Machine (1994-96)

[Zephyr_Nova]

When I was 13-14, I used to make instrumental industrial rock/metal on a 4 track cassette recorder. My main instruments were the Yamaha PSS 680 Music Station (keyboard) and my guitar/fx pedals. This project was called Machine. I recently digitized these tapes (along with everything else I ever recorded before going digital), and found that I still really liked most of it. So I decided to master a few of my favorites from this collection and release them as an album. 13 year old me would be very happy. Put 0 as the amount for a free download:

https://machine1994.bandcamp.com/releases

[coax]

hha dude this is awesome. very well done for such a young age! i like that it sounds of the time sort of. getting some good associations of the old days with it like part game, part something else...

[Zephyr_Nova]

Thanks man! I think what happened is that I heard the first 3 NIN albums (including Broken) around the same time that i acquired the 4 track, and I thought it would be fun to create something in that vein. Was also deep into Tool - Aenima around that time. Prior to that all I listened to was grunge and Metallica. It's funny hearing all those influences when I listen back.

 

Is that artwork by Zdzisław Beksiński in your avatar?

[coax]

Thanks man! I think what happened is that I heard the first 3 NIN albums (including Broken) around the same time that i acquired the 4 track, and I thought it would be fun to create something in that vein. Was also deep into Tool - Aenima around that time. Prior to that all I listened to was grunge and Metallica. It's funny hearing all those influences when I listen back.

 

Is that artwork by Zdzisław Beksiński in your avatar?

 

I felt like mentioning NIN but didn't for some reason! Can hear it for sure in places

 

No it's not but i love beksinski's work! he's totally great.

[Zephyr_Nova]

Aenima came out in 1996 i want my money back zeph :catrage:

 

Ah fuck you're right! I've been living a lie. Makes sense though, as the Tool guitar riffage starts making an appearance in later recordings. Most of the early cuts didn't make it onto this comp. *edits bandcamp info*

 

 

I felt like mentioning NIN but didn't for some reason! Can hear it for sure in places

 

No it's not but i love beksinski's work! he's totally great.

 

He is, though some of his landscapes are so bleak they're hard to look at. Potent stuff.

[Goiter Sanchez]

Shadow Shifter is fucking wild!!!

[colunga]

ay this is great!

also really good for 13-14 yrs old man.

[Zephyr_Nova]

Shadow Shifter is fucking wild!!!

That synth bass-lead line is pretty off the hinges. I'm kind of surprised I came up with something like that back then. For most of these tracks I can pinpoint what the inspiration is, but I've no idea where that one came from.

 

 

ay this is great!

also really good for 13-14 yrs old man.

 

Thanks! I may have peaked sometime around then haha. I really wish I had kept going with this project.

[Goiter Sanchez]

 

ay this is great!

also really good for 13-14 yrs old man.

 

Thanks! I may have peaked sometime around then haha. I really wish I had kept going with this project.

 

Heheh you know which old project you need to reboot, and it ain't this one (hint, it's stuck behind your piano)

[modey]

woah this is wicked. I wish my stuff from 1996 was this good!

[Goiter Sanchez]

In 1996 I was making faux radio shows with my sister and mashing a casiotone in the background.

[modey]

I was making industrial stuff in 1996, but had no way to record live guitar playing so all of my tracks were assembled in a tracker from super dodgy samples, some of it kinda sounded like if Ministry were trying to re-make Atavism by SND but not as good as either of those two bands. I should upload my old stuff sometime.

 

 

 

Anyway this is super fkn good. Heavier than most industrial rock from the time! What did you use for the drums? They sound super interesting.

[Zephyr_Nova]

In 1996 I was making faux radio shows with my sister and mashing a casiotone in the background.

Upload to bandcamp! I will do your artwork.

 

I was making industrial stuff in 1996, but had no way to record live guitar playing so all of my tracks were assembled in a tracker from super dodgy samples, some of it kinda sounded like if Ministry were trying to re-make Atavism by SND but not as good as either of those two bands. I should upload my old stuff sometime.

 

 

 

Anyway this is super fkn good. Heavier than most industrial rock from the time! What did you use for the drums? They sound super interesting.

 

Thanks man! The drums are all from the Yamaha Music Station, along with all the synth sounds. For the most part, all the drums and keys are on the same track. Then I'd usually add two guitar tracks, and one other thing (maybe an extra keyboard bit, bass, percussion, dustbuster, whatever). And yes, please do upload your old tunes! I'd be curious to check it out.

 

I'm glad I never ended up adding vocals to this project, because that would have ruined its enjoyability, guaranteed. I did have vocal ideas for some of this stuff, but I think I knew it wouldn't work the way I imagined. I had a band during this time, and for a while after. A lot of the music was pretty cool, but the vocals really ruin it for me if I listen back now. I've always had a really "young" sounding voice.

[ganus]

I don't need to say this is good; it is ,immediately clear how much talent there is here.

 

Have only heard stuff of yours from 2010 or so onwards, would be eager to hear anything else you have after this period!

[Zephyr_Nova]

Thanks for the interest!

For Zephyr Nova stuff, there is Shivering Towers and Shatterscapes, both of which you have probably heard. But I did release a completely different version of Shatterscapes on another label waaaay back, which almost no one has heard (there are a couple tracks from there on the version that's currently available). I may post that first album at some point, or maybe put it on dropbox soon for anyone interested. Have you heard my noise project (Cthulhu Detonator) and band (The Sky Lit Up)? I have a large assortment of tracks from another electronic project that came long before Zephyr Nova, called Interphase (terrible name). That one's kind of interesting because it sounds kind of IDM-ish, but most of it was created before I was listening to Aphex Ae etc. I was listening to a lot of industrial/EBM stuff and was getting frustrated with how melodically and rhythmically simplistic almost all of it was. So it started off as my attempt at a more melodic, complex sort of industrial/EBM thing. Anyway, I recently rediscovered a lot of those tracks on burnt CDRs, and might release a compilation sort of like I did with Machine.

 

I just realized my sig linked to my band's soundcloud rather than the bandcamp album. I must have made my sig before it was released. Anyway, the url in my sig now links to the album.

[ganus]

I have a large assortment of tracks from another electronic project that came long before Zephyr Nova, called Interphase (terrible name). That one's kind of interesting because it sounds kind of IDM-ish, but most of it was created before I was listening to Aphex Ae etc. I was listening to a lot of industrial/EBM stuff and was getting frustrated with how melodically and rhythmically simplistic almost all of it was. So it started off as my attempt at a more melodic, complex sort of industrial/EBM thing. Anyway, I recently rediscovered a lot of those tracks on burnt CDRs, and might release a compilation sort of like I did with Machine.

Yusss, interested! I have Cthulu Detonator, and used to cane whichever one came out on Bleep shortly after I signed up here.

[ganus]

Looked it up; Shatterscapes is the other one I have. Will check out Shivering Towers, send me a PM or whatever if you upload alt versions of Shatterscapes!

[Zephyr_Nova]

Will do! I've got it kicking around somewhere...

[Goiter Sanchez]

I have it in flac with all the artwork n such (I moonlight as a ZN archivist). Can send to you with Zephyr's blessing.

[Zephyr_Nova]

By all means, go right ahead. Thanks for the assistance!