Joshua Van Tassel

january was a good month for me. My full time job was to make tea and create interesting music. Now I’ve returned to some form of “reality” where I have to go to “real job” most days and communicate with other humans using actual language, not just strange sounds transformed into other strange sounds. I’m home in the lab today, and remembered how great it was to do this every day. If you’re making art on a daily basis as a career, don’t quit your day job, it sounds like you have a great one.

I have a fantastic friend Ainsley who is making a very exciting record right now, and she lent me her vibraphone. It’s such a peaceful wonderful instrument that I just had to make it do something peaceful and morning like right away.

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I promise not to make any jokes about bad vibes on this website. 

Out of all the microphones in microphone land, there’s arguably one that is the duct tape equivalent of the recording world. The tried and true, indestructible, use it on everything (even on the presidential lectern) SM 57.

For years every engineer regardless of how experienced they are have been using these mics. Except me. For some reason I thought that maybe I could try and get some new and different sounds, things unique to myself. Why use the exact same gear everyone else does? Do all painters have to use the same brush? Do all basketball players wear the exact same shoe? It all sounds quite noble, until I realized what I was recording sounded pretty terrible.

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So here’s my public apology to the 57 in audio form, a nice little dark break beat recorded with one mic, and kaoss pad type stuff added after using the 57 again. How could I be so foolish? I love you..

I’m so sorry….never again…..I can’t live without you….

here’s a Monday afternoon warm little song. Things are coming along well, very busy which is always nice. Stay inside if you can and make something pretty.

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……came over and recorded some great sounding bass for me. It needs some mixing but here’s a bit of it. Thanks also to Marc for the lending of some nice things to record with…

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Here’s some more work on something I put up here last week. My good friend David Myles was in town and did some trumpet for me, and I’m excited about how it’s sounding so far.

Here’s a sample –

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I’ve also decided to put something out in May of all this stuff. I don’t know if it’ll be an ep or lp, is there an abbreviation that fits in between? If so, that’s where it’ll be. How was your weekend?

Today I’m finishing off working on a 4 movement 4 minute piece where I take 3 sounds unique to my studio, make a 3 minute piece out of each using only that sound, then bring them together for the fourth movement.

Here’s the 3rd part.

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The sound comes from plucking a metal bar attached to a room divider I have down in the lab. when you pitch it down a whole bunch it sounds almost exactly like a very old lovely piano. I love it. I’m doing weekly projects like this with a friend who’ll hopefully want to broadcast his 4 piece to the “world” via joshuavt as well. We’ll see…..

Here’s the stop.die.resuscitate video. I’m not sure what else to say….

I’m back at the lab today and trying out some things, and it’s fun. I’m luckiest muppet in the creature shop.
I’m also getting my taxes in order after talking to the nicest,most helpful human being on the planet. If you’re a musician and you need taxes done, I have the man for you.
Here’s something I’ve started that’s going to be alright after a lot of work, but it’s a start.

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I fell asleep for about 4 minutes yesterday afternoon, woke up and made this. It sounds like how I feel after a bad dream that’s hanging on a bit longer then it should.

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Carry these in your pocket.

As I’ve been writing, I haven’t generally been trying to get anything particular out yet in terms of my own feelings,memories, trying to tell a story, etc. It’s been more about getting all sorts of ideas down on to a page ( or screen) and seeing what happens.

I recently read some old school sci fi though, and have been really interested in one specific character from an Issac Asimov novel. Her name is Susan Calvin, and she’s a really brilliant robot psychologist. I’m trying to write something for her that’s a combination of very robotic type sounds that are still sweet, and organic sounds that still have an edge. Here’s a starting point at least. I’ll keep you posted……..

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