layers

Limited Edition Eco-Pack CDs of Solstice Chill, legion d’honneur, Layers 2 and Eavesdropping are Now Available!

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When I first started publishing my music, after my first release through a long defunct label Orbit Music (album: Forgotten Textures) back in 1998, I started releasing my music through the also now defunct MP3.com via their Digital Audio Music (D.A.M.) CDs, which was a print-on-demand service. Years later, I then found Lulu.com, and began to publish through there. They eventually dropped the CD print-on-demand service as well.

I then started releasing my music as digital only releases, through BandCamp, and all major digital music services such as Amazon, Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, etc. And, except for short run CD-R releases I had made over the years and sold individually, I have never produced real physical copies in any sort of bulk. That has now changed!

I now have limited edition 50-CD runs of Solstice Chill, legion d’honneur, Layers 2 and Eavesdropping. These are in Eco-Pack sleeves, they are the similar to a jacket, but there is no glue, printed with eco-friendly inks, and is stored in a re-sealable cellophane bag.

Ask when ordering if you would like the cover, inside cover, or disc signed before I ship it out!

If you would prefer additional options when shipping, please contact me after the sale, and we can work out payment and additional shipping options such as insurance, delivery signature, etc.

Includes unlimited streaming of Eavesdropping via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

To order, click on one of the image links below, or visit the merch page on my Bandcamp site to order!

 

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Cocktail Hour

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CocktailHour-titleI recently got married! We had taken care of every detail about the wedding. Centerpieces, layout for the backdrop of the ceremony, pictures, planning for the weekend (it was kind of a destination wedding), water bottle design, and of course, the music.

My (now wife) suggested that we use some of my music… why I did not think of this, remains to be figured out still. So, with a couple of weeks to go, we wanted to create something along the lines of Layers, a music installation.

I had her make some selections, and I did as well, and then I got down into my tracks and split them up to be in a layered format.

I then needed to find the hardware to pull this off. I at first wanted to have the tracks played from wireless speakers, without using a secondary MP3 player plugged into the auxiliary port, but could not find the right stuff.

Blog post: musicalnature.net/2017/04/27/new-music-installation-my-upcoming-wedding/

I finally settled on the DOSS Touch Wireless speaker, with a cheap-ish MP3 player plugged into it. And it worked brilliantly.

Blog post: musicalnature.net/2017/05/01/test-of-wedding-cocktail-hour-music-installation/

Now that the wedding has past, I wanted to share this to my few faithful followers. This album is a modified version of my previous work from Atachafalaya, VR:1, and Eavesdropping – each have been split up into two layers, designed to be played simultaneously from two separate sources.

It is available for Name Your Price on bandcamp only. Pay nothing, or, pay something. You decide…

Enjoy! Let me know your thoughts…

Photo Credit: Nick Inglis

New Release: Layers Compendium

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Layers - Compendium

Layers ||| Compendium

Released: April 29, 2017

Bandcamp only release – the Layers Compendium. A collection of all 3 Layers albums released so far (Layers 1, Layers 2, Layers 3 : Abstractions).

Layers is a location-agnostic ambient music installation. Designed as a series to be listened to together, or really any other ambient music similar to it. How do you achieve this? Listen to one of the albums on one device at an audible volume. Then load up and listen to another one of the Layers albums on another device. Create a unique soundworld experience each and every time you listen.

Own all 3 albums in 1 for a lower price of $6!

Listen, buy and stream at the following media outlets:

All 3 albums are individually also available on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Rhapsody, eMusic, Rdio, Shazam, and many more digital media services!

New Music Installation… My Upcoming Wedding!

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We’ve got less than a month to go before the “big day”… we’ve been planning out music, and my fiancée would love for me to play some of my stuff. However, since most of it is ambient and minimal, there really wasn’t much of a place for it, except for maybe dinner or cocktail hour.

Then, collaboratively, we came up with a plan. Using two small portable speakers on either end of the porch we are having cocktails at, I will layer some of my tracks so each end of the porch plays different layers of those tracks, together making up the actual track, very similar to my installation pieces can be used (Layers 1, Layers 2, and Layers 3). Below is a representation of how those will be configured:

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This however created a problem…

  • I need these to be re-usable, so I can duplicate this process again if needed for other installations down the road.
  • I need the speakers to be independent
  • I need them to be battery powered
    • ….and have a decent battery life
  • I need them to support playing MP3’s from a Micro SD card
    • Keep this simple, not multiple gadgets strung together
  • They need to also be loud enough for people to hear on an open porch with lots of people talking
  • Needs to loop at the end of the playlist to the beginning
  • Also, be reasonably priced. Due to the cost of the wedding thus far, I did not want to break the bank even further!

Because of the prevalence of Bluetooth speakers, it is very difficult to find something that matches these specifications! I started ordering from Amazon and Jet (free returns!) to test out speakers. After a couple of failures, and hitting up my friends on Facebook for their recommendations, I finally found something that works! Enter the DOSS Touch.

It’s a Bluetooth speaker with an SD Card slot, AUX 3.5mm input jack, rechargeable with a 12 hour playtime, and is decently loud at 12 watts. The controls are easy to use, and, it WILL loop at the end of the playlist, so I do not have to load even more songs on it, and can just use a cheap 8GB Micro SD Card.

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Everything I needed… and… it is only $32.99 from Amazon. So, if you are ever in the market to do something like this, or, just need a REALLY good Bluetooth speaker for just over $30, then check this thing out.

If any of you are interested (and let me know in the comments), I can release a special edition on Bandcamp once I’ve done all of the processing on the tracks to be used (tracklist below) and their layered components for your own use?

Track listing:

The Layers App

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The other day I finally got around to posting my latest release, Layers3: Abstractions to SoundCloud.

Layers1, Layers2, and Layers3: Abstractions are 3 minimal long form releases designed to be used either by themselves, or together, in any order. Think of it as an art installation.

Shortly after posting the release to SoundCloud, someone liked one of the tracks from Layers3, and posted the following comment:

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layers512What a brilliant idea! I recently started building some Android apps (Donation Estimator and MX Lookup), so I decided to take on this challenge as well! So, after a couple days, I have put together an Android App, which can be found in the Google Play App Store – Layers.

If you wouldn’t mind… please download it, and let me know what you think if you wouldn’t mind?

It may very well be buggy… but I am new to Android app development, so please take it easy on me.

I have some similar ideas that are kicking around along the same lines as well… so I will keep you posted here on my blog.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.varosky.layers