New Age (Comments Please)

[aldicicco]

Hi Everyone,I'm considering submitting this tune for the following listing:NEW LISTING - NEW AGE INSTRUMENTALS that are relaxing, melodic and not toodark are needed by an Austrian Production Company with Major Distribution.Once again, this company needs a fresh batch of fantastic New AgeInstrumentals for a comp CD that will be marketed and distributed toEuropean Wellness Hotels. While the tone needs to be very relaxing andsoothing, the company would also like to hear some interesting and uniquemelodic/production approaches. These arrangements should be simple but notstark - full instrumentation, not solo, will be preferable. Instrumentalsonly for this one, please. Great performances are needed as always andthese tracks must be broadcast quality. Their deal is a non-exclusivelicense along with mechanical royalties paid per unit sold. Please submitone to three songs online or per CD. All submissions will be screened on aYES/NO BASIS - NO CRITIQUES FROM TAXI - and must be received no later thanDecember 26, 2008.TAXI # Y081226NAI am recording this as a single take, so I'll take the best performance I can come up with. I wrote this song being inspired by the patch I was using. It seemed ideal at the time.I'm interested in your thoughts regarding the patch sound, whether this tune is New Age (and not too dark) and any other thought you might have to make this more effective (i.e, mix).www.taxi.com/aldiciccoSEASON OF TIMEAs always, thanks in advance for your help here.Best wishes,Al

[cjdenecia]

hey man .... the listing says "not too stark" .... sorry - you have created a melody and a vibe that is not relaxing and is quite stark.in a very cool and wonderful way I might add ... there's lots to grab onto and lots to relate to in the presentation and the performance but to even think for a second that it's relaxing in any way - or for that matter - new age - by nearly any standards, to me, seems odd.it's a very very dynamic piece. full of emotion and full of life. yes, dark - but on the other hand very hopeful. but soothing? only if you have just done 3 straight days at the ramones revival weekend. and you don't wanna come all the way down too fast ... it's melodically smart. I dig it. but according to what I read here, if you're just looking to throw away 5 bucks, send it to me - with the exchange rate being what it is right now quid to dollar, I can buy a pint and have some shrapnel left over ... and I enjoyed the listen to boot and that's more than you'll get from submitting this song to this listing if they pay attention to what they say they do (matching songs to listings)btw - what exactly were you smoking when you figured this tune was a good match for this? cus there's a market for that.

[ideascapes]

Ciao Al,Kudos for playing this live in one take! I think cj is right--it's probably too stark, and although the patch is rich/interesting and you have some great melodic ideas, there's probably not "full instrumentation," as the listing calls for. Maybe if you had a rhythmic bed going underneath and another instrument to carry the melody occasionally (soprano sax?), it'd work for their needs.Rather than taking our word for it, though, you might search the "Forward" forum for past successes. This listing sounds very familiar and I think variations of it have run numerous times. If you search the other forum, you can probably listen to others who've met the criteria in the past. For somebody of your talent, the secret is more in matching the listing rather than turning out quality work ('cuz you do).Hope this helps!Vince

[silvercord]

Althis is a very beautiful, lush piece.I hear it in many applications. esp in soundtrack. even a nocturnal wintery holiday piece. Vangelis eat your heart out..this would work just as good asthe romantic scene in Blade Runner.although this may not be up the new age listing's alley,i fee this one will def. find its way into a library!

[wrdsnmuzik]

I second the general consensus: that this is a good and interesting piece, but veers a bit too much into slightly dissonant territory to be 'new age'--one chord in particular at the end of each 'verse' stands out as unresolved. (musically it's compelling, mind you, but seems out-of-tune with the listing)the break, too, with it's slightly whirring off-kilter-music-box feel, pulls it further away from 'soothing'. it sounds more like a film piece, something peaceful with just a teeeeeny hint of menace peeking out. (in which case, I can definitely see the 'blade runner' citation above)

[aldicicco]

Hi everyone - thanks for the feedback. I appreciate your insights, critiques and comments! I'd like to offer a few replies here:CJ - you are a marketing genius! Your suggestions were spot on. I've just worked a license deal on this tune. It is going to be played exclusively for new patients in the Johnny Rotten wing of the Betty Ford Clinic ! That last puff sealed the deal... I owe you a pint at the next rally. Keep the shrapnel... Thanks too for your insights on the tune....Vince - I believe that today's definition of New Age is broader than my narrow view of the early days of Windham Hill. Certainly the few listings/forwards I've found on Taxi indicate a far more ambient, orchestrated and ethnic feel. I now better appreciate your, CJ's and everyone else's comments on this.Jeff - now I have to rent Bladerunner. With a Vangelis sound track, it shouldn't be too difficult to enjoy. Thanks for listening to the tune and for your kind remarks!Wrds - Ditto and ditto!Now that I THINK I have an idea of what the listing is asking for, I'm going to go with something quite different.Best wishes,Al