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Next Saturday (March 13th, 5pm UTC) I’ll stream from my home studio via Twitch. It’s a chance for me to demonstrate electronic music production and working with microtonal scales. If there’s something in particular you’d like to see then send your requests in Twitch chat – it’s an unscripted event where we hang out and nerd out over music.
From time to time I’ll also live stream impromptu sessions of me just working on tracks. These will be unscheduled as I make music whenever I feel like it. Those sessions will be less interactive but potentially of interest to folks who are following my music and want to see how I work.
Consider following my Twitch channel if you want to get the alert when I go live: twitch.tv/sevishmusic
Until then, check the below vod of last Saturday’s stream. It starts out with me refining a work in progress and then viewers suggest topics for the rest of the session:
I learned a few things from chat last Saturday, for example x.iso encouraged me to try MPE polyphonic pitch bend in Bitwig on VST instruments that already have microtunings active. Turns out that it works! If you’re working in any equal tuning, you can set the pitch bend amount so that everything lines up perfectly. My mind was blown. I’ll definitely use that trick in the future.
Terra Octava is a collaboration album from the collective at STAFFcirc.
Sounds of digital fusion, chiptune, jazz and electronic music in a variety of equal tempered tunings.
Featuring Cryptovolans, Reuben Gingrich, Jaq, Chimeratio, petet, manfish, STC_1001, STC_1002, STC_1003, STC_1004, Vince Kaichan, Hunter Van Brocklin, Tancla, Emelia K., Abd al-Mahdi, Themnotyou, Sintel, 0x70457465, limeboiler, clown core, b-knox, amimifafa, ordinate and Sevish.
The microtonal tunings include 34edo, 22edo, 19edo, 16edo, 10edo and others – but also the tiny ones like 6edo, 4edo, 3edo, 2edo, 1edo, 0edo!
My track Fuschiamarine in 7edo is on there.
I’m actually blown away by what everybody was able to achieve here. They’re all deep into their musical craft – and some of them are pros at tuning already – some are trying microtones for the first time. Hope you’ll enjoy the listen!
Release date: January 1st, 2021
Available on Bandcamp and major streaming services
The new Sevish album will be called Bubble. It is a continuation and refinement of my own little musical world. You can expect microtonal wonky melodies and harmonies with IDM flourishes throughout. The album has a mix of styles – drum and bass, midtempo groovy jams, techno. The album closes with something very warm and fuzzy.
If you’re looking for more music like my previous albums Harmony Hacker, Horixens, Rhythm & Xen, Sean but not Heard and Golden Hour – this is it!
Bubble will be available January 1st 2021 on all major streaming services. Digital downloads will be available on Bandcamp for £5.
If you want to hear Bubble one week early, I will host a listening party on YouTube where you can hear the album in full. Simply join the link on December 26th starting 8pm (UTC) and enjoy some new sounds. I’ll be present in the live chat so come and say hello!
Update: the listening party has already happened and it was a big success, thanks everybody :)
Influencers, disc jockeys, bloggers etc. — please request a press pack via my contact form and I will send you a full album download plus a copy of the press release.
The album uses microtonal tunings like 22edo, 7edo and just intonation.
All tracks are new, written in 2019/2020, using Bitwig Studio on Linux (KDE Neon).
8 tracks / 42:12 duration.
Thanks to the blessing of YouTube and Spotify’s suggestion algorithms, plus a helpful mention from Adam Neely, last year I saw my audience grow faster than ever. Almost 20,000 of you are now subscribed to my music on YouTube and nearly 20,000 Spotify users streamed Sevish last month.
There is a lot of music in the world and yet you’re tuning into mine – so I want to thank every one of you!
If you would like to own a vinyl record featuring songs from both Sevish and Brendan Byrnes, here’s your chance.
We need your help to decide what tracks to include on the record. To find out, we set up two polls. Go ahead and make your selections!
Choose your Brendan Byrnes tracks
Later we will kick off a crowdfunding campaign to manufacture the records.
All tracks will be specially mastered for vinyl.
Stay tuned as the campaign hasn’t yet started.
By choosing your fave tracks, you’re helping us take the first steps. Thank you! :)
If you are looking for a quick introduction to microtonal scales in computer music, then I invite you to watch my latest tutorial video.
Using Microtones in Electronic Music explains how to tune software synths to microtonal scales, for composition and production using a DAW-based workflow.
Microtonal music is a deep topic, and this tutorial video is just one possible starting point. If you know of alternative approaches then please do share your knowledge with others!
0:00 Intro
0:30 What software
2:00 Tuning up
2:35 5edo
4:37 Messing around with 19edo
14:40 19edo semaphore[9]
18:19 A golden ratio inspired tuning
27:00 Some chords of 22edo
32:07 How a song like Gleam looks on piano roll
Possible Worlds Vol 4 is out today – a compilation of music using alternative tunings in various styles.
The lineup this time includes Runningonair, Javier María López Rodríguez, Jonathon McCullough, Skiks, Stephen Weigel, müesk, Kristofer Svensson, Filtercreed and myself Sevish.
My track Disorient was rescued from a cassette tape recording (with some bass overdubs done a few weeks ago). It’s an ambient piece in 313edo island[9] featuring field recordings from Qingdao beach and field recordings from a playground near my apartment where I used to live in Beijing. I often miss my time in China and I hope my piece conveys an unsettling dreamlike fading away from that land.
Possible Worlds is a series of compilation albums that take a snapshot of the international microtonal and xenharmonic composition community. If you enjoyed the collection, try Vol 1, Vol 2 and Vol 3 next.
Spectropol Records is run by Bruce Hamilton who sometimes composes under the name Skiks. Stephen Weigel interviewed him earlier this year on the Now&Xen podcast. They both feature in the new Vol 4 record.
Thanks for listening and if you enjoyed the sounds then please share them around!
Hey microtonal gang, I’m finally ready to announce the release of Horixens, a new album of electronic grooves using microtonal scales. Hear it at Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple / Deezer
Download the liner notes
Cover artwork by Martín Calderón
Hear the ‘Horixens’ album preview on Soundcloud or YouTube
Releases on July 26th for digital download and streaming
In the meantime I just added some previous releases MK-SUPERDUPER, Sean but not Heard, and Human Astronomy to streaming services like Spotify, Apple etc.
I always wanted to hear a podcast that discusses microtonal music and plays some tunes. Now Stephen Weigel and I have started such a podcast and invite you to listen to the first three episodes of Now&Xen below:
The pilot episode covers some introductory topics and is fairly short. The next episode “1/1” is already recorded and is much longer, going in depth about how to start making microtonal music and what tunings would be good for beginners.
For the third episode we had our first guest, Elaine Walker of ZIA.
Microtonal Adventures Festival
Four concerts, ten lectures, two workshops, and a roundtable discussion exploring music outside the standard western tuning system.
UnTwelve, WWU, and Sound Culture present the Microtonal Adventures Festival, May 18-20 on the campus of Western Washington University in Bellingham (USA).
I’ll be on the microtonal electronica panel discussion, May 20th 2-3pm (UTC-7). The panel includes Bruce Hamilton, Brendan Byrnes, Igliashon Jones and Sevish (via Skype).
There will be other workshop events and concerts so check it out if you’re in the area.