Music

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You may not always hear their influence in my work, but here are 4 pieces of music that have left an impression on me.

1. Miles Davis–”So What”

The first time I heard this track was in my college dorm room during my freshman year. The composition itself is sparse and Miles’s horn is haunting. It was my first exposure to music that changed my perception of what music could be.

2. Igor Stravinsky–”Right Of Spring”
Stravinsky wrote “Right Of Spring” in the early part of the century when the world was in turmoil (World War I). The piece reflects that and it shattered everything around it. It’s an incredibly complex work but it’s also primal. I think it’s one of the greatest compositions in the classical world.

3. Hans Zimmer–”Journey To The Line”
This piece was composed for the film “The Thin Red Line”. I can’t imagine the movie without it. I can’t imagine my life without hearing this piece. It’s sad, it’s heroic and it’s perfect all at the same time.

4. Brian Eno/Jon Hasell–”Delta Rain Dream”
This collaboration by Eno and Hassell led to a very unique blend of third world and modern elements. The whole album had an influence on me but I this is my favorite piece on the album. There’s something sublime about this track.

Studio Pics

I took a few quick pics in the studio. When I have more time, I’ll take some of better quality. I took these with my phone.

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I only have 2 more tracks to finish before I complete the work for my latest album. My hope is to finish it up in the next month or so.

I continue ambient explorations along with mixing in some quieter percussive elements. I’m also using guitar a bit more than the last album.

Due to being busy with other projects, I haven’t had the chance to fully devote time to the making of this album so I’ve been working on it whenever I get chance, which usually means early morning or late at night. I started working on it almost immediately after I wrapped “Subway Meditations”, so it’s been about 9 months in the making.

The last month or so I’ve found myself not spending much time working on my own compositions. Sometimes it’s good to take a break and do other things like reading books I’ve been putting off, along with trying to get some things done around the house. Walking away lets me re-energize. Last night I sat down and began working on a couple of in-progress compositions. I’m well on my way finishing up another album of material. Still, I’m trying to take my time and enjoy the process of creating. There’s no need to rush it.

You can listen to many of my tracks as full streams at http://www.last.fm/music/Michael+Bross

Looks like Oddworld is going to finally release the Oddworld Stranger’s Wrath game on PC.

http://www.neoseeker.com/news/12000-oddworld-munchs-oddysee-and-strangers-wrath-confirmed-for-pc/

This is the last Oddworld game that I composed the music for. I’ve been hoping for a while that this would happen.

I’ve been using more guitar lately on my current in-progress recordings.  Though I play and record guitar tracks on my music, I don’t consider myself a guitar player. I didn’t even pick one up until I began working on projects at Oddworld.

It’s an incredibly versatile instrument and, when used in conjunction with effects, the palette of sounds is almost endless.

Music As Painting

When creating music, I tend to approach it more as “painting” sound as opposed to “composing”. For me, this is a better analogy for what I do. I find my self very attracted to creating mood through sound “textures”. If we consider it, “texture” is a very tactile and/or visual term. It’s important in painting.

And while I’m not really thinking in visual colors when creating, I sometimes get the sense that I’m using a paint brush to create a music track’s landscape. Sound is just color that the ears can hear and these colors can be combined in an almost limitless array.

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Composer/Producer Tom Lynn has remixed a track, “Fighting Outlaws”, from the Oddworld Stranger’s Wrath soundtrack. I love it! You can check it out here at the Deep Lever site.

I just got a pleasant surprise this evening while perusing the latest Game Informer magazine (June issue). They covered the last Oddworld game I was working on when the company shut down its game development studio. With the unfortunate closure, the game, The Brutal Ballad of Fangus Klot, was canceled.

The team had been working pretty hard on it. Our timeline for the project was daunting (we planned to finish it in approx. 12-14 months) but the upside was that the team was very familiar with the game engine (it was the Stranger’s Wrath engine). I planned to take the music in a direction that reflected the darker tone of the game and had created a number of early sketches. I wish we had gotten a chance to finish the project, but it wasn’t meant to be.

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