Yamaha SY85 – Hugh Carson Music

July 2021

THIS MONTH’S AUDIO UPLOADS:

Victorious (Anlg) – SKETCH – 1996:

Victorious gets us underway this month. It’s a rough sketch of what I’d imagined to be a celebratory theme to open a Winter Olympics or something along those lines. It’s just an old analogue cassette recording with a couple of glitches in it, and only an incomplete rough sketch of an idea! So, do excuse the lack of polish.

Always Be There (Mason Techno Remix) (Anlg) – 1995:

My old University mate, Jim Mason, was the second person to add their own special colour to my Always Be There track, with this high-energy German-style Techno Remix. Jim was very much the king of the synths and electronica back then and probably still is to this day. It’s sadly just an old analogue cassette recording as the original digital master has yet to be found. Still love this rendition to this day.

Sassy Queen (Alternative Mellow Mix) – 2008:

Another, slightly less in-your-face mix of this exotic theme that the eagle eyed/eared amongst you will already recognise from a couple of different mixes that have been uploaded to this site in previous months.

The Moon The Stars & The Planet Mars (Late Version – 2021 Edit) – FINAL DEMO – 2012:

The full story behind The Moon The Stars & The Planet Mars (MSPM) can be found in the A-Z Section of this site, so I’ll save repeating myself here. South African/Swedish singer Linnea Södahl provided the vocals. This particular demo mix was tweaked a little in 2021. There still is no definitive mix in existence of MSPM. It remains to this day the classic abandoned track with any number of demo takes clogging up Gigabytes worth of hard drive space.

Bluebird – 1991:

I remember as clear as day programming the backing track (on my trusty Yamaha QY10) for this piece, in a common area of a Youth Hostel I was staying in, somewhere on the West Coast of the USA. Probably Seattle, come to think of it. It was only once I got to the studio at Dartington College of Arts in 1992 that it fully came to life thanks to the guitar playing of Jim ‘Pasty’ Thomas. Another cut from that first ‘album’ Just Enough. Absolute frantic bedlam. Enjoy!

Incidental Music For Animation (Karma 4 Beginners) – 2010:

Here’s one I’d almost forgotten about. A project that came up on the now defunct site, Humtoo. It was requesting incidental music to accompany an in-progress animation. This was my submission which, admittedly, clearly borrows heavily from Henry Mancini’s theme and incidental music to the Pink Panther cartoons. I thought that this choice of inspiration might work against me, but lo and behold, the music that was ultimately used for the animation not only miraculously used exactly the same source of inspiration, but was a version that appeared to have been composed by a deaf three year old. It was properly shit. Can’t help but feel that my idea(s) were taken on board and then the animator had badly re-worked them via whatever means, so as not to pay me a commission fee. Perhaps I’m wrong. Not that I’m bitter or anything!

Hardest Part – 1992:

Written for an ex-girlfriend of mine, Hardest Part, is the slow cut from the Just Enough album. It’s a production mess owing to its roots being a busy Yamaha QY10 backing track, which has subsequently then been swamped by Korg M1 overdubs, but I like to think that the emotion and sentiment still shines through.

Flexible Films (Customer Care Theme) – 2010:

Another main theme to accompany one of Sybil and Russ’s excellent mental health initiative films for the NHS.

Unrepenting Heart – SKETCH – 1997:

This early set of ideas gives us an insight into the creative process that ultimately led to the track, Unrelenting Heart. One for the HughCarsonMusic anoraks out there, if anyone, I suspect.

Upbeat Song Backing (Anlg) – SECTIONS – 1994:

I could hum you the melody if you like, but Lord alone knows what the lyrics were or even the name of this song. Fortunately, the backing track, though a little warped in places, stands up fairly well on its own as an instrumental. All composed on my old Yamaha SY85 workstation linked to an old Atari 1040 STE.

May 2021

May 2021 marks the one year anniversary of the HughCarsonMusic site. That’s 12 months of uploads so far with much more still to come. Enjoy.

This Month’s Audio Uploads:

This Time (CGN Songs) – 2010:

This Time, the CGN Songs track, not to be confused with my mid-90s ballad of the same name, was a track written by myself and Peter Godfrey as a commission for something or other back in 2010. The main story that came out of the recording sessions was my inability, no matter how hard i tried, to hit the highest note in the chorus and subsequently having to draft in a very reluctant Karin Hasselström to help me out. She wasn’t having it, but I think she did a great job and definitely saved the day because I think one more attempt by me and my vocal chords would almost certainly have tied themselves into a round turn and two half hitches.

Sanctuary – 1995:

Sanctuary, despite being all over the place production-wise, has always been one of my favourite songs that I’ve written, thanks in no small part to my old mate, Paul Jackson‘s fantastic vocal which really lifts this track. An unfortunate SMPTE malfuntion during Phil Mayers‘ mid-track rap briefly throws his timing out which is a real shame, but what can you do?

Trumpet Chase (Anlg) – Section – SKETCH – 1996:

I think there was a vague plan to have a female soprano sing some lines on this track if the opportunity ever presented itself. This is a lively piece intended to conjure up dramatic images of a galloping horse and rider going hell for leather over the rolling hills of a British countryside scene. I think I may have gained some vague inspiration from the opening credits of the original Blackadder comedy series.

Hindsight – SKETCH – 1996:

A laid back atmospheric sketch from the SY85 sessions of the mid-1990s.

Making Cents – 2021 Remaster – 1992:

This was one of the more convincing cuts from my first unofficial ‘album’, Just Enough. The lyrics for this song were written during my U.S travels of 1991, specifically when I found myself downtown in San Francisco. The levels of homelessness there were really quite disturbing for an impressionable young 19 year old, and Making Cents is basically all about that. A special mention for Jim ‘Pasty’ Thomas‘ memorable guitar solo.

Generations – Section – SKETCH – 1996:

A section of a further contemplative SY85 sketch no doubt thrown together in a small amount of time.

You’re Gone (Anlg) – Section – ROUGH SKETCH – 1997:

A song that I wish I’d finished. It’s a crusty old cassette recording of a rough sketch, but there’s definitely something about it which still appeals to me to this day.

Rampaging Rickshaws – Sections – 2009:

I was working on an upbeat ‘world’ music track for my audio library which had something of an Asian feel to it. The idea, however, was soon adapted to be a prospective theme track for a documentary about an Indian ashram that Justin Carroll had filmed footage for and was now working on. But it was a big undertaking under difficult circumstances for him, and the project never materialised in the end.

Just enough – Sections – 1992:

A section taken from the title track of my first album. A big thank you once again to Graham Joiner of Audio Restored for rescuing all eight songs from the album, from an old DAT tape of mine, at the beginning of 2021.

Miles Off – SKETCH – 2009:

A very brief snippet taken from a smooth smokey jazz track with Miles Davis-esque muted trumpet overtones. Niiice.

March 2021

This Month’s Audio Uploads:

Vortex of Despair – 2010:

Vortex of Despair was an attempt at something of a ‘Film Noir’ theme. It’s always very tricky to make anything predominantly orchestral sound in any way convincing in a studio, particularly when you’re not in possession of prohibitively expensive orchestral libraries. And even then, it’s very easy to distinguish between the real thing and the synthetically created. That said, I’m fairly pleased with what I’ve achieved here.

Yeah Me, Yeah You – 2009:

Another from the CGN Songs catalogue, Yeah Me, Yeah You, is a commercial teen punk-ish theme written by myself and Peter Godfrey as a commission for some project or other, I forget, but it was most notably used in a scene from a Brit-flick starring a whole host of A-list actors and celebrities (ahem), including: John Altman (Nasty Nick Cotton, son of Dot Cotton in the long-running English soap, East Enders), Kerry Ingram (of Game of Thrones and Matilda fame), and even a cameo from snooker legend, Jimmy White, himself. I’ve never seen the film in full, but I’m reliably informed that it is Oscar-worthy stuff, yet it was somehow overlooked in that year’s awards ceremony. Ain’t that always the way?! NB: The above clip also features Red Hot, another track plucked from the CGN Songs catalogue.

Emergencia – 1996:

In my mid-90s quest to write as many theme tunes in as many TV styles as possible, I wrote ‘Emergencia’. I’m pretty sure that this track was my own version of a ‘Casualty’ or ‘Holby Central’ type of theme. It was all thrown together using a Yamaha SY85 synth and an Atari 1040 STE-powered Cubase sequencer. And I’m fairly certain you’ll sleep better for knowing that.

Night Driving (Anlg) – 1995:

Although I sang on this track and helped out a little with some melody and harmony vocal line writing, Night Driving is in fact a Jim Mason composition. Jim is an old mate from my University days. This track was Jim’s excellent SY85 programming synced to some vocal lines that we recorded on my old cassette-based Tascam 644 Midistudio. Sadly there are some syncing issues here which have thrown my vocals a little out of sync with the backing during the middle phase of this song. Trust me on this one, not even I could sing that far out of time.

Deadly Funk Shade (Anlg) – 1994:

This track was created using literally just one sound source, the ‘tschh’ sound of a can of fizzy drink being opened. This was a University project involving a few of us – Jacqui Attwood (Rose) and Phil Mayers included? – to take the aforementioned can-opening sound and process it through an Akai sampler and come up with an entire composition. And voila, Deadly Funk Shade was created. It’s amazing what you can do with a little technology and a rudimentary understanding of what constitutes sound.

4/4 SY85 Song Backing (Anlg) – SKETCH – 1996:

Normally, even if I’ve forgotten a song that I was working on, when I once again listen to the backing track the vocal melody / lyrics etc. usually all suddenly re-materialise in my head. But no matter how many times I listen to this old mid-90s song backing sketch, I cannot for the life of me fathom what the melody was, nor the lyrics, nor the song’s title. So, for now, it’ll have to remain a mystery. Thankfully, this backing track kind of stands up on its own.

Time To Die (Anlg) – 1993:

Whilst this song wasn’t actually inspired by any personal memories of “attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion,” Time To Die was, however, loosely inspired by Rutger Hauer’s closing lines in Ridley Scott’s brilliant film, Blade Runner. If you can see past the track’s appalling ever present feedback buzz, Time To Die will hopefully come across as being a calm but mournful lament, and an acceptance of death. You know, the sort of thing that most twenty-one year old songwriters tend to have high on their priority lists.

Ramon – SECTION – DEMO – 2012:

I believe that this track began life as an attempt to create a theme tune for a fictional TV detective series. I’ll leave it up to your own ears as to whether it succeed in its intentions.

NHS Seven Role Plays Main Theme (Flexible Films) – 2009:

This very basic theme was the first that I threw together for Sybil and Russ of Flexible Films. It served a purpose, but it’s hard to get enthusiastic about something so elementary.

Where Does My Heart Go Now – SKETCH – 2012:

Without recourse to any suitable female singers at the time, I had to resort to pitch-shifting my own vocals up an octave in order to get a rough idea of how this song would work within the required vocal register. Alvin & the Chipmunks impression-aside, I rather like this very basic sketch of a song idea, and it’s one that I intend to do something with in the hopefully not too distant future. Don’t hold your breath though.

October 2020

This Month’s Audio Uploads:

Spring Town – Full Version – 2010:

Spring Town, despite never being used for any particularly major project, remains the song from my CGN Songs days that has proven to be most popular with most people over time.

Itchin’ Powder – DEMO – 2012:

An upbeat library track that has been used, in parts, by a number of different creators, a number of times over the years.

Elegy – Section – 2005:

It would be nice to return to this piece and re-do the unconvincing synthetic, delay-heavy acoustic guitar part with actual acoustic guitar. As it stands, as much as I like aspects of this orchestral and light-synth piece, the synthetic acoustic parts can be a little grating and distracting. Sadly, the original working files for this piece have yet to be found and even if they were, I no longer possess the software that I’d need to make the necessary edits. Bummer.

Faroes ’08 Theme (Heading East) – Full Version – 2009:

Following a brilliant second holiday in the wonderful Faroe Islands, in 2008, I set about the gargantuan task of editing the hours and hours of footage that had been recorded, into one approximately half-hour video. Having done so, the project was in need of a theme tune and incidental music, and thus was born this simple theme. In 2009, I packed a van, drove it onto a freight ship at Tilbury port in Essex, and we set sail across the North Sea to Gothenburg, Sweden, where I would then spend the best part of the next two years of my life. It was aboard this vessel – one of the most memorable experiences of my life – that I set about writing this theme tune. It conjures up such fond memories for me of the Faroes trip and of the future adventures that lay ahead of me (in Sweden), and though it may be a rather unspectacular low-key track, it remains one of my favourite pieces of work to this day.

Hide Away – Song Sample – DEMO – 2007:

Hide Away – excuse the slightly out-of-tune vocals in the verse – started its life as an attempt at a ‘thoughtful’ Christmas song. Whilst never having been an atheist, myself, I’ve always been mightily sceptical of those who unwaveringly live and die by the words of ancient religious manuscripts. That said, ‘The West’s’ seemingly hell-bent insistance upon killing off God and Christianity, in recent years – and the wholesome code of morality that it has traditionally offered healthy societies – seems to be having a hugely negative impact upon the rudderless, ‘progressive’ society that has grown in its increasing absence.

Sports Theme – SKETCH – 1991:

I’ve always been fascinated by Sports Themes – a lost art and thing of the past in today’s superficial throw-away media – and almost certainly inspired by the magnificent ITV World Cup theme of 1986 – Aztec Gold – I cobbled together this little ditty, using only the onboard sounds and features of my Yamaha SY85 Workstation. Excuse the awful synth sax sound which takes on the main melody in the second half of the track. Where was David Sanborn when I needed him? That said, there’s a pretty ropey synth guitar solo during the full length version of the aforementioned, Aztec Gold. Just saying…

Around the World – Sections – SKETCH – 2012:

Another library track, with hints of ‘world music’ about it.

Realisation – SKETCH – 1991:

An orchestral sketch of an idea from way back when, using only my Yamaha SY85 Workstation. A project to be developed and ‘fleshed out’ another day.

Happy 70s TV Theme – Section – 2005:

A real laid-back easy listening track perhaps suitable for all of those hugely unfunny, yet strangely nostalgia-inducing sitcoms of the 1970s and early 1980s.

On the Jersey Circular – Section – SKETCH – 2010:

This unfinished provisional sketch was written to be used as occasional incidental music to accompany video footage I’d taken of a memorable holiday we’d had as a family, celebrating my Mum’s 70th birthday. Sadly, this trip was soon followed by big personal upheaval in my life which completely de-railed the project.

September 2020:

This Month’s Audio Uploads:

FORGIVE ME – FULL VERSION – 1997:

Forgive Me - SONG - Lyrics

A song that laments the end of one of my long-term relationships. I forget who laid down the guitar parts. Possibly Nick Rundall? It’s a song that I’ve occasionally revisited over the years, and thankfully one that continues to please despite its various mix frailties. All vocals are courtesy of me. A brief summary of Forgive Me can be found in the A-Z section of the site.

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HERE COMES THE RETRO HAMMER – FULL VERSION – 2010:

A full-length, upbeat ‘swirling’ instrumental.

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HOME – SONG SAMPLE & OUTRO – DEMO – 2011:

Michael Bublé’s silky tones on his smash hit, Home, are a seriously tough act to follow when it comes to cover versions. And although my own version limps along somewhat feebly some way back in the distance, there are still some elements of it that were pleasing, including a new outro section that I devised and tagged onto the song’s end.

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BROKEN – SKETCH – 1994:

A moody theme entirely composed and realised via the Yamaha SY85 Workstation‘s own internal sequencer.

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SPEAK TO ME – FULL VERSION – 1995:

A ‘chilled-out’ instrumental from the mid-90s sessions, featuring a brief sneaky Toto sample, taken from their Tambu album.

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NEWSBEAT – SKETCH – 1990:

Another Yamaha SY85 Workstation sketch. This was a sort of current-affairs TV programme theme that I cobbled together back in my late teen years. Probably inspired by any number of news programmes over the years. Maybe even John Craven’s Newsround, or some other such kids’ show from my childhood.

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PAINT ME A PICTURE – FULL VERSION – 2010:

©CGNSongs

This was a second, strange CGN Songs pitch for a light-hearted scene in a U.S TV show. It was shelved in favour of my CGN Songs partner, Peter Godfrey‘s offering. Sadly, neither was ultimately used, if memory serves correctly.

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GLACIAL – SECTIONS – 2009:

Sections taken from an instrumental that was loosely inspired by the majestic, ever-so-slow-moving Perito Moreno Glacier in Patagonia, Argentina. I recall staying in a tiny neighbouring town whose bars were all packed full of locals staring at TV coverage of the glacier, waiting for a section of it to crumble away and fall into the water below. Riveting stuff down that way, apparently.

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TELL ME MORE – SKETCH – 2010:

A brief snippet from a mid-tempo library track from the Wayward Wolf years.

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THREE TIME THEME – SECTION – 2005:

A theme with percussive and jazz elements to it.

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