Sitar In A Pedal

I've always been intrigued by capturing the sitar sound without the need to learn it! hehe So imagine my happiness when I finally bought my Line6 Variax guitar with a sitar model! Unfortunately, I had to let go of it and I lost my "sitar sound maker" guitar. 

And then this comes along :)

This video is also nice coz the guy is a trip :)

For 239$ it's not bad for what you're getting. Actually, you'll be better off with this than simply going for the Sitar emulation of the variax because of the possibilities and sounds you can get out of this pedal. 

If you're looking for that "unique" tone for some of your tracks, this one can surely bring something new to the table. I actually wrote a track with a sitar like intro but when it came to the recording,  I already sold my variax so I lost that "magic" so I hope I can get myself one of these soon! Dream on for now :)

Cy

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Home Studio Mastering Plugins?

Well I've been surfing for the past weeks on and off looking for mastering plugin suggestions and with my not so big budget, I've come across a number of products you guys might want to look into if you're into home studio mastering. 

Now before I get flamed for not clarifying and suggesting beforehand... mastering is better left to mastering engineers or people who actually know what they're doing. This is not to say that you cannot learn it in time but if you're looking for a magic preset if you buy any plugin, then you might not get the most of your track. 

With that out of the way, let's get to it!

Currently, there are 2 all in one solutions that are holding the throne: IK Multimedia T-Racks and Izotope Ozone. Now both have their strengths and weaknesses, which I'll leave up to you to google but if you're looking for a mastering solution that has all the modules you need for a mastering chain, then these 2 will deliver. From EQ's, Compressors, Limiters, and even a mastering reverb and spreaders, you can expect quality output from these products. Remember we're talking of within budget alternatives so definitely the higher end stuff won't be suggested anymore here like Waves.

Some people also like to mix up modules with various brands since others can be strong with EQ's but not for Compressors or some just excel at Limiters so take your pick from these plugin manufacturers.

Cytomic - The Glue : this particular developer only has The Glue compressor as their product but have been getting good reviews for it. I'm actually considering this myself given how many people in the dance music industry like it. I'm thinking the brand just made one processor but they did it very well :)

Voxengo - This name always comes up in various searches for mastering plugins and their products definitely have a cult following so it's worth looking into it. They also have some very useful free plugins on the site.

Fabfilter - I love the name of this company but they're not about filters alone. These guys have a suite of plugins needed for mastering as well as synths. They don't usually get mentioned in forums but this German engineer I work with for various projects raves about their limiter so I'm also looking at this for now as well as the rest of them.

Flux - This came up in a forum as a suggestion and though I haven't read much about them, you may also want to check them out.

PSP - Of course, we have PSP who have a great collection of awesome sounding plugins not just for mastering but also to warm up your digital recordings. They are worth checking out for sure. If I remember correctly, they also have some freebies.

Massey - They come up once in a while around forums and have a reasonably priced set of plugins.

Stillwell - Also a name that comes up from time to time and have some good reviews especially since theirs are affordable for the quality you get.

The rest -  Well, there's also McDSP, Sonnox and UAD which is also a favorite of a lot of people and of course Waves but those are plugins that have a higher price tag on them. I'm sure they "may" sound or perform better but at the end of the day, your ears still hold the controls and these tools won't do anyone good in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to get the most out of these plugins. We'll just need to take the time to learn them inside out and familaiarize ourselves with their own distinct sounds. Just remember that these higher end plugins require a dongle for them to work so it's also one thing to consider. It's one that I do consider as well since I don't like it.

What you have - Don't forget that your DAW of choice also has very capable default plugins which you can use as you dive into and learn mastering so don't dismiss onboard plugins as inferior to what you can buy separately. 

Why Buy - when there are free plugins. Yep. A search for "free" this and "free" that yields results as well so you may also want to take the no-spend route and check out your options for compressors, EQs, limiters, etc. There are also very capable FREE plugins so dismiss them just yet!

Don't forget, all these have trial versions so give em a shot and see which ones fit your need and your sound. You may want something really transparent or you may be looking for color, to take your pick!

Best of luck finding one that fits your sound!

Cy

 

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Reason Comeback

As I jumpstart my blog once again, I want to talk about my favorite piece of software: Propellerhead Reason! :) As it approaches v6 this September, a lot more can be expected seeing that Reason and Record will be combined into one product but the direction of this entry is just some more realizations on why I love the software.

As some of you know, i've been teaching some people interested electronic music production principles and ideas using Reason but one of my students initially wanted to use Ableton Live. as we went through the session, it's only then I realized how easy, convenient, and inspirational Reason works. What's more interesting is even my student realized this later on when I demoed Reason to him. He's been looking for software that can be instant in such a way that when insipiration starts, he can easily jump into music-making mode. Unfortunately, he couldn't find it exactly in Live. He saw how many clicks or drags it took to have what's readily available in Reason. 

This is not to diss Live since I also use it for my live performances. However, for production purposes, I just found Reason quicker to work with. Yes, there may be some limitations against Live, which feature-wise, can be a powerhouse in getting in depth in editing. But for instant inspiration and quickly putting down ideas, I just found Reason more spontaneous.

Now don't get me started with how people say Reason isn't enough or it's not "pro." With the upcoming update integrating audio into the whole picture, it's more than capable already. In fact, tons of people have released albums made in Reason alone. In my case, I have released more than 4 albums made solely in Reason and have made tunes for tons of clients over the years just inside Reason from record labels to corporate clients.

To close, this is also what I tell my students when they ask me why I use Reason in my teaching of music production... with the way Reason was designed and built, it was modeled after the typical hardware setup so basically, it's a visual representation of hardware units even when you do the cable routings and such. With that in mind, it allows my students to adjust easily when they're in front of real hardware because they already understand the basic principles behind how various modules, boxes, etc work :)

Cy

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Sharing Our Knowledge

As some of you may know, I recently started a 1 on 1 mentoring program for people who want to learn eletronic music production and honestly, at first, I was a bit hesitant. A lot of things were going inside my head and there was a struggle if I should push thru or not. I'm glad I did (with the encouragement of my wife.)

She told me that if I had something to share, then nothing should stop me from doing so. I also heard that before from some of my good friends who were teaching and it really is a rewarding feeling. Some may say, "well you're charging for it so it should be!" But truth be told, if you were just renting my studio for the time I spend teaching you, it's not even enough for the rent that I charge. I'm doing this for the love of imparting what I've learned over the years and to see people realize their music-making dream. Knowing that if I assisted in them reaching that goal, then it really is a reward for me.

I'm only in the 3rd session with some of the students but the smile on their faces after each session really makes it worthwhile for me. The fact that an hour or two before the session ends, they had this HUGE question mark in their faces and after the whole session, they have this confident look and a sparkle in their eye that they now understand what's in front of them and are excited to go home and try out everything they've learned. It makes me say to myself that it's good I pushed thru with this.

It's also nice that I'm teaching students in different levels where some started with zero knowledge, the other, a basic know-how of DJing and another in self study production. It helps me to adjust and it keeps things interesting. 

I'm also enjoying the whole process because it's great review for me because sometimes when you do something for so long, you try to do advanced things and you miss out on the basics so it's also helpful for me in some way. 

Look at what you can do and maybe you can find someone who wants to learn more about it and you can be that person he or she can learn from. Try it :)

Cy

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The Yours Truly Remix

I won't talk about how I got to meet silverfilter of course hehe

If you were fortunate to grab a copy of the Nokia compilation CD that included the original Astig Pare, you'd definitely like this new version...

This remix I did is a total shift from the original track I did. The original was fast and quite progressive whereas this remix is a real groove monster. It's not banging but I'd like to say there's enough funk to shake you. 

My favorite here is the overall feel on that semi tribal drums and most especially how the arpeggiated synth picks up. I enjoyed it immensely. 

I called it the shut up mix because in the original mix, I only brought in the vocal line once or twice I think and you'll hear it thrice in this version so it's like saying shut up! hehe

I hope you enjoy this. I'd recommend this if you're a DJ because I've tried this already in clubs and it received a great response hehe :)

If you haven't downloaded it yet, get the album for free at http://www.silverfilter.com/interpreter2.html

Enjoy!

Cy

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The Wolfmann Remix

This is quite an emotional remix. I did this after Wolfmann passed away. Wolfmann or Wilf was my closest friend in the electronic music scene especially when I was starting out. We somehow grew up together in our own sounds and scenes. I remember our gear talks and such and it was such a tragedy when he passed. In my upcoming album toward the end of the year, there's actually a tune I wrote for him.

For this remix, I called it a soundtrack mix because there's that feel all throughout with the progression. the tune starts with a triplet feel then drops into some string orchestration in the middle part, and rips into a massive breaks tune towards the end like an action sequence type of thing. Listening to the end part now reminds me of early Chemical Brothers :)

I also used the vocals from the original for this remix. I remember the limitations I had here was the time limit given that's why some of my friends found the breakbeat part a bit hanging since I was working with a 4:30 min limit I think. 

My favorite parts are the strings and that massive filtered synth I had ripping through at the breakbeat part. If you'll notice, it's not really as synced as it should be. When I started making electronic music, I was so precise and always locked in everything to the dot. But after reading a lot about how electronic artists can humanize their tunes, one thing we can do is to not do everything in sync or locked or quantized. Let's also let our human feel take over and leave it at that to avoid the mechanical sound timed beats bring.

If you haven't downloaded it yet, get the album for free at http://www.silverfilter.com/interpreter2.html

Enjoy!

Cy

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The Spazzkid Remix

I believe I was on a nostalgia trip when I did the Spazzkid remix. The remix may sound a bit late 90s early 2000s even if it was done around 09 I think. If you notice, the remix was called underground mix, which is truly a reworded title for what I was influenced with... Underworld. The whole remix actually was something from my inspiration being a huge fan of underworld from the techno loopy beats, to the vocoded sounds ands arpeggiated synths.

I used the guitars from the original track and the vocals were run into the vocoder. 

My favorite part I guess is the arped synth :)

If you're into Underworld, I'm hoping you'd dig this tune :)

If you haven't downloaded it yet, get the album for free at http://www.silverfilter.com/interpreter2.html

Cy

 

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The Narda Remix

This remix came out during a sad point in their career. I believe they released this remix as part of their farewell/last record/vid launch :(

I personally requested for Gasolina because I liked the song since we've played alongside the band in a number of shows around the metro at that time with my band. 

I did another nu skool breaks style mix for this remix, which is one of the styles I really like doing. I then called this I Crush You Mix because everyone had a crush on Narda's vocalist whenever she was rockin on stage.

I used just the vocals for the original for this. My favorite here are all the shifts in the remix like it's a different remix per section, which may work ok for some but not for others hehe my favorite segment is that shuffly feel in the middle... it's also one of the parts I had difficulty with when I did this.

If you haven't downloaded it yet, get the album for free at http://www.silverfilter.com/interpreter2.html

Enjoy!

Cy

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Time for a Little Laugh for My Friends

Colonoscopy

All the organs of the body were having a meeting, trying to decide who was the one in charge.

"I should be in charge," said the brain , "Because I run all the body ' s systems, so without me nothing would happen." 

"I should be in charge," said the blood , "Because I circulate oxygen all over so without me you ' d all waste away."

"I should be in charge," said the stomach," Because I process food and give all of you energy." 

 "I should be in charge," said the legs, "because I carry the body wherever it needs to go." 

"I should be in charge," said the eyes, "Because I allow the body to see where it goes." 

  "I should be in charge," said the rectum, "Because I ' m responsible for waste removal."

All the other body parts laughed at the rectum And insulted him, so in a huff, he shut down tight. 
Within a few days, the brain had a terrible headache, the stomach was bloated, the legsgot wobbly, the eyes got watery, and the blood Was toxic. They all decided that the rectum should be the boss
. 
The Moral of the story?  Even though the others do all the work... 

The ass hole is usually in charge

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The Names Are For Tombstones Remix

I made this tune for Nono aka NAFT who is also a brother in Electronica Manila. I've actually seen the live version of this a couple of times before I worked on the remix. I remember he was working on an online release and I wanted to help out with a remix. 

I called it Atari mix just because it's "wataris" and how Atari is associated with early computer generated electronic music.

I approached the remix in a nu skool breaks fashion that gets a head bobbin' twist in the middle, which I truly enjoy everytime I listen to it. I guess that's my favorite part :) there's also a hoover synth in there, which I rarely use but I felt being challenged at the time and told myself to use a synth sound I don't use that's why there's one in there, which turned out pretty good if I may say :)

If you haven't downloaded it yet, get the album for free at http://www.silverfilter.com/interpreter2.html

Enjoy!

Cy

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The Kaz Remix

This remix is an odd one. 

My friend Dan passed this remix on to me for Kaz. I've met Kaz early in my live PA days though i don't know if she'd still remember me. The original of this piece is not a tune but a spoken piece, that's why it's called prose mix. This is actually one of the oldest remixes in this release, that's why you'll somehow hear that classic house sound in the feel of the tune. I'd say fatboy slim influenced :)

If you feel there's something wrong with the vocals in the stutter edits, there really aren't any. I intentionally made those in the final re-edit for this release. When I did the remix back then, I was pretty open and I just let the words flow through but at this point in my life, as much as I see and appreciate the art in it, I feel I have a social responsibility toward my listeners so I had to somehow censor some words especially those with sexual undertones. I may have not represented the lines fully but that's why it's called my remix hehe I can do whatever I want with it haha

My favorite is the part "pilllssssss to forrrrgeeeettt" I just love it. hehe It reminds me of that stretched voice in Higher State of Consciousness.

I really do hope Kaz gets to listen to this :)

If you haven't downloaded it yet, get the album for free at http://www.silverfilter.com/interpreter2.html

Enjoy!

Cy

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The Kala Remix

This one originally appeared on the Nokia compilation CD and I believe Kala's album. this version on Interpreter is re-mixed and remastered though but nothing's changed really. 

I actually can't remember how I hooked up with Kala. I believe they contacted me for a remix for their album. It's been years and I just recall meeting up with them in greenbelt discussing the direction of the remix. 

To be honest, this remix surprised me. I didn't know it would turn out this way. It's a bit on the deeper, light, jazz, pop, and mixed bag of house. I really can't describe it but all I can say is I love it. One of the best remixes I've done if I may say. I really enjoyed doing this and how it came out!

My favorite, as biased as it sounds, is the guitar solo hehe I used my (now gone) black Epiphone Les Paul Custom for the solo. The inspirations for my remix were the Miguel Migs tunes and the Nude Tempo releases and one sound you can always find in those is the guitar and there are quite a few favorites of mine on those releases where it had a guitar solo and so I felt it was fitting for me to include one in the remix as a nod to my influences at the time. It is also why it's called Deep Sands mix since those releases were commonly heard in beach house compilations, mixes.

If you haven't downloaded it yet, get the album for free at http://www.silverfilter.com/interpreter2.html

Enjoy!

Cy

 

 

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'Spazzkid - Blinding Light (silverfilter Underground mix)' by silverfilter

FREE DOWNLOAD 'Spazzkid - Blinding Light (silverfilter Underground mix)'

http://bln.kr/1CS7/

'Narda - Gasolina (silverfilter I Crush You mix)' by silverfilter

FREE DOWNLOAD 'Narda - Gasolina (silverfilter I Crush You mix)'

http://bln.kr/1CSE/

'Names Are For Tombstones - Wataris Machine : silverfilter Atari Mix' by silverfilter

FREE DOWNLOAD 'Names Are For Tombstones - Wataris Machine : silverfilter Atari Mix'

http://bln.kr/1CSD/

'Nyko Maca - Turn My Head (silverfilter Funky Maca mix)' by silverfilter

FREE DOWNLOAD 'Nyko Maca - Turn My Head (silverfilter Funky Maca mix)'

http://bln.kr/1CSB/

'Kala - Jeepney (silverfilter Deep Sands mix)' by silverfilter

FREE DOWNLOAD 'Kala - Jeepney (silverfilter Deep Sands mix)'

http://bln.kr/1CSA/

'Demolee - 100 Start Falling (silverfilter Weeping Moon mix)' by silverfilter

FREE DOWNLOAD 'Demolee - 100 Start Falling (silverfilter Weeping Moon mix)'

http://bln.kr/1CS9/

'Funkavy - Take Over (silverfilter Reject mix)' by silverfilter

FREE DOWNLOAD 'Funkavy - Take Over (silverfilter Reject mix)'

http://bln.kr/1CS8/

'Kaz - Everyone Is Really Naked (silverfilter Prose mix)' by silverfilter

FREE DOWNLOAD 'Kaz - Everyone Is Really Naked (silverfilter Prose mix)' by silverfilter

http://bln.kr/1CS5/

'Wolfmann - Secret Army (silverfilter Wolfwar Soundtrack mix)' by silverfilter

FREE DOWNLOAD 'Wolfmann - Secret Army (silverfilter Wolfwar Soundtrack mix)' by silverfilter

http://bln.kr/1CS4/

'silverfilter - Astig Pare (silverfilter Shut Up mix)' by silverfilter

FREE DOWNLOAD 'silverfilter - Astig Pare (silverfilter Shut Up mix)'

http://bln.kr/1CS3/

The Funkavy Remix

We're back. 

Funkavy and I go way back playing gigs back to back and more. I actually first saw him in a gig I did in Tagaytay. One thing I cannot forget is how Funkavy thanked me for getting him back on the saddle since he gave up producing at the time and when he saw me do a live PA gig at the club he was playing in, he somehow got inspired and tried his hand again and developed himself and later on got his deal with Fusion Recordings. I guess that's a real accomplishment for me, that I get to inspire people with music and later on find themselves grabbing hold of their dreams. It's a real humbling experience and a huge blessing as well.

This particular remix was initially supposed to be for Funkavy's label as a possible remix of one of his tracks for the label. Unfortunately, it didn't pass their standards at that time. This was I think around 4 yrs ago. Man, when I listen to the original one I sent, I realized I had more to learn so what you hear mixwise in the release is a vast improvement over the original one I sent. This is not to say that the track I did was crap to my ears. I actually loved it at the time which is why among all the remix studies I did, it's the one that made it to them. But then again, it's all about taste and they weren't so much into it... which is why I call it the silverfilter's Reject mix. (now you know why). The remix is done under the electro house genre coz it was huge at that time and that was what they required so it's the direction I took.

I remember the only thing I used for the remix were the vocals, bass synth, and some loops, from the tune that got passed on to me from their end. 

I'm interested to find out how this sounds in a club especially once it picks up in the middle... If you're a DJ, let me know if you try to play this out hehe

Hope you enjoyed this remix I did for my buddy Funkavy.

Cy

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The Big Thing For This August...

I can finally announce this! My latest album is out! The surprise for everyone is, it's FREE and you can get it now! Download my latest album, Interpreter Vol 2 over at www.silverfilter.com/interpreter2.html Enjoy! Feel free to repost and share over to your networks! God bless! :)

Cy

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Better Late Than Sorry...

I know that my title doesn't go well together since the phrase is Better late than never but I thought it would be perfect for this entry. 

As some of you may know, I announced the album to be released by Aug 15. As I type this, it's already 7 minutes into the 16th. Well, I'm late. 

In line with my title, I didn't wan to come to that point where I'd say sorry since the it sounds horrible mixing and mastering-wise since I rushed it. I didn't want to. I thought I had enough time... come to think of it, i did. However, tons of work poured in the past few weeks, I had to set this album aside since I have to attend to those things that actually feed me :)

And so the album isn't done yet. I'm just taking a break now to continue finishing it and I am hopeful that a day late is still ok for everyone :)

Hope you enjoy it... later haha

Cy

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The Nyko Maca Remix

When I did this, my good friend, Madz was still with Nyko Maca. 

Among the remixes on Interpreter, I believe this is the one that really differs in style as it's a bit on the deeper, jazzy, house style, which is quite refreshing and I am hoping it can also tap into an entirely different listener base.

The remix is made up of rhodes sounds and a funky bassline (which I loved making). I think one of my marks is how I make my basslines... I just love programming my own. I remember being told before that my basslines are too playfull and that I should try something more under. But for this particular tune and style, the playfulness of the bass works to the track's advantage!

My favorite part is the progression of the whole track on how it gently picks up and just adds on to the overall groove. I loved the vocals of course. 

I called it Funky Maca mix just because I found the groove of the track funky... and funky maca sounds nice hehe

If you haven't downloaded it yet, get the album for free at http://www.silverfilter.com/interpreter2.html

Enjoy!

Cy

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The Daily Remix Stories

As some of you know, I'll be announcing and releasing my remixes album tom. With that, I decided to let you in on some of the little stories behind those remixes on how it came about and how I approached it and more. It will be a remix a day posted around noon daily (except weekends hehe).

Hope you can check it out and I hope you can pick up some interesting facts about the remixes and possibly learn a thing or two if you are into remixing as well. 

Enjoy the stories!

Don't forget to get the album! There's something in store for everyone!

God bless :)

Cy

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Interpreter 2... Almost There.

AUGUST 15 at noon

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Customs Delight.

So my friend sends me his unused items from the US which were old CDs of sample pack give aways and the rest he got for free. It was just 4 pieces and even one of it was labeled "sampler." We all know those things are just teasers for the full sound pack that comes free in some stuff you buy or given away in stores. 

Anyway, since those were all free things he got, he decided to just declare at least an amount of $20. It was stated clearly on it. When the customs official opened it, she suddenly decided to cost everything at $50!

I asked and was trying to find out why it was suddenly raised to $50 and I was given the most stupid answer...

me: Ma'am why was it upgraded to 50 when all these are give away items to start with?

CUSTOMS: (while holding the Drum and Bass sample pack) Sir, this is one of a kind. Can't you see? Drum! Bass! see? You can't get that here.

me: (wow)

 

I had no choice but to pay what she was asking for and to top things off, when she left me and went back to her "office," the employee assigned for release suddenly comes up to me and whispers, "how much did she ask? Aren't those just CDs? Why did she cost it at $50?!" I then told her that those were just samplers and giveaways and she shakes her head with a disgusted look in her face about how the customs inspector dealt with my items and just said "charge to experience nalang, sir" with an apologetic look. 

A lot of people  know me as a very patriotic person but the corruption and greed of people in the govt really can be something.

Cy

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Latest non-musical toys to be used for music related things

I'll be doing a more in-depth review of each but for now let's go with introductions. On the right is a the Zoom Q3HD recorder. It's has HD video recording and a pro-grade recording mic which is SUPERB. Unfortunately, the HD branding on the unit fails as it only represents HD resolution but not the clarity and quality you'd expect :( The one on the left is the GoPro HD Hero camera. It's an awesome little thing and I only have good things to say about it! Can you see how small it is!? hehe 

Anyway, I plan to use them together where the Q3 HD handles the audio while the GoPro handles the video. For regular basic recordings though, the GoPro has its own mic built in. Unfortunately, it only records in mono so it's merely just to save the memory or document some sounds while shooting but if you're after audio fidelity like me for recording shows, gigs, or whatever, best to have the Zoom around. The Zoom is good in daylight for video but I really don't know how it can pass as HD especially for the night shots or concert shots. It's really that bad. My Sony Cybershot point and shoot digicam that records in HD has even better video! 

Good thing is, both are available locally! 

So there... I plan to use these for my video reviews and shows as well as for little personal projects of mine like a music video just for fun. Let's see!

Cy

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Gig tonight at 7th High at the Fort :)

I'll be playing tonight at www.7thhigh.com at Fort! Looong live PA dance set from minimal techno, house, breaks, and remixes. Lezgo! :) If you haven't gone to any of my gigs and have been curious, this is the time to go coz I'll be doing a long set so I pretty much will be bringing all my gear hehe

:)

Cy

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