Deeper Methodology

Experimental, creative, daring, strange and fresh. Just a few words to describe Stephen Lorys work. Hailing from New York City, Stephen has been creating electronic music since the 80s. Some of the gear Stephen uses to create his music is a Roland JX-8p, a Native Instruments Machine, an Akai MPC Element, a Yamaha WX7 wind controller, and a Yamaha KX8. Normally we would give you a brief explanation of our release but this time we think Stephen Lorys own words covers the description best: 'I wish I could give you specific information about the creation of any of the songs I composed but I just have too large an inventory to have any specific memory. Nor can I guess why I am pushed to create music or invoke the spiritual direction of a divine being or black witch. Perhaps, it is just an pleasurable release for me and a trivial hobby. It is important that I am grounded in reality. I can tell you about where I obtain inspiration. Duke Ellington wrote an article for Downbeat Magazine in 1962 titled 'the Art is in the Cooking'. In this article he makes the obvious references to gathering his ingredients and blending them with one another. He also discards the shackles of genre and encouraged breaking away from traditional song structures. Given the luxury of ignoring the wishes of an audience, the freedom to ignore genre and tight structure opens new possibilities for me. Should my music fall squarely inside a musical genre, which is more complex a pathology than acknowledged, is a result of my own sensibilities rather than any conscious plan on my part. Like the Duke, I can choose my soloists based upon the sounds where they excel. While not a single one of my soloists can match the skill of a Ray Nance or Johnny Hodges, I can choose a monophonic synth or an ethnic instrument unavailable to his orchestra. My music sometimes starts with a process I wish to explore. I might want to play riffs, edit midi notes, acidize the result, and use pitch markers to create a progression. There are a multitude of techniques available and I am always searching for a new one. However, I am often channeling music that has stuck with me over the years, While I never try to duplicate or steal currency the fundamental ideas push me ahead. Two examples are Freddy Hubbards trombone solo in the song, Stolen Moments or the point counterpoint of between the hollow bass of Jaco Pastorious and the voice of Joni Mitchell. Maybe I'll just pick up on the polorythms. Like new age musicians I am apt to start with a sound as the foundation to my track. In my head, I place that sound on a frequency map, and search for other sounds which will preserve the presence of the first sound. As often, I will start with an improvised groove, either constructed on a piano roll or just improvised and layer sounds to enhance the groove. I find the pads of a groovebox such as Machine to be a musical instrument that requires a skilled practitioner. It is as legitimate an instrument as an electric piano or a concert violin.' Enjoy this fantastic and special album by Stephen Lory!