your weekly thawkins

[thawkins]

TELECHARGER, or just check out this Tumblr for the most up to date tracks-videos-everything

 

Quick links for just getting the good stuff without reading the thread:

2020 weekly:

(also on weeklybeats: https://weeklybeats.com/music?s=thawkins&f=8&y=2020&r=3574)

2019 weekly: https://streak.club/u/thawkins

2018 weekly: https://weeklybeats.com/music?s=thawkins&f=8&y=2018&r=3574

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I have managed to be on the weekly music train for a year and a half now and it's been really nice for generating ideas and keeping myself active musically even through turbulent real life times. Even though it's been good, recently I am feeling that my mixes and song structure needs a lot of improvement, so I figured if I post some stuff here I may luck out and get some feedback and who knows maybe some people will also like that stuff.

Also now that I am based back in Europe if anyone wants me to come and twiddle knobs at their party, I'll gladly show up if the plane-train-whatever tickets aren't too much.

Anyway, let's get this started with this week's instalment: https://streak.club/p/35552/tue-13-aug-by-thawkins

This is basically another attempt (out of who knows how many) to try and marry krautrock and high-energy electronic music like dnb, 180 bpm hardtek, etc. As it says on the description, it's an old project laying around on my desktop which I cut and shaped together into a sort of mini-mix from a longer and more messed up jam session. I did not have any of the original hardware laying around, so it was a nice limitation to try and use the existing solos-loops to build something. (Also I have not had any monitors for the past 10 weeks roughly, so everything has been purely headphones which I am frankly sick of)

I think the biggest bother I have with this one is that I keep overusing these dub delay effects to create an ambient hum and fill the stereo image. There's 2 delay busses and 1 huge ambient reverb buss (which is supposed to imitate a post rock style guitar vibe a la Strymon) and all of them have compressors on them which I think is making it a really difficult thing to mix, because most of the stuff goes through 1-2 busses and messes with each other as well (which creates a nice sound I guess) but practically it's hard to isolate and solo one element because they a) always sound nice on their own and b) things get fucky (but also really nice) with the interplay of two or more elements.

Anyways I think practice makes perfect, got to get monitors ASAP and just soldier on with the weekly things etc.

Feel free to check out past weekly stuff from the links in my sig.

Edited September 27, 2021 by thawkins
revert title

[Rotwang]

I have nothing constructive to say, but your music is awesome.

[BaggerMcGuirk]

It's really interesting to hear krautrock that isn't steeped in tape saturation or otherwise aged.  I really enjoyed this.  Very hypnotic.  

[thawkins]

On 8/16/2019 at 2:57 PM, Rotwang said:

I have nothing constructive to say, but your music is awesome.

 

On 8/16/2019 at 8:27 PM, BaggerMcGuirk said:

It's really interesting to hear krautrock that isn't steeped in tape saturation or otherwise aged.  I really enjoyed this.  Very hypnotic.  

Thanks you two for making my day.

[s1L3Nu5]

Very nice! Book marked & will listen to at work tomorrow lol! Also hear you on getting-back-to-music-making. Your works really good, so definetly worth doubling-down on! What progs are you using?

[thawkins]

12 hours ago, s1L3Nu5 said:

Very nice! Book marked & will listen to at work tomorrow lol! Also hear you on getting-back-to-music-making. Your works really good, so definetly worth doubling-down on! What progs are you using?

Thanks! I am mostly on Ableton Live with some external synths for sounds. For the past few months all my stuff has been in a container somewhere as I moved countries, so it is mostly Live + Push and some keyboard parts from Akai MPK Mini.

By the way, I listened to some of your stuff too on Soundcloud, I remember 4p0ll0 being good.

Edited August 20, 2019 by thawkins

[s1L3Nu5]

Thanks dude! I think 4p0ll0 is probably the most successful effort so far. I'm also finding my way around Ableton.

I'm liking CasualDibs a lot, definetly my vibe! Will keep listening through!!

[thawkins]

Finished this week's edition - a weird attempt at italo disco/post punk. I guess in the end it's more of a standard electro banger track (except I don't know how to mix one properly).

https://streak.club/p/35640/sun-25-aug-by-thawkins

[Tricone RC]

that first one is cracking stuff. listening to the rest after

[BaggerMcGuirk]

I have such a massive weakness for Minimal Wave/Italo stuff, so this is completely my shit.  I said it before, but I also really like the clean sound.  

[thawkins]

Thanks! Glad you like it! I have been on this streak of italo/minimalwave/krautrock for a long long time now. Trying to take bits and pieces from other music styles I like and just go with it and see where I end up. I think I sort of try to avoid going full 70s retro lo-fi sound because I feel that was just the sound for that time and place and going for that sound will only be a good "replica" at best. Besides I have always felt I can't afford all that fancy analog vintage gear.

Now working on getting new monitors because I have been mixing everything on headphones for the last few months and it's not good at all. 

[thawkins]

Here's this week's jam cut down to size. Not very krautrock this time, I call it vaporwave instead.

https://streak.club/p/35688/sun-1-sep-by-thawkins

[thawkins]

Finally got my new monitors. This one was one of the first pieces in recent history where I did not use headphones almost at all. This is a result of a more free-form jam based on a couple of loops and I did not have time to cut and work on the whole thing so what you hear is maybe half (and it's probably the better half although there were some ideas later on too).

https://streak.club/p/35749/sun-8-sep-by-thawkins

[thawkins]

This is really weird, quickly made out of an old project and mixed on headphones mostly. I like parts of it, but it needs remixing and compositional changes.

https://streak.club/p/35811/sun-15-sep-by-thawkins

[Andon Hristov Seldt]

On 9/16/2019 at 6:05 PM, thawkins said:

This is really weird, quickly made out of an old project and mixed on headphones mostly. I like parts of it, but it needs remixing and compositional changes.

https://streak.club/p/35811/sun-15-sep-by-thawkins

Has that electronic construction robots feel, should be on Discovery Channel. 

[thawkins]

2 hours ago, Andon Hristov Seldt said:

Has that electronic construction robots feel, should be on Discovery Channel. 

I wish it was.

[thawkins]

New one early this week as I am scrambling to prepare stuff for a gig next week and having a lot of technical difficulties. Somehow I am really happy with how the mix came out even though my headphones are broken and the left monitor lost half the frequencies halfway through the mixing process.

https://streak.club/p/35843/wed-18-sep-by-thawkins

[thawkins]

This week is a special treat - full live set that I played yesterday.

https://streak.club/p/35932/sat-28-sep-by-thawkins

 

[drillkicker]

Can you please play a set in Boston ?  This is seriously beautiful stuff.

[thawkins]

14 hours ago, drillkicker said:

Can you please play a set in Boston ?  This is seriously beautiful stuff.

I would definitely love to. I am currently just trying to find some contacts and generally I don't say no if anyone invites me to play out somewhere, no matter if I have to pay for transportation to get there or not.

So yeah, work in progress. Hopefully someday soon.

[thawkins]

The good folks have uploaded a video of that last show:

 

[thawkins]

Here's another krautrock type thing. I think it's got way too many conflicting elements or something's way off with the mix. Will have to do better in the future.

https://streak.club/p/36055/sun-13-oct-by-thawkins

[thawkins]

Some half finished piano loops...

https://streak.club/p/36096/fri-18-oct-by-thawkins

[thawkins]

I don't know what this is, but I guess it at least sounds OK?

https://streak.club/p/36170/sun-27-oct-by-thawkins

[acid1]

2 hours ago, thawkins said:

I don't know what this is, but I guess it at least sounds OK?

https://streak.club/p/36170/sun-27-oct-by-thawkins

Nice and chill udon noodling over ice water with ice chords. Enjoyed my morning coffee to this one.