TR Love

Check my (slighty geeky but I hope very playable) homage to classic Roland drum machines:

Mike Monday "TR Love" (Systematic)

This is a low quality mp3, if you want the whole shebang you can get it here from Beatport.

I wrote it for Marc Romboy at Systematic who asked me to do a track for his 5 Years Systematic anniversary release.

It's a very straightforward, no nonsense record that uses drum sounds from the Roland 505, 606, 707, 808 and 909. And before you ask no I'm afraid I don't have all these original machines, some of the drum sounds are samples...

(Oh and refreshingly there's no hint of any congas, bongos or ethnic vocals anywhere on the track)

Catnip polarises America!

The hubris of my last post is worthy of a Greek tragedy. After reading the frankly hilarious Catnip video reviews on iTunes US, I have started to wonder whether I really meant what I said. How could anyone get so angry about something as harmless and fun as Catnip? I can't help but think that the more vitriolic reviews say more about the reviewer than the video itself.

But all this did set me thinking. Don't the reviews make for an interesting snapshot of America? They could even be seen as a microcosm of a completely polarised country evinced in the November 4th presidential election (which is also my birthday weirdly enough).

I'm not suggesting that everyone who got hot under the collar is a McCain supporter, or that all the wonderful and beautiful people who valiantly defended my work are Obamaheads, after all many of the reviewers are probably not old enough to vote. But the reaction to Catnip has shown in an unusual and unexpected way 2 sides of an amazing and bewildering country, and make me realise why I both love and fear the United States.

I spend a fair amount of time there, and literally everyone I have encountered in any meaningful way is both open minded and intelligent. I think Stephen Fry puts it excellently in his podcast (Episode 2 - Bored Of The Dance) where he rails against the rampant anti Americanism that is rife here in Europe. Especially the ridiculous and offensive idea that Americans have no sense of irony. But whilst in the US, I do spend all my time in the cities, particularly San Francisco, which I know can't be viewed as representative. But can any single place or point of view be representative of such a multi-faceted country, especially one as divided as the USA?

Anyway, despite these ruminations I am left a little shellshocked, and have kept sane remembering (and completely twisting) the words of an early eminent American president:

"You can't please all of the people all of the time, or please some of the people all of the time or even please all of the people some of the time. You can however please yourself."

The start of the rest of my life

I've just finished my second album "Songs Without Words Part 1", and am coming to terms with having a life again. I've spent the last 9 months holed up alone in the studio, and am now wondering what's next. Its been a difficult birth...

So I now have an opportunity to start this blog, which I hope will give an insight into what makes someone who writes and performs their own tunes tick. I'll be posting new tracks, videos, mixes as well as taking a camera on the road with me to put up anything that I find interesting, annoying or ridiculous.

Here's a link to a 30 minute DJ mix I did for the Om and DJDownload Sonar event. It's a sneak peek at some club remixes of tracks from the album as well as some of my recent remixes. Be quick as its only available to download free until 17th July:

Mike Monday's Free Exclusive Sonar Mix

Mike Monday - I Am Plankton (Om) *
Tommy Four Seven - Eat Me - Mike Monday Remix (Brique Rouge)
Mike Monday - The 11 11 - Original Club Mix (Om) *
Mike Monday - I Am Plankton - Mikes Swim For It The Jellyfish Are Coming Dub Mix (Om) *
Tomski & Fredboy - Do The Tartelet - Mike Monday Remix (Tartelet)
Mike Monday - The Unanswered Question (Om) *
Worthy - Mummer - Mike Monday Remix (Katabatic)
Mike Monday - Salieri Complex - Extended Club Mix (Om) *
Mike Monday - Stargirl - Exclusive Sonar Remix (Om) *

taken from the forthcoming album on Om Records "Songs Without Words pt 1"