UK Indymedia | Song for Critical Mass.

Doug. | 18.02.2006 10:15 | London

Slung together in GarageBand.

Following a recent discussion elsewhere on the wisdom of listening to an iPod on your bike, here is an MP3 for you to bob up and down to on your pedals and waggle your bum to.

Doug.

Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

hmmm

18.02.2006 13:27

I see what you mean by slung together. This is good if it's a first effort but really lacks any soul or drive. Not the critical mass vibe for me.

Well done for trying and posting your work.

Either give up music or try harder.

Music should lighten the soul and create energy not drain it.

You have a responsibility to use the power of music carefully.

judge

...

18.02.2006 18:51

Wow thats a bit harsh mr judge.

I was expecting a song that we all could sing on critical mass. We need some bloody marching songs!

my name is... uh nah im not gonna bother ;-)

Here's one.

19.02.2006 07:59

Critical Mass (by Heather Lev)

One man at Tienanman Square stood in front of the tanks
It changed the world in Soweto and in the World Bank
They took one stand at Stonewall and turned the world around
Silence equals death, now we all can hear the sound
Of a critical mass, uh-huh, you can never keep us down
With a critical mass, uh-huh, all you need is a critical mass

Never underestimate the power of a few
To bring the many to their senses, to change the standard point of view
It brought the end of slavery, and the end of the Vietnam War
It's the only thing to change the world, it's changing it more and more
It's a critical mass....

Those with greed and those with power may think that they have won
When they make another martyr, but they're so far from done
From Joe Hill to Steven Biko, Judy Bary to Wounded Knee
Hannah Senesh, Martin Luther King, lived and died to set us free
With a critical mass.

There are the few who profit from the misery of all
But their empires cannot stand if the people make them fall
It's time we brought a new life to this asphalt-covered land
It's time we took it over, took the streets back in our hands...
With a critical mass...

Our lands are being ruined, we are living without a choice
But if we stand together they have got to hear our voice
The people, united, can never be defeated
So we can work together till our victory's completed
With a Critical mass, uh-huh, you can turn the world around
With a critical mass, uh-huh, all you need is a critical mass....

Get free MP3 here. She also sings, 'If Cars Were Banned'.

http://creativecareercounseling.homestead.com/Heatherlevsongsamples.html

Doug.

critical mass tune: some constructive feedback

19.02.2006 13:50

Thanks for that Doug!

I'm sure that it'd give everyone a smile coming out of some soundsystem on the mass.

Ignore the "judge" and follow your passions.

For what it's worth, if you want to move on from the inevitable cheesy blandness of music produced entirely in a computer you just need to add in a lick of live playing of some sort, even if just a shaker percussion part coming in and out, which will do a lot to humanise the song.

Also, learn a bit about the I,IV,V and II,V,I chord progressions if you want to give a Western audience the feeling that the music is "going somewhere".

But more strength to your elbow dude! I've got it tucked away on my machine. Keep me posted with any further releases!

Dougie
mail e-mail: dougie@navarino.org.uk
Homepage: http://navarino.org.uk:8080/blog

Thanks Dougie.

20.02.2006 08:21

Thanks for the encouragement Dougie. In not using a more formal musical construction I sought to reflect the arbitrary, anarchic nature of CM itself and was more concerned with a rhythm and tempo suited to bobbing up and down on the pedals while riding. As to a human input, rather than solely a computer, that is probably best left to others capable of same, like Heather Lev, for example. However, some of the loops in GarageBand are from real instruments, including shakers.

Doug.

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Song for Critical Mass.

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hmmm

...

Here's one.

critical mass tune: some constructive feedback

Thanks Dougie.

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