Archive for the ‘Music’ Category

Karl D – SCAR

Posted 17 Jul 2011 — by karl
Category Music

If you can figure out the acronym without any help from me, you deserve a prize.  Put it in the comments if you think you’re clever enough!

My goal was for “SCAR” to be somewhat of a hybrid of acid house, dub, and techno.  Like some of the previous entries, this track’s instrumentation is stripped down to the bare essentials.

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Karl D – SCAR

Karl D – Solid Ground

Posted 15 Jul 2011 — by karl
Category Music

OK, trying to get back on track here…It’s been a while but I’ve got at least a couple things to share with you in the short term.

Today’s selection might be a bit unfriendly, depending on your perspective.  life.remixed is taking a rather minimal turn overall.

The beat was constructed using only one instrument(the bass drum).  Then, the sample was reversed, chopped, and repeated until it actually had a pretty diverse sound. That, mixed with some moody atmospherics makes a dissonant concoction with a very ominous presence.

This track reminds me of a similar “beautifully ugly” random beat(4_09).

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Karl D – Solid Ground

 

Karl D – Reconstitution

Posted 24 Jun 2011 — by karl
Category Music

I think you’ll find this has a very different sound than the last offering.

“Reconstitution” straddles the line between dub and trance(Dub-trance?  Is that even a word?).  Earlier on, there was more focus on the trance elements, like the synth line(which has a rhythm I would consider very important to this track).  The dub influences didn’t come until the later stages of making the track.  I’m happier for it; the dub piano(with just a hint of glitch), along with the echoey drums and the big bassline, really help this track stand out.

 

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Karl D – Reconstitution

Karl D – Collapse

Posted 28 May 2011 — by karl
Category Music

Check out the first track from life.remixed.  “Collapse” is a somber exercise in minimalism which still has room for some variety.  There’s a nice rave stab before the halfway point that breaks up the otherwise dead-serious tone of the song.

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Karl D – Collapse

Announcing life.remixed

Posted 27 May 2011 — by karl
Category Music

It’s been a while in the making, but I’ve finally pulled together enough ideas that I feel comfortable starting to release my latest project, life.remixed into the wild.

“life.remixed” started several years ago as a general brand for the site(back when you probably weren’t the ardent listener you surely are now).  I’ve found a renewed interest in the ideas around it, and I’ve been developing some general ideas about making an album around the concept.  Much of the material will be based around everyday perceptions and our experience here on Earth.  This project is a back-to-basics approach to electronic music, with an intent on being approachable yet consistent with the “Karl D/randombeats.com Sound”.

It’s fairly uncommon that I release artwork with my albums, mostly because I personally don’t really have much talent in that regard.  However, a few times a year, my graphic design skills prime my creative capacity enough to sit down and crank out something mediocre. This time I had a concept in mind, and the artwork was simple enough that I could do it on my own.  So, as a special preview, here’s the artwork for life.remixed(click for larger size):

life.remixed

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the cover bears some resemblance to Existential Funk.  In some ways, this album is the “true sequel” to it(in a way that recent EP releases are not), and shares some of the same general concepts.

Stay on the lookout over the next several days for the first track from life.remixed. Lots more content will be on the way soon, and will be the focus of this site for the near future.  Please see below for a downloadable alternate cover you can use as your computer’s wallpaper.  See also the original life.remixed image from 2004!

 

life.remixed wallpaper(randombeats.com version)

original life.remixed image(approx. 2004)

 

 

Karl D – Faces of Death

Posted 25 Apr 2011 — by karl
Category Music

This track is probably a direct descendant of “Future Chillout Dubstep”, since it was made during/after the compilation.

Using a well known sample from Method Man and Redman’s “How High”, this track is similar to some other dubstep work I’ve produced.  I’m finding my style in this area can be significantly more chilled-out than some of my influences, like Skream! or Rusko.

This concludes the “Mumble and Slouch” EP, which can now be downloaded in its entirety in the Downloads section.  I hope to bring you some more great content soon.

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Karl D – Faces of Death(Download – Right click and choose Save As)

Karl D – Mumble and Slouch

Posted 30 Mar 2011 — by karl
Category Music

There’s been a few songs I’ve released lately without being part of an album.  Since a few of them were piling up, I decided to compile them together as an EP.

This EP will be called “Mumble and Slouch”.  Today, I present the title track to you.

Obviously, there’s not much going on here.  The whole idea was for this track to be a little less “in your face”, but there was some room for some interesting elements.

This EP will collect “Dum Spiro Spero“, “Foresight“, “Aeon“, this track, and one yet to be produced.  As soon as it is complete, it will find a home in the Free Downloads section, among the rest of the material available on this site.

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randombeats.com Mix Series 02: One Minute to Midnight – a Trip Hop Compilation

Posted 25 Mar 2011 — by karl
Category Music

The next mix in this series was produced relatively quickly, and that’s because most of the groundwork was done in my head when it came time to actually compile it.

Like the last mix, several of the songs are available freely, here on randombeats.com.  Many other tracks help build this predominantly electronic-influenced mix.

Someone recently said that advances in technology have made us forget how to listen to music.  For this reason, I strongly encourage the use of one or more of the following “focus devices” during the course of this mix: big speakers, adult beverages, dim lights, and a reclined posture.  This is One Minute to Midnight.

 

Tracklist:

  1. Lemn Sissay – The Flag(Man From Atlantis mix)
  2. Karl D – Foresight
  3. Karl D – 3rd Level Down
  4. Karl D – 4_03(Remix)
  5. Unkle – Unreal
  6. Portishead – Machine Gun
  7. Karl D – Evening(Karl’s Sunset mix)
  8. Kosheen – Under Fire

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Karl D Presents – One Minute to Midnight(Download – Right click and choose Save As)