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Selections from Continuing Worlds

by Night Mode

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Encounter 07:19
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Chase Frame 03:27
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credits

released May 16, 2023

After entering the world of analog synthesis with the MS-20 mini and "Only Mostly Dead" recordings, I went looking for a vintage analog polysynth with at least six voices with which to create a parallel project. Junos were, and remain, over my budget and prone to maintenance issues. In March 2018 I bought an Akai AX-60, first released in 1986.

I immediately made some demos inspired by the patches that came with the synth (whether they were factory presents or the previous owner's patches, I don't know). We used it on the "V for Voice" album Scott and I were working on at the time, and in November 2019 I started making recordings with it in the manner of "Only Mostly Dead"; one take, no overdubs, semi-improvised. ("Symbiosis Skin," "Inner Phase," "Arsenal of Evil," "Code Outpost.") I intended to limit myself to a double LP, around 80 minutes of music, curbing the excesses of "Only Mostly Dead."

Then the synth's power supply died, gradually, and then suddenly and finally.

The power supply converts electricity from the wall outlet into the different voltages the synth uses. At first it made cool, broken sounds ("Arrow's Light," "Worship Violations," and "Contagion Royale," all recorded in February 2020), then eventually it would not tune at all and could only produce dark, burbly crackles. This is a known issue with these instruments. The power supply borders on being under-designed and operates at the edges of its capacity, so the small disturbances, drifts, and damage that occur over time can quickly render it unuseable.

Very fortunately, a generous musician and technician going by GOLT! (www.goltsynth.com/index.html) has designed and freely published reference materials for a better power supply; you can download the materials, order a PCB and parts, and build a new power supply yourself. It took me a year and a half to do - I was interrupted by a global pandemic and several interesting musical collaborations - but that's exactly what I did, and it worked perfectly.

In September 2021 I resumed recording the pieces that have become "Continuing Worlds," and quickly blew through my self-imposed "double LP" limit. It's an inspiring instrument. Where the MS-20 is wild and unruly, and my approach to it was heady and rooted in the technical aspects of patching it, the AX-60 is warm, nostalgic, and just a little quirky, and I think my playing here has a lot of heart. Often with the shorter pieces, I would record three or four in a single evening session, capturing moments and moving on within minutes.

By April 2022 recording was finished and I had listened to and mostly sequenced several rounds of masters. Then the campaign to finish and release "Fight Songs" took over and I set "Continuing Worlds" aside. As I write in mid-May, I picked it back up less than a month ago to finish the sequencing (including narrowing down a "Selections from..." version) and make some final tweaks to the masters.

Relative to "Only Mostly Dead," "Continuing Worlds" is somewhat less excessive; equivalent to five LPs instead of six, containing many more short pieces, and having a more welcoming, less challenging timbre. Like "Only Mostly Dead" I have sequenced the project to be split into smaller listening experiences if you prefer; the break points to divide "Continuing Worlds" into five individual LPs are below. There is also "Selections from Continuing Worlds," a CD- or short double LP-length playlist of pieces from the full project designed to represent the feel, scope, and arc of the whole.

LP 1 - Victory
1. Encounter
2. Code Outpost
3. No One Among Us
4. Data One
5. Too Short Breaks
6. Arsenal of Evil
7. Conspiracy Zone
8. Symbiosis Skin
9. Elementary Silence
10. Schizoid Selection
11. Unnatural Honor

LP 2 - Zhukov
12. Contagion Royale
13. Icarus Squared
14. Peak Gray
15. Evolution of Command
16. Survivor Watch
17. Enemy Bonding
18. Trap Factor
19. Hunted Ground
20. Yesterday's Perspective
21. Sins of Allegiance
22. Transfiguration Worlds

LP 3 - Kyushu
23. Imperfect Legacy
24. Mission Loss
25. Galaxy Terror
26. Life Theory
27. Silicon Disaster
28. Unification Time
29. Worship Violations
30. Cause and Duty

LP 4 - Monitor
31. Living Effect
32. Inner Phase
33. Arrow's Light
34. Realm of Relics
35. True Chain
36. Chase Frame
37. Descent Interface

LP 5 - Pasteur
38. Inheritance of Parallels
39. Eye of Genesis
40. Must Come To

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