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The Special Guests :: Demo (2006)

stega — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 04:17:00 +0000

The Special Guests, now known as the Monotonics, are an Auckland band for whom i played bass during the first half of 2006. They are an indie band with some great tunes, written mostly by Justin and brought to life by the band as a whole.

Lineup
Justin Sherborne :: vocals/guitar
Grant Smith :: guitar
David Bergman :: drums
Stephen Gardener :: bass

These tunes were recorded live during practice, and so are a wee bit rough around the edges, but give a good idea of what we sounded like Please note that these songs are copyrighted by the band, and not released under the Creative Commons license. Saying that, feel free to download and share with whoever you want!

1. The Special Guests – Talked About It – 4.2MB
Decent jangly indie tune in the vein of the Wedding Present. Great chorus and middle section! Loved playing this song.

2. The Special Guests – Down – 4.1MB
Another tune I enjoyed playing. Usual cool guitar sounds from Grant.

Stega :: Sandpaper (2005)

stega — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 04:34:00 +0000

This mini-album is a collection of songs i wrote in 2005 in New Zealand as i was getting back into writing music again. They are similar in style to my earlier work (ie. fucking miserable), but with slightly less gated reverb (why? it sounded so nice!) and nicer synths.

Instruments/Setup

The main sequencer used here was a Yamaha RS7000, the best hardware sequencer i have used to date. I came from using a Roland MC505, which while having some ok onboard sounds, confused the hell out of me when it came to programming! From the beginning, the RS7000 just made sense. This sequenced itself (the onboard synth and sampler) and my Korg Prophecy, which was used for some of the basslines and squelchy noises. In addition, Walking Sideways features my new Telecaster, and All Around Us my acoustic guitar and mandolin.

1. Stega – Walking Sideways – 4.2 MB

I recorded several versions of this, and wasnt sure which one to release here. I went for the guitary one in the end, as i quite like the power that comes with the change to the second part. Still like the others, so one of them might turn up here at some stage.

2. Stega – All Around Us – 4.1 MB

This is the first of the new batch of songs i wrote this year. It has a slightly different sound as it was produced using a Korg Electribe, which had more thumpy drums and an overall different feel to my later equipment. Also the only song so far to feature my mandolin – although in a very subtle way. I’ve noticed people tend to pick this one as their favourite of the bunch.

3. Stega – The Lowest Point of Her Life – 5.2 MB

The first part of this song is a nice ambient dance thing, but its the second part that i am most happy with – especially the way the layered pads, the bass and the nice crisp drums sounds all interact together. One of my favourites, along with Kays Piano.

4. Stega – Deep Blue – 4.1 MB

Like the chorus on this one – lots of layered prophecy sounds. Some vocals would probably go nicely with it – just gotta develop my lyric writing skills now.

5. Stega – Gravel - 3.2 MB

Another one written earlier in the year on the MC505. Felt like doing a scratchy odd time signature song, and this was the result. Quite like the feel of this one, especially when the bass comes in, although the production is a bit crap

6. Stega – Kays Piano – 3.9 MB

This one is basically a single loop with layers and layers of sounds built up over it as the song progresses. Very pleased with this one, the rhythm, swirling textures, and of course the simple piano line. Was listening to So Said Kay by the Field Mice when i decided i wanted to create a song with that piano sound. In the end it evolved into something different than i had originally planned (as usual).

Stega :: Grey and Raining EP (1996)

stega — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 07:31:00 +0000

(Total running time – 18:17)
These songs were chosen as they were the of the few relatively finished songs I had recorded at the time. I managed to fill up several 4-track tapes between 1994 and 1996, most of it being just ideas – nice ideas, but unfinished. They were writen during a period when I was not really satisfied with life (not that I’ve ever been), and was itching to get out of the country and go and see a bit more of the world.

Instruments/Setup
Recored on my old Amiga based setup. Music X sequenced a Korg Prophecy solo synth, a Korg X5 general synth and a Yamaha RY10 drum machine. My Fender Strat was put through a Zoom multi effects unit and the lot was recorded onto a Fostex X11 4-track.

1. Stega – Desert – 3.3 MB

Quite like this one. Nice, big, dark atmospheric sound with lots of guitars – typical Stephen sound circa 1996.

2. Stega – Wait – 4.1 MB

A nice ambient dancey thing, showing off the incredible sampling capabilities of the Commodore Amiga. Also a song without any guitars. What was I thinking..?

3. Stega – Green – 2.9 MB

Two drum machines and a mellow proph sound. Nice to keep it simple sometimes.

4. Stega – Ensom – 4.3 MB

Nice squelchy Prophecy bass. Writen on a wet April afternoon when I really didn’t want to be in Wales. Or Britain. Or even Europe…

5. Stega – Treesong – 2.2 MB

This song was recorded shortly after I got my Korg X5, and is still one of my favourites. Inspired by a walk taken up a wooded hill in Wales, this is the original mono recording, as the subsequent versions just didn’t sound as good to me…