December 2020 – Hugh Carson Music

This Month’s Audio Uploads:

Red Hot – Full Version – 2010

Despite the track’s title, this is not in fact some wah pedal-infused porn soundtrack music, but rather a CGN Songs commission piece for an enthusiastic retail marketing campaign. A sort of fun, jazzy, slightly Glen Miller-esque track idea, filling your minds with one thing only – the need to shop. And begging the question: “Why don’t you give it a shot? It’s gonna be red hot!” Face it, you’re even reaching for your cheque books as you listen to it. Job done.

Hammer Funk – DEMO – 2012

A funky synth, guitar, bass and brass track. Used a few times in a library music context over the years.

Easy (Anlg) – Section – 1998

A section from Easy, a second track taken from the Carson / Rundall 1998 demo tape. And it’s more or less a carbon-copy of my assessment of November’s track, ‘Givin’ It Up‘, with singer Zubeida’s vocal proving once again to be strong yet ultimately too free / not tight enough, groove-wise, in its delivery. I ran this track by Nick Rundall again recently and he more or less echoed my sentiments. We both agreed that some elements of the production should be revisited again too. Still, Easy remains a strong, radio-friendly pop song of which we’re both fairly proud. A strong song can always be identified as such regardless of how it’s dressed up and delivered. Excuse the occasional tape flutter. It is, after all, a 22 year-old C90 cassette recording!

La Vecchia Piazza – SKETCH – 2011

I envisioned a lovely old cobbled historic Italian Piazza in my mind, and on the back of that I came up with this little ditty. Probably inspired by the sort of location used in film’s such as Cinema Paradiso. Church bells and a gentle Waltz feel.

Music for ChewTV Promotional Ident – 2010

Another commission from the late Humtoo site. Lord alone knows what ChewTV is / was / could be, but this was my bit of throw-away guff to accompany its promotional ident.

This Time (Anlg) – Full Version – DEMO – 1995

Not to be confused with my unrelentingly upbeat CGN Songs track of the same name, this altogether more sombre affair is a melancholic song full of anguish. Not the greatest of lead vocal takes, admittedly, but another strong song, I feel. This demo was recorded entirely using a Yamaha SY85 Workstation, a Tascam 644 midistudio, and an effects unit – can’t recall which though.

Contemporary Latin Track – Full Version – 2010

As a frequent visitor to the Andalucian town of Marbella (Casco Antiguo area, not Puerto Banus) over the years since 1998, I have promised myself for the longest time that I would put together a video in tribute of said area. The HD video footage was shot many years ago and was always just waiting for a suitable soundtrack to accompany it. Hopefully this little contemporary latin number of mine can be just that. The Marbella project is one to be tackled in the future, and given my feelings for that particular part of the world, it will almost certainly be something of a labour of love. Watch this space…

Walking Tall (Anlg) – Full Version – 1995

If memory serves me correctly, Walking Tall was a track I wrote that was inspired in equal measures by 1980’s classic Brat-pack movie, The Breakfast Club, and by the 1980s soundtrack music of David Foster. The track is meant to depict some sort of triumph over adversity. Hold your head up and high. A positive message in a sea of negativity. Or something.

Motific (Anlg) – Full Version – 1994

An instrumental written as an assessment piece during my University College Salford days. The task? To write a piece that was ‘motific’, hence the track title. Excuse the audio quality. It’s a little fuzzy given that it was taken from an old cassette that had been festering in a box in a loft for more than two-and-a-half decades!

This Time (Anlg) – (Early Ideas) – SKETCH – 1995

A shortened sketch version of the This Time track featured earlier in this set of December audio uploads. Essentially this is a sort of early working version experimenting with a few ideas. And it’s another old cassette recording that I was blissfully unaware even existed until this year. Always interesting (for me at least!) to hear a track in progress.