For this edition of "Song Stories", I'm gonna change the layout slightly.  Since there were only 7 songs in total by Supertrip, I will explain them in order of appearance instead of the "Chronology" album itself.  Use of the compilation's title is just a way of saying that I'm covering all of Supertrip's material in a single post.  So, here goes...

#1 - ROCK ME

The band's first song ever.  Before the band turned into what it would become, it was called the Linwood Community Rock School, which met at Linwood Avenue Union Church once a week after school hours (usually 4pm).  When I joined the Rock School, I wasn't there just for learning more about rock music.  I was also scouting for potential talent to join me in an attempt at world domination.  Sure enough, after a few weeks, I decided that I wanted to start something with some of the guys who were attending.  So, one day I turned to one of the drummers, Luke Connor, and said we should write an original.  He then grabbed the attention of the rest of the musos so we could work on something.  Luke then started doing a little something with the hi-hats to get things started.  It must've been about 20-30 seconds into it when I started playing a random riff.  This would lead to what would now be known as "Rock Me".  In the weeks to come, we would work more on the song, but it wouldn't be until April the following year (1998) when the final arrangement was cemented, just in time for its first and only live performance at the Southern Blues Bar.  The recording history of this song has had its ups and downs.  It started off with a basic recording using a cassette player with a microphone input, but instead of an actual microphone it was a pair of headphones.  The quality was rubbish, but it was a start.  At the Blues Bar, the entire 5-track set was recorded via a vocal microphone at the foot of the stage.  But it would be in 2009, a whole 11 years later when I, along with lead vocalist Stephen Armstrong, attempted to do a brief 10th anniversary reunion project, when "Rock Me" would reappear in the form of a home recording (with digital drums) on the "Encore" EP.

#2 - REGGAE BLUE

The second song to emerge from the Supertrip archive, but as far as early recordings are concerned, it's hard to say whether or not they still exist.  In my personal collection, "Rock Me" is the only song to have rehearsal recordings.  But I know for a fact that we did plenty more of other songs.  I'm pretty sure that these tapes belonged to our manager/co-founder, Rasjad Addison.  Whether or not he still has these tapes is unknown to me.  This song is a very bluesy track with a twist of reggae, and was often played during our early rehearsal sessions in the pre-gig era (October 1997 to March '98).  It is the only Supertrip song to never be played in front of an audience.  When it came to making the "Encore" EP between 2007 and 2009, I felt that this song needed to be heard one way or another.  The end result was an instrumental version that I made on my own, as Stephen was only available to record vocals for 2 songs out of the total of 4 that made the EP.  The "Encore" version is referred to as the "Digi-T" instrumental.  What this means is that it's a digital version of our bassist, Taniela Qalivutu.  Technically, it was the main bassline recorded on a standard 6-string electric guitar with the pitch lowered 12 steps (a whole octave).  This was before I would eventually purchase an actual bass guitar some time afterwards.  As for the title - like I said, it was a bluesy song with a bit of a reggae feel to it.  The rest of the band used to call it "The Blues", but I was never really fond of that title due to its reggae flavour.  Thus "Reggae Blue" was born.

#3 - I KNOW

Supertrip's most played song as far as gigs are concerned.  Created sometime in late 1997.  It came to us in parts and was gradually pieced together like a puzzle.  Amazing how well a series of riffs can fit together so well.  The song made its live debut at the church in which we rehearsed each week.  This took place in either late March or early April of 1998, on the weekend after I returned from a 2-week holiday in Australia.  I had a short space of time to prepare for it, but we pulled it off well.  After this, "I Know" would appear at every gig we had for the rest of the year.  There are at least 4 different recordings of this song, including the instrumental demo on the "Encore" EP.

#4 - PETE

This was one of 2 songs that was written by the rest of the band while I was away in Australia for 2 weeks in March 1998.  I had to learn this one quickly as it was played at the church the following weekend along with "I Know".  At the time I had some trouble playing the chords on the guitar for this one, so somebody (probably Rasjad) came up with the idea of me taking on the bass guitar for a change.  It worked out to be a good idea in the end.  This would also give me a chance to increase my bass playing skills as well.  Luke took on the role of lead vocals for this track, while Stephen joins in with a rap in closing.

#5 - GOT TO GET AWAY

The second song to be written while I was in Australia.  It wouldn't be played live until mid-April, so I had some time to learn this one better.  The end result would lead to this becoming our longest song of all 7 tracks.  Probably the darkest lyrics of all Supertrip songs as well.  This song was played live twice - the first at the Blues Bar, and the final at Linwood Park for the LYFE gig in December '98.  It would be the last song I would ever play in concert with the band, and as of today (25 August 2016), the last live song overall.

#6 - A LITTLE BIT NAUGHTY

We were only days away from playing the Blues Bar and we made the time to rehearse for it every day of the week up until the big night.  In the midst of it all, our second guitarist Jonathan Hearn came up with a new riff.  This would become "A Little Bit Naughty" - a simple blues rock track, but unfortunately it wasn't arranged to its full potential by the time the gig took place...but we played it anyway!  You can kind of tell in the recording that the arrangement is slightly off.  I have since figured out a way to do it, but since the band is no longer active, it's a bit difficult.

#7 - UNTITLED

The only new song Supertrip wrote in the post-Luke/Rasjad era.  It emerged sometime around November/December of 1998 and was played live at the LYFE gig soon afterwards.  Rasjad's replacement as manager, Morris (I don't know his surname, sorry) gets credited as co-writer for this song as he joined us on stage as a vocalist, and it was also his direction that helped the song become what it was.  A very different style of song to what we were doing before then.  The version on the "Encore" EP was my best memory of how the song sounded back in '98.  It may not be entirely accurate, but they were the same chords, I'm certain.  The only other song from the EP that Stephen had time to record vocals for.  His new lyrics told a different story to the original.  I have no memory of what the original lyrics were, sorry.  As for the title...the band never really gave it one.  I didn't know the lyrics, so I opted for this one instead.  Problem solved.

So there you have it!  The conclusion of the "Song Stories" series.  I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have in writing it.  Memory Lane is a fun place to be.  If housing prices weren't trash these days, I'd move in permanently.

Until next time, folks.  Stay safe!

The pre-hiatus (2015) release and the compilation album to end an era.  Also the final "Song Stories" episode of n-Somnia (for now).

#1 - TURN OFF YOUR TELEVISION

The title states that a lot of brainwashing trash is almost all you ever see on TV these days, and the best way to avoid it is to not watch it at all.  Do what I do - only have a TV available for your console games, DVD's and/or YouTube.  The song's intro uses a variety of sound clips.  You can hear some beeping that sort of resembles a sound that used to be heard on the radio sometime ago, usually before the news report.

#2 - TRUTH BE TOLD

The world is sick and tired of being lied to by our leaders, so...let the truth be told.  This song is the first since Kingrow's "Saved My Life Today" to feature my own keyboard playing.  However, this one takes it a step further and makes it the overall backbone of the track.  In "Saved My Life Today", I merely recorded a loop.  This time it started off as just me playing something over a basic drum beat.  The rest was added later.  Something I plan on doing more regularly with my music in the future, and not just with keyboards.

#3 - NATIONAL DISASTER

New Zealand's political party, National, is nothing but a disaster.  Nuff said.  The music is as sinister as the government themselves.

#4 - SNAP! (SPEED OF SIGHT)

The first track from the EP to be made.  It appeared sometime around 2011/12 when Kingrow made the "Blowtorch" track, as it was created the same way - using the PlayStation 2 software, "Music 3000".  The odd part about the song is that it was a forgotten recording just sitting on the PS2 memory card before rediscovering.  At first, I thought it was a saved file from the software itself, but then I thought logically.  The only way it would've got there is if I saved it myself.  Its title comes from the fact that I compared its sound to the likes of the Eurodance group, Snap!  "Speed of Sight" comes from a quote I heard in an interview with one of the band members of Dan Reed Network.

#5 - THE ONLY RACE IS 'HUMAN'

Starting off as an instrumental, this track sets a dark tone.  Considering the subject matter of the track, once a vocal track was added, it's rather appropriate.  I was inspired by my friend, Darren Roverts (of "Red Alert" fame) to make a song using quotes as a vocal track laid over top of my music.  He once made one of his own, using President Bush quotes.  This track uses a piece of a recording from the TED Talks series.  In this piece, the subject of racism is covered.  The title states that the only race is the human race.  Sting released a song called "Russians", which quotes the line, "We share the same biology, regardless of ideology."  That's this song in a nutshell.

#6 - MIDNIGHT SUN (DEMO)

The "Harbinger" EP got played in full over the radio (Pulzar FM) on the evening prior to its release.  However, only 5 of the total 6 tracks got airplay.  The reason is because this song was supposed to be a hidden bonus track for those who purchase the EP in full.  It is a demo version of a song that is planned to sound a lot different than it does here.  For an n-Somnia track, it is one of a kind as it is basically just my voice and acoustic guitar playing.  The subject of the lyrics covers nuclear warfare.

BONUS TRACKS

#1 - ROCKETCHILD (WHERE DID YOU GO?)

Sometime in 2001, I started an online friendship with a lady from Northern Ireland, UK.  We developed a strong bond to the point where I would put my body clock out of sync with my own time zone.  A fact that is partially responsible for my sleepless nights and mid-afternoon slumbers.  The one true origin of the name n-Somnia.  It was probably around the end of 2002 or beginning of 2003 when, for reasons I still don't know exactly, we lost contact with each other.  For years to follow, I would often think about my friend (whose chat handle was "Rocketchild" for a while in the early days).  It got to the point where I even made a website to try and increase my chances in tracking her down (remember, this was before Facebook was popular).  In 2015, I decided to release this track as a part of my search.  It wasn't very long after its release when I would eventually find her again.  Oddly enough, the song and website had nothing to do with the end result.

NEXT EPISODE - "CHRONOLOGY" BY SUPERTRIP.

The second full album of new material from n-Somnia.

#1 - MYSTICS

About 80% of this track was created in 1999 using d-lusion's "Rubber Duck" software.  A few extra clips were added in 2012/13.

#2 - YOUTH CULTURE

At the time of this song's creation, I was listening (a lot) to Nitzer Ebb's "Warsaw Ghetto".  It was an inspiration behind the overall 'attitude', if you want to call it that.  If this song had lyrics, it would be about how the youth of today are more reckless than ever before.

#3 - STUPID & OBLIVIOUS

A reference to how modern society has become.  People aren't what they were like when I was growing up.  The music has a certain Prince feel to it, I think.

#4 - BREAKDANCE

I wanted to make a song that could possibly be used in dance offs.  A vs. B in a quest for dancefloor domination.  It may seem like it goes on a bit long at times, but mainly for this purpose.  When you're busy cheering someone on while they bust a move, you barely notice it.

#5 - BREAK

Most of this song was finished and sitting on the computer for a few years before I got around to adding a few final touches.  There's a few more songs like this still sitting there waiting for their own unveiling to this day.  The overall attitude of this track is nothing but pure fun.  Its title is merely stating that this is the halfway mark of the album, so...let's take a short break.

#6 - CZAR CHASM

Pun alert!  Obviously, it's meant to say 'sarcasm'.  The tone of this track is a little darker than the first half of the album, which is a sign.  It only gets darker from here.

#7 - LET THE GAME BEGIN

It does get darker on the second half of the album, but this is a brief moment of satisfaction before its darkest point.  This song had been 100% completed since about 1999 or 2000 before being added to the album.  I guess I thought it needed something beforehand, but then realised it was fine the way it is.  Apart from fading in and out, it was created 100% on the "Rubber Duck" software like "Mystics".

#8 - GUTTER BLOOD

The darkest point of the album.  Its title is a reference to a time during my days as a cleaner, where I had to take care of a nasty mess in a nearby gutter at my workplace, after a bar fight got out of hand the night before.  It was/is a symbol of how low society has become over the years.  The overall tone of the track is melancholy.

#9 - HOPE

However, where there is darkness there is a speck of light on the horizon.  This song symbolises the fact that there is always a form of hope in your lowest points.

#10 - DAWN LANDING

This was another mostly completed song that had been lurking the hard drive for years before its release.  Emerging somewhere between 2006 and 2012, it would eventually become somewhat of a soundtrack song.  Along with the title, this could easily fit into a movie about the D-Day invasion (or similar events).

BONUS TRACKS

#1 - ONCE MORE (DEMO)

Originally created in early 2003, this was technically the follow-up to "Robot Lover From Mars".  It was around February of that year when I realised I hadn't made anything new since my first success.  The end result was a rush job that I didn't even finish.  All it ended up being was the same loop with a few key changes throughout the 5+ minute track.  Needless to say, the song got a poor rating when I uploaded it to BeSonic.com (my usual hangout during that era).  Because I was going through some personal issues during this time, my self esteem didn't take it well.  The song would be taken offline faster than it went on.  Eventually in 2013 - a whole decade later - it would make a comeback as the B-side for the "Hope" single.  I do hope to finish a proper version of the song at some point though.

#2 - TRANCELATION (INCOMPLETE DEMO)

Around 2002-03, I was playing around with many loops and samples.  I stumbled across a package with corresponding trance/techno loops.  So I decided to give it a go, as I was starting to get into the likes of Ian van Dahl, Darude, Sash, etc.  Unfortunately, I only got as far as I have here, not even reaching the 3-minute mark.  I hope to one day make a full-on techno/trance song.  Whether or not it's a continuation of this or another song all depends on how I feel when I do it.

#3 - DEMOCRACY IS DEAD

The opening track from the "GCSB" EP, released in 2013.  I was officially in mid-hiatus when this was made/released, but felt compelled to respond to the government's plans on enforcing this abomination upon us all.  The song title pretty much says it all.

#4 - SNAPPER

The title is a reference to the Prime Minister's comments on what he thinks is more important to New Zealand citizens than the issues that are of actual importance.  This track's music is a bit of a Gary Numan throwback with a Marilyn Manson-like drum beat.

#5 - SLICED (feat. Laci Tucker)

In 2002/03, one of my online friends from the US (Laci Tucker, whom I have never met in person, by the way) sent me some files she had been working on.  Word documents with lyrics and Wave file recordings of her singing.  We saw this as an opportunity to do a collaboration.  Unfortunately at the time, I was suffering a bad case of writer's block, especially towards music I didn't write.  However, in 2008 I was able to come up with something for at least one of her songs - the one recording that wasn't actually sung.  It was more of a rap.  You see, when there's rapping, you can add pretty much anything, because where's the tune?  I felt like I owed it to her to make this song happen.  Originally intended to be a part of a side project I attempted to start called The Human Race, where I would collaborate with people of various cultures and countries in a variety of songs and put them all together on one album.  Sadly, this was the only thing that happened.  I would eventually release it as n-Somnia's own after The Human Race fell flat.  The main drum loop in this song was also used in Kingrow's "Money-Go-Round".

#6 - DREAMING ALL ALONG

From the same package of songs Laci sent me, there was a Word document with lyrics for a song with this title.  However, for reasons I have no answer to, there was no recording to accompany them.  In the meantime, I had an instrumental track I had been working on around this time (2002/03) that I intended on using as a part of our collaboration.  For the "Sliced" single, I decided to give this track the vocal-less title and release it as the B-side.

#7 - DARK STAR

Created entirely online!  Soundation.com works in a similar way to the likes of Acid Pro and GarageBand software, only this time you can use either their stock loops and samples or upload your own.  No download required.  After creating this short track, I saved it onto my hard drive and released it soon afterwards.  It is a very hard-hitting song.  Great for clubs.  Needs to be longer for that purpose though.  Maybe an extended remix should happen?

#8 - PALE SHELTER (n-Somnia 12" REMIX) (by Tears for Fears)

In 2014, I entered a remix competition for Tears for Fears!  The mix I made stays true to the original track's sound, rather than making it a hard out club track like most of the other remix artists made.  I didn't win, but at least I gave it a go.  The remix is currently unavailable online as I'm not entirely sure of what the rules are for distributing it.  If someone can let me know, I'd be most grateful!

NEXT EPISODE - "HARBINGER".

Released in mid-2012 after a momentary break following the comeback era.

#1 - KAOS

The song starts off with a weird sound that I created sometime in either 1999 or 2000.  It was a heavily edited sample from a well-known song, tweaked so much that you can no longer recognise it.  Amazing what you can get away with sometimes...  The title comes from a group of students from University of Canterbury, a kind of club that formed in 1981 and is still going today.  "KAOS" stands for "Killing As Organised Sport".  You can read more about this group at their website - www.kaos.org.nz.  The song is a nod to the group in question.

#2 - CRYSTALS & GEMS

The title comes from the Swede archives and appeared sometime in 1996.  Musically, it started off as the "Revolt!" B-side, "Chrysalis".  I expanded on it somewhat and created this eerie, mysterious little ditty.

#3 - KING OF THE SLAVES

The meaning of the title refers to someone of a higher power over a group of people, but is him/herself a puppet of an even higher power.  This track would reappear a few years later on n-Somnia's "GCSB" EP.  It's pretty clear now as to why it was picked for such duty.

#4 - ESCAPE

This track sounds very dramatic.  But then again, trying to escape from something/someone really is.  Would make a good soundtrack for a similar scene someday.  Love the 'machine gun' drum roll, and also the key change near the end.

BONUS TRACKS

#1 - SHOULDER PADS & ANKLE WARMERS

From the 2012 compilation album, "X - The First Decade".  The title and music are all a nod towards the 80's in general.  Sort of a throwback song, in a way.

#2 - SURFING DOWN THE DRAIN

The B-side for "Shoulder Pads & Ankle Warmers".  Its title comes from the Swede archive and appeared sometime in 1997.  I wanted the title to be given to a song with an intense punk rock drum loop and heavy guitars, as I'd seen some surfing videos with similar soundtracks.  On the single, it is listed as the demo version as I felt I could do it a little better.  Besides, the mix isn't 100% perfect.  I may do a final mix sometime.  Maybe.

#3 - LOVE PARADE (THE X MIX)

Also from the 2012 compilation album.  This is a slightly remixed version of the 2011 promo track.  The main difference in this version, besides the additional drum beats, is the lack of a vocal track.  Since the vocal track in question doesn't belong to me, and I wanted the song to be featured on the compilation, I decided to remove it for the sake of avoiding copyright issues.  I didn't want to get in trouble for selling a song with content that I had no rights over.  Instead of the sampled vocal track, I opted for a mysterious interlude instead.

NEXT EPISODE - URBAN DECAY

The end of an era and the beginning of another.  Here's the story of the tracks that kicked off n-Somnia's retirement and the ones that ended it.

Note: None of the remixes from "The Awakening" singles (and eventually "n-TheMix") will be mentioned in this series.

#1 - TOY STORE (from the "n-Somnia" compilation)

This song was a part of my momentary comeback from a hiatus between 2003 and 2004.  Other songs included in this comeback were "Starlifter" (more info on this track below) and "Desert Scorn" (see the first episode of "Song Stories" for info on this one).  This track got its title from a download package of loops and samples I found in 2004, called "Toyz".  Although I didn't use all of the loops from the pack in this song, the main ones were.  I think the rest (along with a second pack) helped create "Desert Scorn", if I'm not mistaken.  Before the 2007 compilation, this track wasn't available on any album, single or EP.

#2 - STARLIFTER (from the "n-Somnia" compilation)

From the same comeback session that brought us "Toy Store", this song was also not on any release until 2007.  The original title for this song was "Military Airlift".  "Starlifter" was favoured as it is more memorable, and because it's the name of a cargo plane - the C-141.  The main loop at the beginning was created as far back as 1999.

#3 - ELIMINATOR (2006 REVISITED MIX) (from the "n-Somnia" compilation)

After announcing n-Somnia's retirement in 2006, I decided to do a farewell batch of remixes for the song that started it all in 2002.  This mix was, in a way, a kind of re-recorded version of the original with some differences.

#4 - ELIMINATOR (INDUSTRIAL REMIX) (from the "n-Somnia" compilation)

This remix from the retirement era takes the song in a different direction, especially near the end when the tempo changes.  Probably my favourite remix since the 2000 mix of "Red Alert".

#5 - THE AWAKENING (from "The Awakening")

The title and opening track to the album that brought n-Somnia out of retirement.  It was actually one of the last tracks to be made for the album, and was intended to be a basic intro to help the listener get ready for what was to follow.  There is a sample that plays throughout the track that was reused in the closing track, "Atomic Refugee".  Sort of coming full circle.

#6 - REVOLT! (from "The Awakening")

The first single from the album and a great way to make a comeback after a 5-year absence.  This was made with a nightclub scene in mind.  If I ever do become a DJ of that nature, I will be playing this song.  That is my promise to you!  The title of the song preaches revolution.  Nuff said.

#7 - DANCE OF THE ELECTRONS (from "The Awakening")

The name comes from a documentary I was watching about nuclear stuff.  Probably Chernobyl or something.  A lot of this album references the 1986 incident.  One of the interviewees said something about 'dancing electrons'.  Sounds like a title.  Some parts of the music were inspired by Depeche Mode's "Lie to Me".

#8 - RAINFOREST (from "The Awakening")

This is actually one of my personal Top 5 n-Somnia tracks, if I were to ever create a list.  There's something about the keyboard loops I used that I still find captivating even today.

#9 - BIO-ROBOTS (from "The Awakening")

Here's me trying to do a little Drum & Bass.  I think it worked.  The title was inspired by the same Chernobyl documentary I was watching around this time.  Where actual robots failed to achieve their goal when trying to cleanup the nuclear plant, a specialised team in protective suits stepped in.  Also known as Liquidators.

#10 - THE IMPLODING TEARDROP (from "The Awakening")

The title was just me trying to be clever and poetic.  Did it work?  The softest song on the album, it's the calm of the storm, though somewhat melancholic as well.

#11 - PLAGUE 99 (from "The Awakening")

A random title I came up with in 1997 during the Swede era, though the song is nothing like I would've imagined back then.  This one is a hard-hitting track, especially those drums.  The kick drum was manually programmed by yours truly, inspired by early 80's New Order.

#12 - ATOMIC REFUGEE (from "The Awakening")

Unfortunately, through war or accidents, there are the civilians that such events have an impact on.  The ones who have to immediately abandon their homes to avoid further contamination - the atomic refugees.  As mentioned earlier, this song uses a sound clip you can hear in the album's opening track.  It's also the longest track clocking in at 9 minutes exactly.

BONUS TRACKS

#1 - CHRYSALIS

A B-side from the "Revolt!" single, this would be considered an early, unfinished version of what would become a song called "Crystals & Gems" (more on this later).  The track as it is here had been sitting on the computer for a few years, waiting for me to come up with something to go with it.  This was all I had at the time.

#2 - LOVE PARADE (MY HOUSE IS YOUR HOUSE AND YOUR HOUSE IS MINE)

Created around the same time as the album, but released as a stand-alone promo single in between "Revolt!" and "Rainforest".  The title is a reference and a nod to the music festival in Europe, "Loveparade".  As it samples a vocal track from another artist's song, this one was released as a free download to avoid any law suits.  Not surprisingly, it is the most downloaded n-Somnia to date.

#3 - CRUISE ZONE

The second track from the "Bio-Robots" single.  I felt it was good enough to be the second A-side.  Also, it was because this song had a music video.  Fun fact: The video was filmed before the song even existed.  Basically, the song was made for it afterwards.

NEXT EPISODE - "THE SYSTEM".

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".

In this episode of "Song Stories", we will be looking at 3 albums!  Why?  Because much of the material in the last days of Kingrow were penned by Forbes, and nearly all of them are best explained by the man himself.  I didn't create the bulk of the albums that came after "Kolorz of the Raynbo".  Instead, I will be taking specific tracks from the 3 albums mentioned in the blog title.  Ones that I actually had a hand in the making of, or have a little insight on.  So, here goes!

#1 - SOUND VESSALZ (from the album, "Sound Vessalz")

One of the tracks Forbes first presented to me back in 2004.  In this track, he experiments with various vocal samples that "Music 2000" had to offer.

#2 - ICICLE (from the album, "Sound Vessalz")

This was a part of one of my audio engineering course's MIDI assignments, just like "Along the Ho Chi Minh Trail".  I think I had "The Phantom of the Opera" stuck in my head at the time.  It has a very chilling sound, hence the title.

#3 - THINGED (from the album, "Sound Vessalz")

The intro loop was based on a particular track that would eventually get released under the Gosney name, simply titled "The Thing".  Forbes decided to take it further and created this song out of it.  The intro is a remix of what "The Thing" was in the end.

#4 - CYBORG (from the album, "Sound Vessalz")

Created around 1999 or 2000 using the Fruity Loops Pro software.  This was my attempt at making a techno/trance song.  Shame I never really finished it.  It ended up being a short and sweet interlude instead.

#5 - SWEETLINE (from the album, "Sound Vessalz")

Another track from the 2004 presentation by Forbes.  It was one of the last songs in the small number he chose.

#6 - LOVE (from the album, "Space-Hole")

The album's opening track, this one was from the 2004 presentation also.  You can briefly tell it was recorded onto a VHS tape at the beginning, as the audio goes slightly out of tune for a little bit.  Thankfully, it ended up sounding alright.

#7 - MY EYES (from the album, "Space-Hole")

The title of this song dates as far back as 1996 during the Swede era.

#8 - RIALTINE (DENTIST MIX) (from the album, "Space-Hole")

The original version comes from the "Sound Vessalz" album, but for some reason we decided to give it a random voice intro.  Forbes says, "The dentist will see you now!"  Playing along, I made drilling sounds with my voice.  Insanity continues from there.

#9 - SILVERFISH (from the album, "Space-Hole")

The title of this track is of the first song Forbes and I ever wrote lyrics for as a duo in 1996.  Swede was very similar to Kingrow in songwriting, as a lot of lyrics were mine and the rest were his.  On a very rare occasion we would pen one together.  "Silverfish" was originally about a particular teacher at our high school who had a burning hate for the insect.

#10 - MONEY BOX (from the album, "Space-Hole")

The title comes from one of Forbes' songs he wrote lyrics for back in the Swede era of 1996.  It would be about a homeless man.

#11 - BLOWTORCH (from the album, "This is Kingrow")

This is my first attempt at a PlayStation song.  Using "Music 3000" instead of "2000", I came up with this 90's metal throwback.  Something very different to what I'd been making up to that point.

#12 - FLEE TO THE WILDERNESS (REMIX) (from the album, "This is Kingrow")

I originally put this instrumental aside for another project under the title, "Dreaming All Along".  However, after listening to it a few more times, I'd realised that I use the same loop that I did in "Flee to the Wilderness".  So I decided to rename it appropriately.  This track is also the closest you'll ever get to a hip-hop/R&B song from me.

#13 - LOST (from the album, "This is Kingrow")

Originally intended to be used for my solo project, n-Somnia.  It has a certain darkness to it, so I felt it would suit Kingrow instead.  Its original title was "Jungle Fever", due to the drum loop.  Sounding like the kind of soundtrack you'd hear in a TV show or movie about being marooned, I renamed it to "Lost".  A perfect way to end the Kingrow project by making this the final promo.

NEXT EPISODE - "RED ALERT", "A VISION OF THINGS TO COME" & "ROBOT LOVER FROM MARS" by n-Somnia.

The first post-earthquake Kingrow album.  Here's "Kolorz of the Raynbo"!

#1 - ARE YOU UNDER EXTINCTION?

Probably one of the most intense and hard-hitting tracks I've ever done.  The drum loop is something I created somewhere between 1999 and 2000.  Everything else just came together smoothly.  It was good enough to become the lead single in 2011.

#2 - CHARLOTTE 87

After Forbes stood down from Kingrow as a result of the 2011 earthquake and everything it caused for him, it was up to me to release his completed songs on his behalf.  This would be the first track the world would hear afterwards, providing people listened to the album tracks in order.  The title is the name of a girl we know from high school.  Not sure what the 87 represents though.  Maybe he can tell us?

#3 - TENSION RISING

Unfortunately, Kingrow wasn't our full-time job and we had to do some other paid work along side of it to make ends meet.  My job in particular is very stressful.  This song represents 'one of those days' when I came home very angry.  Upon arrival, I setup my computer to record myself venting out via the guitar.  This was the end result.  The drum beat was added afterwards.  This track is probably the most raw recording we have as there is very little amounts of digital sounds compared to the live stuff.

#4 - CHARLOTTE

No, this is not an early version or remix of Track 2.  It is a completely different song.  The title is inspired by the same person, however.

#5 - LOCOMOTIVE

For a long time, anywhere between 2005 and 2011, this song was sitting on the computer waiting for me to finish it.  Little did I realise at the time, it would be mostly complete.  At the end, I listened to what I had and decided that it sounded good as it was and that I just needed to give it a proper ending.  A fine example of how sometimes what you've got is all you need.  It may seem incomplete, but if there's nothing else it needs, so be it.

#6 - BRAINWAVE

Much of this track is a loop that I created back in either 1999 or 2000.  Most of it was made using the Fruity Loops Pro software, but extra sounds were added in 2011.  "Brainwave", from memory, was a play on Grain Wave.

#7 - LEAD ASTRAY (INSTRUMENTAL)

The original instrumental version that I had put aside for something else around 2008 or so, until Forbes heard and loved it.  Its introduction would be the vocal version on "Single File", but in some ways this version seems better.

#8 - SAFE WITH YOU

Most likely to be the softest song we have.  It starts off soft and peaceful, then there's the dramatic and intense section near the halfway point, which gradually goes back to being peaceful again.  Even though it's an instrumental, it kind of tells a story of when bad times come (the dramatic part), someone will be there to keep you safe.

NEXT EPISODE - "SOUND VESSALZ", "SPACE-HOLE" & "THIS IS KINGROW".

Behold!  The Kingrow EP that inspired n-Somnia to make a comeback a few months after its release.  We bring you "Digital Distortion"!

#1 - FLEE TO THE WILDERNESS

It sounds a little like it comes from a suspense thriller.  The title is a reference to a passage in the Bible, regarding either the Exodus or the endtimes.  I used a vocal sample ("I'm bustin' out.") to help add to the ambience.

#2 - DELUGE

This track uses a drum loop I created as far back as 1999 as its main backbone.  There are also a couple guitar loops.  One is a 'talk box', which was a downloaded loop, while the other 'wah pedal' loop was one I recorded myself in either 1999 or 2000.  The title comes from the name of a Transformers toy, which changes colour if you add water to it.

#3 - WAVELINK

One of my most experimental tracks ever, and the record-holder for longest Kingrow song, knocking "Lint" out of its throne.  It runs about 29 seconds longer.  This song doesn't have a drum track, like "Winter Heart", but goes off in all sorts of directions throughout the track.  The bassline is the only thing that doesn't really change much, but everything else you hear is bound to distract you from that fact.

#4 - THE FOCUS

The main bassline is an edited version of one I had sitting on the hard drive for a few years.  It took me a while to think of what I could do with it.  The title comes from one of the levels in the id Software game, "Doom II: Hell on Earth".

NEXT EPISODE - "KOLORZ OF THE RAYNBO".

And now for the second Kingrow album to come out in 2009!

#1 - CONFUSION

One of Forbes' finest, I chose this one as the first single and opening track because of its dramatic intro.  A nice way to start the day.

#2 - DREAMS

This track by Forbes was among the first batch of PlayStation 2 songs he showed me back in 2004.  A nice mix of hard rock over a dance beat.

#3 - THE TRAVELLER

The first PlayStation 2 song I ever heard from Forbes' initial batch.  Originally named "Time Traveller" (after my own song), I gave it its current name as I had plans to work on the original "Time Traveller" at some point, and this song sounds nothing like what I had in mind.  It's its own track.

#4 - METRO WARS

Every time I hear this Forbes classic, I imagine a CGI low-flying air battle over a city.  Must be the title.

#5 - ALONG THE HO CHI MINH TRAIL

One of my earliest compositions from 1999.  It was a part of a MIDI assignment at my first audio engineering course, making this 1 of 2 songs made using the Logic Audio software.  The title was inspired by the Vietnam War.

#6 - ABATTOIR

One of my titles from the Swede archive, it was a suggestion from our good friend, Tim.  Forbes chose to use the title about a decade later for this classic track.

#7 - CHILDREN OF THE MILITARY WORLD

This was a random mix of mine from around 1999.  It's a very basic drum beat with a single-note bassline with random sound effects going on in the background, to a war-time theme.  Quite appropriate for any era of modern history, really.

#8 - QIHQP 654700

The most random title ever.  From memory, Forbes said the PlayStation software he used ("Music 2000") randomly generates a title until you name it yourself.  I could be wrong though.  This became the second single and was released on New Year's Day, all because of the guitar solo intro.  A nice way to start the year.

#9 - THE BOTTOMLESS PIT

The music was composed by Forbes sometime between 2005 and 2008, not sure when exactly.  He came up with the idea of reading a Bible passage over top of it.  We settled on the first 10 verses from Revelation chapter 20, and topped it off with a resounding Amen at the end.

#10 - ESCAPING BABYLON

This PlayStation 2 song was actually made by both of us while we were hanging out at his flat on New Year's Eve one year (probably 2005 or 2006).  The reason it has such poor audio quality is due to the cassette I recorded it onto.  This would be the last time I would use audio cassettes for any form of recording.  Goodbye, childhood.  I miss you!

#11 - JAM (DEMO)

From the n-Somnia collection that made its way to the Kingrow archive in 2006.  A detailed story on this song in particular can be found in the first "Song Stories" post, "Kingrow Online".

#12 - FUNKING GOOD (DOWN-STEP MIX)

Like above, the description of this song can be found in the first "Song Stories" post.

#13 - DEATH IS THE CURE (ACOUSTIC MIX)

This is one of the many mixes of the song Forbes made.  In this one, he gives us a look at how it would've possibly sounded in a demo or 'Unplugged' environment.

BONUS TRACKS

#1 - PLANET DUCK

At one point while recording Forbes' songs onto the computer, we had a habit of making various noises in the background for the microphone to pickup.  The intro to this one is a fine example.

#2 - MURKY

This one ended up on the 8th "Ducksel FM" episode along with "Planet Duck" and the following track, as well as being B-sides for the "Kingrow Online Again" singles.  Creative control is awesome.

#3 - GRITTY

The guitars are exactly what the title says.  One of Forbes' finest.

#4 - M. 321

An example of Forbes getting experimental with pre-made vocal tracks.

#5 - PACIFIC HURRICANE

Just like "The Traveller", this one was originally given a Swede title ("Radio Shoreline") by Forbes before I had other plans for the title.

#6 - LEAD ASTRAY

From our first compilation album, "Single File".  Turns out the title is actually spelled wrong.  It should be 'Led', not 'Lead'.  But either way you read it, they both mean the same thing in context.  The instrumental for this song was going to be used for something else, but Forbes had a listen and loved it.  So I included it in the Kingrow archive instead.  The lyrics and vocals came later.

#7 - LET ME TAKE YOU ON A TRIP

The B-side for "Lead Astray".  One of my slower tracks and kind of 'trippy', hence the name.

NEXT EPISODE - "DIGITAL DISTORTION".

Why, hello there!  Hope you're well.  It's that time again.  Time for yet another round of "Song Stories", where I give some juicy details on each song SDP has released over the years.  In this blog entry, I shall cover the songs from the 2009 release, "7-Sided Parallel", and the B-sides and outtakes that are associated with it.  Let's begin!

#1 - MONEY-GO-ROUND

The title for this one dates as far back as 2001.  When Forbes and I revived the Swede project after being put aside during high school, I had a flood of ideas for new material.  This song was among the monsoon that occurred.  For years I would have an idea for the song's sound, but wouldn't actually start working on it until 2006.  A short instrumental teaser, which can be found as a hidden bonus track on the album's instrumental equivalent, "Heptagonal Parallel", was the first draft.  A former co-worker of Forbes got to hear this somehow (maybe Forbes' MP3 player?), and expressed how much he loved the sound and really wanted us to finish it.  Very encouraging!  However, due to technical issues (very common in that era) I wasn't able to work on any music for a number of months that year.  I bought a new computer, got back into it, and yeah.  Groovy.  It was probably around 2008 though when I decided to start on vocal tracks for the album.  This song got its voices in early 2009, just in time for the single to be released on my birthday (April 4th), nearly a whole 2 months before the actual album.  The guitars are all me, by the way.  Also, the song's sound is heavily inspired by Depeche Mode's "Barrel of a Gun".

#2 - PURIFIED

If I remember correctly, the instrumental version of this track came about around 2008-ish.  The lyrics, in case you don't know, are about baptism.  Something I hadn't actually experienced at the time, but would eventually in 2011.  The opening line was inspired by Depeche Mode (yet again) and their B-side track, "Dangerous".

#3 - SOMEBODY OUT THERE

Sounds very spacey and sci-fi.  That was the intention.  With a title like this, you'd think it was about aliens.  Not necessarily...  It was written from the perspective of somebody who has a strong belief of a higher power, but not entirely sure.  At least not until the second chorus.  The Chinese-style instrumental break after the second chorus was a little random thing I included because it sounded good.  Still does.  Love the bassy fade-in at the end of it.

#4 - THE DREAM

One of the earliest completed tracks from the album.  Created around 2005, it was released on various websites to try and promote the Kingrow name and gain a bit of a following.  The response was minor, but at least it had one.  Its title was given as it makes me picture a dream sequence every time.  The title was also a few years old at this point.

#5 - PARALLEL WORLDS

The title of this song is as old as "Money-Go-Round" (2001).  It was finally made sometime between 2007 & '09.  The original version was actually the one on the single - the 'Radio Mix'.  I decided to slow it down a little for the album.  The lyrics can be seen by both the perspective of a human relationship or a human/spiritual one.  Basically, it's about one of those points in life where you can physically share a room with someone, but feel like you're in different time zones.

#6 - LINT

I have no memory of how the title came about.  It's just something random with no meaning.  This was the longest track I had put together at the time (around 2005 or 06).  Despite being 12-minutes long, it didn't take much time to put together at all.  A great instrumental interlude for an album such as this.

#7 - 7 SISTERS

This is classic Kingrow nonsense lyric writing at its finest.  We have no idea what we were talking about.  Gathering words together to make it sound good, perhaps?  Let's go with that.  The instrumental was inspired (yet again) by Depeche Mode with their track, "Sister of Night".

#8 - THE DEAFENING SILENCE

I've always felt this one (at least the instrumental) would sound great in a nightclub.  Maybe that club scene in "The Matrix" where Neo meets Trinity for the first time?  Try watching it with this song dubbed over it and see what I mean.  The original instrumental had a weird ending, which used a digital creation of my own, rather than something I picked out of an archive.  However, the album version uses a false ending with a nod towards Depeche Mode's ending of "Enjoy the Silence", of all things.

#9 - WINTER HEART

The first instrumental track I ever made without a drum beat.  After putting the rain and ambient sounds together over a cool bassline, I felt it didn't really need much.  This is the perfect example of how I'd write soundtracks for, say, a movie or something...

BONUS TRACKS

#1 - VISA-GO-RECTANGULAR

The title was just me trying to be funny by changing "Money-Go-Round".  It's basically a guitar outtake from that song anyway.  It wasn't an outtake that I felt should be ignored though, so I made it a hidden track at the end of "Winter Heart", appearing (in your face) after a 2-minute silence.

#2 - RETROVIRUS

Remember when Billy Joel released "We Didn't Start the Fire" and you were greeted with a song throwing random references to past events and pop culture?  We basically did that in this song over an 80's throwback instrumental with a rockin' ending.  A number of people have expressed their approval of this song.  It was originally a B-side for "Purified", but ended up being used as a promo track for the "Hidden Treasures" compilation album.  Like "The False Prophet", this song would also gain a slideshow music video, which is also unavailable.  The song's ending was actually the demo version.

#3 / #4 - MONEY-GO-ROUND (CHIPMUNK DANCE MIX) / (WHISPER BASS MIX)

After releasing the standard 2-track version of the single, I decided to make a 'maxi single' with 2 extra remixes.  The first being the 'Chipmunk' version.  This was actually a happy accident.  All I wanted to do was remove the guitar tracks, increase the tempo, add a dance beat, and that was it.  However, in the process of speeding it up, the pitch went up with it, hence the higher vocal track.  Deciding it sounded good anyway, I chose not to fix the problem.  As for the 'Whisper bass' version, this was my attempt at making the song sound even darker.  I think it worked!  Removing my vocal track helped towards this as well.

#5 - COME TO ME

A B-side from "Purified", its original instrumental version has a slower tempo, which led to it running for over 8 minutes.  This was too long for the song I wanted it to be.  So when it came to adding vocals, I sped it up a little.  Nothing wrong with it being 5 minutes instead.

#6 - TRAPPED

The B-side from "Parallel Worlds".  It starts off with a beat very similar to the A-side's 'radio mix', which worked rather well with it.

#7 - SAVED MY LIFE TODAY

The first song to feature my very own keyboard skills.  In this track, I used an old CasioTone MT-36, which was digitally altered after recording.  The keyboard has been in the family since I was in my early school years.  Very 80's sound, and now you know why.

NEXT EPISODE - "KINGROW ONLINE AGAIN".

Hello everyone!  I know what you're thinking... "Woah!  A blog entry!"  That's how I feel also.

I figured due to the lack of activity during the hiatus period, it might be a good idea to say something.  In the last few days, I saw an article on one of the Roxette websites I follow, which had Per Gessle (the male half of the duo) giving some background info on selected songs in the band's career.  So I thought this might be a good idea for our own material.

So, for however long it takes to do so, I will be giving a little insight on each track that has been released via SDP.  Whether it be Kingrow or n-Somnia, it doesn't matter.  I will, however, leave the Gosney commentary up to Forbes to do, if he wishes to do so.  If he does follow suit, it'll be on his own blog page.

Kicking off Part 1 of this series, which I'll be calling "Song Stories", will be the 2007 release, "Kingrow Online".  Here we go!

#1 - ANDROID

This is one of those songs that I feel was a good idea at the time.  Don't get me wrong, it sounds good.  But after a while, it does tend to get a little on the repetitive side.  Being 6-minutes long doesn't help with that either.  Also, being the opening track may not help keep people's attention.  Not sure why I decided to do that.  But oh well, it's too late now...

#2 - DEATH IS THE CURE

Since this is Forbes' song, there's not a lot I can say about the writing of this one, but I can say that it's a classic Kingrow track.  Forbes has expressed his fondness of it so much, that he had made several different mixes of the song over time.  Not many of which ended up being released, however.  You can find other mixes of this song in the Gosney archive.  A perfect selection for the first promo track (out of 3 in total).

#3 - FUNKING GOOD

One of the first batch of Forbes' songs presented to me in the first days of Kingrow back in 2004.  The first version of the song - the Down-Step Mix, featured on "Kingrow Online Again" (2009) - was actually the original.  While presenting the song to me, Forbes decided to re-work the part of the track after the tempo speeds up.  In the original, after the music stops, the tempo rapidly drops back to the original BPM, while in this version it's already reset when the music starts up again.  That particular part is really the only difference between the 2 versions.  Always loved the industrial sound of this song.

#4 - DESERT SCORN

Originally released as an n-Somnia song back in 2004, before the second hiatus (1st from 2003-04, 2nd from 2004-06).  It was moved to the Kingrow archive, along with a few others, when n-Somnia momentarily retired in 2006.  The title was given due to images in my mind while listening to the song, of a man lost in a desert somewhere.  I decided to be clever and make it sound similar to Desert Storm.

#5 - GOAT PORN

This is Forbes' song.  Don't ask me how he came up with the title...  I was actually in the same room when he composed this track, so I do have a little bit of knowledge on its conception.  It may sound very wrong (and it probably is), but I can imagine this song, if it had a music video, featuring 2 characters dressed in gimp suits doing some weird dance moves to the beat and tune of this track.  Maybe it's the influence of the title?  Who knows...

#6 - JAMMED

One of Forbes' finest creations.  Don't know much about its background, but I remember growing fond of it rather quickly.  A part of how it ended up on "Kingrow Online", I suppose.  My favourite part has to be when the ambient keyboards come in about halfway into it.  Very 80's.  You'd think I would've written it.

#7 - JAM

Based on a short snippet that I composed in 2002 during the early years of n-Somnia, then called "No Name Noise", but now called "Jam (demo)" after this song's completion.  The main guitar loop from the 'demo' version is what inspired this finalised mix.  I called it "Jam" because of its rehearsal room atmosphere.  Electric guitars, drumkit sounds, just like the good old days of Supertrip, but with added electronic noises.  I miss those days.

BONUS TRACKS

#1 - THE DOOR OF A THOUSAND FACES

One of Forbes' longest compositions, and another to have more than one version, this track featured on one of our comedy albums for "Ducksel FM" - The 'Best Of' episode - along with "M. Stands for Murder".  It was released along side of "M" as a double A-side single to promote the comedy album, and try to get some more attention towards the Kingrow project simultaneously.  Technically our first non-album single as Kingrow, even though the tracks are actually from an album.  It's simpler than I've just explained.  Trust me.

#2 - M. STANDS FOR MURDER

Also penned by Forbes, this is the second track from the comedy album mentioned above.  The song's title comes from 1996, believe it or not!  When Forbes and I attempted (and failed) world fame with our first project, Swede, we churned out literally hundreds of song titles (well, I did personally).  This was one of Forbes' contributions.

#3 - THE FALSE PROPHET

This was one of my weird experiments.  I was watching a lot of endtime prophecy videos at this point of my life (2007), and one group of videos in particular often used a track from "The Matrix" soundtrack, called "Clubbed to Death" by Rob Dougan.  It inspired me enough to make a track that would have a similar atmosphere...almost.  As for those prophecy videos, I attempted to make one of my own with this song as the soundtrack for it, making this the first Kingrow song with its own music video.  It was merely a slideshow of prophecy-related images with the track laid over it.  That video no longer exists, however, as some of my current beliefs would now clash with some of the images I used initially.  There are no plans to remake the video.  By the way, that weird vocal track that sounds backward...  It is.  The official name is 'backmasking', and is often referred to as subliminal messages.  That Led Zeppelin "Stairway to Heaven" story - this is the same kind of thing, but with a twist.  While "Stairway" gets the finger pointed at it for allegedly having demonic messages hidden in the background, "The False Prophet" is not only blatantly putting the message up front and out loud for everyone to hear, it is also making it easy for someone to find out what it really says...and here it is... "I am speaking in reverse."  Is that so evil?  Didn't think so.  And for anyone who's interested, the voice is neither mine nor Forbes'.  I recorded the sound of Microsoft Sam reciting the sentence, right before I lowered the pitch several steps, slowed it down, then reversed it.  It's a piece of cake.

NEXT EPISODE - "7-SIDED PARALLEL".

Hello everyone.  Just a quick update on what's going on.

If you remember back towards the end of 2015, I announced that I would be working on a new music project (based on old material) called The Swede Legacy (or Swede for short), and n-Somnia was put into hiatus mode as a result of this.  The plan was to mark roughly 20 years since Forbes and I were at our peak with the writing phase for a large percentage of the project's songs.  Sadly, that anniversary has already passed and no albums have been made yet.  In fact, life's been so hectic lately that I haven't even been able to start the first of the 5 albums in total.

It's a tough decision, but based on how long it's taking and how much is going on in the background, slowing us down, I have decided that Swede will be more likely to happen on the 25th anniversary of the glory days of songwriting.  This means that, unfortunately, there won't be any albums until at least 2021.  I apologise for this.  It's just as frustrating at my end.

What will happen instead is that I will be putting my primary focus on everything that's getting in our way when it comes to our projects, solo or otherwise.  This means that despite there being no Swede for a while, n-Somnia will still remain in hiatus for a bit.  If I feel like producing a song or 2, I will.  But until then, I plan only to iron out the issues that are stalling production.  Issues that are partly the reason I don't blog nearly as much as I used to.

If you don't see a blog update on here for a while, don't panic!  We're still alive!  If you wish to keep up with our updates more regularly, go on Facebook and 'like' our pages (you can find them on the Links page) if you haven't done already.  Also, follow our Twitter pages too.

Will keep you posted when there's something to report.  Stay safe, kids!

Have you ever had a drink or food that made you confused?  I have...

I present to you the Morph Quicksilver by V Energy Drink.  A beverage that has a rather unique feature.  Probably the first I've seen since Orbitz (remember that one?).

To be honest, I was hesitating having this drink.  It's partially because my dear wife, Aliesha, raised an interesting point - "Would you want that stuff swirling around your stomach?"  Well, considering half the stuff we consume in this day and age, it's a good question.  But I couldn't help but wonder what the flavour was like.  So today, the curiosity won the battle.  I bought my first bottle of the strange new brew.

The first mouthful = wasn't that impressed.  This may sound a little weird coming from an energy drink review, but I compare the initial taste to a sip of wine.  Yes, you read that correctly.  By the way, I absolutely hate wine.  The flavour's not that great, and it always leaves a horrible aftertaste in my mouth.  A similar experience was had in the first sip of this drink.  For a moment, I wasn't sure if I wanted to finish it.

But then something weird happened...  The flavour changed...

After the off-putting experience of what seemed to be mimicking wine, I found myself tasting...passionfruit???  I was so confused!  What kind of drink has a wine aftertaste BEFORE the good aftertaste???

I seriously have no idea of what to make of this drink.  It does my head in.  But I can say, though, that it's not a drink that I would consider buying a second time...which is a lie, actually.  I bought a second bottle to bring home with me from work.  However, I didn't say that I was going to drink it.  Allow me to explain...

If someone can hold onto a bottle of Orbitz since they bought it in the 90's, then sell it on eBay for a more-than-retail price, then who's to say that I can't do the same with this one in 10+ years time?  I personally don't think this drink will be around forever, so think of it as a future investment.

That's pretty much all I can say about this drink.  Out of 10, I'd give it about a 4 or 5.  In "Trying Stuff" terms, about Half a Thumb or One Thumb Up.

If you're curious about it, go ahead and grab one while it lasts.  But it's not one I'd recommend if you're easily confused.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, cats and dogs, living together, mass hysteria!  I am pleased to announce that our new Dailymotion channel now FINALLY contains all the videos from our archive!

It's taken a few weeks now, but we finally made it.  Our migration from our YouTube channel is now complete.  Of course, there are still a few of our videos on YouTube, but the complete collection is not.

There are, however, some exceptions where YouTube can be handy, where Dailymotion couldn't deliver.  For example, you can't upload videos more than 60 minutes in length there.  Which is why videos like "Expressions Talent Scan 1998" is only on YouTube.  Also, another movie-length film (which was actually made by me) called "Pilgrim" can be found on Veoh.com.

All videos, regardless what site they're on, have been embedded here on this website.  You may not see it yet, as the site is still going through its makeover stage.  As soon as this is complete, you will be informed.  Not much has been done about this because of the video editing/uploading.  But now that this is out of the way, we can now focus on the final stages of this site's new layout!

More to come in the near future.  Check out the Dailymotion and Veoh channels at the link buttons below.

Laters!

Hello everyone!  Just a quick blog update here to keep you in the loop.

If any of you are following our SDP page on Facebook, you may have noticed quite a bit of activity from us over the past month or so.  This is because our migration from YouTube to Dailymotion is under way and has seen a heck of a lot of our archived videos appearing there.  Not everything is uploaded just yet, but there is more than enough material to keep you busy in the meantime as more arrive.

The most notable videos you can find there are the following, and each can be found in their own playlist on Dailymotion:

"Comic Wit" and related videos - This includes the full length film, a deleted scene, the trailer, and the commentary version of the unedited film.

"Trying Stuff" and related videos - There are 2 playlists for this series, one for each season.  Every episode we've made from the beginning right up to the last one we filmed (which was some time ago now) can now be found in one place!  There are plans for 1 or 2 more episodes of the series before ending it completely.  Any future episodes will be added to the Season 2 playlist.

"Game Walkthroughs" - The series Forbes and I started in the beginning of 2011, before the earthquakes forced us into hiatus mode.  There is only 1 playlist for this (for now), and that's the first episode of the classic id Software game, "Doom".  The playlist also includes a 'test run' video.  Any future episodes for this series will have new playlists created accordingly.

Other videos that are uploaded to Dailymotion include music videos, "Kingrow - A Short Film", and a bunch of random one-off productions.  There have also been a couple videos added to our YouTube channel, but mainly to do with the likes of Armageddon Expo, etc.

Below are link buttons to our YouTube and Dailymotion channels.  Most of our content can/will be found at DM, so make sure you bookmark it in your browser!  Or better still, get an account and subscribe (to both, even)!

More to come in the near future, I promise!

Ciao!

Hello everyone and welcome to 2016!  Just a short post this time to greet you into the new year (already done), but also to inform you that there will be some ongoing changes to the website until whenever they're completed.

I've noticed lately that some features from the template used when the site was created have mysteriously disappeared and the site now looks very bland without them.  Therefore, I will be looking to make it more pleasing to the eye, while fixing some of the existing pages in the process.

Will keep you posted in future blogs on how things are going with the site and any projects we're working on this year.

Have fun!

Well, hello there my good people.  Hope you had a lovely Christmas this year.  It's that time once again - a review of the year that has passed, from a Stuffed Duck Productions point of view.  Let's get into it!

January

I announced that there would be a new n-Somnia EP, which would later become "Harbinger", and I also announced a sequel to n-Somnia's first compilation album, which was supposed to be called "n-Somnia 2.0".  This would later be renamed to "Singularity", as you should know by now.

Gosney released the "Beyond Thy Madness" album and the "Seaman" single.

Before these things, I revealed some possible plans for the year to come.  However, I can safely say that only a small portion of these plans actually happened, unfortunately.

February

I did a full blog review of the first ever Roxette concert in New Zealand, which I just had to attend.  They are partially responsible for most of the things I do on this website after all.

Gosney released the "6540" album and the "Swamp" single.

March

Forbes writes his first blog entry of 2015.  Unfortunately, this would be the last until December, for reasons I can't explain.  You'll need to ask him.

I attended the Armageddon Expo for this year, and got the chance to film the Q&A panel for New Zealand actor, Karl Urban.  It can be found on YouTube.

Gosney released the "Memory" album.  The date of the final Gosney release is announced also.

n-Somnia's "Harbinger" EP tracklist was revealed.

April

The final Gosney release, "The End Days" is unleashed upon the world, thus ending the project.

This month, I announced that I would be appearing on a monthly basis on Plains FM in Christchurch for my radio show, "Forgotten Favourites".

May

It was all about the radio show this month.  I made my debut on the 30th and it went rather well.

June

I announced that I will be retiring the video series, "Trying Stuff", but not until after 2 specific episodes have taken place.  These episodes are still yet to be filmed.

However, one "Trying Stuff" episode was released this month.  It was filmed during Christmas 2014 and guest stars my oldest nephew, Mathew, as we attempt to tackle the Gummy Ghost Pepper.

I announced that some changes to our YouTube channel will be taking place.  These are still going to happen.  Promise...

n-Somnia's "Harbinger" EP was made available for pre-order.

July

Only one blog entry was made this month.  It made it official that Forbes and I were putting our collaboration projects in hiatus mode, due to our inability to get time off work simultaneously as of late.  It was very busy for us as individuals this year.

August

I was scheduled to appear as n-Somnia on Pulzar FM's "Grid City Grooves" show to promote the "Harbinger" EP, but had to postpone due to illness.

September

I eventually made the previously mentioned appearance on Pulzar FM, leading to the release of the EP the next day.

October

There were no blogs this month!

November

I released what would be the last n-Somnia album ("Singularity" compilation) and single ("Rocketchild (Where Did You Go?)") for a while, as it went into hiatus mode immediately after their release.

December

Forbes makes a surprise comeback in the blogging world with 2 new entries!

And there you have it!  That was 2015 in the SDP world.  Not too much to report, really.  We were more active at the beginning, but hopefully that will change in 2016.

Hope you all have a safe and happy new year.  We'll see you then!

Hello everyone!  The time has finally come to announce the release of my new n-Somnia compilation album, "Singularity", and its single, "Rocketchild (Where Did You Go?)".  Both of which have arrived just in time for Christmas!  The full details of each follows...

"Singularity" is a compilation that represents the end of an era in my music.  It covers all of the singles and promos I have released as n-Somnia from 2002 to 2015.  As always, this time period includes tracks I made as far back as 1999.  All of the tracks are in their usual chronological order from the original mix of "Red Alert" to "The Only Race is 'Human'", followed by the compilation's exclusive track, "Rocketchild (Where Did You Go?)", which is also the sole single from this album.

This compilation is basically an updated version of 2012's "X - The First Decade", which is why that particular compilation is no longer available.  Instead of showcasing 10 years of my promo tracks, this one covers 13.

There is another reason the album represents the end of an era.  As of now, any future album, single, promo or otherwise, will not have any tracks that have already been released before.  In other words, if you're expecting any of my songs from my first release (the "Red Alert" single) up to "Singularity" to be featured on a future compilation or be re-used in a new EP or as a new single's B-side, you won't be finding them.  "Singularity" is the last album I will be doing that features any of my music released before 2016.  It's time I finished that chapter and turned the page.

As for future releases, everything on them will be new and unheard by you, the public.  This includes any songs I may have started before now and never finished.  These unfinished tracks do still qualify as older tracks, but because you haven't had a chance to hear them yet, I'll let them away with it this time!  If they're good enough for the projects I have in mind for the future, they may be on them.  If not, they could end up as B-sides for future singles.  There are many different options to choose from.  We'll see how it goes when the time comes.

The single from "Singularity" - "Rocketchild (Where Did You Go?)" - was named after a friend of mine that I used to chat to online.  I've never met them before as they're from Northern Ireland.  Rocketchild was her username when we first started talking.  We chatted regularly from about 2001 to 2003, before we mysteriously lost contact for some reason.  To this day, I've been seeking my good friend to have a bit of a catch-up.  It's been way too long!  So if you're out there, Kerry Carson from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, mother of Nathan Carson, flick a message my way.  We have so much to talk about!

If you're wondering about the cover art for both the album and single, the photos were taken on the day of my wedding by a professional photographer.  If you like what you see, check out Flourish Images.  Their photography is awesome!

That's pretty much it for now.  But just in case you may have forgotten (due to a lack of blog posts - sorry!), the n-Somnia project will be going into hiatus mode as of right now.  "Singularity" is not a farewell release, but a good way to end a chapter in my life.  A newer and improved n-Somnia will return in time, but I'm not sure when exactly.  In the meantime, I will be focusing on a 5-album project that I've mentioned in the past - The Swede Legacy (or just Swede for short).  Here I will be writing and rewriting a bunch of my songs that I wrote (or planned to write) back in high school both with and without Forbes' contribution.  It's been well overdue for me to present these songs to the public.  So I will be devoting my time towards making that happen.  Forbes will help out as often as he possibly can, considering our current hurdles and restrictions, but for most of it, it'll be mainly me.  The first album from this upcoming project may take a while to be released, but work towards it should commence in early 2016.

Thanks for stopping by once again.  If I don't post another blog before then, have a very merry and safe Christmas on behalf of all of the SDP team!

P.S.  My radio show on Christchurch's Plains FM has one more episode on Boxing Day, so make sure you tune in at 9pm local time on that date!

Ciao!

Hi everyone.  Long time no see!  Sorry it's been so long since my last update, but it's been extremely busy at my end lately.  It still is, which is why this message will be short.

Just informing you all that a new n-Somnia compilation and single will be out on December 1st!  These will be marking an end of an era for the project as I put it into a temporary hiatus.

The compilation is basically an updated version of "X - The First Decade", which is why that album in particular is no longer available.  Why get half the content when you can grab the whole package?  The new compilation is called "Singularity" and contains 27 tracks.  One of which is a new and exclusive one!  That song is called "Rocketchild (Where Did You Go?)", which is a reference to an old online friend of mine that I lost contact with as far back as 2003.  I'm still trying to track them down to this day (Kerry Carson of Lisburn, Northern Ireland, where are you at???).

Both releases are available to pre-order on the usual Bandcamp page, linked below.

Hey folks.  The day has finally arrived!  "Harbinger" and "The Only Race is 'Human'" are now available to the public.  Go nuts!

If you tuned in to Pulzar FM last night, I hope you enjoyed the interview.  But if you missed it, it will be online soon.  Will post the link here when it pops up.

In the meantime, check out my new releases!

Hello everyone.  I can finally give you all the new date for the release of my new n-Somnia EP, "Harbinger", along with the date I go on-air at Pulzar FM to promote it!

The interview will take place on 13 September at 5pm on 105.7 FM (Christchurch) or via their website, www.PulzarFM.co.nz.  Without a doubt, the show will be made available online after the initial broadcast.

"Harbinger" will be played on Pulzar as an exclusive, as it was originally planned, which means the EP itself will be available on the n-Somnia page on Bandcamp.com from 14 September onwards.  You can, however, pre-order it today at the link below!

Hello everyone.  Just a quick update on what's going on.

I say with regret that due to illness (mine), I won't be able to appear on Pulzar FM this Sunday evening.  Until further notice, the interview has been postponed (but not cancelled).  This also means that the release date for the "Harbinger" EP will also be delayed.

Many apologies, but there wasn't much I could do to avoid the flu this year!  Here's to getting back on track a.s.a.p.!

P.S.  Plains FM shows will not be changed as the shows are pre-recorded anyway.

Hello everyone!  A short update for you all, but an important one.  I finally have a release date for the n-Somnia EP, "Harbinger".  But first...

You may remember a little over a year ago, I had an interview on Pulzar FM on the "Grid City Grooves" show, hosted by DJ Seeker.  At the end of the show, it was mentioned that after a while, I could go back for a catch-up on what I've been doing since.  I can tell you now that the date has been set and I will be appearing on the GCG show on Sunday 23 August from 5-6pm (local time).  Make sure you tune in then!

As for the EP, it will be released the very next day on Monday 24 August and there's a good reason for this.  While I'm doing my recap interview on Pulzar the evening beforehand, the EP will be played in its entirety.  You can already pre-order the EP, but you may notice that none of the tracks can be streamed at this time.  That's because the Pulzar interview will be its exclusive debut to the online airwaves!  After the show has taken place though, the EP will then be made available to the public (but not until the following day).

Additional info on the EP - on the n-Somnia discography page (on this website), you will notice there are 6 tracks, but on Bandcamp it shows only 5.  This is because there is a hidden bonus track for those who purchase the EP in full...and no, it won't be on Pulzar either.

Make sure you pre-order the EP and its accompanying single, "The Only Race is 'Human'" today!  Also, if you missed my first appearance on Pulzar FM, you can find the link below with the pre-orders.

Ciao!

Hello everyone.  It's been a while since the last blog, so I thought it would be best to do another.  There's also a few things I'd like to cover anyway.

As you should know already, this year hasn't had a lot of new material being produced.  This is mainly due to 2 very busy schedules that both Forbes and I have had outside of the website.

While doing the website stuff, we are both still working full time away from the computer.  This takes up a lot of our time.  It doesn't help that our days off work are completely out of sync.  When one of us is not working, the other still is, unfortunately.  The only times we've been able to catch up in person (not counting one of us passing by during work hours) is if one of us happens to be on leave and is able to catch up on the other's day(s) off.  Even then, it can be difficult at times to try and make plans.

All of this is why we've been way behind in producing new material in 2015, and is how Forbes and I have come to a mutual agreement that all of our joint projects are to be put on hold until further notice.  This hiatus period does not, by any means, hint towards a retirement or split.  We are still SDP colleagues as well as great buddies!  We will be back in action as a duo as soon as things get under control, especially when it comes to that darn calendar.

Obviously, this hiatus will have an impact on certain projects, and I shall list them now:

1. Ducksel Comedy - This is quite a chunk of our recently active material as it includes many different things, such as writing scripts, making funny videos, and a comedy album that we have only just been able to do a small portion of (as recently as last November).  It also includes "The Ducksel Comedy Game Walkthroughs" YouTube series where we give a running commentary of video games we play, which we were planning on reviving sometime soon.

2. Podcasts - After the Christchurch earthquake in 2011 ultimately cancelled "The Ducksel Comedy Podcast", we recently considered starting a new podcast series from scratch this year.  I would do a podcast on my own, but it's not as much fun talking by myself for an hour or so (which is why my Plains FM radio show is mainly focused on the music).

While the previous 2 are heavily impacted by the hiatus, there are some things that won't be as inactive as those will be, and they are...

1. Music - As mentioned some time ago now, we were planning on working on a 5-album series of music releases based on our first attempt at a band, Swede.  The plan was originally to work on the first album until August or September then release it by Christmas, but due to the busy life outside of the Internet, including commitment towards my radio show, there just hasn't been much time to even start.  In fact, only a single instrumental demo exists of all the songs reserved for this project.  However, the reason it isn't being put on hold completely is because much of this album series will only require my input.  Forbes' contribution will mainly be writing and vocal-based and won't take much to do.  Once the radio stuff is sorted for the year (which isn't far off from happening, by the way), my full focus will be on making that first album.

2. Writing - Forbes is the primary author of stories on this website's network.  For me, I prefer to write scripts, reviews and lyrics, so when it comes to writing the likes of books, Forbes is the expert.  Even though he hasn't put any new stories up in a while, the possibilities are still quite high for one to appear at any time.  The only negative impact the hiatus has on this is more about how much time I will personally have to put it on this website.  However, there is a way around this...

There is a plan under way for a new website to be created, which will focus on nothing but the stories Forbes has written and will write in the future.  With a new site, Forbes will have the freedom to log into it at any time he pleases to post a new story, even if I don't have the time to do it for him myself.

This new story website isn't active yet, but in the near future it should be ready for your reading pleasure.  It will start off with the stories that are aleady on this website, but once Forbes has something new, I'm sure he'll keep you informed of its arrival!

That is all I wish to cover for now.  Even though we won't be active for some time, please continue to share the material we have already provided.  The more viewers, the merrier.

Also in closing, the n-Somnia EP, "Harbinger", is still awaiting its release date.  Will let you know of its planned as soon as possible.  Believe me when I say there's a reason I'm not just putting it out there just yet.

Stay safe and warm.  God bless!