The { movement 1 } EP Story

So after having spent a great deal of time working on this album, making it the highest quality possible, I have decided that buying my CD is now one way to obtain my work...

I'll explain.

I want to be able to get my music in as many people's hands (or ears as it were) as I possibly can. And I want to make it available in many flavors. Afterall, some of you may only want instant gratification by download, while others might appreciate higher quality audio. Therefore, listed below are three means by which to experience my work.

Now, for the flavor(s) part...

Free : 128 kbps bitrate, direct download of the EP tracks

$5 : 192 kbps bitrate, direct download of a collection of 13 songs

$15 : 320 kbps bitrate (full CD quality), 2 CD set with full packaging, liner notes, graphics, autograph, shipped to your door in the lower US 48 states

The first free EP should be out within the next week.......

Stay tuned!

The { movement 1 } Story

I have been busy the last couple of days making my list and checking it twice (LIST = dance companies, record labels, publishing companies, licensing companies) and preparing to send them my music.

Building these albums from scratch has been a learning experience to say the least.

I chose to use Jewelboxing for my jewel cases/labels/j-card inserts, since they proved to have the most comprehensive solution I could find. The cases are built like tanks. The paper for the inserts is of superb quality. And the templates they provide for your graphics editing program are laid out nicely. I admit it was a bit of a hassle getting my printer to do what I wanted it to do with my graphics at first, but after several attempts I think I have settled on a method. Jewelboxing even posted a little write-up about me and my album on their site. Check it out if you are intersted : A Favorite of the Chimps. Once printed, the inserts fit like a glove, and the case snaps together with some reassuring clicks. Once assembled it feels very substantial in hand. Not like those other wimpy @ssed cases out there! Ha ha

Now that the case was complete, all I had to do was write some quality music. Well, that actually took me about a year, but I think I have put together some tracks that will will appeal to a wide variety of people (yourself included!). The idea for this album came from being an audience member at a Compagnie Felix Ruckert performance in Chicago during the Fall of 2003. Entitled Tools | Consulto, at one point there were nearly 40 bodies on stage at once moving to the music created by a laptop and a mixer. Having played music for nearly 15 years myself, and having long been a fan of electronic music, this progression into my own electronic music creation was only natural. The title, { movement 1 }, came from the fact that I wanted to create a number of pieces that might some day themselves be used by choreographers/dance companies. Each song has its own unique story that I may share here at some further point. But for now, just know that each was a labor of love and I want to thank everyone who helped, encouraged, and supported me during this journey. Here's to the future and more collaborations! Thank you.

In all, including the bonus CD, there are 13 tracks and over 110 minutes worth of music. Not too shabby eh?! Check it out if you get a moment, and let me know what you all think.

I am now busy working on some new material that I will be discussing here in more detail : recording techniques, sounds used, mixing notes, mastering notes, etc.

And hey, if you are lucky, I might even post clips right here for you all to hear first!

Anyway, thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and read what I'm up to. Check back often if you'd like. Post if you'd like. Either way, I hope you enjoy what you see/hear/read.

Peace - Benjamin