Weeklybeats is a 52 week long music project in which artists compose and publicly release 1 song a week for the entire year.
Starting January 1st 2024 GMT each participant will have one week to upload one finished composition. Any style of music or selection of instruments are welcomed and encouraged.
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Dead Man, by Jim Jarmusch, is a beautiful black and white movie that takes place in the American west during the 19th century. It could be the setting for a cowboy movie but really ends up being more a journey to the underworld, where the protagonist (played by Johnny Depp), is named William Blake, and is helped by a native American that keeps on quoting William Blake (the poet) poems to him. It is a weird dream like movie, with sequences that include Iggy Pop making opossum chili con carne. A beautiful movie.
The poem is The Fly, by William Blake.
› The Fly --William Blake
‹ The Fly --William Blake
Little fly,
Thy summer’s play
My thoughtless hand
Has brushed away.
Am not I
A fly like thee?
Or art not thou
A man like me?
For I dance
And drink and sing,
Till some blind hand
Shall brush my wing.
If thought is life
And strength and breath,
And the want
Of thought is death,
Then am I
A happy fly,
If I live,
Or if I die.
› making the track
‹ making the track
This is one of these tracks that really arrived by itself after plugging my Stratocaster and having a tremolo effect. As it reminded me of Dead man, i wanted to add some William Blake poetry, and went for The Fly. Then some ravens, crows, and gunshots because why not. The poetry reading has two tracks - the normal one and another track one octave down, playing with the volume of the latter to emphasize some parts. I had not enjoyed the creative process in quite some time, it was a delight. Some were born to sweet delight, some were born to endless night.
› shameless plug
‹ shameless plug
This track is very much a companion track to two other tracks i did in the past years.
Need to watch the movie again. Thanks for the reminder. Nice to hear your beautiful strat. It has a great sound. The atmosphere and the vibe your samples add are very much „Wild West“. I can imagine, how the making of this song was fun. Very nice one.
Need to watch the movie again. Thanks for the reminder. Nice to hear your beautiful strat. It has a great sound. The atmosphere and the vibe your samples add are very much „Wild West“. I can imagine, how the making of this song was fun. Very nice one.
I remember watching this movie a long time ago... like in the early 00's? I don't remember it too well other than it was atmospheric and the soundtrack stood out to me. I believe it was done by Neil Young? Seems like it might be a time for a revisit. Regardless your track does a great job of creating a lonesome western visual and the birds give it a nice ominous feeling.
I remember watching this movie a long time ago... like in the early 00's? I don't remember it too well other than it was atmospheric and the soundtrack stood out to me. I believe it was done by Neil Young? Seems like it might be a time for a revisit. Regardless your track does a great job of creating a lonesome western visual and the birds give it a nice ominous feeling.
I love that movie, was thought provoking. I need to watch again. Enjoyed this track, a great atmosphere that would go well with the movie. Cool to hear that poem read, is that you reading it? Oooh, love the sax that comes in, that's a climax.
I love that movie, was thought provoking. I need to watch again. Enjoyed this track, a great atmosphere that would go well with the movie. Cool to hear that poem read, is that you reading it? Oooh, love the sax that comes in, that's a climax.
That's a very surreal description. I'm curious what happens in it.
I do hope it's better than the other western Depp did.
- Raioh
I did not watch the other westen movie, i think the one where he plays a native american? Dead Man is not so much a western movie, this is more a weird gothic fairy tale that happens to take place in a black and white western, supported by neil young's wailing guitar. An experinence more than a movie.
jegasus wrote:
You absolutely nailed the old wild west vibe here. I haven't seen the film, but damn what you've made sounds cool!
Thank you for the kind comment! Strat + tremolo and it already takes us 140 years back (or more accurately to ennio morriconne).
Q-Rosh wrote:
Need to watch the movie again. Thanks for the reminder. Nice to hear your beautiful strat. It has a great sound. The atmosphere and the vibe your samples add are very much „Wild West“. I can imagine, how the making of this song was fun. Very nice one.
Yes it was really fun, spraying things here and there. I like it when things click and the process is just like a fun playful experience, with little analytic thinking. Thank you for your kind comment.
djippy wrote:
J'adore la mélodie de saxophone vers la fin.
Superbe ambiance la track.
Merci beaucoup! Faudrait que j'apprenne a vraiment jouer du saxophone, ca pourrait etre encore plus interessant.
Cosmic Cairns wrote:
I remember watching this movie a long time ago... like in the early 00's? I don't remember it too well other than it was atmospheric and the soundtrack stood out to me. I believe it was done by Neil Young? Seems like it might be a time for a revisit. Regardless your track does a great job of creating a lonesome western visual and the birds give it a nice ominous feeling.
That's right - Neil Young made the soundtrack. I remember looking for this soundtrack for a long time until i found a nice little shop in shibuya that was speciailized in movie soundtracks and I was able to find it, in the early 2000s. It is pure magic. Thank you for the comment, and please revisit the movie, it is timeless in its weird quirks.
miraclemiles wrote:
I love that movie, was thought provoking. I need to watch again. Enjoyed this track, a great atmosphere that would go well with the movie. Cool to hear that poem read, is that you reading it? Oooh, love the sax that comes in, that's a climax.
One of those weird movies that seems to have been lost in the collective memory, before depp was just playing a variation of a drunk pirate in all his movies. Yes, I am the one reading the poem. I tried with AIs but could not really get the vibe right, it felt too much like a commercial or a documentary so I ended up doing it myself and applying effects. Thank you!
[quote=Devieus]That's a very surreal description. I'm curious what happens in it.
I do hope it's better than the other western Depp did.
- Raioh[/quote]
I did not watch the other westen movie, i think the one where he plays a native american? Dead Man is not so much a western movie, this is more a weird gothic fairy tale that happens to take place in a black and white western, supported by neil young's wailing guitar. An experinence more than a movie.
[quote=jegasus]You absolutely nailed the old wild west vibe here. I haven't seen the film, but damn what you've made sounds cool! [/quote]
Thank you for the kind comment! Strat + tremolo and it already takes us 140 years back (or more accurately to ennio morriconne).
[quote=Q-Rosh]Need to watch the movie again. Thanks for the reminder. Nice to hear your beautiful strat. It has a great sound. The atmosphere and the vibe your samples add are very much „Wild West“. I can imagine, how the making of this song was fun. Very nice one.[/quote]
Yes it was really fun, spraying things here and there. I like it when things click and the process is just like a fun playful experience, with little analytic thinking. Thank you for your kind comment.
[quote=djippy]J'adore la mélodie de saxophone vers la fin.
Superbe ambiance la track.[/quote]
Merci beaucoup! Faudrait que j'apprenne a vraiment jouer du saxophone, ca pourrait etre encore plus interessant.
[quote=Cosmic Cairns]I remember watching this movie a long time ago... like in the early 00's? I don't remember it too well other than it was atmospheric and the soundtrack stood out to me. I believe it was done by Neil Young? Seems like it might be a time for a revisit. Regardless your track does a great job of creating a lonesome western visual and the birds give it a nice ominous feeling.[/quote]
That's right - Neil Young made the soundtrack. I remember looking for this soundtrack for a long time until i found a nice little shop in shibuya that was speciailized in movie soundtracks and I was able to find it, in the early 2000s. It is pure magic. Thank you for the comment, and please revisit the movie, it is timeless in its weird quirks.
[quote=miraclemiles]I love that movie, was thought provoking. I need to watch again. Enjoyed this track, a great atmosphere that would go well with the movie. Cool to hear that poem read, is that you reading it? Oooh, love the sax that comes in, that's a climax. [/quote]
One of those weird movies that seems to have been lost in the collective memory, before depp was just playing a variation of a drunk pirate in all his movies. Yes, I am the one reading the poem. I tried with AIs but could not really get the vibe right, it felt too much like a commercial or a documentary so I ended up doing it myself and applying effects. Thank you!
i can really hear how inspired and delighted you were making this great song! the guitar and sax are especially tasty. really cool vibe you have captured here
Jarmusch is an inspiration. i listened to this great interview with him on the Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions podcast recently (it was recorded in '21).
cheers!
i can really hear how inspired and delighted you were making this great song! the guitar and sax are especially tasty. really cool vibe you have captured here <3
Jarmusch is an inspiration. i listened to [url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/transmissions-jim-jarmusch/id142891498?i=1000523888859/]this great interview[/url] with him on the Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions podcast recently (it was recorded in '21).
cheers!
Great job, this track is so focused, the energy and vibe is just what you described, close your eyes and you are there. Just listened again, the way you mix in the guitar into the right channel at 0:51 is so nice, great job at reading the poem, your voice fits in very well with the vibe of the track.
Great job, this track is so focused, the energy and vibe is just what you described, close your eyes and you are there. Just listened again, the way you mix in the guitar into the right channel at 0:51 is so nice, great job at reading the poem, your voice fits in very well with the vibe of the track.
Love the western vibes with that traveling caravan sorta feel you instantly set with the guitar. Your vocals on the poem sounds great and really helps set the tone along with the sfx. The sax with the saloon-esque piano is such a nice combo too. Well done!
Love the western vibes with that traveling caravan sorta feel you instantly set with the guitar. Your vocals on the poem sounds great and really helps set the tone along with the sfx. The sax with the saloon-esque piano is such a nice combo too. Well done!
I have now watched the movie, as well as an interpretation. Side-by-side, it feels like this song is about someone else? It's not about Blake at least, not as it is in the story. It rather feels more like it's about Nobody.
- D
I have now watched the movie, as well as an interpretation. Side-by-side, it feels like this song is about someone else? It's not about Blake at least, not as it is in the story. It rather feels more like it's about Nobody.
- D
I used to love that film. I haven't seen it in many years! I've still got it on DVD even I believe. The soundtrack was a massive part of the film. The sax part works really well here and who doesn't love tremolo on a nice guitar tone.
I used to love that film. I haven't seen it in many years! I've still got it on DVD even I believe. The soundtrack was a massive part of the film. The sax part works really well here and who doesn't love tremolo on a nice guitar tone. :)
