The Goblin Market at Christmastime

We're back at the Goblin Market. The merry band of goblins have chosen their favourite festive songs and are playing them on a small dais near the bonfire, just across the way from the bar where you can buy mead and ale and homebrewed cola.

There are stalls set up between the trees, and all the trees have twinkling Christmas lights. Jars filled with glowing fairies light your path as you wander through the market.

There are hobgoblins selling their wares, elves offer henna tattoos, and witches have enchanted perfumes - there's a small trestle table where pixies will gift wrap your purchases free of charge.

Don't try the trolls' egg nog though, it's far too strong for humans!

I wrote a nocturne

I've always wanted to write a nocturne, so here's my first attempt. Am I being pretentious giving it an opus number? Oh yes, totally!

I also made a slushy drone version, and another version of one of my favourite Chopin nocturnes.

"Nos" means "night" in Welsh. Free to download. 

New album - Blodeuben

“Mae brawd gan Blodeuwedd, a'i enw yw Blodeuben.”
“Blodeuwedd has a brother, and his name is Blodeuben.”

I’ve always been interested in the stories of the Mabinogion ever since my Grandmother used to tell them to me when I was small.

I’ve rewritten the story of Blodeuwedd so that she has a brother, Blodeuben, who becomes Gwydion’s lover.

“He lifted his arms and circled the remaining flowers, chanting under his breath. As he circled widdershins, the flowers began to glow again. He watched as the flowers melted together and formed the body and limbs of a beautiful young man, who sprung out of the pit into Gwydion's waiting arms.”

The Erlking is borrowed from German literature. In Wales he is
Y Gwernfrenin, and he’s here for your sons.

“Pwy sy'n marchogaeth mor hwyr trwy'r nos?
Y tad sydd yno, gyda'i blentyn tlos;
Mae'n meddwl mae’r bachgen yn iawn dan ei fraich,
Mae’n dal e’n dynn, trwy ystod y daith.”

“Who is that riding so late through the night?
The father holds his little son tight;
He thinks he’s safe, tucked under his arm,
He holds him tight, he’ll not come to harm."

The three sons of Gwydion and Gilfaethwy, born as a wolf cub, a fawn, and a wild boar piglet, are adopted by Math Mathonwy.

“Math then called the wolf and she-wolf, Gwydion and Gilfaethwy, and struck them both with his wand and they returned to their own trembling flesh.

Too scared to look at each other, unable to look at anything else.”

I wanted to make something that sounded and felt as Welsh as the tales that inspired it.

Diolch
Andy x

7 tracks, plus a bonus track, for £1.

Nocturnes

These nocturnes were inspired by Chopin (and also the work of Hans Zimmer). I used melodies and basslines from a series of Chopin's nocturnes. I used sampled, stretched, and synthesized piano. I chopped and/or reversed the samples. I programmed harmonic and non-harmonic arpeggios, and added mathematical echoes to some of the notes. I changed the key of each sample, before collaging them together. 

Each track is named after a species of British bat. 

The album includes three bonus tracks, and a 10 page pdf booklet. The running time is two hours and 16 minutes. All for £5.

"For the first time, since he came nigh dead born
From the old womb of night, his cave forlorn
Had he left more forlorn; for the first time,
He felt aloof the day and morning’s prime—
Because into his depth Cimmerian 
There came a dream, shewing how a young man,
Ere a lean bat could plump its wintery skin,
Would at high Jove’s empyreal footstool win
An immortality, and how espouse
Jove’s daughter, and be reckon’d of his house." 

From "Endymion" by John Keats. 

I hope you enjoy listening to this as much as I enjoyed making it x

Three EPs

These three EPs were inspired by a dream I had about booking a flight to travel into space to colonise a new planet.

Staxion. Part I of III. 

You're strapped in to your seat on the transport. You're travelling at 200 miles an hour through tunnels filled with flashing lights. Suddenly you're above ground and you can see the shuttle pointing up at the starry sky. Your life is about to change forever.

The White Swan. Part II of III.

You're finally on board, finally taking that first step. It's so fast, you don't have time to see or breathe before you're in the sky, falling through galaxies full of stars. You're put in hypersleep. Time passes. You're woken up. Multiple failures. Oxygen depleted. Collision course probable. 

"Move him into the sun— 

Gently its touch awoke him once, 

At home, whispering of fields half-sown. 

Always it woke him, even in France, 

Until this morning and this snow. 

If anything might rouse him now 

The kind old sun will know." 

From "Futility" by Wilfred Owen

Mamwlad. Part III of III.

You've arrived at your destination. You're alive. It's a whole new world from here on in. This is your home for the next 1000 years, so what do you do? Make friends, settle in, fall in love.

A night on bald mountain

I blogged about this in 2010, but then I forgot all about it! I wasn't on Soundcloud then either, so didn't have anywhere to host my sound experiments. Here's the original blog post:

Night on Bald Mountain is a fantasy for orchestra that was composed by Modest Mussorgsky; and based on a tone poem of his. The original tone poem was called St. John's Night on the Bare Mountain and had a Witches' Sabbath as its theme. He completed it on June the 23rd 1867; on St. John's Eve, and exactly a hundred and ten years before I was born. I've always been drawn to this piece of music, ever since I saw Disney's Fantasia when I was little. Now that I know more about its evolution and history, I love it even more.
I thought it was about time that Fflwcs had a go at making a version of Bald Mountain. I use all the original score, but have tried to emphasise the otherworldliness of the piece, and also the downright scariness of it. Wales has so many beautiful mountains, and lots of my childhood was spent climbing them, so I think that has inspired me and my love of this Mussorgsky work. There is a legend in Wales: if you sleep on the summit of Cader Idris, when you wake up you'll either be mad, or a poet. My Mam used to joke that if I slept up there I'd wake up exactly the same.

Zombies in a row - EP

After the franticness of my Musical Advent Calendar in December last year, to raise money for Shelter Cymru; I've been doing some musical experimentation. I've made a few tracks and remixes using hann stretch techniques, and some of my selfmade VSTs. Drone, noise, experimental, ambient fuckery.

The tracks feel like they go together, so I made them into this little EP. Free to download, as always.

Day 1 - Videte Miraculum

Day 1 of my ‪#‎MusicalAdventCalendar‬ to raise money for Shelter Cymru. Today's track is a Fflwcs version of a very old Thomas Tallis song called Videte Miraculum, behold the miracle! Vocalisations provided by the lovely Tamsin. Angelic, isn't she?

Please donate, I'm on £355 so far, but I know I can get it to more than that for Shelter Cymru. Thanks everyone, Nadolig Llawen x

My donation page
What Shelter Cymru does and why they need our help

Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

My version of Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis". Noisy.

Halve EP

Here's some ambient fuckery from me.

The Smiths vs Pet Shop Boys

I don't know who'd win in a fight between The Smiths and the Pet Shop Boys, I suspect Andy Rourke could win on his own! So here's something silly I did yesterday, it's called "girlfriendonmymind". My friend Sue has challenged me to mash up the Fraggle Rock theme with Wham!'s Club Tropicana... oh, it's on!

Starcrossed

And here's some Shakespeare-flavoured silly house! 

Two households, both alike in dignity, 
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, 
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes 
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; 
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows 
Do with their death bury their parents' strife. 
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love, 
And the continuance of their parents' rage, 
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove, 
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage.

Where is Red?

Some fairytale-themed trip hop.

Empty Alphabet EP

Five Variants of the Third Mode Melody by Thomas Tallis

My Christmas card for this year.

Five Variants of the Third Mode Melody is inspired by Ralph Vaughan Williams’ fantastic piece “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis”, and was also based on Vaughan Williams’ own “Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus” - taking mediaeval music and making it relevant for the 21st Century (or 20th, in Vaughan Williams’ case).

Free to download here.

A Night on Bald Mountain

Edit: Updated blog post with working file here: A night on bald mountain.

Night on Bald Mountain is a fantasy for orchestra that was composed by Modest Mussorgsky; and based on a tone poem of his. The original tone poem was called St. John's Night on the Bare Mountain and had a Witches' Sabbath as its theme. He completed it on June the 23rd 1867; on St. John's Eve, and exactly a hundred and ten years before I was born. I've always been drawn to this piece of music, ever since I saw Disney's Fantasia when I was little. Now that I know more about its evolution and history, I love it even more.
I thought it was about time that Fflwcs had a go at making a version of Bald Mountain. I use all the original score, but have tried to emphasise the otherworldliness of the piece, and also the downright scariness of it. Wales has so many beautiful mountains, and lots of my childhood was spent climbing them, so I think that has inspired me and my love of this Mussorgsky work. There is a legend in Wales: if you sleep on the summit of Cader Idris, when you wake up you'll either be mad, or a poet. My Mam used to joke that if I slept up there I'd wake up exactly the same.
Here's an mp3 of the Fflwcs version (sorry, it's on that same site as my last mp3. I'll find a better hosting place soon).
Download Fflwcs - A Night on Bald Mountain here.

Tracklisting

As requested, here are the tracklistings for Volumes I, II and III of How to Seduce a Straight Man:

How To Seduce a Straight Man Volume I

Takk - Sigur Rós
2001: A Space Odyssey
Spank – Jimmy ‘Bo’ Horne
Killer – Adamski
My Insatiable One (piano version) – Suede
U Talk 2 Much – Sultans of Ping F.C.
Witch Doctor – David Seville
Soldier Boy – The Beatles
Pushin’ Too Hard – The Seeds
Tonight We Fly – The Divine Comedy
Wicked Little Town – Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Roses and Teeth for Ludwig Wittgenstein – Matmos
I Feel Love – Donna Summer
Girls and Boys – Blur
I Open at The Close – The Sorting Hat
Wig in a Box – The Polyphonic Spree
Shut Up and Sleep with Me – Sin With Sebastian
Time to Pretend – MGMT
Golden Gun – Suede
This is Hardcore – Pulp
In the NA – The Hidden Cameras
I Would Die 4 U – The Space Cowboy
Pam V – Super Furry Animals
Xxzxcuzx Me – Crystal Castles
Was it Something I Said – OMD
Origin of Love – Hedwig and the Angry Inch

How To Seduce a Straight Man Volume II

Vicious – Lou Reed
Don’t Cry Out – Shiny Toy Guns
Sound – James
Jackie – Scott Walker
Johnny Chrome & Silver – Nancy Boy
Cream – Prince
Ice Cream – New Young Pony Club
Interesting Drug – Morrissey
Plastic Bag – Minty
Mama Didn’t Lie – Jan Bradley
Don’t Leave Me This Way – Thelma Houston
Power of the Flower – Praga Khan
Soul Makossa – Manu Dibango
The Black Queen’s Chamber of Doom – Azzido Da Bass Vs The Bob Crewe Generation Orchestra
Violently Happy – Björk
Good Time – Crystal Castles
Love To Hate You – Erasure
Love Today – Mika
Superstition – The Kills
Goin’ Down – The Monkees
Stand Up (The Tynick Trip Mix) – Nick Jones Experience featuring Delvin ‘Shake’ Williams
2 Hearts – Kylie
Love’s Unkind – Donna Summer
Don’t Leave – Fflwcs
Rainbow Island – Seb
Adored and Explored – Marc Almond

How To Seduce a Straight Man Volume III

Jam Band Reprise Part I – Disco Tex and His Sex-O-Lettes
Stay With Me – Manic Street Preachers
Fermez La Bouche – Help She Can’t Swim
(Call Me) Number One – The Tremeloes
Just To Hold My Hand – Dee Dee Sharp
Safety Dance – Glee Cast
For Your Love – The Yardbirds
Modern Boys – Suede
Jericho – The Prodigy/Dirt – Death in Vegas
What’s the Excuse This Time – McAlmont & Butler
Hold Me Now (Live) – Elastica
Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide – David Bowie
Like a Motorway – St Etienne
I Miss You (Dobie Rub Part One - Sunshine Mix) – Björk
Sweet Freedom (Part 1) – Positive Gang
W.S.D. – Suede
Reviewing the Situation – Sandie Shaw
Colquohons Story – Damon Albarn and Michael Nyman
Girlfriend in a Coma – The Smiths
Warning – All Too Much
In My Life – The Beatles
Dub Be Good To Me – Beats International
Jack the Ripper – The Horrors
Walk On – The Hidden Cameras
I Like to Move it (Clubasse Remix 2004) – Reel 2 Real
Earth Intruders – Björk
Hear the Drummer Get Wicked – Chad Jackson
I Like to Move it (Clubasse Remix 2004) – Reel 2 Real/Catwalk – Peter Moore
I Like to Move it (Clubasse Remix 2004) – Reel 2 Real/Game Boy – Shampoo
I Like to Move it (Clubasse Remix 2004) – Reel 2 Real/La La Land – Green Velvet

Podcast 11.0 'How to Seduce a Straight Man Volume III'

A selection of songs that attempt to describe how to seduce a straight man, a useful little musical guide for the discerning homosexual in us all. Three eclectic mixes including: Sigur Rós, Adamski, Matmos, The Hidden Cameras, Crystal Castles, Hewdwig and the Angry Inch, James, Scott Walker, Praga Khan, Prince, Manu Dibango, Fflwcs, Kylie, Shiny Toy Guns, Disco Tex and His Sex-O-Lettes, The Manic Street Preachers, Dee Dee Sharp, Glee Cast, The Tremeloes, Suede, The Prodigy, Björk, David Bowie... and many more.

The three Volumes are available for free download:

Volume I

Volume II

Volume III (which you can listen to below. Player might not work with all browsers. Sorry)

DISCLAIMER: Following these instructions does not guarantee you will seduce a straight man. My tongue is firmly in my cheek here. You can't pull straight men. If you do ever pull a straight man, then he's not straight, dear.

Podcast 10.0 'How to seduce a straight man Volume II'

More mixing, I've got better.

More musical imagining about how to get your claws into that straight man you've always had your eye on. Instructions from (among others): James, Scott Walker, Praga Khan, Prince, Manu Dibango, Fflwcs, Kylie, Shiny Toy Guns...

This player might not work with all browsers. Sorry.

Download here.

Tracklisting:
Vicious – Lou Reed
Don’t Cry Out – Shiny Toy Guns
Sound – James
Jackie – Scott Walker
Johnny Chrome & Silver – Nancy Boy
Cream – Prince
Ice Cream – New Young Pony Club
Interesting Drug – Morrissey
Plastic Bag – Minty
Mama Didn’t Lie – Jan Bradley
Don’t Leave Me This Way – Thelma Houston
Power of the Flower – Praga Khan
Soul Makossa – Manu Dibango
The Black Queen’s Chamber of DoomDoom – Azzido Da Bass Vs The Bob Crewe Generation Orchestra
Violently Happy – Björk
Good Time – Crystal Castles
Love To Hate You – Erasure
Love Today – Mika
Superstition – The Kills
Goin’ Down – The Monkees
Stand Up (The Tynick Trip Mix) – Nick Jones Experience featuring Delvin ‘Shake’ Williams
2 Hearts – Kylie
Love’s Unkind – Donna Summer
Don’t Leave – Fflwcs
Rainbow Island – Seb
Adored and Explored – Marc Almond

DISCLAIMER: Following these instructions does not guarantee you will seduce a straight man. My tongue is firmly in my cheek here. You can't pull straight men. If you do ever pull a straight man, then he's not straight, dear.

Podcast 9.0 'How To Seduce A Straight Man'

My first attempt at mixing. Some of the mixing is more successful than the rest, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

A selection of songs that attempt to describe how to seduce a straight man, a useful little musical guide for the discerning homosexual in us all.

This player might not work with all browsers. Sorry.

Download here.

Tracklisting:
Takk – Sigur Rós
Einleitung (from Also Sprach Zarathustra) - Richard Strauss
Spank – Jimmy ‘Bo’ Horne
Killer – Adamski
My Insatiable One (piano version) – Suede
U Talk 2 Much – Sultans of Ping F.C.
Witch Doctor – David Seville
Soldier Boy – The Beatles
Pushin’ Too Hard – The Seeds
Tonight We Fly – The Divine Comedy
Wicked Little Town – Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Roses and Teeth for Ludwig Wittgenstein – Matmos
I Feel Love – Donna Summer
Girls and Boys – Blur
I Open at The Close – The Sorting Hat
Wig in a Box – The Polyphonic Spree
Shut Up (And Sleep with Me) – Sin With Sebastian
Time to Pretend – MGMT
Golden Gun – Suede
This is Hardcore – Pulp
In the NA – The Hidden Cameras
I Would Die 4 U – The Space Cowboy
Pam V – Super Furry Animals
Xxzxcuzx Me – Crystal Castles
Was it Something I Said – OMD
Origin of Love – Hedwig and the Angry Inch


DISCLAIMER: Following these instructions does not guarantee you will seduce a straight man. My tongue is firmly in my cheek here. You can't pull straight men. If you do ever pull a straight man, then he's not straight, dear.