There’s a wobbly line between presenting what happened and what might have happened that I cut with the Cubest series. That what you hear happened is undeniable, but wielding my sonic scissors as I do each track takes a different shape, plus there are occasions when I can ‘improve’ a track, by removing a bum note or by moving a mis-timed beat. Whether this adds up to censorship and cheating is a mute point; I try to keep the casual listener in mind, one who may not be able to forgive and filter music the way a musician can
I have tried to detach myself as a musician and concentrate on the post-production, not just removing segments but adding them if deemed necessary, an act of reconstruction, while maintaining the chronology of events …
Cubest 016 presents six tracks through the edit, censored, manipulated, cut and pasted …
Jump to Download link … Back to Cubest series …
Brain Melt
2015 07 01 –
Jamie Pett: Acoustic Guitar, Piano;
Rob Hague: Bass, Trumpet, Vocals, Percussion;
Andrew Price: Bass;
Ghoufran Warlow: Piano, Percussion, Clarinet;
Ollie Owen: Guitar;
Jean-Michel Maheu: Guitar, Percussion;
Ramon Sanchez: Trumpet, Percussion, Vocals;
Jon Shepherd: Bass, Acoustic Guitar;
Keef Chemistry: Melodica, Vocals, Percussion, iPad;
Marcus Valentine: Keyboards;
As an opening track this is pretty epic. The Cube is either freezing cold or boiling hot. On this occasion it was boiling hot, as I keep indicating on super-distorted vocals. Ghoufran’s drumming is fluid, Ollie’s guitar clicks and runs free in a sea of reverb, and there’s a lovely bass groove going on amidst the swirling sound. I’ve been banging on about editing, but I only clipped about 1:45 off this long track, mainly some bars where we were out of sequence near the beginning. Somehow, miraculously, we synchronised again by the time my melodica comes into play, Jean-Michel listening and responding in the space. Marcus finds a nice organ sound, there’s a plinky piano and two complimentary guitar sounds going on, as the track finds more and more space around the halfway mark, until the drumming all but stops and Jon sparks up with some tasty acoustic guitar. Rob takes to the vocals and we get a bit proggy, with drum rolls, aahs, jangly, reverb-sodden guitar and that wonderful acoustic guitar. Rob adds some Western style whistling for good measure, while I tweak Jon’s guitar in and out of the fx. Ghoufran’s drumming is as creative as ever, maintaining, building, feeling his way unhurriedly. The instruments drop out nicely, like peeling back the layers to the core, and there’s a nice, gentle ending
Mikolaiv
2015 07 01 –
Jamie Pett: Acoustic Guitar, Piano;
Rob Hague: Bass, Trumpet, Vocals, Percussion;
Andrew Price: Bass;
Ghoufran Warlow: Piano, Percussion, Clarinet;
Ollie Owen: Guitar;
Jean-Michel Maheu: Guitar, Percussion;
Ramon Sanchez: Trumpet, Percussion, Vocals;
Jon Shepherd: Bass, Acoustic Guitar;
Keef Chemistry: Melodica, Vocals, Percussion, iPad;
Marcus Valentine: Keyboards;
The track floats in, bobbing, picking up the breeze, soon finding paths of confluence, with Marcus’ lovely open chords and those soft, picked guitars. You can hear acoustic guitar and piano clearly in the space, thanks in part to the restrained drumming and bass playing. I do my trick of setting up a hook line on melodica, soaked in wow and flutter, a way of adding something to the mix without having to do much! I ‘cheated’ a bit here, as my first attempt burst in way too loud, so I cut it out. I was doing pretty well after that until near the end, when I played a single bum note in a run. I managed to edit that out too with a little cut and paste. While the instrumentation may sound sparse, there’s plenty to enjoy, inventive drumming, nice bass lines, acoustic and electric guitar licks, tinkling piano lines. It has a gentle pulse that draws you through the track. I like tracks that leave you wanting more as it gently drifts over the horizon and leaves you in its wake
Pass The Mustard
2015 07 01 –
Jamie Pett: Acoustic Guitar, Piano;
Rob Hague: Bass, Trumpet, Vocals, Percussion;
Andrew Price: Bass;
Ghoufran Warlow: Piano, Percussion, Clarinet;
Ollie Owen: Guitar;
Jean-Michel Maheu: Guitar, Percussion;
Ramon Sanchez: Trumpet, Percussion, Vocals;
Jon Shepherd: Bass, Acoustic Guitar;
Keef Chemistry: Melodica, Vocals, Percussion, iPad;
Marcus Valentine: Keyboards;
Jon’s groovy guitar riff sets up this track, the rest of us slipping into line and supporting the structure. We have two trumpets on the go, which is a great sound. Andrew’s bass is deep and full, Marcus is on vibes, Jamie’s tinkling on piano, there’s a tambourine accompanying Ghoufran’s drums, while I make squeaky echo sounds before coming in on distorted melodica. I’m pretty happy with my discordant playing as I think it fits well with the groove notes, but I guess it’s all subjective. I’m not always happy with my contributions! Ollie adds another layer of guitar as the trumpets get back on it. This is a nice passage, picked up by some tasty bass lines. Andrew creates a melodic hook and I come back in near the end to try and top and tail the track a bit. I like the little surge at the end and the puffy interplay between the two trumpets. Snappy ending
These Strange Feelings
2015 06 10 –
Sharleena Ray: Vocals;
Ghoufran Warlow: Piano, Percussion;
Chema Gala: Sax, Percussion, Vocals;
Jean-Michel Maheu: Guitar, Percussion;
Ramon Sanchez: Trumpet, Percussion, Vocals;
Jon Shepherd: Guitar;
Keef Chemistry: Melodica, Vocals, Percussion, iPad;
Marcus Valentine: Keyboards;
This was earmarked to appear on Cubest 015, but I couldn’t fit it on without applying some serious damage to the track lengths and I feel this tune deserves its space. Ramon sets up the theme for this song on vocals, backed up by Marcus on piano. A minute or so in and the theme is complete. Sharleena comes in with her melodic voice, reinforcing Ramon’s words, the roughness of her sore throat adding vulnerability to its quality. I did a bit of ‘cheating’ here and there, as Marcus is playing by feel, making the timing a bit elastic. This lead to the odd misplaced kick drum timing, which I managed to tighten up without interfering with the structure. Sharleena’s voice is soulful and it’s a great delivery, Ramon’s voice providing good counterpoint. In comes some sensitive guitar as the cymbal sounds pick up. Ramon’s off on a meaningful exorcism of bad vibes, then as Sharleena returns with her passionate response, Ramon picks up his trumpet and the emotion expands. More cymbals crash. Ghoufran, ever experimental with the drum sound, had laid out all the cube’s cymbals over the stage and was expressing himself with this metallic sound (see the photos here: https://www.orchestra.cubecinema.com/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?Orchestra_Session_10_June_2015). Ramon and Sharleena comment on the cymbals, Ramon counting them. 14. Jean-Michel finds some feedback on guitar, Jon finds a nice riff on his guitar, as the sound slowly drops out, the vocals drifting around the soundscape, as I tweak the vocals, dipping them in and out of echo. It would have been cruel to chop up this delightful end segment, so it’s allowed to find its own path, the cymbals crashing less frequently, the keyboard chords long and lazy, a final dip into feedback on the mics. It might be a traditional approach to song construction, but it’s a corker
Freaks
2015 07 01 –
Jamie Pett: Acoustic Guitar, Piano;
Rob Hague: Bass, Trumpet, Vocals, Percussion;
Andrew Price: Bass;
Ghoufran Warlow: Piano, Percussion, Clarinet;
Ollie Owen: Guitar;
Jean-Michel Maheu: Guitar, Percussion;
Ramon Sanchez: Trumpet, Percussion, Vocals;
Jon Shepherd: Bass, Acoustic Guitar;
Keef Chemistry: Melodica, Vocals, Percussion, iPad;
Marcus Valentine: Keyboards;
The projectionists at the Cube often indicate the drawing to a close of our sessions by testing the screen while we’re still onstage. It’s a cue that our fun is coming to an end and a last chance to squeeze something in. On this occasion they were screening a trailer for the film ‘Freaks’, which gave us a good basis to sculpt our own soundtrack. My iPad spits out a loop over Ghoufran’s rolls, a trumpet parps up and Ramon introduces the film. I set up a lyrical interplay in a silly voice, shunning the freak, while those with instruments fumble out a tune. I’m repeatedly gratified by Ramon’s laughs. Marcus tinkles away on piano, jazzy, abstract, eventually settling things down, following my crooner lines, now contrite and attempting to patch things up. I like the bass. I like the piano. I like the tentative guitar. I ‘cheated’ in the bridge that Marcus cleverly introduces. Ramon says something in the original take that I thought detracted from the song, so I cut it out. This lead to an imbalance in the structure, so I repeated the second half of that passage, tweaking the odd note to provide enough difference to not sound like an exact copy. It’s the point where he says (and subsequently repeats) “The Cube”. There was little else to do and the track’s only missing about 25 seconds off the original. There’s some nice acoustic guitar with buzzing and twanging, while the tune drifts along, Ghoufran picking up his clarinet to good effect. Jean-Michel grabs some cellophane off Jon and rubs it in his fingers, the sound rolling like a scratched record. There’s a tingle of feedback as I try to boost the sound, just as the tune rolls away in a fade …
Prelude To A Quaalude
2015 07 01 –
Jamie Pett: Acoustic Guitar, Piano;
Rob Hague: Bass, Trumpet, Vocals, Percussion;
Andrew Price: Bass;
Ghoufran Warlow: Piano, Percussion, Clarinet;
Ollie Owen: Guitar;
Jean-Michel Maheu: Guitar, Percussion;
Ramon Sanchez: Trumpet, Percussion, Vocals;
Jon Shepherd: Bass, Acoustic Guitar;
Keef Chemistry: Melodica, Vocals, Percussion, iPad;
Marcus Valentine: Keyboards;
… straight into this short and sweet instrumental piece. It’s a quick morph, the vibe, the tune and the arrangement slightly different. Ghoufran’s clarinet sets the melody, while Ramon adds his distinctive trumpet sound. It’s held up by Marcus’ piano playing, assisted by sensitive bass and guitar lines, and built on with drum emphasis. Ghoufran’s clarinet rings out, expressive, and everyone drops out in a timely fashion. It has something of the feel of a Pink Floyd track and I think it’s a perfect end to this collection. I didn’t touch a thing with it, no editing at all, it is perfectly formed as is
While Cubest 016 has been moulded to some extent, there is no rush to bring any of the tracks to a close, allowing every performance space to breathe …
- keef chemistry