Ian C Stewart Archive of Sound

SUPERLATIVE IMPASSE - "It's All Go (dub)" MP3 The 'syn clarinet' patch on the proteus 1 is actually that universe-shaking bass tone they use on dub tracks. This piece is an extended study of a suburban basically straight edge music listener's take on dub reggae. The only snag in my version of dub is the two extra beats at the end of the phrase. It'll smack ya every time if you sit through the entire thing. This could be mind music for people who are afraid of recreational drugs. October 2008 * superlative impasse might be a googlewhack .

Happy Thanksgiving 2008 single EYES CEASED YOU - "36 Geese on a Frozen Pond" MP3 this 90 seconds of joy, once a year, is all I'm good for lyrics, unused: 36 geese on a frozen pond this year reminds me of you the icy breeze on the man-made pond makes me want to rush home & tell you all about it. November 26, 2008 EYES CEASED YOU - "Wrongly Quantized" MP3 stuttery, jumpy, just like you & your whiny scary slayer loving bitchfriend November 2008

S@m@rk@nd - "Slow Mo Trip Hop C0zy P0well Loop" MP3 S@m@rk@nd - "Slow Mo Coda" MP3 Here's yet another pair of tracks, actually just one long track cut into 1.5 pieces, from the '4 track fallout' tape circa June 1997. The main piece uses the very first drum loop I ever used, which was borrowed from the late C0zy P0well. Thanks. Plus live bass, probably the Bass VI.

starpillowheartscathy "justanotherdream" starpillowheartscathy "allnightlong(touchme)aceofspades" Here's a previously alluded to pair of star*pillow tracks. This is your summer cassingle for the '08. Happy slap your soul. Star*Pilow DOES heart cathy, he just has a funny way of showing it. starpillowheartscathy "justanotherdream" Track one is instrumental & opens with a Jane's Addiciton drum break. This is one of the first recordings I made using Cool Edit on my very first PC back in 96/97. I set up the drum loop & then jammed along with it on acoustic guitar & my brand spanking new Fender Bass VI. The main drum break is from Black Sabbath, Bill Ward, that drum solo thing on the album 'paranoid'. You know the one. starpillowheartscathy "allnightlong(touchme)aceofspades" Track two, b-side wins again as a Motorhead drum break fills the speakers, followed by distorted Bass VI and some guitars. And vocals, sweet deathl

The conclusion of the 1990 Ian C Stewart cassette un-release, Product of a Confused Mind . This link will expire in one week or so.

Grab side one of "Product of a Confused Mind," recorded in 1990: This link will expire in 7 days and will be available for 100 number of downloads. Link: https://download.yousendit.com/04AB47F14980B888

Ian C Stewart "Awake Too Long" MP3 From the March 2002 album Stick Hack , which was a collection of instrumentals from my Chapman Stick phase. Two years of trying to figure out how to incorporate the handcrafted virtuoso instrument into existing pieces & new ones as well. Playing the Stick onstage with a loud, abrasive, hilarious heavy metal band whilst wearing a cape, sunglasses & an impromptu Mr. T haircut proved very difficult. Sweating like crazy into the pickups & across that vast fretboard was confusing on many levels. But also kind of fun. And I'm glad I had my Chapman Stick phase. Without it I would've always wondered................ Back in 2002 I slapped together a bunch of instrumentals for a last minute album in the waning days of the original em pee three dot com site. Quickie cover art & a wacky title were the order of the day. Hence Stick Hack , which went out of print so quickly that I'm not even sure if I have a copy myself. "

Ian C Stewart "18 Minute Trance Funk Odyssey" MP3 Y'know, I thought I uploaded this thing a long time ago, but I guess not. Weird. So I haven't gone full circle with this blog yet..... ? This song is, as the name implies, an 18 minute trance funk odyssey. The synth & drums were done with Rebirth & the fretless bass was over played by moi truly. I've always enjoyed certain forms of electronic music that include guitars & live basses. Groups like Ultramarine , 808 State , Meat Beat Manifesto & (some) Underworld appeal to me. And this thing is nowhere near as good as them.

The Uncultured "I Need an Aspirin" MP3 Recorded February 28, 1988 life gives me a headache I need a major cure I need an aspirin something white and pure I need an aspirin to take away the pain addicted to the fire fire in my brain too much knowledge all I see is black by knowing what I want I make a knowledge stack where do I live what do I eat what a waste it hurts my feet who cares who cares no one at all who cares who cares no one cares who cares who cares no one I know gives a shit about what I have to say and I never want to hear your voice again! Ray Lilly - vocals Michael Million - guitar & vocals Aaron Pauley - bass Ian C Stewart - guitar Mark Ward - drums

portrait of the artists at a wedding, 1998 Daniel Prendiville "Burst Me Stitches" MP3 Burst Me Stitches is a song from Daniel Prendiville's forthcoming album, RAW MESH, which is due for release in the Autumn of 2008. The album will feature a remixed version of the song, so the first sentence in this paragraph was obviously a lie. The whole song was thrown together in a morning and then went through an extensive period of editing to get it into a serviceable condition. To paraphrase the old proverb, record in haste - edit at leisure. Poor ol' Daniel has been listening to too much Fall of late... Plus it makes use of the first of my 'let's jam, I'll play drums' files. So, well done that man.

Ian C Stewart "Torture" MP3 Last song on side two of 'motion'. Lyrics by Marian. The music is kind of oppressive. It's all tension and no release. I'd only been listening to Swans for a couple of months at this point. So it's like Godflesh crossed with Swans attempting something with the atmosphere of the Cure's 'Pornography' album. The militaristic snare drum program was kind of in the air at that point, there are a few early Godflesh tracks with this same vibe. Every layer of this song seems to be trying to blot out the one before it. Which, I guess kind of goes along with the lyrics. Which is just a happy coincidence, I wouldn't have planned something like that. The loop at the beginning is a sample of Andy Partridge singing "Leisure." when you walked away silently begging me to stay no tears, nothing left to cry all the unspoken words went to whisper goodbye brooding eyes such torture to me

Devilcake "Pie. Hair Pie" MP3 This is an early rehearsal tape of the newly named 'devilcake'. Recorded probably at the rehearsal place near downtown. It sounds like I used Christine The DeathBox to record, most likely sitting her near me behind the drums, which is why the drums are so frickin' LOUD. This version of the song is so funny, it's like a Polaroid where all the colors haven't quite set yet. I like it a lot though, the band sounds like it could go in any direction. And check out the faint little analog drum machine blips at the beginning, how rad is that crap. Even all these years later this song makes me want to stand on my desk & swing my shirt around over my head. What can I say. I wrote the lyrics to "Pie. Hair Pie," which was like "bond, james bond" but not. The music was a group effort, just like many of the early Devilcake tracks. Someone, me, someone would come in with lyrics & we'd just jam out an idea. Whi

Ian C Stewart "Glowing Letters" MP3 side one, track one, of 'motion', the other half of my 1992 'box set'. "Glowing Letters." This song lasted through a couple of lineups of Samarkand. It was kind of impossible to argue with at the time since the entire song was programmed into my drum machine. And I thought it was a convergence (needless, pointless, as it happens) of all the genres I loved at the time, rap, death metal, techno, wimpy/alternative. When the first Samarkand lineup played it in Boston, Stephanie even added a hint of r&b to the equation. The title was obviously inspired by (stolen from) Ned's Atomic Dustbin's "Capital Letters." Well, it's obvious now! The tape cover was an odd shape, I remember the look of confusion followed by disgust when I took it to Kinko's to be copied. I didn't understand that the copier had margins, so some information is lost on the copies of the 'motion' covers. I tended

Ian C Stewart "Surveillance" MP3 Eventually in 1992 I acquired enough bulk cassettes and had logged up enough hours with my 4-track to attempt something slightly larger in scope than I had ever attempted. Late summer I had the idea for a double cassette 'box set', two hours of new music. The first hour, 'insomnia,' would be two extended, improvised, dark ambient pieces.... 'surveillance' and 'abduction'. Layers of gritty Casio SK-5 samples mingled with heavily processed keyboard drones. This is an excerpt from 'insomnia'.

Ian C Stewart "Possibility" MP3 Track one, side one of 'euphoria suicide', which was my second attempt at making & releasing a full album. It was hot on the heels of my first album 'conspiring myths'.... 'euphoria suicide' was made a scant two months later, January to February 1992. I was already pretty focused on writing and recording with my 4-track, so it was no problem to keep the wheels moving. I remember moving my bed to the basement & using my bedroom as a studio for recording and painting. The finished album was another 60 minute cassette with handpainted covers. I forget if there were 20 copies, maybe 30 tops. It looks like I did a second pressing in August 1992 with a few different songs at the end of each side.

Ian C Stewart "Forget" MP3 Side one, track one from 'Conspiring Myths,' my first attempt at making an album of my own. It was a 60 minute cassette, jammed to the edges with teenage angst and distortion. The lyrics were written by Marian, an old pen friend from Massachussetts. This was 4-tracked in November 1991. The drum machine was my brand-new DR-550. In those days I'd buy a 10-pack of blank cassettes, slap together some cover art and make an album in an evening. This recording is quite boomy.