EtherReal
From Headspace
1996
This song has a very long history. Having written songs since the late eighties, I’d acquired a stock pile of scores that had not yet been laid down in a tangible format. I simply transcribed them by hand onto staff paper so I would not forget them. At some point in the early 90’s, my friend’s mother bought a Roland electric piano, one that had sequencing capabilities and more features than she would ever use, so I asked her to let me have a session with it for a couple of afternoons, and proceeded to take the rudimentary music I’d scored and translate it to the keyboard. I did this one and one other track that has since been lost.
When I sat down at the instrument to lay this down, I only had a chord progression and a main melody line. I had no idea what I was going to flesh it out with. It was the first time I ever had to think about composing a song from the ground up, and I remember being pretty impressed with what came out. It wasn’t what I had heard in my mind however. This version sounded, to me, like something Jan Hammer might have done for the Miami Vice Soundtrack.
When it came time to learn how to use FastTracker, in 1995, I pulled out some of the old scores again, and picked this one to work on. That version of the track contained the original melody line that, on the 1991, version was sequenced using a steel drum patch. I was never really happy with the electric piano sample I replaced it with, but I was pleased with new vibe that I gave all the other parts.
Meanwhile, the cassette I recorded the original 1991 demo onto was lost for almost five years, which was terribly tragic for me, but I ended up unearthing it again sometime around 1998, and quickly mp3’ed it for posterity.
Along comes 2006, and I was remastering the Headspace tracks, and I really, really still hated the electric piano sample as well as the melody. So I scratched it, and replaced it with an entirely new instrument and melody. At the time, I was involved in the beginning stages of a dark trance vocal project, and was tasked to write some preliminary demos. I thought Nightgames might translate well, and the new melody was written to more easily accommodate a female singer. The vocal project failed before it started, but I kept the new line, and put it in the remaster.
Nightgames (Roland Rough Mix Demo)
EtherReal
This is the first recorded music I ever laid down, in 1991. Everything but the melody was sequenced; the melody was played live. The timing is a little off because I was reaching the outer limit of polyphony for the sequencer.
Nightgames
EtherReal
This is the original mod without anything done to it.
Nightgames (2006 Remastered)
EtherReal
Remastered version.
Nightgames (Alone Mix)
EtherReal
Based on the 2006 remaster, this is a more minimal/ambient take on the track.
Nightgames (Instrumental)
EtherReal
Version of the remastered song without the melody.
Credits
written, produced and arranged by EtherReal.