I am in a post album slump. This has happened after every album I have released since 1990. In the early years I thought it meant something was wrong, that I had lost my muse, mojo or some other superstitious artist turn of phrase. Well let me tell you this is normal. It is normal to feel flat, empty … Continue reading The Post Album Slump
Author: Benedict Roff-Marsh
I believe in Healthy Self-Interest. If everyone does what is rational, then success will be easier for all. Greed is the complete opposite of self-interest as it results in nothing but failure.
Born in Canada in 1969 to English parents. Moved back to England. Lived in Australia since 5 y.o.
Worked in Banking, Entertainment, Sales and Web. I always listen to and make music to keep myself on an even keel.
A Century’s Quarter
In 2013 it will have been 25 years since I got my first synthesizer. I have written a huge amount of music in that time. This is not a compilation or best of (see my Sampler collections) but a loose retrospective based on my style, techniques and themes over the past quarter of a century … Continue reading A Century’s Quarter
Build Your Own Reverb Unit
When I started making music in the late 1980's, good Reverb units were still very expensive. If they were anything near affordable they sounded pretty poor. Nowdays every DAW has two or three decent to good Reverb units on offer (yes even Reason with the addition of REs). But do you know that you can … Continue reading Build Your Own Reverb Unit
Creating External FM in Reason
FM Synthesis isn't the easiest thing to get your head around and while it can be full of wonders much of what you will do will create a ghastly scraping noise even Satan would find distressing. Mostly FM Synthesis will be created using simple tones inside the same unit, think Yamaha DX 7 or Casio … Continue reading Creating External FM in Reason
In The Can late 2012
I have been working on a new album recently. For a few months there I didn't write any music at all which is hard on a person like me as I feel the need to make something every day. If I don't make something then I feel unbalanced and incomplete. I was recording my record … Continue reading In The Can late 2012
Empire Of The Sun
I will start by saying I really wanted to like this record. The image is so good: Adam Ant with Jamiroquai and just a dash of Michael Jackson. Who could lose with style like this. And they almost don't. Sadly what goes wrong is that they seem to have lost interest half way through. The … Continue reading Empire Of The Sun
Elton John
Hercules is an appropriate middle name for Elton John. Sorry, Sir Elton John, Commander of the Order of the British Empire! The titles may sound just a tad silly (assuming that is possible in Elt's case) but are just the tip of the iceberg of his achievements as an artist/performer/entertainer in his lifetime. Elton's legacy is so vast that … Continue reading Elton John
Pet Shop Boys
The Pet Shop Boys ended up being one of the most successful and, perhaps more importantly, revered of the electronic acts from the 80's. In many ways the 90's suited them better than the 80's as they were able to transition with House, Rave and DJ Culture into something greater than 2 lads hoping for a bit … Continue reading Pet Shop Boys
Burlesque (the Film)
I generally comment on music but as we all know sometimes film can cross over into the world of music far enough to have an impact. Many times that is good as in the case of Blade Runner (Vangelis), Clockwork Orange (Wendy Carlos) and even Rock Star but sometimes this isn't the case. When Burlesque first came … Continue reading Burlesque (the Film)
Peter Gabriel
I wasn't planning this article but it leaped on me whilst recording Peter Gabriel I (Car) from vinyl to mp3 for my mobile collection. I have only 2 of Peter's records and I admit I don't listen to them too often. I thought that he had made some really special songs like Solsbury Hill, Games … Continue reading Peter Gabriel
Benedict Roff-Marsh 