Today I decided to grab a very long extension lead and take it from my house, out into the woods. Where the lead met its maximum length I set up a few bits of equipment including my Kaoss Pad 3, the Boss RC-50 and an NXT-1 microphone and a couple of instruments. Guitar and Organ. Once I had everything set and ready to go, I just pointed the camera at the set up and pressed record. I didnt give myself any rehearsal time or use any previous ideas. Because of that sadly, one of the strings is out of tune on the guitar and I hit a wrong note on the organ. But I dont mind because that just reflects the imperfection of human kind. Or atleast thats what I’m going to say, hahaha. You can view my exploration into woodland sound and many other videos on youtube. Just search memotone. But for now, here is the new number. Please enjoy the improvisation.
What fun it will be to learn the trumpet. I have always enjoyed the sound but never had a play. So I thought I would buy one and learn how. Another sound to add to my ever growing collection. Also, on a less musical note (excuse the pun). I got my first car. Which is quite exciting. A Nissan Micra. So that should stretch my gig reach.
Its a lovely day down here in Wiltshire. The Chestnuts have nearly all been enveloped by golden leaves and all the little birds are hurrying around collecting the last of the nuts and berries befor there all gone and it’s too cold for them to venture out. These are all signs of winters approach. But I do not mind. Winter is as nice a time as any in my eyes. Just now I have been cutting wood for the fire. a very festive activity. But as I was cutting I found some good sounds. So I have also been recording the saw and axe screetching, scraping and clanging. Now I am cutting it up into a beat and adding all sorts of other things to it. Including a nice thumb piano melody, some nylon guitar, piano and the sound of me hitting my steel string with some Marimba mallets. Now I have to organise, add and take away untill I have a nice rounded piece. I will let you know when I’m finished. Merry September, William/memotone
Here is a cover idea for the album I will be soon to release. I will do a few more designs and then see which one I think best suits. But this is number one. Please let me know what you think. Cheers, memotone/Will
Hello, I have been busy working up at The Larmer Tree Gardens down here on the Dorset, Wiltshire county border where there has recently (last weekend) been a music festival called ‘End of the Road’. It was a brilliant festival that I got to enjoy for free because of the convenience of where I work as a gardener sometimes, which is The Larmer Tree Gardens. I only had to put down and pull up some matting to protect the lawns and put up and pull down some fencing and a few other jobs and I was in with a V.I.P wrist band and still got the money for my work. One can not complain in such circumstances. At the festival I saw a few good bands including Fleet Foxes, The Dirty Projectors, Soy Un Caballo, Esben and The Witch, Stardeath and White Dwarfs and more. But I was blown away by one performance. A band I had never heard of befor called ‘AU’. They were outstanding. A brilliant multi instrumentalist and singer supported by one of the best drummers I have ever heard. A sorf of Cinematic Orchestra/ Jaga Jazzist/ Thom Yorke style of music but really focused. Focused but without being to strict. You could see both performers were having a great time and really involving themselves in the music. If you ever get a chance to see them play live you must! But for now you can just visit there myspace: http://www.myspace.com/peaofthesea After there set I was lucky enough to be able to talk to one of them (Luke, the full time AU member) and he was a really nice guy. Based in Portland Oregon, which he says in an amazing place and told me to come a visit. I also got a chance to give him a CD of my own which was a nice thing to be able to do. I wonder if he ever gets back to me… All in all it was a very nice weekend and not too hard a clear up afterwards considering the weather was so nice. But now all the hard work is over and I am free to get re-involved in my creative outputs once again. So please keep an ear out! All the best, memotone/William
I have just been asked by the BBC to go into one of there studios (I am not sure which one) and perform two tracks live! How exciting! When I know more about the situation I will update. So keep an eye on this space.
This one is actually a Re-edit of a track I released with my Space Ritual EP (which you can find on itunes) called ‘The World Is Too Busy Ellen’. The new track is near enough a whole new piece just with the same final drop and is called ‘This World Is Even Busier’. You can find it here if you scroll down a bit and look on the right. Or on my myspace page at: www.myspace.com/williamyatesmusic Please let me know what you think of the piece.
I am now one track and a piece of album art away from finishing and then releasing my first album with A Future Without (www.afuturewithout.com) The album is called ‘Sleeping In Circles’ and will be my first release with the lable. Wish me luck and please spread the word. Thankyou kindly, memotone/Will
The piece is more classical in it’s arrangement of sounds than the abstract angle I have been working from recently, but I think it still gives off the same feeling as the rest of the album. It is much more about the melody rather than the rhythum. Even though there is a lot of rhythum in there its much more subtle and certainly not lead by drums. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think.
Today I will share a little family history with you. It’s quite an incredible story which leaves me with a certain amount of respect for the biggest animal killer of human beings to date. When my grandfather (who was also named William) was about 40 or so, he was shipped off to Japan to fight in World War II. They had set up a base on the edge of a great wood. One evening my grandfather got bitten by a mosquito and caught Malaria. Because of this he had to be shipped out and taken to a hostpital. On the evening he left, the camp where he was based was attacked and nearly every Britsh soldier was killed. His life was spared due to a mosquito bite and so I too am alive because of that one mosquito. Obviously you could keep taking in further and further back to find many causes for mine and my familys life, everyone’s life for that matter, it’s just funny that my life was saved by the biggest killer there is.
And for a little fun, if ever you are aware of a mosquito landing on you and you can see it. Wait for it to slide in its proboscis and then tense the limb that its on and you can actually watch the mosquito explode! (Thats a bit of a nasty thing to do but I have heard it really does work and it leaves you itch free.)
