Behind The Breaks 2016: The RZA x Video Games

Peace to everyone who was at Behind The Breaks last night !  My beats from Behind The Breaks: The RZA Edition and Video Game Edition are up as a free beat tape here:

https://hecticzeniths.bandcamp.com/album/behind-the-breaks-2016-the-rza-x-video-games

new music

i haven't posted any new music in over a year now, so i wanted to write an update for anyone who might be interested where things stand for me musically:

-in 2013-2014, my goal was to write around 30 piano ideas for more piano-based HZ music.  those 30 ideas/pieces exist on my hard drive and some music paper.  i think about 20 of them are good enough to record, and i definitely plan for there to be a minimum of 2 more albums worth of piano-based HZ stuff.

-in late 2014 going into 2015, i started over in getting cheap records to sample and listening front to back and saving samples.  i recently moved, and counted the records i had sampled so far.  it was a little under 200.  i keep wanting to dive into stopping focusing on sampling and start practicing the piano stuff, but a nagging feeling in my gut keeps making me put it off and continue to sample records.  i took a pic of all the records when i moved:



-sketch lightly and i had started a 5-song collab EP back in 2013.   a few months ago we finished it 100%...mixed, mastered, artwork, song titles, everything.  it sounds different than either the HZ album or Type One Era - he went around the city making field recordings of street + subway musicians and passed them along to me to sample.  Since a few people complained my mixes on Type One Era sounded too flat/quiet, we got someone else to mix it.   he is trying to do some music videos for it, and aiming to put it up on bandcamp/spotify/etc some time this Fall/Winter.  we're pretty proud of how it came out, and i think his writing on it is pretty amazing.

-there is a hectic zeniths remix for tonedeff's "Sunrise" that he played on his last livestream that will be on the Polymer Remix CD

-as i've been sampling records for new piano-based HZ stuff, i've also been making 'tupperware beats'...there will definitely be at least a tupperware beats vol. 2, but i think i want to make it more of a full-blown instrumental album rather than a 'beat tape'.  maybe i'll consider it a hectic zeniths album rather than amplifya.

-there's this live beatmaking competition every few months in philly called 'behind the breaks' where everyone flips the same sample. i just found out about it and havent had a chance to see it yet, but i submitted beats and got a response that id be competing in it in November.  we'll see what happens, but i'll definitely post some video if it does.

that's all for now...i promise not to post anything for at least a year unless there's actually content to post.

"dane cook ruined my lost beats: 2003-2005"

 
back in 2003-2005, when mp3.com was still paying for plays and rappers were buying beats from anonymous internet producers for hundreds of dollars, "tagging" your beats was a thing - putting either a "vocal tag" saying stuff like "HOTBEATZ.COM - BEATS FOR SALE" or whatever - so someone would have to pay you to send them the beat without the tags.

Also, in 2003-2005, i was depressed, and partially blamed that on spending too much time digging through records and making beats.  so...i deleted...a LOT of beats.  some i had burnt on cds or sent people and stuff that i managed to get back, but i'd estimate about 250 of them were gone, forever.

Most of them are still gone, but i recently came across someone rapping on one of the ones from that era i thought was gone.  To my amazement, he had at least 10 I thought were gone forever - with one catch - at the time, I had randomly put dane cook stand up to "tag" them and prevent anyone from using them without my sending the untagged version.

i put what I consider the best stuff toward the front - the first 10, for whatever its worth, are personal classics to me.  but...theyre not great quality mp3s and have dane cook, so for that reason i'm just uploading it to mediafire, no cover art or anything. 

here's one more on soundcloud:



and here's the whole thing for anyone who wants to hear it (i added a few at the end that weren't lost, but seem to fit in). http://www.mediafire.com/download/2b2kdhnp5w3oiic/Dane%20Cook%20Ruined%20My%20Lost%20Beats%20-%202003-2005.zip

t-shirts!!

a few people asked for them, now they're here and you can buy em through the hectic zeniths bandcamp.

the t-shirt alone: http://hecticzeniths.com/merch/clock-test-t-shirt

t-shirt + CD + sticker: http://hecticzeniths.com/merch/hectic-zeniths-bundle-t-shirt-digipak-sticker

buy one before its too late!!

what to expect in 2014

hope everyones having a good start to the new year. here's what to expect from Hectic Zeniths in 2014:

-long overdue hectic zeniths t-shirts! (they actually were printed a few weeks ago but there was a minor setback, should be putting them up for sale within the next month).  the logo looks awesome.

-putting up a new song w/ artwork on bandcamp a few days before valentine's day.  i made it for my girlfriend.  i like it a lot.  i hope you like it.

-hoping we can finish this 4 song hectic zeniths/sketch lightly collaborative EP and put it up by the end of the year.  it sounds pretty different than anything else i've done (almost entirely composed from field recordings).  i love it. 

-lastly, here's a progress update on whats up with the next full album:
 one of my goals in 2013 was to have 30 piano ideas for HZ II.  (why 30? seemed like a good number to be able to scrap the ones that arent as strong and have enough for an 1 full album plus an EP or LP of b-sides/outtakes.)  i don't know when i will be able to practice and record them in a studio and start turning them into new songs, but...I do have 30 piano ideas for it.  i've been writing them on music paper this time instead of just trying to memorize everything.  also got a new turntable in 2013,  did my first record dig for the album, and chopped/saved samples from most of it.  in 2014 i will be a bit occupied with going back to school [again] and trying to change careers, but finishing writing all the piano parts i plan to record was a huge step forward.  maybe i'll get with the times and finally get an iphone to do instagram updates once in a while so this page doesn't become too dead in 2015-2016 when i'm working on the album.

"Ruminate"

Anyone want a holiday gift? Let's try an experiment. There's a piano/fieldrecordingy/synthy slow track called "Ruminate" I left off Type One Era, that will never show up on any future project ever. Send an e-mail to hecticzeniths@gmail.com with the subject "Hectic Holidays", and I'll respond with an attached as a 320 kps mp3. Doooo it...you know you want to.

hectic zeniths post trip-hop 90-minute hannukah megablend

mediafire download: http://www.mediafire.com/listen/rtbohhw4xabajuh/hectic%20zeniths%20post%20trip-hop%2090-minute%20hannukah%20megablend.mp3

"hectic zeniths post trip-hop 90-minute hannukah megablend" is a mix of some of my favorite trip-hop songs and artists. "post-trip hop" because they all came out after 2000 (most in the last few years). i lean heavily toward the crackling-left-in-the-samples, bittersweet/pained vocals, grimey synths type of trip hop, but there's some fun/upbeat songs as well. all songs with vocals, no instrumentals.

here's the tracklist:

0:00 Beth Gibbons Interview Intro
0:10 underwaters - Behind the Veil
2:42 Child Actor - Getaway
5:23 Built To Fade - Glow True
8:21 Daughter Darling - Sweet Shadows
10:28 THE LIVING - Brooklyn Ovid
13:44 Little Dragon - Twice (Aaron Jerome Remix)
16:30 Paper Tiger - Make Make 2 (feat. Maggie Morrison)
18:22 Phantogram - When I'm Small
22:21 VANDAAM - LEARNtoSIGN (Remix)
24:10 Moon & Pollution - Solace Sandwich
27:17 Sister Crayon - Headline
30:56 Radiation City - Find It Of Use
34:26 Utada - Devil Inside (RJD2 Remix)
38:05 Blue Daisy - Firewall (feat. Anneka)
40:42 Stoupe - Find A Way (feat. Lorrie Doriza)
44:30 Dimlite - On The Same Picture (feat. Elan Tamara)
47:25 Blue Sky Black Death - Shoot You Dead (feat. Yes Alexander)
50:10 Little People - Breathe Again (feat. Rachael Roberts)
52:58 My Brightest Diamond - Golden Star (Alias Remix)
55:51 Sonnymoon - Blast Off
59:53 MADE IN HEIGHTS - Wildflowers
1:01:58 Dutch - Pearls
1:05:00 Folium - Psychic Blue
1:08:35 Furcast - Grey Is Old
1:12:22 Pillow Fight - Get Your Shit Together
1:15:50 Quintero - Home
1:20:00 Careful - Quite
1:22:51 Anja Garbarek - The Gown
1:25:44 Fjer - Long Nights (Hectic Zeniths Remix) [PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED]

5 cassettes left / the next 3 HZ projects?

thanks everyone for any posts/support/listens given to type one era...only 5 cassettes left for sale on the buddha tapes bandcamp page! also, quick/random update on what i'm working on:

i have some sketches of melodies/chords written for a second hectic zeniths album that i'll hopefully move ahead/start doing more with come July when I move into a loft in old city and buy a bunch of new equipment.  right now ive mostly just been focused on practicing trumpet every day...trying to get good enough to comfortably add trumpet lines to the next album/EP.

i think hectic zeniths projects, at least the next 2, will alternate between being more focused on field recordings and brief sample chops (type one era EP) and original compositions/live instrumentation (self-titled)...so the next HZ release will be closer to the first album but probably even more focused on original/live stuff.  the one after that, which i have a title for but don't want to reveal the concept yet, i've started collecting samples + field recordings.  i think in retrospect i learned from type one era a few things i would've done differently and will hopefully improve upon for that one.  i also want to do a first amplifya album but haven't started on that at all yet. 

in summary, just felt like announcing to whoevers reading that i started working on 1. a HZ project focused on live/original music, 2. a HZ project focused on sampling field recordings, and 3. i have a clear idea for a first amplifya album but haven't started it yet.  and also 4., hopefully a live set to accompany all three.

i just turned 28 a few days ago...hoping to have those 3 done, or at least mostly done, when i turn 30.  feel free to yell at me to keep working on them on twitter/facebook.  ill try to provide occasional updates along the way.

- amp

PS, theres the first official HZ remix for another artist finished but i have no idea when it'll be released

PPS, if you missed it, i put a screwed version of "On Standby" on soundcloud.  i think it sounds nifty: https://soundcloud.com/hecticzeniths/on-standby-7-minute-screwed

'Type One Era' Limited Edition Cassette Now Available!

Type One Era is now available! Buy a tape here!
http://buddhatapes.bandcamp.com/album/type-one-era

a geography of time

finished reading this book a couple weeks back for hectic zeniths "research"; expect to see some future song titles picked out of concepts in it: 

http://www.amazon.com/Geography-Time-Tempo-Culture-Pace/dp/0465026427

'type one era' artwork and tracklist

01 Beau Geste (Extended)

02 Type One Era (feat. Careful)

03 On Standby (Part 1)

04 On Standby (Part 2)

05 Beau Geste (feat. Sketch Lightly)

06 Type One Era (Instrumental)

07 Beau Geste (Screwed)

Beau Geste coming soon...

ramona falls - archimedes plutonium (amplifya re-work)

something i was messing around with this past summer when the 2nd ramona falls album came out...decided to mix and upload it. 

htdw piano cover

In light of the new How To Dress Well album coming out today, here's a (old) vid of me playing an abridged cover of a song from his first album. 

sketch

cleaning up and found the original sketch i did of the artwork before getting Avi Matan to do it. sorry it's a bit crumpled.

hectic zeniths - curtain (small professor remix)

sent my original piano recordings and most of the samples I used on "Curtain" to Small Pro for remixing, and loved what he came out with.  the first official remix of a Hectic Zeniths track.

self-titled album press, interview, and review archive

some press, reviews, and 3 interviews for hectic zeniths self-titled album (much thanks to all other sites i may not have included yet below as well):

MTV Hive: http://www.mtvhive.com/2011/12/05/hectic-zeniths-i-might-drown-song-premiere/
CokeMachineGlow: http://www.cokemachineglow.com/dailyops/6745/hecticzeniths-thennnow-2012
URB:  http://www.urb.com/2012/02/01/instant-rotation-february-2012/
Philadelphia City Paper: http://www.citypaper.net/music/2012-01-19-disc-o-scope.html
Data Transmission: http://datatransmission.co.uk/ViewReview/3023/
Scratched Vinyl: http://www.scratchedvinyl.com/?q=node/602
D e N O U M E N T S: http://bobetbagundang.com/2012/02/27/hectic-zenith-for-the-nocturnals-and-that-bedroom-gloom/
The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-barometer-bon-iver-frank-ocean-gang-colours-sleigh-bells-ital-hectic-zeniths-aap-rocky-the-minutes-sbtrkt-6285268.html
College Info Geek: http://collegeinfogeek.com/study-music-hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths/
Trini Life Music [VIDEO REVIEW] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdAFWeQgzIU
The Find Magazine's Hectic Zeniths Giveaway: http://thefindmag.com/?p=16310
The Mad Bloggers: http://www.themadbloggers.com/2012/06/latepass-hectic-zeniths.html
SYFFAL: http://www.syffal.com/album-review-hectic-zeniths-self-titled
SomeSortOfMusic [INTERVIEW] http://somesortofmusic.com/2012/01/09/haunting-and-beautiful-do-belong-in-the-same-sentence-adam-princehectic-zeniths/
Life After Nirvana [INTERVIEW] http://lifeafternirvana.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/tell-all-thursday-hectic-zeniths/ 
Oratory of Sound [INTERVIEW]: http://oratoryofsound.com/featured-artists/featured-artist-hectic-zeniths/
Giant Step: http://www.giantstep.net/index.php/2012/01/new-release-hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths/
Tigers Can Wait: http://www.tigerscanwait.com/2012/01/10/hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths/
Bandcamp's Best: http://www.bandcampsbest.com/hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths/
QN5 Blog: http://qn5.com/blog/entry/audio-hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths/
Resonant Passage: http://www.resonantpassage.net/hectic-zeniths-self-titled/
AAAMusic: http://www.aaamusic.co.uk/2012/01/09/hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths/
Culture Remixed: http://www.cultureremixed.com/2012/01/review-hectic-zeniths.html
Right Where You Are Sitting Now: http://sittingnow.co.uk/2011/12/16/hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths-sr/
Odd Bloggings: http://oddbloggings.com/hectic-zeniths-by-hectic-zeniths
Groovement: http://www.groovement.co.uk/2012/01/preview-hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths/
Don't Count On It: http://dontcountonitreviews.blogspot.com/2012/01/hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths-2012.html
SNS Post: http://www.snspost.com/artists-to-watch-avicii-hectic-zeniths/
Bringing Down The Band: http://bringingdowntheband.com/hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths-preview-hecticzeniths/
tuningintoobscure: https://tuningintoobscure.wordpress.com/2011/12/28/hectic-zeniths/
Parasites and Sychophants: http://www.parasitesandsycophants.com/2012/01/19/on-to-hectic-zeniths/
Now It's On: http://mikea7.typepad.com/now_its_on/2012/01/album-review-hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths.html
Unclouded By Ambition: http://www.uncloudedbyambition.com/album-review-ambient-hip-hop-hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths/
Sunny Cellars: http://sunnycellars.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths/
art school bop: http://artschoolbop.blogspot.com/2012/01/hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths.html
Music Liberation: http://musicliberation.blogspot.com/2011/11/album-review-hectic-zeniths-hectic.html
VivoScene: http://vivoscene.com/electronica/hectic-zeniths-album-review/
Fairly Coherent: http://www.fairlycoherent.com/2011/12/free-hectic-zeniths-i-might-drown.html
TheSirenSound: http://www.thesirenssound.com/2011/11/01/hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths/
Blazing Minds: http://blazingminds.co.uk/album-review-electronic-wonders/
Philadelphia Music: http://philadelphia-music.com/news/hectic-zeniths-i-might-drown
Gluttony Is The New Black: http://thenewblack.tumblr.com/post/9961949657/hectic-zeniths-curtain-introducing-hectic
Guy Life: http://guylife.com/news-lifemore/album-review-the-haunting-melodies-of-hectic-zeniths/9502
Quit Mumbling: http://quitmumbling.com/2011/09/hectic-zeniths-curtain/
The Indie Machine: http://www.theindiemachine.com/2011/09/15/band-watch-hectic-zeniths/
Tempelores Magazine: http://tempelores.com/?p=5912
The Imagist: http://www.theimagist.com/node/6326
Oh So Fresh! Music: http://www.ohsofreshmusic.com/2011/11/hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths-album.html
None Backwards: http://nonebackwards.com/2012/01/
Best In New Music: http://www.bestinnewmusic.com/2012/01/hectic-zeniths-album-stream.html#.UEAIr82irnw
The Weird Fishes: http://theweirdfishesaredead.wordpress.com/2011/11/02/album-review-hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths/
Dancing Robot: http://dancingrobotmusic.com/if-you-dont-know-now-you-know-hectic-zeniths/
3nipples: http://3nipples.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/hectic-zeniths-self-titled-debut-album/
Recreational Vision: http://recreationalvision.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/hectic-zeniths-hectic-zeniths-album/

type one era

the new EP i'm finishing up is titled 'type one era'...artwork and tracklist hopefully soon.

hectic zeniths self-titled album available now!

if you're reading this you probably already know, but hectic zeniths self-titled album is available at www.hecticzeniths.com, iTunes, Amazon, and is a free download from kitchendip.org.

hectic zeniths in CunninLynguists performance 2009 + more

had the opportunity to play keys in CunninLynguists performance of their 2006 album 'A Piece Of Strange' at the 2009 QN5 Megashow.  Deacon, Natti, and Kno on the mic, Club Dub on electric guitar/bass/drums, Dane Ferguson on acoustic guitar, Steph on background vocals

also did an official remix from the album:

a piano cover i did of tonedeff (who appears on APOS) song "Gathered" 

amplifya releases and random produced songs

amplifya - tupperware beats, vol. 1 (2012):

01 we’re taking off…goodbye!

02 no safe harbor

03 still hereeeee.

04 go ask alice

05 homesick

06 paregoric

07 dances

08 perfect storm

09 morningstar

10 sundae school

11 snickerdoodle

12 midnight sun

13 cocoon (sketch lightly)

14 (bonus) low bitrate 06

MEDIAFIRE 320 KBPS DOWNLOAD: www.mediafire.com?3mu69ezacmjac2i

amplifya - disco screw EP (2009)

01 the badlands

02 the muzzy / interlude 

03 find us down

04 chewy

05 ziggy zoggy / rzatussin

06 this is something new

MEDIAFIRE 320 KBPS DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/?hkwudxohatb3fn8

iCON the Mic King - "Pocket Change (Remix)" (produced by amplifya) from his 2005 Intricate Spectrum EP:

Don Cerino - "5 Boroughs" (produced by amplifya) from his 2007 mixtape Nothing In Life is Free:

amplifya - selected rap remixes 2003-2004


02 Freeway - Flipside (amplifya remix)
03 Mobb Deep - Quiet Storm (amplifya remix)
05 Jadakiss, Ludacris, and Nas - Made You Look (amplifya remix)
07 Inspectah Deck and Pete Rock - Tru Master (amplifya remix)
10 Nas and 2Pac - Thugz Mansion (amplifya remix)

http://soundcloud.com/amplifya/sets/amplifya-selected-rap-remixes/