Once Around The Moon by Used Soyuz

My first homemade composition on my new Raspberry Pi 400, using only LMMS. The lunar footage is from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and seemed to go with its mood. You can see it in 4K at https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13537 .LMMS is great, but I might try out Reaper as well.

My new studio under the stairs

Santa was very generous this year, and got me the brand new Raspberry Pi 400 (thanks again Santa), so I decided to try it out as a dedicated home music studio under the stairs. Here it is, plugged into an old VGA monitor via an HDMI adapter, with a basic USB sound card (just phono in and out) and my Akai LPK25 MIDI keyboard in a powered USB hub. I've installed LMMS and Audacity so far, and will see how far I get with these.

Meet Used Soyuz

I have finally realised that the only thing standing between me and the acclaim that is my due as a musician is my name. So I have decided to become a band, My Thing 3 helped me choose a name; so let me introduce ...

Analoguish

The Siren synth circuit from the techwillsaveus.com breadboard kit, with knob twiddling edited and pushed through Audacity effects, jumbled up with some poor quality auotoharp strumming. Not a DAW in sight, hence: Analogue-ish. I created this a few months ago, but hadn't got round to posting it here until now.

Wet Walk - music by Used Soyuz

Usually I make the music first, and the videos are an afterthought. This time I cut together some films of local walks, and then tried to make some music to match, using LMMS on a PC. This is my first recording as Used Soyuz - thanks Thing 3 for helping me to choose the name.

My first homemade synth

Here is my first bit of knob twiddling with the wonderful Synth Kit from techwillsaveus.com - the box said 13+ but I managed it anyway. The kit comes with components to build three different synth circuits, including the legendary Atari Punk, and I hope to add a headphone socket next. This is a popular move with my family - obviously they are as eager as I am to start sampling with it for my compositions.

I am on Bandcamp!

I have just collected some of my least worst recordings so far, and put them on Bandcamp, so that now I can be ignored on a whole new platform. Unless that is I get followers at arealpatrickmartin.bandcamp.com, and plays...

Rails - That Tricky Third EP

Hey there, imaginary fans - what's better than a bit of shoddy homemade music? Why, nine bits of shoddy homemade music, that's what. Here are the least worst pieces I've done recently. Knock yourself out.

A Real Patrick Martin - Old Enough To Know Better · [pm] Rails EP

Punky Reggae Party mixtapes

I put these two mixtapes up on Mixcloud in May, but forgot to post links here. That'll be why no-one's listened to them yet then. Haha.

Part One

0:00 Bob Marley and the Wailers - Punky Reggae Party
03:08 The Damned - New Rose
05:35 Junior Murvin - Roots Train
09:19 X-Ray Spex - Oh Bondage! Up Yours!
11:57 Burning Spear - Marcus Garvey
15:20 Grace Jones - She's Lost Control (Dub version)
23:01 Max Romeo & The Upsetters - War Ina Babylon
27:40 Mod-Dettes - White Mice
31:10 Prince Far I - No More War
35:25 The Pop Group - She Is Beyond Good And Evil
38:48 Linton Kwezi Johnson - Want Fi Goh Rave
42:44 Steel Pulse - Ku Klux Klan
46:40 Public Image Ltd - Swan Lake
49:58 The Clash - Armagideon Time
53:35 Misty In Roots - Judas Iscariot

Part Two

0:00 The Clash - White Man In Hammersmith Palais
3:56 Symarip - Skinhead Moonstomp
6:42 Gregory Isaacs - Mr Cop
10:28 The Ruts - Jah War
17:18 Toots & The Maytals - Time Tough
21:22 The Specials - Ghost Town (Brand Blank Dubstep Mix)
25:49 Culture - Two Sevens Clash
29:05 Sex Pistols - Holidays In The Sun
32:23 Dillinger - Answer Mi Question
35:33 Jah Wobble - Betrayal
40:20 Delroy Wilson - I'm In A Dancing Mood
42:29 The Beat - Whine & Grine / Stand Down Margaret
46:05 Leroy Smart - Channel One Feel It
48:52 The Slits - Man Next Door
51:59 Massive Attack - Man Next Door
57:30 Tabby Cat Kelly - Don't Call Us Immigrants
61:16 Jimmy Cliff - Guns Of Brixton

I Like Trains 2020

I first recorded this over a year ago, and my wife told me she hated the singing, so I've just re-recorded the vocal with spoken verses. Slightly less embarrassing. After six months of lockdown it feels pretty nostalgic. Written in Caustic 3 (mostly on the train), with vocals, samples and melodica mixed in Audacity.

ACR Brass

Another bit of twiddling made in Cakewalk by Bandlab, using the TAL-Elek7ro VST plugin (Ghostly and Twitched Droid presets), a brass present from the default Cakewalk TTS1, some drums from the DRMR 1 (Modular preset), and waaaayyyy too much reverb and delay.

Tyrell

Here is my second Cakewalk composition, using four presets on the Tyrell N6, a free VST plugin by u-he. I got out my Akai LPK25 MIDI controller, with my clumsy timing tidied up in the piano roll. Enjoy.

A Real Patrick Martin - Old Enough To Know Better · [pm] Tyrell

Escape From The New York Fog Precinct Assault Thing

I have just got hold of Cakewalk by Bandlab, and am trying again to find an easy but powerful free Windows DAW. After a few days of twiddling, and downloading some recommended free VST plugin instruments, I came up with this rubbish. It reminded me of an 80s John Carpenter soundtrack, so I put it together with some clips:

Appropriation

More virtue signalling from another old white guy. Woohoo, just what the BLM movement needs. The words are by me, and the great music is by Harry Mudie and King Tubby. I'd appreciate any honest feedback.

Words: A Real Patrick Martin

Music: 'Heavy Duty Dub; from 'Harry Mudie Meet King Tubby's ‎– In Dub Conference Volume One'

Video clips include:

https://youtu.be/fMoLprj921o
BBC TV show on the Black & White Minstrel Show, which ran on primetime UK television until 1978.

https://youtu.be/EbQqgnxnOBo
'Racism On British TV' (1979)

https://youtu.be/4G0PP6FjSjE
'Britain On Film - Black Britain' BFI Trailer

https://youtu.be/2BEginKevFM
'Making Waves' (2015)

https://youtu.be/OgEzVHq1OFQ
Edward Colston statue protest report, C4 News (2020)

Knob Twiddling by A Real Patrick Martin

Going back to dodgy homemade noise, I threw this together by twiddling my virtual knobs in Caustic 3 (FMSynth/Drone, Bassline/Low Growl, SawSynth/Devo, Beatbox/badcat & latincat), mixed in Audacity with a sample from 'My Perfect Cousin' by The Undertones. Of course it's not me in the video - I wish I had a rig like that. Or the hair. Enjoy.

My Birthday Gifts To A Grateful World

Here are three birthday gifts from a dreary old git. My Red Mix, White Mix and Blue Mix. You're welcome, World.

Fantasy Festival Beer Tent - Dance Like A Parent Mix

Things are getting out of hand in my Fantasy Beer Tent. Old fools who should know better are determined to show the young 'uns how it's done...

Fantasy Festival Beer Tent - Stingray Mixtape

It's getting late in the fantasy festival beer tent. But there's always time for one more round.

Fantasy Festival Beer Tent - Radio, Radio Mixtape

Here is another mixtape to be played after hours in my fantasy festival beer tent. Mind out for the slops.

Fantasy Festival Beer Tent - UFO Mixtape

Here is my second Mixcloud mixtape. A wannabe DJ mix for a certain festival beer tent late night session. Are you listening Matt? Of course you're not. No one is. But I don't mind. I've got the bar to myself.
 

My First Mixtape

Not content with making my own dodgy tracks, I thought I'd have a go at ruining real music by mixing my own mixes. Here's my first go, just a few clips that were stuck in my head. I seem to have my Eighties head on today (and most other days I guess). And if some of them keep coming back, well isn't that what earworms do? Click the Mixcloud player for a full track listing.