1/20/08 - Nostalgie Air

I was recording a catchy little sample for a friend's project, and that made me think about what makes a sample catchy. Not sure if I have an answer yet, but here's a plaintive nostalgic melodic fragment. Remix it in good health.

Play "Nostalgie Air"


Download, Remix, Reuse, Cut & Run the sample at CCMixter

1/19/08 - Nane Tsoha

Today we played at Golden Fest, the annual Eastern-European music bonanza in New York (a photo from Romashka's set pictured here, photo by Kelly Marshall). There are lots of Roma songs I could record a capella (and maybe I will record some for this project), but for now, this melody from the famous Roma song "Nane Tsoha" was tugging at me, so here it is.

Play "Nane Tsoha melody"


Download, Remix, Reuse, Cut & Run the sample at CCMixter

1/18/08: You Wear Jeans

A bluesy bittersweet tune. Not sure how it came about - I was looking at LZ's jeans, and something about the way they were wallowing in the living room, shapeless and sallow made me sing this little verse. Not sure where this Billie Holiday-like vibe comes from - I don't even listen too much to her these days, but her recordings linger on, and I feel her air every time I start singing (in English, that is).

Play "You Wear Jeans"


Download, Remix, Reuse, Cut & Run the sample at CCMixter

1/17/08 - Tagine

Here's some Morrocan flavor for y'all, a little Mediterranean-like dittie. I'm picturing a steamy desert dance track or a hookah lounge chill-out. I tried for a slightly longer piece yesterday to create more possibilities.

Play "Tagine"


I'm a bit puzzled how this track came out of me - I spent the day listening to Classical music of 20th and 21st century (first on Pandora, and then a Wordless Music Series concert featuring minimalist sublime pieces by Gavin Bryars, John Adams, and Johnny Greenwood. Then some all-Americana cover band at a post-concert bash at a bar. And then I get home, open my mouth to record something gypsy-like, and this comes out. Tomorrow I will try to record earlier in the day, so I can sing louder and think through it more.

1/16/08 - Get me to a monastery

Having spent much of the day listening to Charles Ives, Gabriel Fauré, and Leoš Janáček , I wanted to record something that sounded pure, classical, but with a certain devilish magnetic pull that those composers' music has on me. The result wasn't perfect, but I relished the chance to improvize on what I was hearing in my ear and struggling to channel my voice in the right direction.

LZ said that I sound like a chaste Catholic school girl. Well, at least it's different from what I did yesterday, and surely different from what I'll record tomorrow.

Play "Pure Airy Chant"


Download, Remix, Reuse, Cut & Run the sample at CCMixter

UPDATE:once again, LZ weighs in on Vox365 as thesoupasonic

1/15/08 - Bouncy Pa-Ra-Pam

Here's a quick & lighthearted sample from our brewery - day 2 of Vox365! I'd like to hear this sample on a groovy Latin tune... or a somber lounge track that needs some sunshine... or a burnt-out rocker ballad for a shot of caffeine.

I recorded this minutes after we broke yet another French Press coffee maker (our third one, but who's counting...) So that had to mean good luck.

I posted this sample on ccMixter under Attribution license. ccMixter is a site for sharing samples and collaborating, and my first posting there, an a cappella recording of "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" was remixed at least 13 times (Minimal_aRT's remix is one of my favorites).

Play "Bouncy Pa-Ra-Pam"


Download, Remix, Reuse, Cut & Run the sample at CCMixter

1/14/08 - Gadalka (poem by Alexander Block)

I set out to record a vocal sample for a tri-borough+beyond famous DJ. Over the weekend, we ran into each other and talked about recording a track inspired by the style of Russian romances. So tonight, musing about this new Vox365 project, I found a book of poetry by Alexander Blok on our book shelf, and this poem sang itself off the page. Ljova pitched in with tasty harmonies, and a song was born. Still in demo stage.

To do: record this song a cappella for sampling purposes. a bit slower? and figure out instrumentation for performance. and work on the English translation! (pretty tricky - the play on words is a mind-twister in this poem - sometimes English vocabulary just isn't supple enough)

UPDATE: Ljova's blogpost on this song.

Play "Gadalka (Fortune Teller)"
Music: Inna + Ljova; Lyrics: Alexander Blok


Download as mp3

Russian-Alexander Blok Одинокий, к тебе прихожу, Околдован огнями любви. Ты гадаешь.- Меня не зови.- Я и сам уж давно ворожу. От тяжелого бремени лет Я спасался одной ворожбой И опять ворожу над тобой, Но не ясен и смутен ответ. Ворожбой полоненные дни Я лелею года,- не зови... Только скоро ль погаснут огни Заколдованной темной любви?

English Transl.DRAFT-Inna Barmash All alone, I appear before you, I'm bewitched by the blaze of your love. You tell fortunes-but don't you tempt me I myself have cast spells for too long From the turbulent burden of years Telling fortunes-my only relief Once again I divine your tea leaves, But your fortune is clouded with tears My days teeming with fortunes of yore I cling on to those years-don't tempt me... But can flames be extinguished at last (of)This bewitching, coal-dark gypsy love?

Vox365 Kick-Off

Hello World! To kick off my year-long 30th birthday celebration, I will record a vocal sample a day. Whatever comes to mind. Whatever strikes my fancy, piques my interest, and gets out my devils that day. Some days, a sample will grow into a song. Ljova is my fearless producer, recording engineer, accompanist, and oftentime muse. Something good will come of it.

This project was inspired by the photographer Bill Wadman, whose 365 portraits project (http://365portraits.com/) gave me one more reason to look forward to every day (3/7/07 and 3/8/07 are my favorites, but I'm biased :)