I
really like my drumbox however it does not have the
greatest percussion, as I sold my USB Midi keyboard
I bought a cheap but sweet 90’s drum machine (Yamaha
Ry-10) so I can use it for some extra percussion and
for intro’s or breaks. I would like to make some
Electro or Ghetto HipHop tunes and this has just the
nice sounds for it. It has a good woodblock and
funny conga’s. I have found many old but good
reviews with people telling how much they regret
selling or breaking their machine. So I hope it
works right, I already checked to what might be
wrong seeing the age of the machine. The battery is
easy to replace, found some info online about that
little task which comforts me.
There’s
many lines of
stories about
me and here’s
a little about
my inspirators
and motivators
I grew up in
the 70/80’s
which I
consider the
golden age for
synths as at
that time it
was really
something new
and starting
to become part
of mainstream
music. From I
very young age
I started to
listen to what
was named
hiphop at that
time, songs
like The
Double Dutch
Bus and the
Empire Strikes
back came just
before Hip Hop
really taking
off. I have an
older nephew
who at that
time went
breakdancing
on Saturdays
and I was
allowed to go
with him and
breakdance
with the other
guys.
Movies like
Wild Style,
Breakdance and
Beat Street
came and a
whole culture
with it. Now
we all wanted
a boombox and
with some
carton board
we went to the
railway
station to
breakdance,
because we saw
that in the
movies plus we
could steal
the power from
the photoboot
in the hall.
(Small
anecdote, my
name comes
from the
streetaddress
I grew up on,
nr. 303).
Ofcourse I
also wanted to
make music but
equipment was
far out or
reach as the
only way to
get it was
through the
wallet of my
parents. So i
was making
mixtapes and
loops using a
double
cassette deck
or two players
with in and
outs. Actual
music was hard
to get, just
one store with
some and but
the best
releases.
Basically
every tape in
town got
copied and
handed down
from my nephew
or his friends
to me. I still
have one or
two, the rest
was played
until they
broke.
During the
80’s I
continued to
listen to
HipHop until
House music
came along.
Newcleus,
Afrika
Bambaata,
Mantronix.
Later Bomb the
Bass, into
Beastie Boys,
some early
ragamuffin.
Ofcourse I
also listened
to the radio
that featured
a lot of 80’s
synthpop at
that time but
I started to
reward that
much later. I
did like bands
like Duran
Duran, OMD and
what else over
the radio. We
also had local
pirate radio
which had some
hours with
HipHop and
Electro.
I can easily
say that
‘Computer Age
(Push the
button)’ by
Newcleus has
been the most
influential
old school
record to me
ever, I wanted
a computer so
bad after
that..it was
also our track
to breakdance
on at school
perfomances.
Meanwhile also
Reggae was big
and I sneaked
into some
concerts or
had friends
buying tickets
as I was still
underage. I’m
happy to have
seen most of
the big names
of that time
playing live.
Music was the
only thing
going in my
hometown, at
that time
small concert
halls got big
names and
because we
never had MTV
on cable, just
a few years
early 80’s and
then replaced
for a Dutch
version called
TMF.. they
only way to
enjoy was
radio or
liveplay. My
town had some
punk bands as
well so often
there was
quite some
variety and
people would
crossover. Not
surprising to
see the
punkers of the
21.00 concert
at the rave on
midnight.
Around 1988
house started
to come up and
I started to
listen that
more and more,
I really liked
the Acid House
which was the
first other
thing i
listened to
than HipHop.
The summer of
love did not
really happen
here but the
underground
was having
their parties
and around
1990 this
started to
evolve into a
bigger scene
and also
commercial
parties
started to
take off. I
was lucky to
have a very
progressive
youthcenter
‘Doornroosje’
with a line-up
of a major
city. Carl
Cox, Dave
Clark and many
others
performing at
your homespot!
It was my
homespot since
young age as
we also went
there to
skateboard and
buy weed.
House went
into techno,
techno into
gabber and at
first I mostly
went to the
hardest
parties to
dance all
night, space
out and have
fun. But I
also continued
to go to what
was called
Mellow parties
and often
venues and big
parties had
separate rooms
of halls so
you could hop
over. People
never much
understood
that but I
needed some
change from
both the
people and
type of music.
I even would
go to HipHop
concerts and
at that time
both scenes
were quite
conflicting
with each
other, I just
did not care.
Later on, as
House music
became more
diverse and Breakbeat/Jungle
coming up I
moved into
that as that
seemed a
better mix
between people
and music and
the vibe was
more
underground.
Less hooligans
and more
ravers,
smaller
venues. Also
Gabber turned
into Happy
Hardcore which
just sucks,
parties way
too big and
also more
expensive. My
homespot also
started a
Jungle night
on Friday so
often we would
party 3 days
of a weekend
and all crash
at my home
after.
At some point
in 1997 I
moved to
Amsterdam and
stopped to
party every
weekend,
basically I
choose a new
career by
turning my
computerhobby
into work and
moving out of
town as it had
nothing to
offer on any
subject I’m
interested in
except for
partying. I
was up for
some adventure
and my town
was limiting
me for years
already. At
that time the
underground
Tekno scene
was having a
lot of parties
at the most
random
squatted
places and a
lot of people
performing
live instead
of just
dj-ing.
At some point,
I could not
continue to go
to these
parties. Also
the scene
started to
fall apart but
also many
parties were
raided by the
police. When
the benefit
party for a
raided party
gets raided
it’s time to
reconsider..so
the whole
scene went
towards
Eastern Europe
and out of
reach.
Because IDM
was growing in
size and
becoming more
available it
was the
perfect
cutover, also
living in
Amsterdam
offered a lot
to enjoy. It
also felt
great that
music I knew
for years
finally was
breaking
through. My
best concert
at that time
ever must been
at The Warp
Lighthouse
Party for
which I went
to London
hoping Aphex
Twin would
really show
up! Next to
Boards of
Canada,
Autechre,
Plaid, Bodgan
Raczynski and
many others
Aphex Twin was
hiding under
tables and
playing his
set. Seeing
his fame for
not showing up
I took a
picture of him
to tease all
the
disbelievers
back home.
In Amsterdam,
the
experimental
and avant
garde scene
was emerging
and I went to
many concerts
in Overtoom
301 and nearby
locations. The
now closed
Staalplaat
recordshop was
filled with
weird and
obscure music
and I often
went there to
buy but mostly
listen to
their tunes.
A local pirate
station
Radio100 was
broadcasting
everything
between Tekno
and
soundscapes
and I would
lock my self
up listening
to radio and
playing with
the internet.
Some local guy
was also
broadcasting a
tv show on the
cable with all
kind of
weirdness and
often also
having online
interaction.
Just before I
moved out I
started to
create music
on my pc, I
bought some
extra memory,
a Soundblaster
64 Soundboard
and full size
midi keyboard.
I started to
work with Fast
Tracker and
some other
software
making drum
and bass.
After a while
I had to
format my pc
to force
myself
learning Linux
and could not
make much
music as tools
were rare on
linux at that
time and I
could not get
them to work
because my linux
machine
had issues
supporting
midi.
Around 2006 I
felt like
making music
again and
bought a
MicroKorg and
made some
tunes for fun
until I went
into a series
of
relationships
and sold the
MicroKorg
meanwhile. I
also bought
and sold a
guitar as
string
instruments
are clearly
not my thing.
My hand kept
on cramping
and variety of
sound is
limited
although I
liked my
spring reverb
a lot.
Nowadays I
listen to a
diversity of
music, I
follow what
people like
Legowelt,
Ceephax Acid
and Aphex Twin
are doing,
their music
and the way
they work is
inspiring. I
like Run The
Jewels a lot
but also Die
Antwoord.
Watching
Simon
the Magpie and
LookMomNoComputer
on Youtube
next to people
jamming on
their gear. I
also just
listen what
comes up on Soundcloud
as a
suggestion or
start to look
for new
things.
End of
2017 I came
across a
webpage where
you can play
around with a
303 and a 808
and I decided
to buy a USB
Midi keyboard
so I could jam
a little on my
computer. I
posted a track
or talked to
my friend
about it,
maybe both,
and he offered
me his
machines as he
has no room to
put them at
the moment. I
added a
reel-to-reel,
tapedeck,
monitors.
I
came across a
Yamaha PSS-480
which I used
to create some
tracks, made
even a EP with
it and from
there I got
excited.
@@@@@@@@@@@@
https://soundcloud.com/jendrossek-sip/sets/pss-480
Talked
to my
neighbours
because more
noise was
coming. Got a
compressor and
sequencer and
now finding my
way and making
some tunes. I
perform live,
tape on my
1970 Tapedeck
and digitise
that using
Audacity.
I
work without a
DAW simply
because I
already spend
enough time at
a computer
work related,
I did setup
LMMS on my
Linux box but
that was more
because of the
challenge to
get it
working, I
used it once
or twice and
just sold my
USB Midi
keyboard to
buy a sweet
vintage
drumcomputer.
I don’t have
any aspiration
to do anything
else but
enjoying
making my
music, share
some of it.
There’s much
to improve on
I know but the
journey is
more important
than the
destiny. I can
space out on a
drone sound
for an our and
make over
repetitive
acid the next
hour whatever
comes up
first.
The sound of
synth to me is
something like
pure, honest.
It can be
sweet, gentle
and
tearjerking
loud
overloading
all your
senses. Acid
music has
always been a
sort of
cleanup for my
mind, it can
be puzzling
complex and
comforting
beautiful. So
that’s what
i’m at right
now, more to
come and I
will surely
not lock
myself in one
genre.
Are
you
still
there ? :-)
Perhaps read
on in
the first
volume or wait
until
the next
one!