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Karl D – Momentary(Dark Breaks mix)

karl — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:22:11 +0000

This mix of “Momentary” is the next track to be included in the soon-to-be available “Electronic Monk” EP. Like the last two remixes, a drastic change in tempo changes the feeling of the track.

The track has the same overall structure of the D&B original, but changes were made to the bass, drums, and FX which all contribute to the change in flow of the track. The vocal sample that is included in this mix was originally meant to be in the original, but I felt the minimalist approach to the original mix worked best. It definitely pumps up the excitement in this mix!

Karl D – Momentary(Dark Breaks mix)

4_07

karl — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:54:53 +0000

This post includes one of a few songs that I considered compiling as part of a concept EP with “Toxin“. After careful consideration, I decided to make them random beats instead.

Here we have the prestigious return of the “Shitty Strings“, along with some underwater-sounding sound FX and synthesizers. I really like the technical melody, flow, and patient pace of this track.

4_02

karl — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:21:25 +0000

This quickly came to me one day, and it came out pretty much as I expected. The cut up drum loops and the big bass that comes in about halfway is what this track is all about.

3_11

karl — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:02:11 +0000

This track has been “cooking” for a while now. The melody came to me spontaneously while on a trip a while ago. Luckily I had my laptop so I was able to sequence the basics of this track right away. Since then, the buzzy electric noises have been added, along with the old school 808 drums, and the trancey pad near the end(which has become my favorite part).

This track turned out great, and it’s a strong end to the 3rd volume of the random beats series.

As usual, now that the volume is complete, all of the tracks are available as a ZIP file of MP3s in the Downloads section. While you’re there, you can check out some of the other free downloads!

3_09

karl — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:23:11 +0000

If you’re paying very close attention to recent posts, you may notice that the string sound in the background of this random beat are the same as the one in 3_06. This sound comes from a patch that I created/modified for the “Crystal” soft synth that I have affectionately referred to as “Shitty Strings”. I like the glitchy, rotten sound that this pad produces – it’s created lots of atmosphere in these two tracks so far. Because of this, I expect to use this a lot more in future breaks/trip-hop productions.

Old Tracks: Embracing the Darkness

karl — Thu, 21 May 2009 03:48:42 +0000

Today, I dig into the archives to bring you a song that is very different in contrast to the body of work presented thus far. I expect, that because of this, it might be more appealing and maybe more mainstream to those familiar with nu-breaks artists like Hyper and Evil Nine.

This was a focused and uncharacteristically angry song. Like most songs, this comes with a story:

I remember writing this shortly after the US invaded Iraq in 2003. I remember seeing Bush on TV repeating that God was on our side and that He told him that invading Iraq was the right thing to do. I don’t want to get into politics too much on this site, but I remember thinking that if that’s what America considered sound moral judgment and embracing what was considered “the light”, then I would rather embrace the darkness.

3_04

karl — Sat, 16 May 2009 03:48:41 +0000

Chopped up pads are what give this random beat it’s character. I wasn’t convinced with the melody at first(I originally meant it for a more trance-oriented tune), but I think the free form of the beats and general instrumentation brought it together. A straight ahead, highly structured trance song would not have been as effective.

Karl D – A Feeling of Power

karl — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 18:54:38 +0000

This is the 2nd new song from the Existential Funk Remixes and B-Sides EP. It will be posted in the Downloads section as a zip file as soon as it is completed.

2_09

karl — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:48:07 +0000

If you’re a frequenter of this site, you may have noticed my fascination with all things dubstep.

I discovered dubstep last year and it gave me a renewed excitement for electronic music(not to say that it’s ever faded). Being a huge fan of D&B and dub, I instantly fell in love with it. It seems slow enough to chill out to, and yet fast and tough enough to dance to. It all depends on the producer’s intent.

For more on all things dubstep, visit my favorite dubstep site, Bassfaced. Meanwhile enjoy this tough dubstep track.

1_14

karl — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 05:00:31 +0000

This track started as an experimental track, along the lines of a warp records/Aphex Twin bit. Somewhere along the lines I decided it would work better as a dubstep track. I didn’t mean it, honest! I guess I’m not destined for the IDM scene.

The track is glitchy, minimal and persistent, and I think it turned out nicely. If you like this, you might also be interested in an artist called Boxcutter.

This is the last random beat post for volume 1 – meaning that all the “1_” posts will be available for download here. Subsequent finished volumes(defined as 30 minutes of music) will be posted in the same place in ZIP files for you to download.

1_09

karl — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 23:26:43 +0000

I was thinking the other day about the idea of “jazz standards” and how the idea fits into electronic music. I’ve heard turtablists talk about the idea of certain scratches being so common it’s kind of like a standard. I think electronica has ushered in the remix culture in place of the jazz standard.

On the other hand, I think there’s classics sounds and soundsets which lend themselves to being so common that they are immediately recognizable. I think when they’re used, it, like a jazz standard, makes us think about the first time we heard it. When I think about the idea of “techno standards”, I think that using keyboard sounds like this one is the closest thing we have. In this track, the lead keyboard sound is one of my favorites of all time. I think the first time I heard it was in Outlander’s “Vamp”.

1_07

karl — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 06:39:03 +0000

Probably not going to post for the next two weeks or so, due to a vacation. Therefore, I’m leaving you with this dubstep track I’ve been working on for a while. Anybody looking for head-smashing, agressive dubstep, this isn’t it. I took in lots of dubstep influence on this and went my own way with it. The end result is laid-back, atmospheric, and less dancefloor oriented. Don’t forget those headphones!

Ed. Note: The head-smashing agressive dubstep will probably be on it’s way soon.

You’ll notice this is considerably longer than some of the other tracks posted so far – maybe because this one feels more like it’s closer to being complete.

If this is your first time to the site, why not have a look around while you’re waiting for the next update?