Background Activity is a selection of songs written and produced during the creation of Distant Activity (2007 – 2008) that were not included on the album itself.
During the creation of Distant Activity, there were a number of songs written and produced that didn’t make the final cut. Some went on to be released as part of other projects (namely, The Dawn EP). Some tracks were a little too quirky. Some didn’t fit with the overall aesthetic of the album. Some just wouldn’t have fit on the album. As time passed, these tracks remained archived and untouched – a curious reminder of musical and emotional ideas that were never intended to see the light of day.
As such, Background Activity is a revisiting of the period during which Distant Activity was created. All unreleased tracks are presented in their original state – rough edges and all – as a musical time capsule for anyone interested in hearing some of the ideas that paved the way for the completion of the full album itself.
Happy birthday to me!
Rather than hog all of the birthday fun, I thought it’d be nice to share a little gift with all of you. As such, I’ve released a free selection of songs which, for one reason or another, never made it onto Distant Activity. This selection of out-takes (handily packaged together as an EP titled Background Activity) is a small selection of material which was written around the same time as Distant Activity but – for whatever reason (some songs didn’t fit the overall album’s aesthetic, some were a little too quirky and some simply wouldn’t have fit on the album at all) – were simply not included on the final album.
You can listen to and download this free EP over at Bandcamp.
3 thoughts on “Background Activity: A free selection of Distant Activity out-takes”
I know its been awhile, but I just saw your Masteraclass for Propellerheads Music Making Month from May 2011 and thought I would give you a visit on your homepage to see what you have been up to, since I quite like the class. And here it is…a free EP from you for your birthday. Thats something totally unexpected, but VERY nice of you. Going to give it a listen when I get some sleep. It is 7AM here now. But it has been worth it. Thanks for the masterclass and the music.
Glad you liked the Masterclass, and I hope you enjoy the EP! One of these days I’d love to do some tutorials of my own, but I just can’t find the time at the moment. Definitely something I’d love to do again though, maybe without the technical headache of doing a live stream this time. Thanks for the kind words.
Tutorial would be nice. Even though I am not a Reason user there is still plenty of general info I can use…or anyone else. Just about to organize a day of music composing with few people. We will gather and work on our own stuff and learn from each other few tips and tricks along the way. Sort of like a GameJams some game devs are doing. The idea is to inspire, work and learn. This first time it will be really small, just four or five people, to see how it will go. But for the possible future gatherings I would like to invite more people and will see. One problem I am experiencing is that I just dont have time at home to compose (wife, kids), so this will be my runaway day for composing out of home with similar-minded people.