Daktari

Hi there,

I have an on-going project where I plan to record some South African guitar music that I have been playing around with. Sometimes, it's hard to work in isolation so I thought I'd post a few on here just to get some opinions, good or bad.

The actual playing at the moment is taking a back seat whilst I try to figure out the recording side.

Cheers, Gordon.

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=8485251
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=8501277
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=8485250

Daktari

Hi there,

I am in the process of trying to learn the art of recording music with my Boss BR600. For a very small box it is packed full of features which of course makes it more difficult for a non techy person like myself to get it working properly.

I aim to get a collection of songs/tunes together really as an exersise in recording but at the same time, if I come up with anything interesting, I plan to revive them later and maybe re-record when I eventually have it all sussed out.

I welcome any comments on what I have so far, good or bad and I thank anyone who has taken the time to check it out.

Cheers, Gordon.

SoundClick artist: Daktari - page with MP3 music downloads
SoundClick artist: Daktari - page with MP3 music downloads
SoundClick artist: Daktari - page with MP3 music downloads

Daktari

Hi there,

Here's one more tune to add. Normally, I'm messing around in the African/Reggae type area. For a change I tried a bit of bluegrass hill billy music. This is one called 'Sweet Heaven When I Die' originally written by Claude Grant. It was nice to try something else for a change. All recorded live in one take, mistakes included, ha,ha...

Thanks for anyone checking it out, let me know what you think.

Cheers, Gordon. SoundClick artist: Daktari - I mainly play one-man reggae usually in local bars, restaurants and private parties. Also getting in

VEGANGELICA

Hi Gordon,

I'm a little behind on reading entries in the Songwriting Section and so am now finally getting to yours!

I listened to your "Sweet Heaven When I Die" and enjoyed the song, which I've never heard before. Your guitar playing is very agile and your voice warm and suited well to "bluegrass hill billy." A nice "cowboy" sort of voice, in this song. Since you said you recorded it all in one take, I am now curious how you play the guitar and use a tamborine at the same time! I felt the song sounded very sweet...just like the lyrics...so you matched the musicality well to the theme. I'll listen to your earlier songs now!

--Erica

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VEGANGELICA

Hello again, Gordon,

I typed these comments while listening to the following songs you posted:

Puspa Dewi - "Saking Tuhu Manah Guru"
Balinese Folk song with World Music flair

AFRICA1
Lovely! So energetic and peppy. A pretty tune, very catchy, and I enjoyed the drums with the twangy guitar. I was disappointed the song was so short! I would enjoy hearing this short clip extended to become a full song. Are you playing the drums by hand yourself? They sound real.

Harare Waltz
I also enjoyed this one very much! It has more of a rock feel to it because of the base in the drums. I’m a fan of folk music, since I grew up doing international dancing. I like hearing how you incorporate folk songs into your music. I am curious....which of your instruments are “real”? For example, do you actually have a drum set? Once again, it sounded real to me, but I couldn't tell for sure.

Send My Love To You
has a nice relaxed reggae feel. A sweet song, once again. I enjoyed the lyrics: “Sometimes I feel in control of myself; other times I feel like I’m going insane; sometimes I feel like a desert; sometimes I feel like the sky.” The song builds nicely near the end (beginning around 2:50). I assume you are using a fake Jamaican accent? I assume people from Lancashire who end up in Georgia don't sound Jamaican! Sounds realistic to me. An aside: I imagine you miss your reggae band from Lancashire. Have you found many people in Georgia with similar musical interests as you? In other words, is being a "one person band" by choice or by necessity due to a lack of potential bandmates?

Women of Ireland
Once I read that the original music, composed by Sean O Riada, is based on an old Irish poem from the 1700s, I very much wished that your version included lyrics! It was pleasant as an instrumental, but to me the electric guitar sounded lonely without the words to go with the tune. Around 2:00 the song sounds like Yes’ song “Soon”-- a very effective, haunting sound. Since I’m a “lyrics” person, instrumental pieces usually sound like they are missing something to me. The ending reminded me of a landing plane and was surprisingly modern.

I'll be curious to hear more of your work and revisions!

--Erica

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Daktari

Hi there,

Erica, first, thanks for taking the time to have a listen and secondly, for the comments you made after listening.

I have always loved and played reggae music but more recently I have been getting into African music, imparticular the guitar led music of Zimbabwe and Oliver Mtukudzi. If you lean more towards the lyric/poetic side of songs I would recommend giving this guy a listen. Great, meaningful lyrics yet simple but all of it hung on some really well played catchy music.

Now, you did ask several questions so here goes:

On the blue grass song, yup, I recorded this by standing the recorder about 9 ft in front of my Bose L1 pa tower. This is what I use when playing out live. I managed to stamp on the tambourine with my right foot but it was a bit of a stretch cos I had not planned on that when I pressed start on the recorder. The harmonies are live as well and are produced by a Digitech Vocalist Live 2. This amazing box supplies 2 backing harmonies which are actually the main vocal which it records and sends back out in a split second. It works out the correct harmonies based on the guitar chords being played. Old music style, new technology to get it, ha,ha...

Next. Africa 1, Africa2 and Harare Waltz were just quick sketches used as something to learn my recording. I am not vey quick on the techy side so these three tunes were just quickly put together really to test my recording technique. At the time, the idea was that if any of them sounded reasonable, I could revive them in the future and maybe make more of them.

As far as immitating a Jamamican accent. Well, I had a reggae band years ago in England and I wrote loads of songs back then. The accent must be a subconscious thing. I don't set out to sound like Bob Marley. The style of vocal automatically comes with the feel of the music. Just like in the blue grass attempt, you thought I had a 'COWBOY' type vocal. I was thinking more hill billy but there ya go,, it just suits that type of music and might start to sound funny if I forced a Lancashire accent on to it...

'Women of Ireland'. I have always loved the melody of that song. The original poem is in gaelic which I coudn't attempt that. There is a wonderful version recorded by Kate Bush though and she sings it in gaelic. I'm sure there would be a translation available on line somewhere. It is all about the hardships and suffering and contributions the women of Ireland made throughout that countrie's turbulent history, most of which was unrecorded and forgotten.

Thanks again for listening and watch this space, I will post more examples as I find time to record.

Cheers, Gordon.

Daktari

Hi there,

Here is another song that I just recorded. I first wrote this song way back to perform in my band, 'DAKTARI'. This is another one I decided to try as a one man effort and it is also good practice for using my recorder. This one has the most tracks so far and I even managed to get a little saucepan in there for some extra percussion.

By the way, Erica was asking if I had a real drum kit. Well, no, I have one real drum which is a djembe from the Ivory Coast, but the recorder I used has a built in drum machine which I am sometimes tempted to use as on this particular example. Most times I bang on my guitar a lot as in 'Send My Love To You', a reggaish track I posted above. No drums at all on that one.

This is called, 'Don't Let The World Go Down'.

SoundClick artist: Daktari - I mainly play one-man reggae usually in local bars, restaurants and private parties. Also getting in

Thanks for giving it a listen, Gordon.

Daktari

Here be another recording from last weekend.

This started off trying to be Zimbabwe style but I reckon because of the chords used, it has almost a Northern African feel or even Spanish.

SoundClick artist: Daktari - I mainly play one-man reggae usually in local bars, restaurants and private parties. Also getting in

t3hplatyz0rz

Hey, I've listened to the last song you put up, and I like it. Somehow it seems to me that it would be cool to have someone rap over it, I don't know why.
I thought that the guitar playing was really good, and very repetitive, but I hate the way that it fades out as soon as you decide upon a new idea... it seems to me that it's almost like you were improvising in the end. I would've liked to see it build more. But that's just me. Lots of people use and like fade-outs.

Daktari

Here's my latest South African style recording. This one sounds like it's just got back from a vacation to Crete.

SoundClick artist: Daktari - I mainly play one-man reggae usually in local bars, restaurants and private parties. Also getting in

Please feel free to link arms and walk sideways, throw plates, whatever in a Zimbabwe/Greek styli.

Gordon.