|
It
was a beautiful spring day in the burbs today and I
was listening to my ipod at work when I was inspired
to put on Tranny Hooker. I was transported back
to when I recorded the song and how great I always
thought and still think it is. It’s a solid
recording that screams for a good video and heavy
rotation on radio and Mtv J
Flashback
to 2005. I was well into the production of the So
Unreal CD single. My producers, the Super Buddha
team [Barb Morrison and Charles Nieland], had already
put the finishing touches on the Super Buddha mix of So
Unreal and Skye Nash, ‘DJ Dark Jedi’ and
‘Some Stranger’ were finishing production on their
mixes of the title song. I initially thought Barb and
Chaz would come at the song from a different angle and
create another amazing mix of So Unreal for a 5th
cut. This, they told me, did not really interest them.
They both agreed and convinced me that another session
in the studio would be best put to use creating a new
song. So Unreal was written and originally
recorded by my friend Kendall Kelly so, the idea of
creating a tune of my own was definitely exciting. I
had written some lyrics and ideas for songs and came
armed to our next session with my journal of ideas. It
was a spring night in the Brooklyn studio and out of
all my ideas; Tranny Hooker was the most
developed with still a lot of lyrics to write. The
idea of Tranny Hooker as a song was born a
couple years prior when the term just seemed kind of
melodic to me. It sounded like it would make a good
‘Prince’ tune. I could just hear it rolling off of
his lips. I wrote it down and scribbled out a few
ideas for lyrics.
I
can’t remember exactly what time we started; it was
usually around 3-4 o’clock in the afternoon. We’d
order dinner and then work through the night ‘til
about 3am. They
promised me we’d get as much done as possible but,
may have to spend another session mixing. Already
worried about my budget for the project, I was hoping
this wouldn’t be the case. Along with my lyrics, I
had brought in a couple songs for inspiration. I was
loving Prince’s Illusion, Coma, Pimp &
Circumstance from his Musicology CD and
Gorillaz Feel Good Inc. This is what I wanted
to mix in with the already incredible Super Buddha
production style. Barb and Chaz asked me about the
rhythm of the lyrics, how they would be spoken or
sung. From there, Chaz worked like a madman banging
out beats and laying down chords and sounds. I sat
back writing lyrics, completing some half thoughts
that I had started earlier. When I would come to a
part of the song where I would get stuck, Barb would
give me a guide as to what we would see next in the
song or where we might want to resolve something. Barb
would hear a bass line in her head and start playing
it on one of the synths while Chaz was looping beats
or chords. When we got to the chorus, Barb sang me the
outline that I would need to fill in. “Tranny Hooker
da da da da da da, Tranny Hooker da da da da da.” It
was one of those sessions I’ve always read about
when an artist is asked how the song was recorded…
how it came about. It was a real
stream-of-consciousness session where everything just
flowed.
Before
I knew it, we were ready to record vocals. I did a few
takes getting use to the flow of the words, taking
note where I was tripping up so I could insert a
breath in the right spot, etc. Barb is well versed in
the studio and is in tune with what harmonies will
work for a song. She would lay a quick guide vocal and
I would hop in to sing over what she just did.
She would jump back in with Chaz as they
created the beautiful cyclone of music surrounding the
song. A few tweaks were made as a group decision. Did
we want this sound to be distorted or not? More effect
on the vocal? Etc.
As
the early part of the morning wore on, it was becoming
apparent that we could have a finished track by end of
session. I was happily spent and elated at the same
time. As the final mix pumped through the speakers, I
heard the edgy Super Buddha sound embrace this almost
‘Gorillaz meets Prince’ funkiness. Mission
accomplished. I had always wanted to record a song
with falsetto on the lead vocal and it happened here
first. |
|
I
made a new promo video featuring my artwork now
available over at deviantart.
I've had these photos sitting around for quite some
time and, along with reducing the cost of the cd, I
wanted to make a larger effort at pushing my talents
and raising much needed funds to a) hopefully continue
recording, b) learn more in photography and c) learn
more about myself as an artist by exploring my world.
So, if anyone can help out with as little as $2 for
the postcard mentioned on the home page, $5 [US] for a
CD or $5 and up for artwork, please do so.
|
|
People
have been asking what I've been up to and I figured a
blog entry was long overdue. The dream is still alive
and I've been all over the place creatively while
still feeling the music in my soul. CDs have
continually been sent out yet, no new progress has
been made on the album project. I recorded Kendall's Dagnabbit
during my demo process and there has been some
interest expressed in mixing it though I'm hesitant
about releasing over the internet what probably has
the strongest single potential. In the mean time, I
hopped on over to the Junior
Senior myspace
page and checked out their new fun & funky tunes.
Can't wait for their new album to continue shaking my
booty. Keep dancing and loving ~ David |
|
Sky
Nash's Tranny Hooker (On The Corner Mix) MP3 has been
added to the MEDIA
section
of the website. Skye came through with a more alt-pop
mix forgoing the original idea of a dance mix. With
someone as talented as Sjye, you just let them go
where the muses take them. Download and enjoy.
Recent
tunes that have been inspiring me are Andy Bell's Electric
Blue cd, Cyndi Lauper's Body Acoustic and,
of course, Madonna, Confesions on a Dance Floor.
Check them out. |
|
I
haven't blogged in some time as I've let the reviews
speak for the music. Needless to say, I've been very
happy. Skye Nash, who did the Alt End Flux Mix on the
So Unreal CD single, is teaming back up with me to do a dance mix of
Tranny Hooker. I got a lot of great feedback on
Tranny Hooker and will make the Skye Nash mix
MP3 available as a free download on the website later this Fall as
a gift to everyone out there. Knowing Skye's style, it will be nothing short of amazing. My good friend
DJ Dark Jedi who also mixed on the
So Unreal CD single has started a Tranny Hooker mix
of his own. From the sounds of the first samples he played me, it's going to be HOT. No word on a time-table for the DJ Dark Jedi mix but, it will be posted on the site as well. Check back! |
