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The first official Ef-X radio session is brought to you by Old Spice:
http://www.dumpert.nl/mediabase/905151 /bfc1b18e/old_spice_commercial.html
For more info go here:
http://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/11 58563
Today we are going to be dealing with the composer William Basinski and the soundtrack to the video game Braid. If you do not know who William Basinski is then you can be excused, however, if you are not aware of the existence of a video game called Braid then shame on you! but we are all here to learn right? right! :D
First things first: BRAID:
Braid is a masterpiece (being bias here i know) for many reasons. Its graphics (its like stepping into a late 19th/early 20th century oil painting sequence,) its storyline (its really what you believe the ending was; there's no clear ending,) and its music! oh its music....
Braid's soundtrack comes from a not known record label hq'd in Berkley, California called Magnatune. Let me tell you, these composers have mad talent, MAD! Anyways without further ado the first song in our broadcast! Undercurrent!
1.Jami Sieber:
Undercurrent
Why save the best for last? This I think, no scratch that, I know is the quintessence of the entire soundtrack. It has all the emotions the game gives you. Dread, Tranquility, angst, hyperactivity (if that is an emotion) and it encompasses all the styles brought by other songs on the soundtrack (like Drone music, Folk music, and Ambient-like music.)
2. Jami Sieber:
Maenam
The intro to the game. This sets the tone for the entire adventure, you could notice right away its ambient drone like quality. As the song proceeds you hear violins and other such instruments but the song still keeps its hypnotic quality. Its a song that could send any human into a deep muse.
3. Shira Kammen and Swan:
Lullaby Set
This one is based on a classic tune called the Manx Lullaby. Regardless, you can still fell the hypnotic dream quality that this piece holds reminiscence of the whole game and its themes.
This game has achievements written all over it, so if you still haven't checked it out do so!
Our second person on the list is WIlliam Basinski:
No Homo but he is my muse, nearly all of my artistic creations have stemmed from me listening to the music he has made. Basinski started as a jazz major artist and then eventually moved to experimental music. His breakthrough arrived when he discovered that the tapes he tried to recovered from his recordings back in the 80s disintegrated. This became known as the Disintegration loops and what came out of these "pastoral" (as Basinski calls them) compositions are nothing short of...well just check it out for yourself:
1. Dlp 1.1
The head of the entire disintegration loop series. For me it symbolizes the zeitgeist during the turn of the century (20th to 21st century that is.) *NOTE* Basinski Recorded this series on the eve of 9/11 *NOTE* An experimental piece who's roots trace back to Ancient Chinese compositions giving it a sacred overtone. This is furniture music at its best.
2. Dlp 3
The darker side to the behemoth of a piece. Even in its brooding feeling the piece still garners a sacred tone.
3. Dlp 6
The most "sacred" of them all. As with every piece of the series this piece holds a unique feeling to the individuals that listen to it. In my terms this feeling is one of optimism as well as other feelings.
4. Melancholia 2
This piece is a recurring motif in his series called "Melancholia" once again, its based on your opinion.
5. El Camino Real
This is Basinski showing his drone side at full max.
I stumbled upon Basinski while looking for glitch music. I have yet to find a musician who has fueled my need to create like Basinski. And I wish you have a certain musician that does the same for you.
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