Zen in a Nightclub - 'The Four Winds' - Collaborations now open!

Zen in a Nightclub presents...
The Four Winds - Collaborations now open!

Heya peeps, I hope you're all holding up in your various circumstances in these most trying of times. I'm motivated to get a collective musical activity together to give you all something to do. 



I will now start to collect new materials for the next free net-label release of the Zen in a Nightclub project by Güve Recordings ( http://patreon.com/guve ) - ZIANC is an international collaboration project which allows any interested party to provide improvisation and free-form of any instrument or vocals for loop tracks. These collaborations are then mixed, produced and mastered down into a 'song' by myself. It's a celebration of what happens to us when we let go! We let go of this idea and need to control music and life and we just flow!

I will be making it inline with the first release's format. That is, I make a loop track that lasts about 6 minutes and people send me back improvisations with any instrument or vocal (free-form and free-style and poetry included), and I mix the improvisations with the loops and make it into a 'song'. Some of the tracks specialize in odd rhythms and world music elements.

If you want to get an idea of how it was done the first time, here is the first release - The Mass Pursuit of Nothingness - https://silentflow.org/release/zian-the-mass-pursuit-of-nothingness/ - It is also how the track 'Bells' was made in the second release aptly names 'Bells' which was intended for the first release but took longer than expected. (See: https://soundcloud.com/zeninanightclub/bells-feat-maeve-rose )

I have posted the 6 loop tracks for collaboration below - They are creative commons licensed for non-commercial use and attribution.

Anyone with interest downloads the track then sends me back their improv as a Wave file (at least 44100 16bit) as a separate track and also a mixed mp3 or wave as a reference track (so I know how the pieces fit). Please do your best to make the recordings as higher quality as possible (eg, away from busy roads, with isolation (we're all familiar with that word at the moment, )).

I've have gained considerable knowledge in mixing and mastering since the first release last year, therefore the quality of the third release will be superior. Markedly with the help of the Kitchen. So thank you all for being so amazing!

It's a bit of fun and it's all about improvisation and free-form. It's about channeling other dimensions and allowing the music to flow through us like an electrical conduit.

Email for contact is zeninanightclub@gmail.com

Send me an email to let me know you are interested. I will be collecting improvisations over the next month and into May!

Here is the link to the second release 'Bells' which happened this year, this was a slightly different method to the first one, and just included tracks that had elements of improvisation - https://silentflow.org/release/zen-in-a-nightclub-bells/

** Disclaimer: Please don't expect your entire track to be used. (though it just may happen!) This can also give you a right to relax because that's where good improvisation comes from - a relaxed mind. For example, you may be afraid I won't use your track at all - It's ok if the first half sounded mediocre, sometimes it takes time to warm to the track, even if you've practiced a bit with it.

I will be on some level of communication to make sure you are happy with what I have used, however I must also say, please don't forget to have fun!

I'll be grateful to you and you be grateful to me. We gift each other with the service of ourselves. Deal?  

and having said all this, I'm a pretty easy going guy so let's just make some great music!

Without further rattling, here are the loop tracks for you to improvise over!

**EDIT: (all loop files are under a creative commons licence - Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International - non-commercial use with attribution)

1. 31/03/2020 - First loop has been produced - It is a 25 beat rhythm in Mi/E Mixolydian or Major, depending on how you want to interpret it, you can also go on whatever tangent you see fit. At 3.05 marker the loop has a small addition of some top end guitar and a La/A added to the violin.
https://files.fm/f/trq6f688

2. 04/04/2020 - It's a totally Jazzy/Funky F/Fa - Violin and skat come in at about 45 seconds. Extra scat and top end guitar bit comes in after the 3.10 minute mark
https://files.fm/f/breqyw6a

3. 04/04/2020 - Fast Tribal 4/4 in La/A - this is a basic traditional 4/4 rhythm suited to percussive styles. The droning note comes in about 0.50 second mark and some tambourine comes in about the 3.03 mark
https://files.fm/f/5sddy44s

4. 06/04/2020 - Loop number 4 is a Manouche Style in G (gypsy jazz)- Suits modes minor or dorian and also Romanian! Starts with geetar, drums come in at 0.19, Vocal bits come in at 0.53, Violin pizzazz comes in at 1.44, pizzicato enters at 3.10 - https://files.fm/f/37jdyry5 (edit again: @Bill from November Sound has suggested to use A=446hz for this one. My honky tonk guitar and its nuances!)

5. 07/04/2020 - Loop number 5 is a 10/8 beat rhythm in D - will suit many different minor modes/scales but I recommend trying a D Dominant Phrygian! Vocals start to fade in about 0.31, Rhythmic violin at 1.48, and some high rhythmic violin at 3.04 - https://files.fm/f/fm7qr7ug

6. 08/04/2020 It's a happy 1-2 rhythm in La or A, it's almost reggae. Well I figured there was enough minor stuff here and I didn't want to scare you all off with yet another eastern sounding track (which by the way, you should totally try your hands/voices at!) Starts with piano, drums come in at 0.31, guitar comes in at 1.17 and high end piano duads in at 2.00 - those guitar and drum tracks are live! I used the loop pedal for the piano parts only! (say, thank you Monty)
https://files.fm/f/7qyyjthf

=========

Depending on how many improvs/freeform tracks I receive for each loop I can mix as many as I receive into the loop to make a song. I will fill in any gaps with my own musicianship. I will make an invitation to previous collaborators using the link to the topic and also as a post on my peakd.com blog (when all loop are ready and links are present, lined up and ready). Due to my double loop pedal usage for making the loops I can now keep all elements of the loop separate in mix and therefore fade different parts in and out to make a more interesting song when it comes to mixing.

Use a file sharing service (I use files.fm which is also great for free) and send me the link to your separate WAV file of the instrument and then also the mp3 reference track to zeninanightclub@gmail.com - After all the loops have been made and a decent amount of time has been allowed for contributions, a release will be had online as a free net-label release!

If you want to do more than one improv for a track with a different instrument or vocals. Go for it! 

If you want to send something for every track or even multiple improvs for all the tracks. Go for it! 


If you want to make an entire track yourself based on the loop itself and send it back as part of the release, email zeninanightclub@gmail.com and request the separate Wav files for each track!

If you want to remix a track at the end or any stage of development! That's great too! Get in contact!

To put it all together is actually a lot of work, and that's ok! I enjoy making all the different elements fit snuggly in a vast bazaar menagerie, like some twisted and yet harmonious puzzle of infinite resplendent light! I do it for the passion!



Happy improvising!

If you would like to support the engine behind this project and others like it on a monetary basis, you are free to do so at: http://patreon.com/guve

ps. In the first release I was consumed with the idea of 430hz tuning for middle A or La. I must now tell you I have got over my pseudo-spiritual belief that this means anything and have decided to join the rest of the world! WOOHOO! 440 hz it is! Fear not my friends! Fear not!

One more note!

  Visual Artists/Film makers gather and abound!

This is also a great opportunity for visual artists, photographers, video makers/producers - the first release attracted considerable attention for this and artworks, photos and videos were made in conjunction with it.

So if you'd like to contribute in a visual way! Let's do that too!

See the Zen in Nightclub youtube channel here which illustrates some of the visuals used and created - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtzfI3gJm10JzXZZHv2Bxrw/videos - Photography and artworks were used to make video clips as well as film maker Tom Horn making videos from stock footage for others!

And the cover arts for Soundcloud here for individual tracks etc - https://soundcloud.com/zeninanightclub

See the way Elif Zeynep Karagoz's artwork has been used on the Silent Flow release https://silentflow.org/release/zian-the-mass-pursuit-of-nothingness/
And on the Archive.org releases - https://archive.org/details/zeninanightclub-themasspursuitofnothingness - and - https://archive.org/details/themassproduceofnothingness

Have any ideas on new ways other arts can be involved? Let's include them!

Interesting call @Monty Cash Music   - musically I am interested to cooperate, as mentioned before. What about credits and copyrights? Would you consider Creative Commons for the collective use?

@oorlab

I only do creative commons. There is no music sold.

It is available for free.

If you're a commercial person looking to make money, this is not for you, this is for passion.

I'm not getting paid and you're not getting paid.

But your name will be in it and it will be an amazing community collaboration.

It is a free netlabel release.

@Monty Cash Music  - okay.
You know I am not a commercial person too - I earn my bread as a librarian. But some projects could earn some musicians down the line some living, so I am not against musicians making money.
So the question to you is, which CC licence - CCBY SA or CCBYSANC
(notice the subtle difference - always happy to follow up on this in a PM conv).
Cheers!
D

@oorlab

I honestly don't want to think of this at all. It kills my motivation to do the project.

The industry is a disease that should be wiped from the face of this planet to purify the definition of music again.

I normally say creative commons license 4.

@Monty Cash Music

great project! thanks for sharing this idea with the kitchen 

i would be interested to try to add something, and i won't be offended if choose not to use it, because i have no clue  what i am doing most of the time :-)

but i will have fun trying to add something, so...keep me in the loop, okay?

@Dutchbeat Sounds good! I'll keep you in the loop! (mind the pun)

Bump! I've edited the initial post and placed a download link for the first loop. @oorlab @Dutchbeat more loops coming soon! Invite your friends! Also suggest a loop style if you want something specific as I am in the process of making them now.

I visited the electronics shop today and bought some bits and bobs to combine the switches on the loop pedals so I don't have to use the rulex. The timing was often a split second out when using the rulex, so I had to fix this - because a split second over many loops makes for a sad loop! 

But now all the loops can be happy! 

I've had a request from a jazz singer in Enschede to make a Jazzy loop in F, so that's next.

hi @Monty Cash Music , i am going to download the loop of the first track ...so...Stand back 

all right, that sounds good    ,
this also sounds like @budhabuilding might want to dive into...

but let Dutchbeat ... pump it up first! 
the synths are warming up out here...(stand back)

great project @Monty Cash Music 

@Dutchbeat Awesome! Number 2 is now uploaded!

It's a totally Jazzy/Funky F/Fa - Violin and skat come in at about 45 seconds. Extra scat and top end guitar bit comes in after the 3.10 minute mark
https://files.fm/f/breqyw6a

@Dutchbeat Awesome! Number 2 is now uploaded!

It's a totally Jazzy/Funky F/Fa - Violin and skat come in at about 45 seconds. Extra scat and top end guitar bit comes in after the 3.10 minute mark
https://files.fm/f/breqyw6a

I think I can play a bit with this track. 
@Monty Cash Music I'll jam on it and email you some stuff. You can cut it up anyway you want.
(I also can do specific things if you have anything in mind that you are looking for)

@Bill from November Sound

Sounds great man! Nothing specific expected, just free your mind! 

New loop already again!

Fast Tribal 4/4 in La/A - this is a basic traditional 4/4 rhythm suited to percussive styles. The droning note comes in about 0.50 second mark and some tambourine comes in about the 3.03 mark
https://files.fm/f/5sddy44s

Three more loops to go! Don't be shy for suggestions!