with me in an hour from now
Potential energy
Traces of ecstasy
Minutes of urgency
No second thoughts
We could be kissing out of sight
In the booth to your right
Circling beneath your hidden whites
Glowing in black light
Lapping your juices like a cat
Keeping time with the track
I would risk my life and not look back
Not once look back.
Feel free to download and share the track via the little arrow on the player. It was originally featured on the Virtual Server album Setup, along with a dozen other collaborations from electronic bands such as Iris, Assemblage 23, and Rename. You can buy the CD from the label, A Different Drum, for $10.
[UPDATE 6/2/11: Just posted two remixes]
Actually, “song ideas” may be a little strong. Here are three little snippets I came up with while working through the manual for Reaktor Spark, an fun little softsynth with some interesting routing capabilities:
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to include you, the fans, into the creation process without relinquishing too much creative control. Here’s one idea:
What if I came up with three song ideas and presented them in three separate posts. You would “vote” for your favorite using the Facebook like button. I’d continue to develop the idea that gets the most likes, and come up with three variations, which I’d present in three separate posts, which you would “vote” on again, etc etc… until we’ve got a song!
What do you think (of both these little snippets and my “choose your own adventure” idea)? Worth a shot?
As crazy as it sounds, I don’t listen to CDs anymore. As a MOG and Spotify subscriber, I’ve grown accustomed to having the entire history of recorded music at my fingertips. So this morning I was thinking, “You know who listens to CDs? Color Theory fans!”
If you’ve ever bought at least one album from music.colortheory.com, email me with up to three selections from the list below, and I’ll send them to you. I’ll even cover the postage to US addresses (no jewel cases). Non-US fans can chip in $5 to cover the difference in shipping.
You’re probably wondering, aren’t these CDs special to me? Absolutely! Some are from good friends, or projects I’ve worked on. But I haven’t listened to a CD in months, and I’d rather someone appreciate them than put them in storage.
Disclaimer: Some of these CDs (Bobby Brown, Sheryl Crow, etc) were for a mastering project I worked on for Microsoft, so try not to judge!
[UPDATE 4/29] I sent out roughly 200 CDs yesterday. What’s left is pretty obscure stuff, most of which I mastered. If you have trouble choosing, just email me a few bands you like and I’ll play matchmaker for you!
[UPDATE 5/2] People have been emailing to ask if they’re all gone. Everything you see below is still available! I’ve been updating this page as I send out CDs, from the very beginning.
[UPDATE 5/5] Time to call is quits. I gave the few remaining CDs to longtime friend Steven Cochran (of Eloquent and Royal Visionaries). I also held back a handful of rare synthpop CDs, which are now up for auction on eBay.
I pay $30 a year for the privilege of selling my CDs on Amazon.com. They take 55% of the sales price, which means I get $4.50 for a $10 CD. That wouldn’t be so bad, except their automated system has a nasty habit of ordering one unit at a time, and I pay shipping to the warehouse. Subtracting $2 to mail each CD, I net $2.50. With the annual fee, I’m losing money on a per unit basis.
Occasionally their ordering system predicts healthy sales, as it did when it ordered 17 units of The Thought Chapter. When that prediction is off, they randomly send CDs back, on my dime. Today I received another two units, not in a small padded mailer, but in a box big enough for 30 units. With delivery confirmation, because heaven forbid two unsellable CDs get lost in the mail.
Thanks Amazon! It’s a good thing I love my Kindle, or I might have something negative to say.
Today’s entry adds a bellsy synth along with a subtle bass and thumping drums. Like the last one, it’s probably a little busy.
You can certainly tell, but I need to throw in the disclaimer that these aren’t fully produced mixes. For the most part, there is no EQ, compression, or even reverb. I’m just getting raw ideas out quickly.
Can you hear a song in this?
Here’s another one, this time with a sloppy overlapping bassline. Lots of fun sounds going on. Too many perhaps?
Here’s a little groove I came up with today. Despite its simplicity, there’s a lot going on under the hood.
Carved Souls did me the honor of remixing “It Must Be Halloween,” from my latest album, The Sound. The heaviness in the bass and dark shrouded quality remind me of “Our Shadow” from The Thought Chapter.
What do you think? Feel free to download and share it!
I’m honored to participate in an effort to raise funds for Japan as the country recovers from a devastating earthquake and tsunami. Electro Freaks Present Volume 3.0: For Japan compiles an eclectic collection of over 2 hours of music: 28 songs from 28 artists, representing 9 countries worldwide. Download in it exchange for your contribution to the charity of your choice. All proceeds go directly to relief for Japan.
Please donate, download, and get more information here.
