"You got needles sticking through your arms... YOU'RE INSANE..."
One of my weirder compositions, there is also an alternate take to this track that includes chaotic synthesizer laser bleeps and blurbs before I come in with the phrase "You've got no remoteness..."
The context of the lyrics to this song is talking about a roommate who had recently moved out and he left his trash scattered throughout the back room of the upstairs. Not to expose too much detail, but the phrase "You're taking drugs..." is a reference to him as well.
Another unearthed gem from the SUB ONE archive, 'Take A Listen'
"What you're feeling is an urge to dance and it's POUNDING inside your brain..."
This is an alternate version of 'Pounding' that was recorded separately from the version for the POOM! demo. As for the sample used at the beginning and at the end of the song, I'm not sure where it was lifted from but I was using a separate tape deck to play various samples that I would record on a separate cassette.
What else I found rather unique after listening to this after so many years is that during the solo you can hear a chopped up vocal track. I was able to achieve this effect by hitting the cue switch on the mixer very rapidly while I was belting out the next verse of the song.
From the SUB ONE archives... 'Pounding (Hold for Operator mix)'
Adding to the theme of SUB ONE covers, this is a previously unearthed gem found in the SUB ONE archive. I could not resist the temptation to record my own version of Devo's hit, 'Whip It' from the early 80's.
There were several takes of this song, and yes I did record vocals. If my memory serves me correctly, I was working a valet service job at the time and it was my job through the week to hold on to a set of two way radios that we used to communicate with parking lot security. I decided to use these radios to record the vocals for the 'Whip It' song but none of the takes were done to my satisfaction. One thing that threw off the recording using two-ways was there was a level of magnetic interference that caused the recording head to react and it sounded like static on an old radio. In some instances I might have thought that was cool but it didn't sound right on this recording.
I'm sure at some point in the not so distant future, I could record proper vocals as an overdub to this instrumental track.
In the meantime, the instrumental track is a premier here on the SUB ONE blog.
Another unearthed gem from the SUB ONE blog, Devo's 'Whip It' (Unfinished) as covered by SUB ONE.
In an all night marathon back in 1993, I recorded several tracks which included two Pink Floyd songs (Saucerful of Secrets, and Atom Heart Mother), two Untitled instrumentals, and several takes of a cover of Devo's 'Whip It' (yes, I will post this in the very NEAR future).
Upon finding the cassette that included the recordings of the Pink Floyd songs, I realized that I accidentally recorded over 'Saucerful of Secrets' yet 'Atom Heart Mother' was left unscathed.
Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the PSR-500, I wasn't able to duplicate a full orchestra yet I got the horn section of the song pretty darned spot on!
Another unearthed gem from the SUB ONE archive... Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother!
An attempt to create and manipulate my own version of Front 242's 'Religion' from their 1993 release, 06:21:03:11 Up Evil (match the numbers with the letters of the alphabet, kids).
Remembering back, this is one that almost got erased however I believe this is a tape copy of a tape. Programming cover songs on the PSR-500 was not easy. If you were not familiar with each individual track of the song, it was like building the Empire State Building out of lego blocks.
This is the first cover song I recorded as SUB ONE.
From the SUB ONE archive, 'Religion' (original recording by Front 242).
This was my best effort to make my Yamaha PSR-500 sound like a random tone generator. The inspiration for this song came from an early Devo tune titled, 'U Got Me Bugged'. With the PSR-500, I was very limited to the factory sounds and found it difficult to emulate most synth voices. However, I was rather impressed with the simple rhythm sequence that I came up with for this track which happened to be a Fretless Bass patch where I played the lower notes on the keyboard to get the pulsating tone.
On top of the instrumentation, the vocal track is me singing falsetto passages of such phrases as "Whatcha gonna do when you lose your mind" and "Volts of power will feed my blood." At various points in the song, the instrumental phrases break down and your left listening to me try to sing the rest of the phrase.
'All Tied Up' was part of a separate tracking session from the original SUB ONE sessions.
I want to follow your instinct, I want to make you alive...
The count in and the random blips that pound into your brain is what begins the trek as SUB ONE. 'Human Surroundings (Control This Joystick)' was the beginning of what was to become a long lasting relationship with electronic music and the use of synthesizers in my musical ventures.
Comparing the songs of Prismatic to SUB ONE, one thing is clear. There is not so much of an emphasis on lyrical style as what you had with songs like 'Last Hurrah' or 'Crawl (You and Me)'. This is what I considered straight ahead rock and roll with machines. If you were to ask me about some of the lyrical content of early SUB ONE material I would tell you that I wasn't so sure what I was singing about. With SUB ONE, I stripped everything away that I had as Prismatic and with my early works. It was a return to basics so to speak yet there was a new arsenal of equipment at my fingertips.
'Human Surroundings' was also to be included on what was to become my first released demo EP titled POOM! One other song that was recorded during these first sessions was 'Tubes' which didn't see the light of day until about 10 years later for the CD release, Nillum Noom.
Another classic and the very first SUB ONE tune from the SUB ONE archive... 'Human Surroundings (Control This Joystick)'.
My artist bio states it perfectly; 'Measure for Measure' was the first song I wrote and it was a heartfelt song. A lot has changed between that time and now.
1993 was coming to an end, and so was Prismatic...
I felt the time was right upon graduating from the Art Institute to not only find adequate work but to also apply myself to new avenues in creating music. What I was doing with the Prismatic material was good, but I felt that the musical paintbrush was creating broad strokes. I wanted to narrow the field a bit.
I was gaining more respect for what was labeled as 'industrial' rock and also gained more of a respect for what I grew up with in the 80's - specifically new wave, punk, and synth pop. Bands such as The Fixx, The Cure, Devo, Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Einsturzende Neubauten, Nine Inch Nails, Cabaret Voltaire, Foetus, The Tubes, Utopia, Frank Zappa, U2, Information Society and Joy Division were all making their way into my musical vocabulary.
I cannot exactly pinpoint where I decided to change the moniker from Prismatic to SUB ONE but it wasn't too soon after I graduated that I started writing new material that was a total change from anything I had done before. Once I sat down with my keyboard, I took it upon myself to come up with some very simple rhythm lines and piece together what would remind an average listener of typical 80's synth New Wave rock. Two songs were recorded in the first days of SUB ONE, 'Human Surroundings (Control This Joystick)', and 'Tubes'. It wasn't until 2003 that 'Tubes' saw the light of day. Upon finishing these new songs, I came up with more new material that will be showcased here on the SUB ONE blog. There will be some stuff that has never been played before and there is also alternate takes of material as well as studio outtakes that I have since unearthed.
As for the name, SUB ONE, this is another thing I cannot pinpoint but I can say it was another one of those cases where I was trying to think of a new name and several things came to mind. One thing I was thinking of was the fact that I was using machines to play and write music. Being one person making everything work, I felt that the word 'ONE' should be in the name. I think SUB was somewhat of a reference to SUB Zero (the character from the Mortal Kombat video which I played religiously back then), yet I also think back and there was also a mathematical philosophy to this as well.
"If I am one yet I am human, won't using machines to do my work make me less than human? Therefore, I am SUB ONE."
Pretty deep, eh? That's why they call me Thee Sub One Genius!
So the moniker has stuck with me ever since. Sure, there have been times I thought of changing to another name but as for any music that ends up on wax, it's known as a SUB ONE project. Now, from time to time I have deviated with various electronic instrumental music and have used such monikers as CREATURE BLONDE, A-GEN, and ALL TIED UP but in the end it's all created by the same genius!
"Your childhood, growing up, going to school and pursuing higher education are what make a lasting impression on your life." -Quoted from a Wise Man, 2010
Back in March, 1993 the Art Institute of Philadelphia hosted a student talent showcase open to any and all students who were interested in getting involved. This was a fun night packed with music of different genres, styles and attitudes.
For this show my original intention was to have my brother's band, Veritas, play one song and it would be my name on the entry. Once my brother discussed the situation with the rest of the band, they backed out because they found it unnecessary to lug all of their equipment into the big city just to play one song for a talent show. This prompted me to either withdraw my entry into the show or actually play something in their place.
Well, the organizers of the show notified me that once I submitted an entry I couldn't back out so the show had to go on. I ended up being booked for the big stage since that was where Veritas was set to play.
Prismatic took the show and performed a re-sequenced version of 'Lost (Inside Your Eyes)' being preceded by the song 'Rain' from The Beatles. This is the only known video recording of this performance and it happens to be the first and only live Prismatic performance!
Returning to my roots in a sense, this is a newer version of 'Forever We Will Live The Night' recorded most likely sometime in 1993. There is not much I can say about this version because I truly do not remember recording this. This could have been around the time of recording the Prismatic demo and it could have also been during the transition between Prismatic and SUB ONE. In any case, I just happened upon this recording while combing through my library of cassettes.
From the Prismatic archives... 'Forever We Will Live The Night (early 90's version)'
Prismatic circa 1993 - Footstep Paranoia (Class Project Video)
Ahh yes, back to the days of the Art Institute and one of my final classes before graduation, Video Broadcasting. There is quite the story to be told about this video and the song 'Footstep Paranoia'.
THE SONG
Previously posted here on the SUB ONE blog along with the lyrics, the context of this song refers to a "DAYMARE" that I had. As I was relaxing one summer afternoon, I started daydreaming and as I began to reflect on my relaxation it all started to go wrong. I was staring at the floor of my bedroom and imagined a dwarf making his way into my house carrying a knife and slashing my throat. The rest of the "DAYMARE" gets a little more graphic as this dwarf gets excited over the sight of my blood and proceeds to rape me even though I'm dead!
Yes... I know... very wrong indeed... you don't need to remind me... however...
This very graphic turn of imaginary events prompted me to write some of the weirdest lyrics I had ever written for a song.
RECORDING
Two takes were recorded when I finally sat down and had the instrumental tracks arranged. The acoustic riff was fed through the ART processor with delay and flange and my vocals were also given treatment by the ART processor. The effect I used was a slap-back/faded delay which is the reason my voice has that crazy-spacey sound to it. During this recording session, I also laid tracks for the song 'Bossa Me Lost Ya'.
VIDEO
During our Video Production Class at the Art Institute of Philadelphia (AIPH for short), we were required to not only come up with our own individual idea for a segment production but at the end of the 12 weeks of class, it would all be pieced together for a variety show that included a studio audience. The variety show that we did was called "Juan's World" which was based on the Wayne's World SNL sketch and movie but with a Cuban/Latino theme to it.
Recalling the segment production, for preparation, all I had required was a blue board (which I ended up doing the painting on my own time) and the AIPH video production studio. Each individual segment was assigned to each student in the class and they were responsible for assigning team members as well as job assignments to each member.
Tyrone Mitchell, who was known to most as Mitch or Mitch Mitchell (after the Experience drummer) was given the assignment of line producer. His job was to be a liason between the action going on in the studio and translate that to those working in the control room.
As Mitch and I sat down to discuss how the video was going to be choreographed, he was given a lyric sheet and he was jotting down notes as I told him what I wanted to accomplish. Upon reading each line, he would tell me what he was going to direct to the control room and they would in turn direct the camera operators. Mitch reads the line "He raped me with circus toys" and flat out loses it! He could not keep a straight face after that and it transpired into the whole class getting word of what my song was about. In turn no one could keep a straight face - not even our Instructor, Pat McGrath.
Pat was one of my favorite Instructors from the school. He had a cool, level head and he was very professional when it came to video production. He wasn't one to fall out of his professionalism while he was teaching but the day I produced this video, he could not keep his composure. I remember his reaction to my project being very positive and he was constantly complimenting me on my efforts. Pat, if you're reading this, you should hit me up on Facebook.
PRODUCTION
So during the actual production and taping of this video, I decided I wanted to have a video overlay from what was going on in the studio and play another video of some previously shot material that was chroma-keyed as a background. Well, watching this video during class caused some classmates to lose it once again. In all seriousness, the background video could have supplemented the 'Footstep Paranoia' song rather sufficiently. Yet my idea to have two classmates with the longest head of hair on either side while I was doing my thing was a benefit in the end. Those two classmates names were Vince Mount and Jose Nieves. Side Note: It's later I realized it would have been so much better to have some hot stripper babes on each side of me, but I had to make due.
In the end, this was a fun project and you notice it from watching the video. I could not keep a straight face while I was doing this. Each time you see me bending over and flopping my long hair to the ground, I'm actually trying to disguse that I'm laughing so hard. Several things were making me laugh. Vince and Jose kept making faces at me, I would watch in the control room as the video crew were watching what was being fed as the background video. The short Kaboom! segment would play and everyone would laugh and Mitch was cracking a big smile yet I had to pay attention to anything he had to signal to me. Watching Pat try to keep a straight face through it all and seeing people out in the hall and looking towards the studio with a perplexed look on their face was not helping to keep matters serious in any way. All in all, the whole class had fun doing this. I'm glad I could make it fun yet productive.
A rich history of different styles and very eclectic instrumentation. SUB ONE is the summation of years experimenting with different musicks and different attitudes. This is a place where I will take you through my musical history, some of my family heritage as well as tell you what is new. Stay tuned!
