Monday 22 October 2012

Movie Soundtrack Composed by Lucky Singh

Hey folks,


just a quick blog that i felt i had to post.

Guess its more personal tonight, emotions hey haha...



Ive been working hard on the movie soundtrack that I've been commissioned to do, it's amazing how much I'm learning about myself. How my influences are unintentionally coming out, it's a really strange feeling...

It's hard to explain but I want to use this blog update to try haha, I mean that's what these are for right?



I was asked by a production company a couple months ago to compose some music for a short (40 minute) movie, the genre is to be 70's western ...

So I took to the home studio and began composing some pieces, as many of my closest know... I'm a stickler for getting demos right and pretty much as the final pieces will eventually sound, the production team loved the demos and really felt they would be good enough to use. Obviously I had to explain "that's nothing, wait until i have these finalised"

So I'm sat here now recording the finals and searching for a little inspiration, listening to some Ennio Morricone and the strangest thing happened.

I begin to realise how my subconscious knew "70's Western" meant "Ennio Morricone" all though he wasn't at the forefront of my thoughts when I began drafting compositions for the soundtrack.

Proof of how powerful the human brain is and can be, as the compositions fell down to me from the ether they would grow in a way almost dictated.

How I knew they would need whistles, trumpets, choral "ooohs" and "ahhhhs" is something my subconscious dreamt up through past listening experiences and influence.

All I knew is that it sounded right, it sounded integral and intentional.

I've always had respect for composers such as Ennio, even more so now.

These guys were and still are innovators, back then they had far less influence than we have today.

Of course, their ideas are influenced but not in the same way.

They took genres they were in love with and then pushed the boundaries with them, something that is lacking so much in today's music industry.

I feel a little like I'm also falling under the influence, even without knowing I'm replicating a genre that's of another generation.

I just hope the added spice that is "me" will be coherent, almost obvious to the listener.

I guess that's what I hope will come out of me, not in a way that's forced either but with conviction and absolution.

Well..,

That's about it (gotta get back to it)

As I've said before...

These blogs are an outlet to just blab and blab on about things and get them off my chest.

If anyone should read them and gain insight or "Enlightenment" then that's cool haha.

As long as you and the people around you are well, that's what matters most,



Peace and love as always,



Lucky :-) xx

..

Wednesday 13 June 2012

Music & The Future

Hi all,

Ive been reflecting on many things and I've decided to focus on doing a lot more for charity, so many people out there need our help and support and i never see enough help from musical circles.
I have to be honest and say the Full Circle Experience has been a big influence on this decision, the way every single member pulled out the stops to get the song recorded and finance everything.
All of it is so selfless and that's really special, everyone going to every length to make it happen.
It also proves how we can do a lot more with the power of music, its just dedicating the time and some effort. I really don't want to waste all of my talent trying to make a £1 or £2 for myself, as a youngster i guess its about becoming famous but as I've grown older the industry has become less relevant.
I look back and often think "i have all of this music out there, what for? What was it i hoped to of achieved with it? Could i of used it to help others? Does any one really care?" lol!
I have met some amazing friends/fans over the years, many from the UK and even abroad that have supported me and my music. I could never be happier that they have shown an interest, the truth is i record music because i enjoy it. Just like someone going to Pilates or to the gym, only difference is fans don't go to the gym or Pilates to support you through a workout (probably a bad analogy there lol)
Hopefully you can grasp what I'm trying to get at here...
Ive come to realise my heart is way to big to be selfish, its no longer just about me and my music anymore....
I want to make a difference out there and I'm talented enough to do it, Ive gone through life helping many people that really don't need any help....
I may not have a great amount of money to give to charity but just like a person will use their skills to raise money so can i, if there are any musicians out there looking to raise money for different charities then that is something I'm looking to get involved in.
It would be my goal to be involved in as many groups like "Full Circle" as possible to spread my musicianship, all to raise money and help those out there that need the support.
I really am touched by the charity Me & Dee and i hope to be involved with them and with Full Circle in the future, i know i have the time to help many more charities out there too though.
Its funny.... I've never be one to take compliments from people, its an awkward thing (maybe its an insecurity i don't know?) but when people say "You're one of the greatest guitarists in the world" or "people would give anything to be as talented as you" i often think.... "Are they really talking about me, do they see me as a product of self indulgence combined with an internal Ego?" lol!
I'm not saying i want to do more for charity to prove I'm not a selfish a'hole lol, its just... if the compliments "were" true then surely i can use it to reach out to people and get them involved in helping and supporting those in need.
If i was locked away in my room for most of my days writing and recording i would be happy, i enjoy music on every level and composing/performing is a way of life for me now.
So its no skin off my nose really haha, its inspirational to have something to compose for.
Its pretty sad when you look at how the wheels turn all over the world, i never want to be caught up in any of its selfish ambitions. If anything did come of a career for me i know i would devote so much time, effort and money for good causes, it would be so easy for me to bang out a cd that's all about me and maybe make a bit of cash and is all "Wow look at me im Lucky Singh blah blah blah" haha... Truth is it would be irrelevant since "i" dont realy interest "me" lol, donating to charity is a big significance for me now.
I'm happy to survive financially performing for people and teaching, that's all i need which is a lot more than many people.

Anyway i will stop babbling on now haha, just to say the Full Circle experience has been and will hopefully continue to be a great one. I will hope to do a lot more for others too, the future is all about helping those that need it :-) xx

Peace & Luv As Always,

Lucky

Monday 30 April 2012

Full Circle Charity Single

Hey folks,
i know its been some time since i updated my blog space...
I've been busy with allot of things but theres something special i have been involved with and wanted to share the experience with you today.

Full Circle are a group of very talented singers (including my awesome older brother Herb Singh) that have taken the time to use their talents for a good cause.
I wont go into detail about how they were all approached and got together etc.. i will say it was an idea that was arranged by Paul Davies and Kiki Deville but you can visit www.FullCircleOfficial.co.uk for more info, the website actually launches at midnight tonight so get on over and check it out people!!

My brother told me about it when he was approached by Paul to be a featured singer, then i was asked if i would consider arranging the song and recording the music.
The track is called "I Believe" that featured in the film Honey (Jessica Alba) Paul then hit me up with a version of his own Piano and his vocal take and i used those to build up and arrange a new version of the song.

I would then start receiving more and more vocals from Paul, home recordings from some amazing vocalists involved and i was even more excited after hearing the level of talent that would contribute.
The level of talent and the age range was something i found pretty amazing, each personality and vocal style unique, many from different generations of musical influence but working together in harmony.

So... as i was working away at the final recordings both of my home studio PC's decided to give up on me, not just give up for minor repairs but actually give up to the local skip!
It was abit of a race against time at this point, fortunately i have some very good friends of mine Andrew and Steven Eastment that run a very good local studio www.TheSmashRoom.co.uk and they offered to help me out.
After losing all of my original drum tracks i had to re-record them and re-record all of my guitars and bass guitar at The Smash Rooms, Steven Eastment being there to produce and engineer the session for me. Literally a day or 2 later i had to get the files over to Blue Print Studios in Manchester for the vocal sessions, fortunately everything went according to plan with no issues.

Blue Print Studios in Manchester well, what can i say....
For 2 days the vocals would be recorded there and then the final day would be mixing and mastering the song, i was fortunate enough to spend the 1st day and the 3rd (mixing) day there.
This would be the 1st time many members of the group would meet, and the day was absolutely amazing fun. As it was a little hectic i didn't get much time to mingle and speak to everyone, it was just nice to be there though and watch everyone having such a great time.
Being sat in the control room with the amazing producer "Mr Fred Kindt" was one of the greatest experiences ive had as a musician/composer/producer myself, i totally feel at home in any studio but being sat there with someone whose worked with some of the biggest names in the industry was pretty amazing to be fair!

One of the main highlights had to be sitting there in the control room and listening to each and every vocalist do their thing, allot of pressure for many I'm sure considering some had never been in a studio before. Couldn't of been easy thinking "Shit... Rhianna etc have stood right here where I'm now and recorded some of their hits" lol!
Honestly though, every vocal take was flawless, hearing the track build up just made me feel even more proud to be part of this venture.

Well i think i will leave it there but go visit www.FullCircleOfficial.co.uk for more info about the single, the website launches at midnight tonight and you will get to hear the single before its released!!
The proceeds from the single sales go to a charity called Me & Dee at www.meanddee.co.uk Me & Dee is a registered charity established to offer and create 'special moment treats' for when time is precious, for anyone of any age with life threatening and life limiting conditions.
Of course you can donate now if you wish too, still be sure to buy the single when it becomes available too and donate again for us :-)

Its all about Full Circle today folks so head on over and show your support at www.FullCircleOfficial.co.uk

Much Luv as Always :-)

Lucky Singh xx

Monday 14 November 2011

Oh how i get lost.....

Hey all,
i know the title might seem a little vague to say the least haha!
Obviously its with regards to my love for all things art and music, all though you might say they are the same thing and i would agree in many ways.

I got in from work tonight, did my hour and half workout and then played some guitar for a couple hours. After noodling over random backing tracks on YouTube i got lost within myself, it often tends to happen.
I forget everything else around me and then just let my inner music express itself freely, i honestly don't think i could be distracted in any way and if i were it might kill me (almost like sleep walking or something lol)

I actually realised I've been involved with music for almost 20 years now, its been a 20 year obsession too i can openly admit to that.
Its just crazy how i can listen to anything and feel a connection, say Jacqueline du Pré for example (who I'm listening to right now)
I love classical amongst many other genres of music out there, i just find it amazing how music that couldn't be further away from your own can still have a huge influence on you.
I put all of it down to the strength of your ears, not in a literal sense though ( like a Guinness world record attempt for dumbbells hanging from ones ear lobes lol)
Just how music translates to your brain when you hear it, some people might listen to the words, some might listen to the drums only, some might listen to the piano....
Just what grabs you when you hear it being played in whatever form, its something that your ears train themselves to do as you grow up listening.
Even sat here listening to Jacqueline du Pré i feel things absorb through me, not just the music, expression and feeling but also its timbre and tonal qualities.
Comes in handy when you a producer as well as a composer/musician, well... without getting too deep i guess what I'm trying to explain is the way music lifts and excites me when i hear it (like it has tonight and all days/nights over the last 20 years).
I'm not saying its a unique feeling and that you need to be a Painter, music producer, composer to feel this way, its just fascinating how universal it all is and we can all relate to it on a universal level.
Regardless of all the negativity in the world they produce a positive outcome, even if it what is being expressed is dark or aggressive.

Anyways... I'm rambling haha,

Sraight from playing my electric guitar to you, just a few random thoughts, im feeling great about some new music I'm working on too but i will save that for another post hehe!

Truth is, I'm in love with music and forever will be,


The impact its had on me and my life is beyond words, but not beyond the music.





I hope everyone is safe and well,



Peace and Love as always,




Lucky :-D xx

Sunday 6 November 2011

Has it really been 4 months?

Hey there,

just thought i would check in today and noticed it has been 4 months since my last blog post, suppose I've just been busy with things (as most people tend to be these days)

To be honest I'm not even sure what I'm going to type about today haha, it was only because i have had a rare "lazy Sunday" i decided to catch up on some web activity.

If any of you read my blogs then you will know they tend to be about my music but also general goings on, I'm never one to speak out about personal life to the world and its more of a therapeutic thing typing stuff out on this here blog (whether anyone reads them or not, its a good thing to do i guess)

So....
errrrmmmm...

Everything has been going great with regards to music, "The Project" album is finished and its all set for its release date 11/11/11
We are all so excited about this one, it features some excellent songwriters and some pretty kick ass musicians too.
In my previous post i talked about our experience in the studio whilst recording the album, its so hard to believe that was 4 months ago now.
The overall experience has been such a good one (tough at times though, mainly due to working to its release deadline)
The music had to be finished at least 3 weeks before its release date in order to leave enough time for digital distribution uploading, all the artwork and music files can take anything from 3 to 6 weeks to upload to the database.
Everybody worked so hard on this record and Kev Bayliss (singer) lived on the breadline to make the whole project happen, its such an honour to have been asked by Mr Bayliss if i would contribute some of my songs to this project. Not just that... i have some excellent musicians feature on them too!
We all spent many hours in the studio mixing the songs to a standard everyone was happy with, many mornings we would leave the studio blurry eyed around 4/5am.
Every second of every minute of every hour was worth it, we all couldn't be happier with the way this album has turned out.

The album will be available from here on 11/11/11 http://kevbayliss.bigcartel.com/products

I have been working on so many different things I'm starting to get dizzy with all the spinning plates haha, there is also something else that's been waiting in the wings for some time now though!

Raven Falls is a project that was put together by Rob Clutton many years ago, it originally started as a co-written project between Rob and my good friend/Drummer Kevin Bartlett a very long time ago (yes.. its length in existence has become something of a legendary story now lol)
The music has taken on many shapes and forms even before it was presented to me, myself and Mr Bartlett dived straight in and re-demoed every single song but also worked up a new piece for the album called Zion, its very progressive at times and features some pretty impressive bits of musicianship.
Rob had this collection of songs (co-written with Kev) with all the vocals pretty much there, to be honest the music wasn't really my bag but because they were open to having a new outlook on the songs (having built up a great musical relationship with Kev) i dived straight in and reworked the lot.
Once everything was recorded, the album went through many different mixes but nothing seemed to go our way.
It was being tossed about here and there and it didn't work, so just like people say "if you want a job doing right, your probably better off doing it yourself"
We have decided to book time in with Steve Eastment (co-producer and mixing engineer at smash rooms) as he did such a great job working with us on "The Project" album.
That way all 3 of us can sit in with Ste and mix it just how we want it to be, no compromising anything and incorporating everything.
The album features over 70 minutes worth of music ranging from pop/rock ballads to full on metal, of course... there's everything in between too.
There isn't a release date confirmed just yet but its something that has be anticipated I'm sure!

On top of that i have my own music of course, I've decided to take a long break from collaborating to focus on what might possibly be another 3 album release but we will see.
Definitely step back in to writing and recording another instrumental record (well i have started a few demos already) and another pop/rock venture similar to "Tokyo Rules"
I spoke to Kev today about banging our heads together and knocking up another possible concept for another concept album similar to "Project 8105"

all albums available from: http://www.luckysinghonline.com/

We are also looking to record an album for VCustoms motorbike accessories shop, they have a couple of outstanding stunt riders and we will be looking to provide music for there events which will probably turn into an albums worth of music.

The music is still flowing so I'm sure next year will be as big if not bigger then this one, just like life itself.. We will just have to see how things pan out.
All exciting stuff though!

There isn't really much more to say to be honest (all though i have said a fair bit already, surprise surprise its all music stuff as well haha)

Well... Xmas is almost here so i guess thats another "Expense" to look forward too lol, fortunately I've landed myself some work so earning some extra cash which is always great.
Still trying my best to get fit too, training 3/4 times a week and a 6/7k run every Saturday morning (plus a 20 minute walk home every night from work)
Planning on getting down to an ideal weight by my birthday next March, fingers crossed hey!

Other than that not much has changed, I'm still me and I'm still here so i guess that's all that matters right.

That's about it for now then, will try post here a little more often in the future.
Just amazing how fast 4 months can fly by you, even a year can just disappear!

Hope you are safe and well, whoever you are hehe!

Lucky :-) xx

Friday 17 June 2011

Final Day in the "Magic Garden"

Well.....


So we are at the final day today, all songs have been recorded and now its time to get them mixed.
Its been such an experience at Magic Garden, things have gone very smoothly but unfortunately the time has gone very fast!



Each song is very different from the next but as a collection of songs on a record these are going to work great, you can imagine how we felt leaving the studio excited and happy with 1 song "Quicksand" well... its that feeling 5 times over haha!


Gavin, Gazz and Joe have done such an amazing job so far, getting the best out of us to get the best out of these songs and they are sounding amazing.
Its strange walking in with a handful of demos that have been thrown 'this way' and 'that way' to the point everybody is happy, but then you step in to a studio with someone like Gav and his respected opinion and experience take your collective ideas far beyond your own creative minds.
The songs we least expected to work within "The project" have actually turned out to be the favourites, when you have high respect for someones opinions (like a have for Gavs) it means so much to hear him say "Thats my favourite song" or "This sounds great" etc.. haha.

All though we are happy with them its always going to be the peoples opinions that really add to this accomplishment, its a lot about the listener at the end of the day and what you all think.

I can see some pretty amazing times ahead though, recording new music steered more towards the direction we are developing in the studio right now.
Well crafted demos by a great bunch of musicians, re-recorded and produced by an extremely experienced producer is the winning formula.

Anyways.....

Better get myself ready to leave, Kev Bayliss (Singer) is on his way to pick me up soon.

The final day of whats been an amazing week is here, excited really isnt the word to describe my emotions ;-)

Chow for now,

Lucky

Monday 13 June 2011

"Entering The Magic Garden"

Hey folks,

Well......
Yesterday was day 1 of recording with Gavin Monaghan and Gazz Rogers at "Magic Garden Studio" in Wolverhampton, 5 songs that will be featured on a 9/11 track album by "The Project".
Its such a blessing to be back at "Magic Garden" after whats been some years now (apart from recording "Quicksand" a few months back)
Its such a comfortable environment to work in, i say work but its definitely more fun than working lol

As Gazz rightly said yesterday "The studio is a safe haven for musicians" i couldn't agree more with that statement, you get to be completely "you" and its delivered sonically through the music you create together with the people around you.
I don't think I've ever been in a studio and not learnt something new, Gav always has so many stories and is so humble about his work too.
If you ever wanted to know anything in terms of recording hes so open about it all, its rare you meet people like Gav that are willing to share the magic.
That magic that they've discover over decades of passion and hard work, an obvious love for what they do.

This might be a bold statement but yesterday was 1 of the best experiences I've had in life so far, couldn't imagine being with nicer people doing what i love to do.
Make music and just play my guitar!

Things are sounding amazing too and i have to say a big thank you to Steve and Andy Eastment at Smash Rooms in Telford, without their help we wouldn't of been able to get the track listing up by 2+ more songs.
Recording the drums with Steve at Smash Rooms has helped us so much, capturing a well engineered set of drum takes has been a total blessing in terms of the time we have to focus on all other instruments/vocals.

Mr Bartlett managed to get all 5 songs nailed in one day!!
It is amazing to see someone do that, not just that but we were able to tone it down to only a few drum fills here and there haha!
Brilliant work bro!

Mr Bayliss... well haha!

This whole project is Kev's idea and he has actually funded this whole thing so i cant thank him enough for letting me be a part if it all, not just that but also to consider using 3 of my own compositions to co-write and collaborate on.
What Kev has added to these songs vocally is far better than i could of imagined, its an honour to send a piece music to kev and get it back with his vocals and just say "that's it!"

I really have found a great musical chemistry with Kev (another Kev to add to brotherhood haha), its turning out to be a great musical partnership that will continue for a long time to come I'm sure.

So tomorrow we head back in for 4 days to finish up, i should hopefully have all of my guitars done tomorrow (including Acoustic Guitars)

Nick (bassist/guitarist) is joining us tomorrow onwards too, be nice to see how his ideas weave in to the tapestry.

I'm so excited about getting this thing finished and out there to you all, but honestly...
If i could make this week last a lifetime i would be more than happy, so if any record labels are reading this then sort it out would ya lol!

Peace & Luv as Always :-) xx