Archive for August, 2008

All I want

Monday, August 25th, 2008

Today I got a license request for the track “All I Want” from my latest album. This is great, as its my favourite track from the album, featuring the wonderfull vocalist Helle Chirholm. I worked with her for many years, and she sings on quite a few of the Ganga tracks – Hifi Love – is one of them.

I started to work with another singer called Claire Ross-Brown, and its gonna be exiting to see what is to come out of it. I am very optimistic.

I almost finished my two filmjobs…. I think. You never know what they might come up with for changes in the last minute. I am looking forward to having more time on my hand to work on new Ganga tracks.

I have also been working with Steen Kyed on our common project Petrol. We had a nice session the other day at his studio.

I am moving from my studio by march the 1. Not nice. Hopefully I will find somewhere with an atmosphere. I cant stand those newly build soundprooof concrete with wool inside placs that pop up all over. Its a money machine I guess.Totally without athmosphere. I could sit at ome like in the old days? No way – to cosy to get anything done. Hmm… maybe I need that.

chill out downbeat triphop artist Ganga

Different music for different things

Monday, August 25th, 2008

I saw this japanese animated film the other day. Childrens stuff. Very cool with lots of adventure, mystery and a good story. Anyway, the music for the credits caught my attention. A female japanese singer, not especially unique for a first listen, sang this japanese song. But somehow the melody caught my attention even though the arrangement and the singing was not so good, and it was like she didnt like the song she sang. Normally I would be interested if the voice was interesting somehow, or moving my spirits one way ar another. This was not at all the case. It was simply the melody in itself that had a quality, beyond any performance of it.

Its strange I think, because I always seems to think that music without heart behind it is  – well – not so good. In this case it worked anyway. Hmm.. makes you wonder.

I found my old sitar in the basement today.Totally crapped and full of spiders and stuff.It will never be the same, but could be fun anyway. Came to think of some nonwesterners performances of  classical music. In the Middleeast and India f.ex. There it sometimes looks like they think about something totally different than the music they are performing. Like they are not here when they play. Also makes you think why you dont get that feeling when you dont look at the performers but only listen to their playing. Pragmatism? Egos, and western music.

chill out, downbeat artist Ganga

<a href=”http://www.ganga.dk”>Ganga – Downbeat / Chill Out Music</a>

I apologise for nothing and and on behalf of silicon, also for the devolution of man

Monday, August 25th, 2008

I apologize for nothing and on behalf of silicon, also for the devolution of man

I posted a comment about the devolution of man. I stated that social networks and the internet in itself really is a step back in evolution, as it removes human beings from each other. We dont need electronic contact to evolve as a species. We will actually devolve (dont know if that word exist) if we dont learn some other way of communicating that doesnt involve silicon and electronics.

We have to learn to use the last 90 percent of our brain – make the best of what we got.

All that is happening right now with the internet and human interaction is very interesting, but we are moving backwards until we realise that we are only gonna get smarter if we take a step back and doesnt focus on interaction between computers and the human brain/nervous system. That is a relationship we dont need, and if the focus is intirely on that, we are missing to develop the one thing that could be called evolution, namely communication on a higher level. A level that only involves development of the human mind – not electronics.

But to get back to social networks.

I guess you can use social networks for different things. Depending what you´re aiming for, and ofcourse its interestinging the route all this is taking.
But its easy to loose focus away from what should be the most important: content.

The inernet has now more than ever become a marketplace and social networks is the perfect place for this to emerge from.
So maybe thats what social networks is supposed to be. Forget about friends and human relations – you can have that in real life.
Use the social networks to market you, your ideas, your products or whatever.

I must admit as an artist its a great place to be in terms of getting your music heard and professional contacts.
Myspace f.ex. has helped me a lot. Actually met some real people there come to think of it – some of them I consider friends now..
soo.. maybe afterall there is some humanity in it..

Anyway, I am trying to find my way in this jungle, and I apologize for inconsistincies in the logistics and spelling too and babbling and for mixing stuff together that doesnt belong together and for not mixing stuff together that does belong together and for doing and for not doing and for writing and not writing and for art and for not art and for nothing and for nothing.

I apologize for nothing – thats what I meant.

downbeat chill out chillout electronic triphop artist ganga
Ganga – Downbeat / Chill Out Music

Soundtoys and toying with sounds in acid

Monday, August 25th, 2008

Just got a new Casiotone MT-540 for 10 dollars. What a bargain. I cant wait to plug it in and hear those weird drumsounds and screeky beeps these guys produces.

Maybe you wonder why I sit down and write a blog before trying it? It might have been more useful to some, if I could provide some info on this little monster.

But to tell you the truth, its been weeks since I bought it, and its still sitting here in my livingroom – still in the original box.

Its sometimes like this when I buy some sound crap, cheap stuff that makes a sound – could be toys also. Its like some of the magic about buying them is, that you don’t really know what they sound like, and as long as you haven’t tried them, they are still full of potential endless possibilities.

If you start using them you might find right away that they don’t work or you don’t like the way they sound.

It might also be that in this particular downbeat, chill out there track, it fits perfectly and you are glad you waited to plug it in, because if you had done it earlier whilst working on another track, you wouldn’t have found a place for its magic.

To be totally honest, its not very often I can wait to pull it out and push a key or two.

Anyways, I will soon be heading down to the studio and working on a Real XS remix and a Vanessa Daou remix. Maybe just one, I feel a bit tired after getting up too early.

Couldn’t sleep last night and got caught inside the magic of the program Acid – I love that program, perfect for loops and detailed sound mangling. Midi is actually also working pretty well now after many days of midi darkness – they now provide inline midi editing, which is nice.

<a href=”http://www.ganga.dk”>Ganga – Downbeat / Chill Out Music</a>

Sample from real life and put it on vinyl

Monday, August 25th, 2008

I heard a great program in the radio yesterday while I was running in the local park. It’s a great time to listen to something you didn’t really know you missed out on. Like getting a present – just like that out of the blue, some words to enlighten your spirits or something..

It was an interview with a danish artist called Jørgen Leth, who works with both film and poetry and who has spent most of his life creating very artistic films and documentaries and writing poetry. He was for many years also the commentator for national danish tv, on  the annual Tour De France.

Anyways, he caught my attention talking about his notebooks.He always carry a notebook with him, so he can jot down ideas for his films and poems.

It can be a sentence he hears someone speak out, or it can be something from a movie he is watching, or it can be a situation he witnesses on the street. It can be almost everything.

He is sampling from real life and putting it in to his little book, and some day he will come back to it and use it in a film or a poem.

Quite fascinating to hear him talk so passionate about this and very inspiring.

When you are working with music and sounds, sampling from everyday life is something quite common.

You work with sounds, and you sample them and manipulate them and use them in your music. Not so strange really.

But it just struck me that its also a possibility to work like Jørgen Leth, and sample non audio inspirations, even though you are a musician and not working with words or images like he does.

All it takes is to be a little more open. Its all up to you really.

If you are not that open just now, right now when you really wanna do something, then just grab your handheld recorder and start recording in your street or in the field or in the park or anywhere.

Put the pieces together with some help from a computer and some effectfull algorithms and your never failing human imagination, and voila!.. you made a new contribution to this worlds collection of artworks consisting of zeroes and dots.

Why not take the step and put it out on vinyl. All your downbeat, chillout and triphop and electronica and dub.

Sample away. From real life.

<a href=”http://www.ganga.dk”>Ganga – Downbeat / Chill Out Music</a>

Ganga playing Claire Ross-Brown “Manic” at Cafe Del Mar

Monday, August 18th, 2008

Funny – kind of – stuff. Ganga live on Ibiza SOnica

Saturday, August 16th, 2008

IbizaHere is a little curiousity with some chill out and downbeat tracks, live on Ibiza Sonica 2008. Its a pity they didnt also shoot from behind me, because Ibiza Sonica is situated in San Rafael, Ibiza with the greatest view overlooking some beautiful Ibizaen scenery.

So I am standing looking out on the beautiful mountains and playing. Great setting for getting creative. It looks like I am playing in a cellar though:-)

http://www.ibizasonica.com/sonicatv/index.php?view=video&video=38&preview=moscasonicatv2.jpg&pos=

Check out www.ibizasonica.com also or find them om 95.2 fm if you are in Ibiza or Formentera.

All great music and dedicated music people from Ibiza working together to push music around the airwaves. The host of the show I performed in is called Igor Marijuan.  Eva Pacifico, DJ Malte, Peter (from Deep Dive Corporation, Lenny Ibizarre, Valentin Huedo are some of the others. 

Check their music out while you´re surfing the web for whatever it is that tickles you.

 

<a href=”http://www.ganga.dk”>Downbeat / Chill Out artist Ganga </a>

Ganga plaing for the sunset at Cafe Del Mar, Ibiza

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

Ganga playing the sunset at Cafe Del MarCafe Del MarGanga live at Cafe Del MarSo just got back a few days ago from a small tour on the balearic island called Ibiza. Just a few hours in a boat away from Mallorca. Or did you know that allready.

Started out playing for the sunset at one of the classic Ibiza chill out spots, The Cafe Del Mar in San Antonio. Great spot actually for playing chilled tracks for a lot of people. Many people go there for the sunset and watch that good old orange thing slide slowly into the deep blue ocean while listening to some soothening chill out downbeat music and sipping a little something or maybe smoking a little something.

Valentin Huedo is the resident DJ there now and he plays there nearly every day in this season – that is june to september. Go and check him out if you are there. 

I also played a liveset on the radio station called Ibiza Sonica, show hosted by Igor. He makes a great show every day from 1 to 3 I think it is. Check it out if you are there 95.2fm or on the net. Eva Pacifico is a regular on Sonica as well as Valentin Huedo who has a weekly show. www.ibizasonica.com I will make the liveset available at some point.

Same night I played at a hotel/restaurant/outdoor club called Atzaro. Its in the north of the island in the middle of nowhere but a fantastic setting and really beautiful place. Every wednesday in the season VJ Lars Bruun makes live visuals on three big screens and invites DJs and performers to come and play with him. Lars makes fantastic visuals and he mixes them on the spot inspired by the music and the atmosphere.

If you attend the right wednesday, you may find Trentemøller playing there as well. Probably some of his more mellow stuff, as the place is not for hard clubbing.

Last gig was at Villa Mercedes just at the harbor in San Antonio – fantastic food and amazing view.

<a href=”http://www.ganga.dk”>Downbeat / Chill Out artist Ganga </a>

 

 

Don’t Wake Me Up

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

Ganga’s second album – ‘Don’t Wake me Up’ – is out on Flinc Music early October and will be the first Physical release from Flinc Music. (out on itunes october the 1th) It was recorded in Copenhagen and New York. And like the debut album – it is produced mainly by Ganga Himself. A few tracks are written and produced with Buda (ex. Banzai Republic). Several tracks from the new Ganga album already features on several compilations, hed Kandi, East and Huvafenfushi Maldives by DJ Ravin.

Download also the free bonustrack  – “When I close my eyes” – which is NOT on the album. You can get it here: www.flincmusic.com