Article by Mark Kirby
Electronica and the rise of machines in music, like machines
everywhere, are moving to include, eclipse, and displace people and
the human touch. iPods replace DJ's in clubs. A buddy of mine pointed
out that from Broadway to Las Vegas, living musicians are being
replaced by synthesizers and drum machines. Karaoke is now considered
an art form and folks who pay $50 to $500 to see a "live show" see a
"band" playing computer music. And if there is a live band, as in the
case of, say, Beyonce's ongoing tour, the musicians interface with and
are subservient to, the almighty machine in the form of click tracks,
videos and other special effects.
On new his EP 'Four Keys To Zen', Mashed Buddha, a.k.a John Corda,
flies in the face of this trend. In his last record, 'Subdue Your
Mind', he added various tempos and feels and actual compositional
elements such as recognizable melodies and arrangements to a barren
mechanoid music style. On this new EP, he adds something else to the
collection of his trademark mix of drum 'n' bass, soundtrack funk,
hypnotically swinging grooves, and electro jazz.
[Kirby] In what ways is this EP and your forthcoming full length CD a
departure from your last release 'Subdue Your Mind'?
[John Corda] The biggest difference is the addition of more
improvisation over the grooves and beats that I create. These new
tracks were created with fewer restrictions on me in terms of song
form and trying to tackle any particular style. I think the music
flows better this way and, ironically, the compositions themselves
seem tighter. There is a dichotomy of complex vs. simple beats from
one track to the next.
There are also some guest musicians, which there weren't on 'Subdue
Your Mind'. I have a percussionist laying down a plethora of world
rhythms on some tracks, and some funk guitar from my bandmate, Brian
Leccese. I also plan on further fleshing out a couple tracks with help
from my drummer and sax player.
With regard to the keyboard soloing on this record, I have been
playing piano for more than 20 years and have been performing live on
various keyboards for over a decade. When I first started Mashed
Buddha, it was really all about the composition and an interest in the
large array of subgenres of electronic music. Basically, now I'm
combining that approach with live keyboard jamming interspersed
appropriately.
[Kirby] The opening track to 'Four Keys To Zen', "Hype," picks up
where he left off on 'Subdue Your Mind': humanizing electro grooves
and mining the various styles of electronic music to recombine and
produce something fresh. "Hype" nods back to the '90's, the classic
era of electro jazz and jazz house groups like Black Jazz Chronicles
or Innerzone Orchestra. Corda kicks an intensely mellow groove of mid-
tempo jazz-funk drums and Fender Rhodes electric piano mixed with
rushing and stuttering electronic sound bursts. The song builds and
glides as Corda, in his unique fashion, uses interlocking synth
melodies, chords and percussion to ebb and flow in a sophisticated
musical and compositional way. It also has vocals by the legendary
O.G. guru of all things enlightening and bender of spoons Uri Geller
waxing hypnotic and poetic.
Why Uri Geller?
[John Corda] He has a compelling voice and a unique career that has
reached people all over the world from many walks of life. He agreed
to let me use his voice on "Hype" and I was able to alter it to make
it perfectly rhythmic with the music.
[Kirby] "Mystery Dropper" is a stoner's delight. It starts out with
disembodied microchips of sound, and a simple, spacey cycle of ringing
Rhodes chords, of lush mellowness. A smoothly driving drum 'n' bass
drum beat emerges in a trance state from underneath this sonic cloud,
as the piano licks become more aggressive and spin off into a solo
that builds, like a blues or Indian sitar solo, on simple, emotionally
charged melodic statements. The song then shifts into a half-time,
downtempo backbeat of drums, hollow wooden sounds that flutter in and
out of the mix, and keyboards riffs that flow from the bass heavy to
lighter and sharper. The drums then shift to the staccato original
beat, as the keyboard plays sounds and melodies that drift and
dissipate like fog in the sun.
Another highlight on the 'Four Keys To Zen' is the last cut
"Temptation." Showing yet another aspect of Mashed Buddha, Corda waxes
funky in a style that draws from the essence of Stevie Wonder circa
his 'Talking Book' album. The song starts with some funky clavinet
that sets the pace for the bass and an easy-going groove. The simple
theme is then orchestrated with layers of synthesizer chords and
voices adding whimsy and movement to the piece. The clavinet solo sits
in the middle and is answered by tripped out sounds in the break. The
image this piece evokes is that of breaks dancers and robots having a
dance off. The drums on this cut and throughout the EP have swing and
soul; the beats breathe with the life of a real live funky drummer.
[John Corda] I changed up my approach to drum sounds and beat making
considerably by playing almost all the beats on a 16-pad Trigger
Finger instead of the keyboard, and using almost no loops other than
those created by me naturally in the process. The sensitivity and
percussiveness of the Trigger Finger allow for more complex patterns
and subtle ghost notes, or if I prefer, simple rock style beats good
for dance music.
[Kirby] Another thing that Mr. Corda is doing differently is having a
virtual record release party in the cyberworld know as MusicWorld3D.
When one goes to the site, it seems to be a less tabloid and Fox-like
version Myspace with aspects of a video game. Instead of interacting
with a page that is part diary, part newsletter, MusicWorld3D is more
of a world. For musicians it seems to offer more possibilities for
creative expression within the sight.
What is the story behind your deciding to have your record release
event in the virtual world of MusicWorld3D?
[John Corda] Just like myspace was unheard of just a few years ago and
is now a monster, MusicWorld3D is poised to take the world of internet
music by storm. As it catches on and gets more populated by music fans
as well as musicians, it will be great to be a part of it from the
beginning. It's quite unique to do a live audio/video broadcast
displayed to visitors in that virtual world. I have plans to do a
regular and informal show with them, performing live over grooves I've
already created or showing my approach to creating and recording music
on the PC.
[Kirby] Mashed Buddha continues on the 'Four Keys To Zen' EP
reinventing electronica by adding a variety of musical elements and
humor. One can only hopes he continues.
http://www.mashedbuddha.com
http://www.myspace.com/mashedbuddha
http://www.youtube.com/mashedbuddha
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