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Essence of Passive Encouragement

by Toppus Bottomus

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Maria Bluntstone
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1.
a bit of tea 22:54
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2.
friends + family 25:23
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3.
your ride to your ziggurat (on the other side) 28:32
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about

I think about the functionality of music often. Why do we listen to what music when? A musical act that hits you wicked hard live may sound obnoxious when listening in the comfort of your own home, and music that fits really well with a certain activity may be a much more boring and perhaps even useless experience if you see a live performance of it. For as many different movements your body can make, and as many different objectives your brain might be working on, there is a similarly infinite range of music that can harmonize with you in any given situation.

And so, this is an album for those times when one would like to enjoy the simple company of sound while completing a wide spectrum of tasks. Life is short, and I'm sure there are activities you would like to, or feel you must do now. I sought to produce a long piece of sound that could accompany you while you go ahead and do your thing. I like to think of it as a potion, some sort of empowering scent that fills the room. "Essence of Passive Encouragement".

Whether one might be trying to sleep, cook, garden, sex, relax, bike, read, meditate, play a game, solve a puzzle, craft, trip out, write, pray, think, or what have you, maybe these sounds will be able to keep you comfortable and subtly stimulated without distracting you too much. (if you're looking for a distraction, I advise you to seek sounds outside of this album. This will test your patience if you need the music to move on to the next thing.)

I realize that the vibraphone is a strange choice of instrument for "furniture music", since it's sudden attack can startle and jolt. Yet it is a very beautiful sort of sound with many colliding overtones that could maybe even entertain some one who might want to complete the task of being entertained by 'music'.
This is a magical instrument, and I believe the purity of the tones within have powers . Are these healing powers? Can these sounds be medicinal? Have I failed my goal only to stumble upon an even greater success??

< I'm very curious as to how this music strikes you, please let me know what your experience has been like with it. This is an experiment! and YOU are an essential part of the conclusionary process.



This album is part 1 of the "whatever works series", a planned series of functional recordings intended to help the listener achieve some thing beyond entertainment.
And since my motto while recording this is "whatever works", it just may not :)

credits

released May 2, 2015

Vibraphone parts recorded in Ellicotville, NY 4/25/15
Mellotron and Violin recorded in Buffalo, NY 4/29/15

All sounds were improvised, then pieced together on audacity.
"your ride to your ziggurat" was recorded as-is on an eraserheadless tape recorder.

Toppus Bottomus- vibraphone (all tracks) , mellotron flute (track 2)
Ana Vafai- violin (track 2)

license

all rights reserved

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about

Shane "Bray" Kerr image

Shane "Bray" Kerr

SbK plays and records music alone and with others, sometimes using the moniker Toppus Bottomus. thanks for listening :)

go to muchband.bandcamp.com for recordings by Much Band

e-mail:
shanethekerr@gmail.com ... more

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