lurksalot

Ooh , I think I might look to retire on selling my SoundCloud account 👍

I could have used a lot more votes this month (and not just to vote for mine) and realised everybody probably thought the same , and not to vote for mine 😂

It’s here if anyone is waiting for it I could have sworn I’d already put a link here !

It's the end of another month of music making inspired by last months winner @Doctor J We have another fine selection for your listening enjoyment , so spare a little time and post 3 votes to show your preferences. The compositions were done using the following picture as the starting point. The entries are as follows .... 1 @Dad3353 It all started innocently enough. A fun day out in the fresh alpine air... 2 @NickD The picture suggested getting the hell out of somewhere, sharpish like, so I went for a simple rock & roll (ish) ditty about just that. I did initially have environmentally specific references in the lyrics (snow & such), but replaced them to generalise it a bit. 3 @Leonard Smalls Having been reminded of the film about the Jamaican bobsleigh team, and inspired by the recent thread on drum and bass, here's a bit of Caribbean-tinged DnB. With lots of bass! 4 @Nicko I imagine the lady in the picture is experiencing the same fear which our new PM will experience as she tries to solve the countries problems. With the current economic situation in the country reminding me of the late 70s and early 80s I though I'd do some English Ska. 5 @Nail Soup Picture is someone sliding, so I (eventually) thought of slide guitar. I only really use a slide on my cigar box guitar, made with my on fair hands a few years ago. So Cigar box slide it is. 6 @Doctor J I could empathise with the lady in the picture. As a youth, I had many an adventure which seemed like a great idea to start off with, but quickly sped beyond my control and ended with blood loss. Something fast and violent seemed appropriate. 7 @upside downer It's 2023, sixty years on from the last big freeze and Britain is once again covered in snow and ice. One intrepid granny is determined not to let the inclement weather get in the way of her weekly shopping routine. 8 Lurksalot by the look on her face she was never going to do it again .. OK then that is your lot , but boy , what a bunch we have again . Cast 3 votes , the poll will close at midnight on the 30th September Enjoy

Voting thread to follow as soon as I get a break !

A last minute upload after my computer didn't want to co-operate last night! guitars and bass through a couple of waves GTR3 FX , with EZ drummer doing his bit

I’ve written a song , I’ve tried about a dozen takes on the vocal , it needs more takes 😂 I will keep trying until deadline, then you get what you get🤘 I’ve got a wedding to go to , half a days work , and grand little lurks is staying , this could get messy !

I saw Seasick Steve in the summer , just him and a @Dad3353 lookalike on the drums , good enough sound , especially when they were both ripping it up .

My policy is to listen to the others after mine is just about done , or at least after the point I realise that mine is a killer with a superb vocal and I have absolutely fallen in love with it I digress

The start of another month of music making to be inspired by last months winner @Doctor J As he has noted in his choice of picture "Choosing the picture is more pressurised than recording the music! " A 'pressure' I have been chasing for a while ..... So without further ado we have the following for you an excellent reminder that today is the first meteorological day of Autumn Simple rules ✔️ Entries must be <5 minutes and recorded this month. ✖️ No illegal samples, copyright infringements or other snide goings-on ✖️ No Bagpipes. the Edinburgh festival/fringe truce has been sacked off . panpipes only if you have too. ✖️ No voting for your own entry. We'll know. And we'll shame you. A line or two offering an insight to your inspiration/track choice will be good as well , it works nicely on the voting thread. The Deadline for entries is Midnight on Friday 23rd September good luck everyone

Well done Doc , a great song. PM me with a pic when you are ready and we’ll start up a new one

I had a quick play with it , but it seems a lot of work to get a vocal down even before tying it up with a track . you can manipulate the vocal wav file with pitching software that can take some of the oriental out of the voice. the tutorials are pants that I’ve found !

Ok dudes , we are in , no dress code , run what yer brung , fill yer boots

August is coming to its conclusion and that means one thing, it is time to choose the toon of the month A joint win by @Doctor J and @upside downer in July with 2 excellent tracks produced the choice of image from the latter, with the comment .... "This image from Alan Schaller's Metropolis collection, which examines 'how we are dwarfed in the modern world around us and often lost in it'. It properly brought out the creative juices did this one , marvelous Now is the time to settle down with your choice of beverage and let your ears be filled the some great new music. Then choose your favourite 3 tracks for your votes 1 @xgsjx All the parts are monophonic (that was my own challenge). All aboard the train to here..... 2 @Dad3353 Well, she said 'Platform 2, eight o'clock.' It's now... Let me see... Hmm... Half-past midnight. Maybe she's not coming..? I'll give it another hour or so... Can't get much more minimalist that this, this month. 3 @Leonard Smalls It's about a lonely bloke thinks he's been stood up on the Metro. Not only that but he hasn't got a clue where he needs to get to. So he contemplates just stepping off in front of the next train, but instead, checks his phone and discovers that a perfect French fella has just swiped right on him on Grindr. Previous date forgotten, next one eagerly anticipated! 4 @NickD I loved the Negative space in the image, which gave me my title, and that sent me down the wormhole of my own reflections while waiting for the tube, and my wondering at the perceptions of others there, surrounded by people, and yet alone. It's a bit about how the city will consume you if you let it 5 @Doctor J For some reason, I envisioned a male escort on his way home after a late... ehhh... shift, I suppose. He's a good guy, alone in a world which just doesn't understand. 6 @Nicko When I saw the image I initially thought it was Baker Street - a station i used for my daily commute for a few years - but it's obviously late at night and I don't work late so the only reason I ever saw it like that was when I'd been for after work drinks. 7 @upside downer A meandering, sometimes uplifting, sometimes melancholic melody that weaves through our lone hero's introspection on another of those nights where he is lost in time and space alone with his thoughts. 8 lurksalot The guts of this was laid down before the weekend but the lyrics, such as they are ..... were added with the weekends experiences of that London in mind! 9 @Nail Soup I've been reading about how Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica LP was made, and listening to a lot of Beefheart. The picture inspired a Beefheart-style wordplay... the musician term Tube Overdrive Vs how someone taking the Tube prefers it Over Driving (a car). Musically I tried to use the same compositional techniques as were used on TMR. Also used some tube overdrive and tunnel reverb on the vox! 10 @skankdelvar From my soon-to-drop new album Songs For Moaning Bastards Well there we have it , a fantastic selection yet again! Choose your favourite 3 Voting will close at midnight on Wednesday 31st Good luck all

Fair play , I was not expecting such a great turnout this month , most excellent 👍 I will set up the voting thread when I get in tonight

If you use a DAW you can monitor through that , I use Reaper which is free to download on ‘trial’ which never expires. if you haven’t used DAW before, it is a steep learning curve , but there are loads of tutorials on you tube to get you going

that was a manic weekend , interspersed with health issues and transport complications due to rail and tube strikes ! The guts of this was laid down before the weekend but the lyrics, such as they are ..... were added with the weekends experiences in mind! The drums were punched in using EZ drummer and used a couple of presets , bass and guitars using Waves gtr3 FX and a splatter of Waves Manny M Reverb to tie it up . All rolled in the glitter offered from Ozone 8 . Ed to add ........ Hark, I hear someone at the door already, I do hope he has a cheque book and pen !

if it did that I could save a few pennies on singing lessons , but it might lose my subtle tonal divergences

A bit gutted at the minute , having a quiet pint or two in that London , HOW MUCH , while mrs lurks and lurksalittle see a show, and thought it an ideal time to have a listen through …..forgot my pods FFS 🤦‍♂️

We read from the same hymn sheet I reckon 😁

I think I might squeeze one in after all! Its not ready yet and probably won't be ready at the deadline , but I think we have sussed out, that by then, I will have fallen in love with it and convinced myself that it is an absolute masterpiece, that will have the worlds music illuminati knocking at my door desperate to sign me up with a multi million pound contract*. *I shall of course decline and keep to my roots at the lower end of the Basschat forums

Pretty much exactly the same, but I may have different starting points if something jumps out. if I am really stuck , I have a digital piano that plays itself with different styles etc and I can start knocking tunes up on it quite quickly just using one finger to tell it what chord to play ! then a week of singing lessons to get the vocal just right 😁

I might struggle this month , I’ve made a rough start but I’m only going to be able to access the studio for about 4 evenings before deadline.

A distant echo...

August is upon us and that means one thing, it's time for another challenge! A joint win by @Doctor J and @upside downer in July with 2 excellent tracks and a subsequent choice of image from the latter, with the comment .... "This image from Alan Schaller's Metropolis collection, which examines 'how we are dwarfed in the modern world around us and often lost in it'. That's deep! Simple rules ✔️ Entries must be <5 minutes and recorded this month. ✖️ No illegal samples, copyright infringements or other snide goings-on ✔️ Bagpipes. the Edinburgh festival/fringe truce * . panpipes only if you have too. ✖️ No voting for your own entry. We'll know. And we'll shame you. A line or two offering an insight to your inspiration/track choice will be good as well , it works nicely on the voting thread. The Deadline for entries is Midnight on Wednesday 24th August good luck everyone * well, you don't have to, honestly