News
Intersonic Subformation is my brand new project. I'm planning to have much music released under this moniker. Primarily abstract ambient pieces and some experimental tunes that would not work well within the boundaries I set for both, Dubtrak and Art Sonic, body of work.
While I research the Net for a suitable netlabel to have "Post Apocalyptic Flower Shop" EP released, I'm posting a player below to allow streaming of its content here. Enjoy :-)
Alternative content
October 2012
As of now (and in addition to Archive.org where, both No-Source and Acustronica, placed "Roadside Sketches" for download) Art Sonic's newest album can also be downloaded from:
I'm really pleased with how this album has been received. I've had great feedback so far and downloads on archive.org are climbing up steadily.
August 2012
I'm very excited about this news!
On August 27 2012, Art Sonic's "Roadside Sketches" will be released jointly by two netlabels: No-Source and Acustronica.
This album contains some of the most personal music I've ever recorded. I'm finally able to share it with others and that's a great feeling. In addition to this site (there is a dedicated page for it here), I'll be posting more about this release on a Facebook page I created. I need your support in promoting this music so please download it (it's free!), share it and invite people to like it on Facebook.
Thanks!
June 2012
I failed to mention it here earlier: back in January I set up a blog to post and share mixes I create with yoga practice in mind. As of today, there are 5 hour-long mixes that have been downloaded over 3800 times directly from the blog or iTunes. The response has been fantastic so far, so I'll most definitely continue going forward. I was told that the mixes have been enjoyed in yoga classes here, in Toronto, and also in LA, London and as far as Istanbul.
Some of the iTunes reviews seem to confirm that people enjoy my efforts:
"Really great practice mix. I've been listening to the first 2 for a while and now I'm pumped for the 3rd!"
"What a treat. Thank you and looking forward to more."
So if you're a yoga practitioner, a teacher, a blogger, or just simply enjoy some chilled downtempo music - check it out! Click on the image below and hours of great music is there for you to enjoy. And if you have some suggestions, requests, comments or some music of your own you'd like to contribute to these mixes, contact me at yoga mixes[at]dubtrak.com.
April 2012
Musical Roots Initiative album, featuring many of today's top Dub/Reggae and Electronic Fusion artists, has been released on iTunes on March 26 to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Among others, exclusive tracks by Zion Train, Eat Static, Urban Roots feat. Mikey Dread and Dubmatix are featured on this album. My contribution is "No Trouble" (track #12). Big thanks to Adrian Troop for believing Dubtrak's tune should be added to this awesome selection of music.
January 2012
Happy to report that Dubtrak's "Dancing with my guru" (originally released on "Rapture") has been included in brand new compilation Tribal Groove 2, just out on Australian label Music Mozaic. I was thrilled to open my package from the land down under and give this CD a spin. Very well selected music, great production and, I must say, I'm in a good company here! And check out this cover:
There was another good news this month worth mentioning. 5-track EP, entitled "The Dancer behind the Mask", was release on Psyderweb, a psytrance netlabel based in The Netherlands. It is being distributed via Ektoplazm portal (the world’s largest distributor of free psytrance music) and there were over 350 downloads on the first day.
November 2011
One concert I was looking forward to this fall was Brendan Perry's. Although Toronto's Opera House seemed rather strange choice for the venue, it didn't matter - how often do you get to see this elusive artist perform live? Being a long time fan of Dead Can Dance, I wasn't about to miss, what seemed like, a rare opportunity. Robin Guthrie (of Cocteau Twins fame) opened the evening with his set of ambient guitar works. His signature sound and layered guitar drones were instantly recognizable to anyone who love Cocteau Twins but it didn't help to get the crowd excited or warmed up before the main event. Still, truth to be told, Perry's music is highly contemplative in itself and there is no need, it seems, to get people all hyped before his entrance. Personally however, I was too excited about what I'm about to witness to be lulled by solo ambient guitar sounds.
Brendan's performance did not disappoint. Stage sound troubles aside (it's at Opera House!) and his somewhat distant appeal didn't stand in the way of fantastic music, charismatic voice, timeless DCD songs and a pretty tight band of supporting musicians. I must admit that I was first and foremost looking forward to hearing Perry cover his songs from Dead Can Dance era, but the material from his two solo albums "Eye of the Hunter" and most recent "Ark" was also outstanding.
September 2011
We spent 3 weeks in August in Florida (hot and humid!). I had my laptop with me, so with some free time on my hands I was able to sort through my 'Art Sonic music collection' and work on developing some previously sketched ideas. Turns out that I have enough material for two more albums! Very exciting...
Upon our returned I found out that Renegade Recordings selected my remix of Dubmatix "Inna Eden Dub (Dubtrak remix)" - see May 2011 below - for their 12-track remix compilation "Echoes".
Very cool!
July 2011
Dubtrak's new album "Rapture" has been released on Dubmatix's Renegade Recordings and Media label and is now available on iTunes and other fine digital distribution networks.
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May 2011
Dubtrak's 2nd album "Rapture" is finally ready and I should have some news, real soon, about the release (date and a label). Responses to previews and promos that were sent to some DJs are very positive so I'm really excited and can hardly wait for the official release.
In the meantime, I've been working on a couple of remixes (both under Dubtrak's 'banner'). One is for a remix release in Poland and the other for Renegade Media. Here is a free download of Dubmatix "Inna Eden Dub (Dubtrak remix)":
Dubmatix - Inna Eden Dub (Dubtrak remix) by DubtrakFebruary 2011
Winter's been harsh this year so what's better way to stay warm than some Latin music! Pacifika is a hot Canadian trio from Vancouver. Their new album "Supermagique" has been very well received and number of songs have been remixed.
Here is Chocolate remixed by Dubtrak:
Pacifika - Chocolate (Extra Flavoured Remix by Dubtrak) by dubtrak
December 2010
Work on Dubtrak's 2nd album is ramping up and the website has been totally redesigned. New Bio section, Media page, Links (with social network sites links) and a mp3 player where all tracks from "Rapture" can be previewed.
I've had incorporated ReverbNation mailing list widget into the Links page since I'd like to start promoting the album and create a fan Newsletter where news and exclusive offers would be announced.
Here it is as well, so if you're a fan of Dubtrak (or would like to become one) you can sign up right away!
September 2010
Having more than one project to work on brings renewed excitement into the process. 2009 and early 2010 were all about Dubtrak. Then, in April and May, I had a conscious diversion into something different. Working on couple of remixes for Laurie Anderson (see the post below) and Jaguar Love (play it here ) had me venture into very different musical landscape.
However summer months of 2010 were ideal for long overdue work on songs for Art Sonic next album. Last year's trip generated tons of creative ideas. I've completed the blog/diary and finished the movie but haven't had done much with all the musical ideas I had on my little Zoom H2 portable recorder. That is until recently. I've created a separate page for this project so click here to read more about how things are progressing...
May 2010
It's easy to notice that a lot of posts here are about Dubtrak. And that is by far - at least for now - my main music project. But there are two other that are worthy of some exposure. Art Sonic has been my original 'music persona' and I'd like to get back to making more laid back, mellow tunes; especially since I have so much material that I've collected over the years. There will be soon an opportunity to write more about Art Sonic since I'll be starting to work on a new album with all the material I have from last year's trip.
But for now, let me give you a glimpse into darker side of things. Subsonic De Formation is my 'third line of work'. When musical ideas are too harsh for Art Sonic's 'sensibilities' and too glitchy for Dubtrak's groovy drive, they usually fall into Subsonic De Formation bin. This is where I often combine electronic noises with industrial strength guitar riffs, choppy drum'n'bass beats with samples of media sound bites or old propaganda speeches.
Recently, under the Subsonic De Formation banner, I've remixed a song by Laurie Anderson who is a renowned American experimental performance artist and whose fan I've been for many years now.
February 2010
Playing live, on a stage with lights and visuals synchronized to music, prompted me to consider a new idea. One of the core tunes prepared for the live gig at Nocturne was a perfect material for a remix. With all the great footage we brought home from our last year's trip, I thought it would be cool to make a video clip for that remix. So after production of 'Primary Circuit Dub (Head Rotor Remix)' was completed, I jumped right into making of the video.
Opening and closing sequences are bits we shot in Utah (Arches National Park) and some footage from the road. Everything in between is kind of 'train of consciousness' visuals I generated in sync with music. There is no real 'plot' to this video, more of a general message I'm trying to convey about one's creative process. How raw beauty of the Earth (the outside stimulus) inspires the mind (the inner circuitry of the brain), and how we are enabled with today's music technology to take that brain's creation back to the outside world.
November 2009
So this Dubtrak project has been keeping me quite busy for good part of 2009. After the CD release and some radio play, followed by the remix and its positive reviews (both of which I posted about earlier), came the collaboration with Ragaboy and the official release of 'Dub out of Poland III' (see the previous post).
Now, to add to this I wanted to follow up with a live performance. The timing was perfect and stars seemed to be all lined up for this to take place. I have to thank Kelvin Gumbs who made a necessary connection for me and Chris Lee who worked hard to organize the event and did a nice write up beforehand on Om Festival board. On November 7th I took part in Death Disco II, a gig at Toronto's Nocturne club where a line up of four Live PA electronic acts showcased their work. It was a lot of fun and overall great experience. Mariola taped some of it so there is a video posted on YouTube.
September 2009
Since May I've been keeping in touch with Tomasz Osiecki (aka Ragaboy), a Polish sitar & dilruba player from Warsaw. He's a music teacher and a 'gun for hire' (also known in music business as a session musician) and he collaborated with many internationally recognized outfits such as alt rock band T.Love and heavy metal formation Behemoth. Tomasz and I agreed to collaborate on 4 or 5 tracks for Dubtrak's 2nd album.
Ragaboy suggested that I should submit a track from the 1st to an upcoming compilation "Dub out of Poland". So I'm happy to report that "Heavy Roll" was selected and is being included on this third edition of this series. 2-CD version is coming out this month and a vinyl version limited edt ion will be out in November
August 2009
Our long planned road trip have finally materialized. Over the course of 21 days we traveled 8,500 km through 13 States, stopped for a little longer in Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, and... we fell in love with American Southwest all over again! There is some much that I need to share.
This was our best vacation ever and I have a lot of material to post on this site. Be sure to check out the following links:
- I kept a blog/diary so every day of this trip is recorded with some details and local information.
- I've made a movie which should be fun to watch.
- And, of course, there are a lot of great pictures.
May 2009
Just a quick follow up post on Dubtrak Original Mix 2009 response so far. I'm happy to report that there are some positive comments from LoveThatTune web site and some friendly music bloggers (via Soundcloud connection).
Jamendo response to has been fantastic so far too! See the reviews here.
April 2009
Since all that positive momentum have gathered for Dubtrak's CD, I felt that should 'roll with the punches' and come up with some kind of a remix, a demo-like, promo-like, live-DJ set-like type-of-recording. And to make it available as a free download. I finally have the finished product and I'm really pleased with it.
Making this mix was a lot of fun. First of all, Ableton Live is super cool to work with. I originally tossed some new ideas that are selected for the 2nd album and played with them in Live. It was just too much fun to stop there so I thought I should add some remixes from the 1st CD and see how it all flows in live-like settings. Most guitar tracks were cut in just one take, no overdubbing - so, as far as guitars are concerned, it's pretty much live studio recording. I feel that I packed a lot into 23 minutes. Dynamically the mix is pretty tight - hopefully it will be seen as a fun ride for the listeners too.
Free download is available from Jamendo. It has also been posted on BandCamp.
February 2009
So, after a couple of months, I'm happy to say that Dubtrak's tunes are getting some radio play both locally, here in T.O., and over in U.K.
Local Djs, Aram Scaram and Sassa'le (a.k.a Version Xcursion) recently featured 'Heavy Roll' and 'Sandblaster Dub' in the Canadian Spotlight segments of their weekly shows on Toronto's CKLN 88.1.
DJ Medicine Man (from CIUT 89.5) also included 'Sandblaster Dub' in his highly regarded global electronica weekly show No Man's Land.
Over in UK, Pathaan at BBC Radio Asian Network selected 'Shiftshape Stepper' for his latest Musical Rickshaw set.
Good number of podcasters (too many to list!) have also picked up on tunes from Dubtrak Assault Unit and included them in their shows.
November 2008
"Dubtrak Assault Unit' has been finally released (independently) and it will be available on iTunes, Amazon.com, CD Baby and bunch of other digital distribution channels within weeks.
Dubtrak.com web site (all-Flash) has gone live as well and allows streaming of all tracks plus it has links to My Space page. Once downloads are available via the mentioned distribution channels, links to those sites will be added as well. I've send bunch of physical CDs to local radio DJs; no mainstream radio, rather guys who I know play specifically dub and progressive electronica.
September 2008
Dubtrak album is finally coming along, all mixing is done and now I'm going to start the daunting task of mastering. I'm quite pleased with how most tracks ended up sounding. There is a common thread throughout this music, all tunes have a strong basslines, driving riddim and I managed to keep things pretty interesting. I'm most pleased about the fact that despite this being 'computer-based', electronic music, I gave most tracks influx of organic instrumentation - namely melodica, flutes, guitars, hand percussions and ethnic samples. That fusion of 'synthesized' with 'human generated' (meaning: imperfect) music hopefully makes this album more than just a collection of catchy beats. The CD will end up being a lot longer than I anticipated (over 70 min.!) but I just can't remove any more material than I already have.
August 2008
We finally have our own dog! After some extensive research by Mariola, we decided on a Miniature Schnauzer. She found a breeder in Niagara Falls and we went to select our puppy. He's name is Obi. We had to leave him with the breeder for another week as we were heading for one week vacation in Quebec's Charlevoix region. Turned out to be a fantastic week. Our accommodation at L'Aubergine was awesome. Jamming in Claude's barn was a blast! We did a lot of day trips around the area, visited Quebec City during it's 400th anniversary and stopped for one night in Montreal on our way home. Here are some pictures we uploaded to Flickr.
May 2008
After www.dubtrak.com domain has been secured I started to work on the all-Flash site which I want to be in place for the release of Dubtrak's first album.
In the meantime, Dubtrak's MySpace page has been set up with some tracks previews and information about the upcoming release.