Hello everyone. I come bringing some good news!
I've just released my latest n-Somnia album. For this blog, I will give a detailed description of all the tracks that appear on it. Usually, I do this on the n-Somnia page on Facebook, but I decided to put it here this time. I may consider putting these descriptions here from now on. So, let's get to it!
The name of the album is "Night Rhythms". As the title suggests, this is an album designed with nightclubs in mind. I trust many of these songs will help you get your groove on. The title was inspired by a song by The Human League, called "Night People", in both name and sound. Have a listen to it sometime and you'll see the kind of style I was going for.
While I get into the descriptions of each track, you can find the album here and listen to it while you read.
1. ARE YOU READY?
This one starts off with an eerie-sounding loop, and a voice clip saying, "We control the transmission", which appears again later on in the track. Then comes the thumping kick drum beat, which is present almost throughout the song. Some synths and a jungle beat are added. Then after about 7 minutes of jumping around, the crowd should be in the mood for the next pumping track, which is...
2. NIGHT RHYTHM
The album's title track, only in singular form (the album is plural). This one has a quirky tune that will probably become an earworm. Then there's that hard-hitting beat again. Some of the loops and samples used in this one come from my archive of old material that pre-dates even "Red Alert". Something that I aim to do more often, as I think 25+ years of not being heard by anyone other than me needs to change. This track is relatively short at 3:19 - the shortest of the entire album.
3. DOOF
A techno-inspired title calls for a beat to match. The main drum loop was created the old-fashioned way - using Hammerhead 1.0! Multiple drum sounds programmed into the software, before saving it as a single audio loop to use in my usual mixing software later (I use Acid Pro 11, by the way). That same quirky tune used in "Night Rhythm" makes another appearance in this track. This was to show a connection between the 2 tracks. The track comes to an end with a dark and sinister sounding loop as the drum beat fades. That same loop then becomes the intro to the next song.
4. IT'S NOT YOU...IT'S HIM
The outro of "Doof", as mentioned before, is the intro to this song. It fades out as the drum beats kick in. Soon after, a guitar loop comes in, giving it a little bit of an upbeat "western" feel. I didn't have the Wild West in mind when creating this song. It just sounded good. As this song draws to an end, the tempo starts to slow down a little, right before the main loop for the next track begins...
5. TRANCELATION
I've been waiting for over 20 years to write this description. This song started in either 2002 or 2003, but was never fully finished. It sat on my computer for about a decade before the early version (known as "instrumental demo") saw the light of day as a B-side for my 2013 single, "Breakdance". Since then, it's found its way onto the 20th anniversary edition of my compilation, "The Early Years". Today, you can (finally) listen to the completed version of "Trancelation" (which is pronounced "trance-lation", FYI). The completion of this song is actually one of the main reasons "Night Rhythms" as an album even exists. I knew one day that I would have an album for it to fit into...and here it is. It's a special track to me for these reasons, and the fact it captures the energy that I hoped for a couple decades ago.
6. PHOTO SYNTHESIZER
The first track from the album to be made, and second oldest (after "Trancelation"). This mid-tempo track features a sonic spacey sound with a deep bassline and groovy beat. Also, it has camera sound effects somewhere in the middle of it and at the end. The title is a pun, of course (photosynthesis).
7. THE ALIENS ARE DEMONS
The album closer and the main track used to promote the album. There is a single edit of this song that is used on other websites, and will eventually appear on my next singles compilation. To explain the title...it's a Biblical thing. To my understanding (and it makes sense), there are no extraterrestrials like the ones we hear about or see on TV and in movies. These are just a deceitful distraction from demons. Think about it, that lost space of time from people who claim to have been abducted is probably just demon possession, feeding them images that lead to them believing they were on a ship being probed, etc. As for the song itself, it starts off with some weird loops that I created in the early days, before "Red Alert". Then the bassline comes in - another one from the early days. The bassline was created using software called Rubber Duck, and I still have an archive of unused ones on there as well. As the rest of the instruments come in, it kind of feels like you're in a game of "Command & Conquer", which I wasn't aiming for, but I'll take it. Big fan of the C&C soundtrack and Frank Klepacki's work. The song comes to an end the same way it begins, leaving you and the album on an eerie note...which I think would be perfect if you had the album on repeat...so, play it as many times as you like!
And there you have it. I hope you enjoy my new release. There will be more to come in due time. We probably won't see anything new for the rest of 2025, as we are coming into a busy time of the year, at least for my family and I (trust me, you should see how many family birthdays there are between August and April), and that's not including the Christmas rush.
Let me know what you think of the new album, and which songs are your favourites.
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