Jacob Collier's astrological muses

A week ago Jacob Collier won his fifth Granny. Not bad, considering that he was born on the 2nd of August 1994 (in London). Collier has Mozartian levels of musical skill, and he knows how to use Youtube. Watching him perform is a humbling experience for most musicians.

The Tubbutec µTune microtonal quantizer

Jan Caron of Gearslutz and Tony Dubshot discuss the awesome Tubbutec µTune microtonal quantizer. And let's not forget the Ornament and Crime module, a versatile module which can also do xenharmonic quantizing and is a good enough choice for beginners. And here's a mix of some xenharmonic tunes by Tony Dubshot.

Workshop ~ Modular microtonal techniques

Noodlefest 2017 will be a great opportunity for modular enthousiasts to check out a large number of seasoned modular artists, all passing through Rotterdam (NL) during one long weekend from september 29th to october 1st. At the Noodlefest, Tony Dubshot will do a workshop about some of the new modular options and techniques that are available to make microtonal music. Breaking news: expect a demo of the brand new Tubbutec µTune microtonal quantizer.

Out now: Harmony Hacker by Sevish

Unsurprisingly, the new Sevish album is fantastic. So if you already know who Sevish is, run go check it out (and if you'd like something to read, check the excellent comments of Jacky Ligon). On the other hand, if you haven't had a chance yet to hear this 21st century xen music genius, you might want to do yourself a favor by checking out some of his finest compositions. We'll just let the music speak.

Modular Microtones #1

Why would anybody want to make microtonal music with a modular synth? Somehow, using a computer seems more logical. Especially if you want perfection, which is a common syndrome among microtonalists. But if you’re ok with an oscillator drift of about +/- 1 cent, making microtonal music on a modular system can be big fun. 

Out now on Split-Notes: Next Xen

Next Xen is a new compilation out on Split-Notes, our favorite xenharmonic label. The album features ~ among many others ~ Jacky Ligon (killer track) and Sevish (another scorcher), who have also collaborated with us on several Dubbhism releases. Also fine tracks by Brendan Byrnes, Steve Mueske, Carlo Serafini and Elaine Walker.  

Out now: Binkieman ~ Strictly Binkie

Download: dubbhism-netlabel-022-binkieman-strictly-binkie.rar

New Sevish album ~ Rhythm and Xen

Sevish is setting new standards for xenharmonic music. Rhythm and Xen is proud to be xenharmonic, without sounding theoretical or sonically cramped. This is simply very good music. Original, organic, written by a young composer with a strong vision, a superb sense of harmony and too little time to work out all the ideas floating around in his head. Check out what Jacky Ligon had to say over here.

Play EDO's using 'pitch slope' or 'pitch keyfollow'

Here's a little trick for hardware synth owners who want to try out xenharmonics. Even if your synth doesn't have proper tuning capabilities, you might be able to get some EDO's (equal divisions of the octave, or equal temperaments) out of it. This trick works if your synth has an option called pitch slope or pitch keyfollow.

Siemen Terpstra's musical studies online

Philosophical history has not been kind to musical sensibilities. The orthodox history of Greek thought has been de-musicalised. Because of this, we have been tought all kinds of philosophical nonsense, especially when it comes to the Pre-Socratics. But the 'lost' musical heritage is restored by philosopher-musician Siemen Terpstra.

Microtuned analog oscillators using hard sync

If you want to use analog synths/oscillators for xenharmonic music, there are MIDI-based options like the H-Pi Tuningbox, or the more advanced Silent Way soft/hardware. And there are modules like the Analogue Systems RS-130. Or you could also try a hack: maybe it's possible to hard sync your hardware with software-generated audio.

Dynamic Tonality releases Transformer

Transformer 1.0 is a new tool for xenharmonic experrymentation, developed by Dynamic Tonality. Explore tuning~timbre relations using powerful new tricks, based on Bill Sethares' theories. Features like morphing between tunings are not very mainstream, but the live input can retune an incoming signal to any tuning. A great new toy! 

Peter Blasser on JI, integers and saving energy

Here's an entertaining video featuring Peter Blasser of Ciat-Lonbarde and some of his electronic instruments.The Justints software (with the 8-bit style visuals) has some just intonation-properties.

How to make microtonal chiptune music

The subtle art of chiptune production is all about creating special effects in the mids. That's why real 8-bit music sounds best when you hear it on a noisy old laptop or something. Also, 8-bit music is best served pure. Having said that, you should really try out this handy how-to by Sevish: "Microtonal chiptune music with One-SF2 VST".

Tuning theory tutorial by John Moriarity

John Moriarity is working on a series of entry-level video tutorials about tunings and xenharmonics. His style is relaxed and he knows how to explain difficult concepts. So if you're new to xenharmonics, and want to know more about the basics ~ without getting lost in mathematical bla bla and weird concepts ~ why not give these a try.

Club-Res interview & 3-hour monster jam

Last week the responsiple people of Radio Tonka's Club-Res invited Tony Dubshot for an interview about Dubbhism, xenharmonics, conspiracy theories etc. Kassen Oud and Rob Bothof (pic) host the show together, and they are famous for their extended live sets on air. So after an hour of talk and Dubbhism tracks, we ended up doing a massive 3-hour live set with special guest Lama Waaien.

SoundBytes Magazine's FMTS 2 review

The Xen FMTS 2 is a free VSTi synth by Jacky Ligon (Xen-Arts). It opens the way to wild explorations of tunings and timbres. It was used extensively on the latest Dubbhism Deluxe release, an album by Jacky Ligon, Sevish and Dubshot titled '23'. Check out this well written FMTS 2 review by Warren Burt for SoundBytes Magazine.

Scale add-on packs for Xen-Arts VSTi by Sevish

Our good friend and musical co-conspirator Sevish has started producing a collection of MTS microtuning add-on packs which are compatible with the Xen-Arts VSTi line produced by Jacky Ligon. If you're new to the world of xenharmonic scales, this might be just what you need to get you started. Especially if you're a pragmatic musician looking for shortcuts, trying to avoid the abstract and highly theoretical talk that's going on in some xenharmonic circles.

Out now: Ligon / Sevish / Dubshot ~ 23 (Dubbhism Deluxe)

After the Subversio album, this is the second release on Dubbhism Deluxe bringing together the sounds of Jacky Ligon (Xen-Arts), Sevish (Split-notes) and Tony Dubshot (Dubbhism). This EP is about a tuning, known as 23 EDO. We call this style Xenharmonic Bass Music.

Various Artists ~ Possible Worlds Vol.2

Very nice xenharmonic music sampler, out now on Bruce Hamilton's Spectropol Records. The opening track is by Jacky Ligon of Xen-Arts. If you like it, you will love the next Dubbhism Deluxe release. Titled '23', it will will feature Jacky Ligon, Sevish and Tony Dubshot. The same guys actually who were on the critically acclaimed Subversio.