Background
When I sat down on my keyboard a few weeks ago this song sprang organically with little planning or forethought. By the time my keyboard work was done I not only had no sonic room for BiaB but despite my best attempts I couldn’t get BiaB to fit at all. I’ve noticed a few others that have posted songs here with no BiaB content so I guess I’m in good company. Nonetheless, I’m a bit disappointed in myself for this reason plus it really didn’t turn out like I had hoped. The other thing that happened is that I ended up with little sonic space for my bass which is the last element I add in my workflow. In this regard I kind of painted myself in a corner; not sure if anyone can relate.

This song is about an unknown world somewhere in our galaxy where diamond-like crystals fall upward, grind upon each other in a caustic atmosphere and form colorful cloud-like objects from the resulting powder. Its two moons are in a state of continual gravitational battle with this world such that their crusts are being ripped apart continually. The only thing that is relatively stable are lakes of an acidic liquid that float a few feet above the rocky surface. Life as we know it cannot possibly survive here but life is present.

An Unknown World

Technicals
60 BPM
Key D, Dm or something else with a D in it I think

Korg:
Drum Groove
Vibraphone
Acoustic Piano
Synth Guitar
Erhu
Strings
Synth

Studio One:
Percussion Sequencer

Bass Guitar:
My Fender Jazz Bass

Thanks for listening if you do and comments always welcome; I learn much from those that comment.

PS> Anyone interested in collaborating in this genre or other, send a PM.

BT,

Interesting and creative.
Some nice ebb and flow.
Your bass sounds really good (especially towards the end).
A lot going on. It holds together nicely.
I imagine you had fun piecing this together...
fj

You have a very cool sound here. I could easily hear this on a sci-fi soundtrack.

Great work.

Bob

Hi Bass Thumper,

All you wrote in your introduction looked like an excuse for not making a song, but you did!
And what a song it is. The repetition of the melody worked out very interesting.
At first I thought "well, that's enough, but while it was continuing in a Trance or hypnotising way, a lot of interesting things happened
Very fascinating to listen to. And I liked it more and more.
For instance, your endplay with the drums and bass from 4:39 to the end was very good.
And at the end that 'machinegun percussion' from the beginning showed up again.
This certainly must be from another galaxy...
And you translated their fybes in a fantastic way!

Thumbs up!
Hans

Interesting!

Songs can take a life of their own - there's plenty of time where I have a vision for a song that ends up taking an unexpected twist somewhere along the way. It's better to follow that path than try making it something it doesn't want to be.

I like how the music stays coherent and maintains direction despite not having a melody.

Many thanks for the listen fj,
Yeah, there was a lot of piecing together for sure. I started with a Korg drum groove then added vibraphone and kept going.
I think the drum groove put me on a path that made including BiaB content difficult.

I really like the changes and the return of the BBB BBB BBB percussion.
From around the 4.39 mark where the bass seems to be more constant appeals to me most.
COOL.

Hi Steve
Interesting, unusual song that makes your description to this world audible.
Good sounding sound experiment with lots of good ideas.
Many greetings
Andi ;-)

Thanks Bob, I appreciate the comment.
Seen any good sci-fi films lately?

Thanks so much Hans,
I always seem to struggle with the repetition thing. Personally I like repetition especially in instrumentals as it gives my brain time to imagine something. But others think repetition is monotonous. So I try to to inject various elements to keep it flowing forward. All this for me is experimentation and fun. Thanks again for the kind words.

I am a huge Sci-fi and fantasy fan, both books, movies, and music.
This would fit perfectly in a sci-fi movie. Picture if you will this being played as a team of space explorers examine a new planet.
Loved that eerie part near the end - brilliant.
Outstanding song!

Hello B.T.

Contrary to Mario, I'm not much of a Sci-Fi fan, other than a few of the "Twilight Zone" episodes way back when. Nonetheless, I find many of the musical scores very entertaining. And this one is now among that select group. Very nicely done! Some songs don't need a melody per se. I just finished three that are nothing more than musical beds for a small performance group. Create a memorable mood rather than a memorable melody, I was told. I think they turned out pretty good.

Yours turned out most excellently. I enjoyed it very much. I liked how the overall drive slowly faded near and at the end, yet the exotic ambiance remained. Very nicely done!

Best to you.

Alan

Wow! First I loved the explanation. In some ways I can relate, but there's always room for bass. I can certainly relate to your idea of an unknown world, and, like in the works of my favorite soundscape artist, Mario, I can actually hear those diamonds being made and sense a new form of life being created. Lots of cool, crazy stuff going on in there, Steve, and you make it all work brilliantly. I particularly like the outro with the interaction of drums and bass.

I think this sounds very good, definitely soundtrack material.

Great composition and arranging.

Where did the picture come from? Maybe you mentioned but I missed it. Too busy listening.

That's what distinguished the pioneers of this music like Kraftwerk or Tangerine Dream back then.
And you did that really well, especially in the second half of the song.
Good stuff!

Excellent opening. Unique sound, which I love. All the elements have come together well. Placement of sounds works and creates a heightened interest. Cool, cool, cool!

All, many, many thanks for the feedback and words of encouragement. I felt bad that no BiaB content is present but I simply couldn't figure out how to make that work. I think starting with my keyboard percussion locked me out of BiaB . . . always a lesson to be learned

Mario, I too am a Sci-Fi enthusiest . . . live long and prosper

Alan, Rod Searling? He had a great mind for sure.

Marty, I certainly hope there's room for bass, if not, I really messed up!

David, the picture came from the new MS Edge browser where they have now embedded an AI app called Bing.

BD, I never heard of Kraftwerk or Tangerine Dream, I'll have to check them out. Do you have a favorite track from them?

Storm, I give credit to my keyboard for the various sound elements, it provides quite a pallette to work from.

It is amazing how some of the songs just come out of nowhere. Very enjoyable. Excellent tune...

Bass Thumper

No apology needed! The fact that you are conscientious to be concerned about posting with no BIAB tracks says a lot! Sometimes they are not going to fit the vision for the tune. As for me, I will always try to include at least one Realtrack because PG music has provided the stage for presenting the music!
As for your track, It is a mesmerizing piece that has a strange way of holding my attention all the way through! It sounds great and you did a masterful job of putting it all together!

Thanks, TB