We now come to the next artist in the SDP music archive - n-Somnia! In this blog entry, the first 3 releases from 2002.
#1 - RED ALERT (from the "Red Alert" single) + the "Work in Progress" version.
Created sometime during the second half of 1999 at my home, with the assistance of my then fellow Driftwood bandmate, Darren Roverts. I did the technical side of its creation, as Darren hadn't learned how to do it yet (he would eventually become a bit of a solo artist himself in the years following). The song is basically a mix of various sounds and loops laid on top of a beat. It gets its title from one of the sound clips used. Purely an experimental track, but an important one overall as it would become my first step into the digital world, all before n-Somnia really became what it is. The "Work in Progress" version is basically an incomplete save file that I decided to keep, giving the listener an idea of how it was before it was finished.
#2 - RED ALERT (n-Somnia 2000 REMIX) (from the "Red Alert" single)
This remix was made sometime in the year 2000. Not sure when exactly, but it was before September. I wanted to see if I were able to make a remix as good as the ones I kept hearing on my various albums and singles in my collection. Personally, I think this version is better than the original. Partly because there are tiny little mistakes in the original that the untrained ear may not pick up, but people like me can. The remix doesn't have any of that. This version also has new sounds and loops that the original doesn't have, as well as some familiar ones.
#3 - ELIMINATOR (VERSION 1) (from the "A Vision of Things to Come" EP)
The track that really started it all. It was the year 2002, I was attending another music course. This time at my old high school. At some point that year (probably the middle), I had an assignment that required me creating a track using the Acid Pro software. Being me, I put it off for a bit. Eventually I would come back to it within about a week of it being due. The night before, I hadn't been to bed, so I was very tired. However, I was somehow able to put together a pretty good track. Good enough to inspire me to do more songs like it. "Version 1" was added for obvious reasons, but it was originally "Instrumental - No Guitars", as I planned on adding guitars and vocals at a later date. I had the idea, but never got around to it. Eventually due to writer's block, the idea would be scrapped. The title comes from one of the games in the TV series, "Gladiators".
#4 - ELIMINATOR (EXTENDED VERSION) (from the "A Vision of Things to Come" EP)
After successfully creating "Version 1" and wanting to work more on it (vocals, guitars, etc), I took a copy of the loops and samples home to create a longer version of the song, which would become the 'album version', while "Version 1" would be the radio edit. Eventually, it would just be an extension of "Version 1".
#5 - ELECTRONICA (from the "A Vision of Things to Come" EP)
This is the second track I was required to create for my assignment that led to "Eliminator" being made. It was made on the same day the assignment was due, so it would end up being a rush job. Very easy making this one though, as it's just a series of loops being laid over each other one at a time, and gradually fading out in the same fashion.
#6 - NO NAME NOISE (from the "A Vision of Things to Come" EP)
Refer to the third episode of "Song Stories", covering "Kingrow Online Again" for more information on this track, which would eventually become "Jam (Demo)".
#7 - ROBOT LOVER FROM MARS (from the "Robot Lover From Mars" single)
Created in mid-to-late November 2002, released on BeSonic.com the day it was completed. Originally, this track was to be a part of an idea I had for an online 80's-style music compilation, featuring similar unsigned artists such as myself. The compilation idea fell flat, but the song remained as a stand-alone single. Little did I know that the popularity for this track would soar to an unforeseen height. By December, one of the charts on BeSonic.com had this track sitting at the #1 spot. My best achievement ever during the early years. This track is just as important as "Red Alert" and "Eliminator". The title is something I randomly came up with while naming my sound files on the computer in 1999. Oddly enough, the audio file that first used the name wasn't actually used in this song.
#8 - ROBOT LOVER REPRISE (from the "Robot Lover From Mars" single)
The day after "Robot Lover From Mars" was created and released, I decided to make this 'mini remix' of the song for the sake of it having a B-side for the single. It's shorter and uses a completely different drum track. The drum track is a recording from my CasioTone MT-36 keyboard, which is as 80's as you can get with my music equipment.
NEXT EPISODE - "n-Somnia" 2007 COMPILATION & "THE AWAKENING".
#1 - RED ALERT (from the "Red Alert" single) + the "Work in Progress" version.
Created sometime during the second half of 1999 at my home, with the assistance of my then fellow Driftwood bandmate, Darren Roverts. I did the technical side of its creation, as Darren hadn't learned how to do it yet (he would eventually become a bit of a solo artist himself in the years following). The song is basically a mix of various sounds and loops laid on top of a beat. It gets its title from one of the sound clips used. Purely an experimental track, but an important one overall as it would become my first step into the digital world, all before n-Somnia really became what it is. The "Work in Progress" version is basically an incomplete save file that I decided to keep, giving the listener an idea of how it was before it was finished.
#2 - RED ALERT (n-Somnia 2000 REMIX) (from the "Red Alert" single)
This remix was made sometime in the year 2000. Not sure when exactly, but it was before September. I wanted to see if I were able to make a remix as good as the ones I kept hearing on my various albums and singles in my collection. Personally, I think this version is better than the original. Partly because there are tiny little mistakes in the original that the untrained ear may not pick up, but people like me can. The remix doesn't have any of that. This version also has new sounds and loops that the original doesn't have, as well as some familiar ones.
#3 - ELIMINATOR (VERSION 1) (from the "A Vision of Things to Come" EP)
The track that really started it all. It was the year 2002, I was attending another music course. This time at my old high school. At some point that year (probably the middle), I had an assignment that required me creating a track using the Acid Pro software. Being me, I put it off for a bit. Eventually I would come back to it within about a week of it being due. The night before, I hadn't been to bed, so I was very tired. However, I was somehow able to put together a pretty good track. Good enough to inspire me to do more songs like it. "Version 1" was added for obvious reasons, but it was originally "Instrumental - No Guitars", as I planned on adding guitars and vocals at a later date. I had the idea, but never got around to it. Eventually due to writer's block, the idea would be scrapped. The title comes from one of the games in the TV series, "Gladiators".
#4 - ELIMINATOR (EXTENDED VERSION) (from the "A Vision of Things to Come" EP)
After successfully creating "Version 1" and wanting to work more on it (vocals, guitars, etc), I took a copy of the loops and samples home to create a longer version of the song, which would become the 'album version', while "Version 1" would be the radio edit. Eventually, it would just be an extension of "Version 1".
#5 - ELECTRONICA (from the "A Vision of Things to Come" EP)
This is the second track I was required to create for my assignment that led to "Eliminator" being made. It was made on the same day the assignment was due, so it would end up being a rush job. Very easy making this one though, as it's just a series of loops being laid over each other one at a time, and gradually fading out in the same fashion.
#6 - NO NAME NOISE (from the "A Vision of Things to Come" EP)
Refer to the third episode of "Song Stories", covering "Kingrow Online Again" for more information on this track, which would eventually become "Jam (Demo)".
#7 - ROBOT LOVER FROM MARS (from the "Robot Lover From Mars" single)
Created in mid-to-late November 2002, released on BeSonic.com the day it was completed. Originally, this track was to be a part of an idea I had for an online 80's-style music compilation, featuring similar unsigned artists such as myself. The compilation idea fell flat, but the song remained as a stand-alone single. Little did I know that the popularity for this track would soar to an unforeseen height. By December, one of the charts on BeSonic.com had this track sitting at the #1 spot. My best achievement ever during the early years. This track is just as important as "Red Alert" and "Eliminator". The title is something I randomly came up with while naming my sound files on the computer in 1999. Oddly enough, the audio file that first used the name wasn't actually used in this song.
#8 - ROBOT LOVER REPRISE (from the "Robot Lover From Mars" single)
The day after "Robot Lover From Mars" was created and released, I decided to make this 'mini remix' of the song for the sake of it having a B-side for the single. It's shorter and uses a completely different drum track. The drum track is a recording from my CasioTone MT-36 keyboard, which is as 80's as you can get with my music equipment.
NEXT EPISODE - "n-Somnia" 2007 COMPILATION & "THE AWAKENING".