sidewalks by j. hubner
"Each of the pieces on Sidewalks pulses and buzzes in its own way, with synth figures ringed by looped guitars—sometimes identifiable as such, often rendered by effects into something resembling synths themselves. You can all but see opening credits in a film popping up as the looping “sidewalks (Main Theme)” unfolds. “Complex Distraction” follows, full of strident, layered synths. You don’t need to be aware of the genesis of this album to appreciate Hubner’s use of repetitive, simple instrumental figures on sidewalks. " -DM Jones, Whatzup Magazine
Instrumental pieces I put together over the last year, these are songs created using guitar loops and effects pedals, an Arturia Microbrute, and a Casio WK-6600.
I grew up on horror films and subconsciously being corrupted by the eerie synth scores that accompanied them(many of which were far better than the films they soundtracked.) The music left its mark on me and I'd decided long ago I wanted to try and compose for film in some way.
This started as an audio/visual collaboration/partnership, though the visual part of it sort of went by the wayside due to time restraints put on the graphic designer collaborator/friend that had instigated the project. I didn't want these songs I'd created to go to waste, so I decided to continue composing pieces, though now with a more wide range of instrumentation. With the beginning pieces made with nothing more than a Fender Squier J. Mascis Jazzmaster, a looper, and my pedal board, I decided to start creating on a recently purchased Arturia Microbrute analog synth and a Casio WK-6600 keyboard. After a year of putting things together, scrapping ideas, then going back and revisiting old ideas the results are here, on 'Sidewalks'.
Besides horror and sci fi films as an inspiration, so were the composers, old and new, that created the haunting scores. John Carpenter, Walter Rizzati, Fabio Frizzi, Wendy Carlos, and Ennio Morricone were starting points; then newer musicians like Sinoia Caves, The Night Terrors, Victims, Jakob Skott, Jonas Munk, Slasher Film Festival Strategy, Pentagram Home Video, Umberto, Clint Mansell, Cliff Martinez, and SURVIVE pushed me to try and create something as moody and genius as they had.
Not sure if I succeeded fully, but I'm pretty proud at how it came out. Hope you enjoy it.
Tracklist
| 1. | sidewalks(main theme) | 5:39 |
| 2. | complex distraction | 4:51 |
| 3. | blacklight | 4:01 |
| 4. | a light within the light | 3:01 |
| 5. | forward thru the beyond | 3:09 |
| 6. | particles(blown away) | 5:14 |
| 7. | the chase | 5:27 |
| 8. | exposure(ruined) | 2:30 |
| 9. | desolation | 11:32 |
| 10. | past the present(into the past) | 5:51 |
Credits
J. Hubner played guitar, loops, synth, and keys. He recorded on a Korg D-1600 and mastered in Audacity.
