What do you get when you combine melodic house, traditional AN vibes, and an uplifting chord progress? This, I guess... And though it's simple I like how it turned out. I don't know if I see myself releasing this but I do think it's worth returning to and potentially finishing.
What do you think? Is this uplifting vibe a good way to kick off 2024? Do you like the simplicity in this one? And do you think I should finish it? - Let me know in the comments :)
Download...
2024-01-11 15:00:08 +0000 UTC
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Happy New Year and I hope you had a wonderful holiday!
I'm starting off the year with somethings super chill and vibey accompanied by some piano. I spent much of the session experimenting with a new plugin - Life by XLN audio. It lets you record 15 second clips from your phone and about 75% of the drums you hear in this are either foley samples I recorded on my holiday trip or noises I made with my mouth. I am looking forward to experimenting more because I really like how this idea cam...
2024-01-04 15:00:08 +0000 UTC
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As 2023 comes to a close, I’m taking one more detour before returning to my usual EDM stuff in January - Cinematic Soundscapes. I’m excited to return to this style and I’m very happy with how this EP turned out. I hope you like it too!
It’s been a long time since I’ve released a cinematic project (8 years and 3 days, to be exact) and while I know most Approaching Nirvana listeners are here for EDM, I’ve always wanted to write more. Earlier this year I had a commission opport...
2023-12-22 22:00:04 +0000 UTC
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This week I wrote some interesting chords and went for a Deadmau5 influence alongside some vibes similar to my older songs "Quiet" and "Keeping Quiet". I like this idea but I'm not sure it's strong enough to finish.
The main thing holding me back is that this idea doesn't have anything particularly memorable and I had a hard time writing a decent melody on top of what's already there. Maybe that doesn't matter, I'm not sure... I'd like to return to this at some point and if I don't end ...
2023-12-21 15:00:10 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone! I hope that you are doing well and that your holiday season is off to a great start. Since the vinyls wrapped up, it's time to get moving on the Fall/Winter 2023 Patreon merch item - a Custom Commissioned Shirt.
While packing and shipping the vinyls, I was thinking about the type of design we should commission. I've put together some concepts and I'd like to get your feedback.
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Thoughts on the Design
In my mind, there are 2 dire...
2023-12-15 22:02:44 +0000 UTC
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This week, I wanted to write something a bit more familiar. What I came up with is a slower tempo plucky house song with strong influence from You and Here Again. This is very much a traditional Approaching Nirvana song and I do like the way it sounds.
Songs like these come very natural to me and I still very much like the stories and emotions that I can convey in this style. But many times I actively avoid it because I've written and released a lot in the past and it feels like I'm re-...
2023-12-14 15:00:07 +0000 UTC
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I had no plan this week so at the beginning of my session I tried a bunch of different things until something stuck. I then had a decent drum groove and bouncy bassline to go along with it. It took awhile, but it eventually developed into this groovy idea with vocals.
I'm pretty happy with the result and I think I'll finish this one. I'm not sure about an official release, though. I was going for a sound like Witness and it's a bit of reminiscent of that vibe, but not really what I was ...
2023-12-07 16:38:27 +0000 UTC
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It's December and that means it's time for another Christmas remix! 🎄
I am really happy with how this one turned out. I really like how the bell-like melody sounds. It reminds me of playing hand-bells as a kid in school, which is something I haven't thought of in a long time.
I hope you enjoy the remix - Mp3, 24-bit wave, and artwork downloads are attached.
As always, thank you so much for your support - I would not be here without you. Happy Holidays and...
2023-12-02 16:29:59 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone!
Yesterday, I dropped off the final batch of vinyls at the post office. Check your messages (here, Discord, or email) for a tracking number. Please keep in mind that international packages may require VAT or Customs fees in order to retrieve them.
This means that all vinyls have been shipped out! Though things ran behind schedule, I am happy with the quality of the item and the packing/shipping process overall. When you get yours post a picture and ta...
2023-11-30 18:27:37 +0000 UTC
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I had a few more Lofi songs that were close to being done so I finished 3 more songs and added them to the Blue Sparrow Lofi EP to round it out.I’ve also put together a 1 hour version of the EP to play the EP on loop for focus, study, work, or relaxing! Check out the video here: https://youtu.be/2eu...
2023-11-25 16:50:00 +0000 UTC
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I wasn't planning on doing a Christmas Remix this year, but it was mentioned last week during stream and I thought it might be fun to do one if I can keep the work required relatively low. So this week, I set out to choose a song and lay the ground work.
While this version is rough and missing a lot, the foundation is there and I plan on a couple more sessions over the next week with a final session during next week's stream to finish it up. It needs a lot more layers, some actual FX, a...
2023-11-23 15:30:02 +0000 UTC
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This week was interesting... I set out to write something totally different and after a couple hours I just wasn't happy with the result. I decided to switch gears and try out a house structure to see if I can salvage anything from the session and I'm actually really happy with results!
It still needs work and I'm not even sure what house genre you'd consider this, but I like the contrast in the 2 different sections. It feels different than what I've been making recently, which is alway...
2023-11-16 17:40:07 +0000 UTC
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The 1st batch of vinyls has been packed and shipped. Tracking emails have been sent, so check your messages! This batch is US only - more batches will go out next week and the week after.
Between the various packing materials and heaps of bubble wrap I feel pretty good that these are packed well enough to prevent any damage. That being said, you just never know with shipping. If you receive your vinyl, please let me know if everything looks intact!
2023-11-10 17:36:01 +0000 UTC
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This week's idea is a pretty good one. A bit of downtempo house with some Deadmau5 vibes, and some typical Approaching Nirvana piano melodies. This needs a lot more FX and subtleties throughout. I also think it could use an ethereal female vocal. Though there's much to be done, I like this a lot and I will definitely be returning to this project.
But what do you think? Are these more whimsical ideas something you'd like to see more of? And do you like the straight chords instead...
2023-11-09 17:05:31 +0000 UTC
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This year I wanted to do something a bit different. The Ground Beneath You is both the song I wrote this year for Love Tropics, and a 5-song EP that includes all the Love Tropics songs I've written since the beginning. Some of these songs are already included on releases, but together they really encapsulate the mission of Love Tropics. Having them together as an EP takes you on that journey and tells a much better stor...
2023-11-01 17:51:23 +0000 UTC
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Nov 25 Update!
I’ve added 3 additional songs to round out the EP and released them all as a 1 hour video on YouTube. The EP Mix on this post has been updated with the new songs and you can check out the video here: https://youtu.be/2euw83JFgkM
Artwork is attached and here are the updated zip files to the full EP:
2023-10-28 16:28:45 +0000 UTC
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This week I went for something different. I started out with drums and spent a lot of time making the groove. After that I wrote some chords and starting adding layers and an arrangement.
I think some of the individual parts of this song are good, but I don't think they come together to make a good song. This was a fun session and I might repurpose some of the parts, but I don't think I'll be returning to this.
What do you think? Are these downtempo ideas something you'd l...
2023-10-26 16:29:02 +0000 UTC
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This week, I wanted to combine relaxed and uplifting. I'm not sure I accomplished that and I'm not even sure what genre this is... maybe downtempo organic house? It feels new, but it's also not too far off of my normal chill house style. Either way, I really like the result.
I started with drums and spent a lot of time adding subtle layers. I'm super happy with how the groove turned out: simple, but little complexities that keep it interesting throughout. Then I added some chords and a ...
2023-10-19 14:00:05 +0000 UTC
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I finally got my turntable and the first thing I did was test out the vinyl! I was pleasantly surprised to hear the quality. They sound a lot better than I was expecting, though I had no idea exactly where to set my expectations with regard to vinyl in general and with regards to an 7" EP vs a 12" LP.
You do have to turn the volume up a bit (like the rep told me), but I'm really happy with how both songs sound. Redoing both masters for vinyl made a big difference and I think I might eve...
2023-10-18 15:54:39 +0000 UTC
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This week I wrote a promising intro/verse/build to an uplifting progressive house song. It has a good vibe and would be great for a vocal. The only problem is that I didn't have time to write a drop during my session, so I stopped after the build.
So far, I really like this one. The atmosphere and feel of it are great and I think it will make a cool song if I can nail the drop. But it definitely needs a vocal. And of course, a lot more production work.
But what do you thin...
2023-10-12 14:00:05 +0000 UTC
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This week, I started with another blank slate. I wrote a few interesting chord progressions on the piano, but this arpeggiated chord progression with a bit of a melody really resonated. I wrote several different parts, added some drum layers, and gave it a rough arrangement. After a few hours, I ended up with the version above.
I like this one and it feels very "Approaching Nirvana", but if it's too similar to stuff I've done in the past. I can see myself returning to this because it ca...
2023-10-05 14:00:05 +0000 UTC
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They're here and they look awesome! Address confirmations have also gone out. I have reached out to you on the platform I last had contact with you (Patreon, Email, Discord), so please check your messages and confirm your address!
I want to order a couple more things for packaging to do my best to ensure the vinyls won't get damaged in shipping. These will ship out over the next few weeks.
Thanks for all your patience on these, more photos below!
- Andrew
2023-10-03 17:31:23 +0000 UTC
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This week I set out to write something simple and uplifting. I started out writing chords and a melody and moved on to a basic arrangement and some sound design.
I like the emotion in this one but I am a bit nervous that it's too simple? Also feel like the drop is missing some energy. This sounds like it could be a good commercial EDM song, but I wouldn't want it to feel too generic. It's on my list to return to, but not very high right now.
What do you think? Do you...
2023-09-28 17:03:18 +0000 UTC
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This week I started first with drums. After creating all the layers for the drum groove, I wrote some simple chords that were relaxing, laid back, and a bit uplifting. I kept the idea simple with a basic arrangement and some additional layers and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
I'm not even sure what genre this would qualify as (some version of house, I guess), but I can definitely see myself returning to this and finishing it. But what do you think? - Is this this a vi...
2023-09-21 17:02:39 +0000 UTC
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This week I am out of town with my girlfriend visiting our university campuses together. Many of you know I went to Virginia Tech and I haven't been back since I graduated. The campus is beautiful and during my time here I went through a lot, both personally (as we all do during university) and I was here in 2007 when the shooting happened. Needless to say, this is a very important place to me.
This idea is simple because I haven't had much time to write, but the chord progression refle...
2023-09-14 15:33:12 +0000 UTC
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The vinyls are still in production and should be shipping out mid-October. Now it's time to vote on items for our next Merch run. We're going to keep it to apparel this time around and there are 6 options to choose from. This vote will be open to Music Producers Tiers and up, but polls for any other options will be ANimal Tier and up.
More info for each option below; vote for which item you'd like to see the most!
Custom Knit Beanie: Se...
2023-09-08 20:25:56 +0000 UTC
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This week's idea is an uplifting chord progression with some Deadmau5 vibes and I really like it! It starts off a bit abrupt so I'd probably add an intro, but it's a pretty strong idea. It reminds me of August 16's idea, but still has its own uniqueness to it. Similarly, I can see myself finishing this and maybe even getting a simple vocal.
What do you think? Do you like these vibes? Is th...
2023-09-07 16:16:06 +0000 UTC
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Starfield is upon us and I have a new remix! I really enjoyed Oblivion when it came out, but never got the chance to play Skyrim or Fallout 4 much. I'm super pumped for this game and I've loved this theme since it was released a couple years ago - it perfectly captures the adventurous, spacey, dangerous, and wondrous themes of space exploration.
I hope you enjoy this as it was really fun to make and I think it came together really nicely! Mp3, 24-bit wave, and artwork downloads are atta...
2023-09-01 15:59:03 +0000 UTC
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This week turned out a bit different than planned. Old school vibes combined with arpeggiated pianos, a deep house style bass, and formant-pitched vocal samples. I like this idea, but I'm not sure if it fits into the "Uplifting/Pumped Up option".
I don't know if I'll finish this... It's cool but I'm not sure the underlying idea is very strong. It may be something I return to, but it's pretty far down the list at this point.
What do you think? Do you like this vibe? Is this...
2023-09-01 14:00:14 +0000 UTC
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The poll for next month is still open, but I thought I'd get a head start on some uplifting music and I'm really happy with this one. The vocal is from a sample pack, doesn't sound like it 100% matches, and is only temporary to see how a vocal would fit with the instrumental. That said, I'm definitely going to finish this and get a female vocalist to work with me on it.
Overall - this is still...
2023-08-24 16:08:44 +0000 UTC
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