David Purser AKA Alpine Sprite from North Cambridgeshire Fens is another person I have come across on Soundcloud. He uses British analogue synths where possible and writes his own music as well as doing classical interpretations, though he admits that they have been taken over his production. He is currently working on Jupiter from Holsts the Planets suite

The piece which is highlighted here is by Ralph Vaughan Williams and called the Wasps, this is a piece that have not heard before but this is what Wikipedia says about it :

“The Wasps is incidental music composed by the British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1909. It was written for a production of Aristophanes’ The Wasps at Trinity College, Cambridge, and was Vaughan Williams’ first of only two forays into incidental music. A later performance of the work was one of only a small number of performances conducted by Williams that was committed to a recording”

David certainly puts his analogue gearthrough their paces with this work.
The Wasps by Alpine Sprite

In addition to the Wasps, David has also produced a version of the Danse Macabre by Saint Saens, a piece which I’m very familar with and got about half way through myself before before shelving it due to lack of time.

He gives a spirited performance (excuse the pun) on his analogue gear, in what he calls  “A fairly straight rendition”, sounds good to me. Have a listen below and enjoy.

Danse Macabre by Alpine Sprite

Mike was also recently interviewed by Nick Batt at SonicState.com in a 30 minute video piece for the Xmas holidays which can be seen here http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2011/12/28/podcast-sonic-talk-249-synthesizing-the-planets-/. In a very interesting interview Mike explains his background and how he creates his music, the synths he uses and techniques he employs.

Mike says that he now hopes to complete the whole Planets Suite by May 2012 and release it for sale.

But like they say a picture is worth a 1000 words and in music the audio is worth more , so on with the music below
Venus by Mike Leghorn

Jupiter by Mike Leghorn

Steve Kay AKA Music Inc is another electronic artist that I have come across through Soundcloud. Steve has been doing classical interpretation for some while starting with an Atari and a Casio CZ101, then Korg Poly800 and gradually upgrading equipment and techniques over the years and now using Soft Synths along with Kawai K1M and a Yamaha VL70m synths.

Steve is a big fan of electronic music and has had an extensive library of records over the years, all of which has helped him create his sound

Below is an excellent example of Steves work, Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor. More of his works can be heard on his Soundcloud page http://soundcloud.com/music-inc

Toccata and Fugue in D minor – Bach/Music Inc. by Music Inc.

William, who is based in Japan says that he creates all of his music by composing it and planning it out on a piano before getting near a computer or synth

He goes on to say “Its not based on any composers’ styles specifically, but I would claim Beethoven as a main inspiration, Dvorak too. I have listened to, studied almost, a lot of classical/baroque/romantic era music over the years, though. However, I don’t think it compares to them and I am not trying to emulate them directly. I just like the idea of making melodically and harmonically beautiful music with the tonal capabilities of synthesizer.  I use analog synths to record Nikmis. Right now I am using a Roland Sh-101 and an MFB kraftzwerg, which is a small semi-modular analog. A couple of years ago I was using a collection of DIY synthesizer modules in frac-rack format. I moved to Japan a year ago and couldn’t take them with me, because although the electronics were well made, the cases were of poor quality. My DAW for mixing, effects, mastering and some sequencing is Jeskola buzz, freeware tracker.”

Below are a couple of Williams tracks, more of which are on his soundcloud page http://soundcloud.com/nikmis
have a listen and enjoy
Nishi by nikmis

Chyup by nikmis

It has sections for new music and the musicians that create it in the Classictronic section, a Section for Iaso Tomita, Wendy Carlos, Other Past Masters and a buy and sell section if your buying or selling old (or new) records, CD’s etc.

So pop on over and start a topic and lets get more interest in our music style built up

Mike has said that he is hoping to complete the whole suite by April 2012, which I for one will be looking forward to.

Have a listen to it below.

Mars by Mike Leghorn

It seems I have been bitten by the Carnival of the Animals .

After doing Aquarium I have been toying with several of the other pieces from the suite and to that effect I did a version of Fossils, again this is very well known piece which is more commonly seen accompanying videos/films of bones and skeletons. Its also very short at just over 1:17.

This was made again primarily with the Arturia Origin digital hardware modular synth but also with help from Reaktor, u-he ACE and Arturia ARP 2600V again. Effects provided by the EHX Cathedral, Line 6 M13, Eventide Pitchfactor and Digitech Timebender.

Fossils : Tomita Classitronic version by paulshillito

Igor Vitkevich has a new album available for download based on Visions Fugitives” (Op. 22) by Sergey Prokofiev.

Igor said this of the new album :

Music of “Visions Fugitives” is very similar to soundtracks to dreams, on my look. So you can look at BORROWED DREAMS as a certain catalog of the company which lets out such specific product as DREAMS BY REQUEST. No more uncontrolled dreams! You lie down in bed, connect “dreamvision”, choose number in the catalog, for example “a dream № 379″ and press “play” or “sleep”.  It is very “intimate” music,with fragile character, full of semitones, twilights, incomplete lines… I  wanted to keep spirit of this work very much and I hope that it has turned out.

The result is a great sounding album with many of Igor’s characteristic sounds, a sample of which can be heard with Dream 6 below.

Borrowed Dreams is available from many major online music retailers and from Igor’s website http://www.ivitkevich.net/#!gallery/vstc2=page-5

Dream 6 by IGOR VITKEVICH

A very nice light and airy piece with a great  atmosphere, well up to Mikes usual standards.

Mercury by Mike Leghorn

I can hardly believe it but Aquarium is to be played on BBC Radio Essex Introducing on 2 Sept 2011 7pm, a show for unsigned acts. Looking at the track listing, mine must be a bit of an inverse culture shock on a show playing the lastest Dub, rap, techno and electronica.

I uploaded the track on the off chance that it might get heard by someone, then they said that it would be the played as the last track of the show, always a good slot to be to first or the last.

So it goes to show that we can get on to major radio stations

EDIT : They actually opened the show with the track and said that is was amazing !, which made my day