Someone emailed us a few days ago and asked…

i’m interested in this ’sketch’ idea…how do you put together the sketches in terms of instrumentation? do you have a stock of samples/patches to draw on which you then refine? how far you take it during the sketching phase. how do you exact quality control to make sure nothing gets missed and none of the weaker ideas get picked? i’d love to hear one of the original sketches so i could get an idea of how much you work it up before you shelve it.

…So I thought I’d pick a recent track and show a few snapshots of the stages it goes through before ending up as releasable.

NB – All audio in this post is 64k mp3, aside from the Soundcloud player at the end

If I Could Tell You – Released April 2009

We started working on this in November 2006 and, as you can hear, the sketch consists of a load of musical elements with placeholder drums and bass.

2nd Nov 2006

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The next step was to try and figure out more interesting drums and bass, so we started playing with much more chopped up arrangements. You’ll hear that the ideas for the bass were more or less carried through into the final version.

7th Aug 2008

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Over the next couple of months we started to look at the instrumentation again and see what could be added, what could be thrown out, and what needed to be rearranged.

18th Aug 2008

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14th Sep 2008

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We then spent the next month arranging the track into a full piece while still rejigging the instrumentation and writing new bass progressions.

20 Nov 2008

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29th Nov 2008

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29th Dec 2008

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We thought we’d got to a point where the track was more or less ready to go, but there was something nagging us about the drums. They were holding the tune back so at the very last minute we threw them all out and replaced them with the drums that give the whole tune a lot more space and that worked in sympathy with the instrumentation much more effectively, and that’s what you hear in the final version that was released a couple of years after it first began.

4th April 2009

Blu Mar Ten – If I Could Tell You by Blu Mar Ten

Our exclusive mix for Asia’s premier d&b podcast Kongkast is now live.
Like our last mix, this one features a whole bunch of artists you may not have heard of, and tunes that may never see the light of day.

Grab the mix here, or from the links at the bottom of this post.

Tracklist:
1. Sabre – Riverside
2. Paul B – Whisper
3. Stray – Silver From The Sky
4. Stray – Erase
5. Jean Doe – State of Transition
6. Sunchase – Keyring
7. Blu Mar Ten – By The Time My Light Reaches You I’ll Be Gone
8. Republic of Noice – Nu Ways
9. MTC & Quadra – Cold Trap
10. Intraphase – Intent Move
11. Commix – Japanese Electronics (Instra:mental remix)
12. Blu Mar Ten – Anytime Soon
13. Blu Mar Ten – If I Could Tell You
14. Boymerang – The River (VIP)
15. MRSA – Different
16. Mr Projectile – Sinking

Subscribe to KONGKAST in iTunes
Directly download enhanced m4a File (with track markers and pictures) – here
Directly download MP3 File – here

Big thanks to the Kongkretebass boys for inviting us to record a show for them!

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More news on our new album ‘Natural History’, which will be released around early November, as listed on the ST Holdings site

Blu Mar Ten – Natural History: CD / 2×12″ / Digital

Returning to their ancestral roots, Natural History is the long-awaited first full drum & bass album from Blu Mar Ten, leaving you in no doubt of their position at the cutting edge of the genre.

From the storming remix of vocal opener Starting Over, through the deeply abstract Grey Area to the VIP rework of massive club hit Close and the epic Last Dance, Natural History showcases the trio’s ability to enrich and develop their DNA, resulting in an album full of surprising twists and turns that all carry the Blu Mar Ten stamp of quality.

CD Tracklisting:
01. Starting Over (2009 Remix)
02. Above Words
03. God’s Lonely Man
04. By The Time My Light Reaches You I’ll Be Gone
05. Grey Area
06. Believe Me
07. Close (VIP)
08. Clipjoint
09. If I Could Tell You
10. Nobody Here
11. Last Dance
12. Overwhelm
13. Bedroom Eyes

Digital Version will feature the following Bonus Tracks:
(14). Made Of Air
(15). Eight Rounds Rapid

2×12″ Vinyl Tracklist:
A) Close (VIP)
B) Clipjoint
C) If I Could Tell You
D) Last Dance

The eighth instalment of this epic series has arrived.
This episode features two BMT tracks, ‘By The Time My Light Reaches You I’ll Be Gone’, which will be on our new album, and the other is a little BMT vs ASC thing.

You can download the podcast from the Club Autonomic Site or subscribe directly on iTunes.
If those links don’t work it’s because the podcast is massively oversubscribed.
Luckily the Russians are on the case as usual, and have rehosted it here

As usual there is no track list with the podcast, but you can join in on Dogs on Acid where they’re trying to put one together.

Our wonderful designer, ithinkitsnice, has just taken some nice close up shots of the artwork he did for our last single.

Visit his site for more graphical niceness, including previews of his artwork for the forthcoming Bop album on Hospital subsidiary Medschool. Also watch out for his work on all our forthcoming releases

Another spanking show from Nerm & D-Code who were standing in for Mary-Anne Hobbs on Radio 1 last night. The boys played one of our brand new tracks which is likely to feature on the second single from the album, out in a few months.

Read more »

Read more »

Digital exclusive track from our new single.
On iTunes, Beatport, Digital Tunes etc.. April 6th 2009.

Redeye Records have a handful of promos of our new single ‘Close’ / ‘Above Words’ in stock ahead of the full release on April 6th.

Vinyl for this single is going to be limited to 500 copies, so unless you want to be ripped off on ebay in six months time, we suggest you pick up a cheap copy right now. Click HERE to get yours.

Full release will be April 6th with these two tracks and the digital exclusive ‘If I Could Tell You’ in all the usual vinyl and digital shops

Nerm & D-Code let loose on BBC Radio 1 last night with a great mix of D&B, electro & dubstep. Turns out the boys will be joining us at the Atmosphere Old Skool Session on Friday 27th March, so if you want to come out and meet radio’s glitterati, that’s the night to do it.
Nerm & D-code have been showing us a lot of support for the new single. This show is no exception and features ‘If I Could Tell You’. Many thanks boys…Owe you a big drink on Friday.

Listen to the show on the BBC’s iPlayer HERE

Tracklist
The Qemists – On the Run (Ninja Tune)
Camo & Krooked – Tonight (CDR)
Phesta – ‘Skank’ (Terchnique)
Qbik – My House (Planet Funk)
Qbik & Seeka – Let the Music (CDR)
BCee – Consumed (Logistics Remix) (Spearhead)
Dirtyphonics & Tali – The Secret (Audio Porn)
Kl & Expect – The 98 Thing (Hustle Audio)

Essential Electro:
We Don’t Sleep – Can’t Hide Her (Subsonic Remix) (Nu-Electro)
Subsonic ft. We Don’t Sleep – Gangsta Party (Nu-Electro)
Mixhell – Boom Da (Crooker Remix) (Judas)
Shadow Dancer – Lower Left (Golden Traxe)
Lady Sovereign – So Human (Soggy face Remix) (Midget)
Chasing Shadows – Amirah (Hench)
501- Hidden Words (Offroad)
Flying Lotus – Tealeaf Dancers (Subterra Dub Bootleg) (Dubplate)
Alterego – Buckingham Palace (Modeselektor’s Sw1a1aa Remix) (Klang Elektronik)

Amen Classics:
J Magic – Lizard VIP (CDR)
Wots My Code – Dubplate (Total Science Remix) (C.I.A)
Renegade – Terrorist (Dread)

Temper Trap – Science Of Fear (Mistabishi Remix) (White)
Johnny L – Evar (High Contrast Remix)(White)
Nuphlo – Disciple (Nasha Records)
Lenzman – Emeralds Feat Jo-S (Shogun LTD)
Subterra & Dekko – Impulse (CDR)
Alix Perez – I’m Free (Shogun Audio)
Lomax – Mercia (Ram)
Soul Intent – Rebel Music (CDR)
Spectrasoul – Guardian (Metalheadz)
Squash – Crawlers (CDR)
NC-17 & Nusense – Just Heroes (Viper)
Noah D & Mixmaster Doc – Side2side (Dubplate)
Randomer – Standoff (Dubplate)
Blu Mar Ten – If I Could Tell You (Blu Mar Ten)
Undersound ft. Chloe Laing – Whisper Goodbye (CDR)
Paul T – Bass Technic (CDR)
Mikal – Desert Blues (CDR)
BMK ft. Laura Brown – Probably (CDR)
Calibre – Two.Drop (CIA Deep Kut)
Drifta ft. Jaz – Whisper (CDR)
Catch 22 – Chasing Shadows (Catch 22)
D-Code & Chan1 – Glitterstep (Sub Swara Remix) (Shiva Soundsystem)
La Roux – In For the Kill (Skream Remix) (Polydor)