I am excited to share that I have completed my first synth instrumental album entitled PEACE OF MIND! This album is the result of my time engaged in producing music using sounds mostly generated by my 2 analog synthesizers with drum and percussion patterns coming from a modern 808 drum machine. At around 40 minutes in length, these 18 tracks sound like me composing from familiar genre’s like R&B, and Hip Hop using warm, smooth, synthetic textures.
My Journey with the Prophet 5 and Ob~6
2021 was in interesting year. It was the 2nd year of Covid and it was a year of me transitioning out of being a Co-Director at a youth center that I had been with for 15 years. All of this created somewhat of an opening in my schedule allowing for me to have time to re-explore my passion in music production and in the spring of that year I was able to purchase my first analog synth, Sequential’s Prophet 5. This renowned synth designed by Dave Smith (RIP) and John Bowen in the late 1970’s has been used in the music of Michael Jackson, Hall & Oates, Toto, and a plethora of other artists from back then until now. For the last two years I have immersed myself in exploring this keyboard with the intention of making it the center of all the music that I would be producing. In time, I eventually found a series of specific go to sounds that I’d often use for chords, bass, leads and melodies. I also began to modify a number of the preset sounds and create my own patches that fit the texture of the type of music I was producing. The warm and pleasant sounds of the P5 left a really impressive mark on me. Playing it was equally enjoyable and relaxing at the same time. I had already been using the synth sounds of various digital VST’s in my music over the last decade but this new experience of using a real analog synth encouraged me to dig deeper in the world of synthesis.
So in 2022 I saved up some cash and started to seek out additional electronic gear that would compliment the music I was producing. After trying out a number of synth’s including some by other company’s such as Moog, I settled upon the Ob~6 which was created in collaboration by Dave Smith and Tom Oberheim, both of whom are legends in the world of synthesizers. Having these two legends create a synthesizer in itself is a major selling point for the Ob~6 but on top of this you get its unique sound quality, as well as it’s built in sound effects, step sequencer and arpeggiator. I have used so many of the sounds and tools of the Ob~6 for various parts on PEACE OF MIND. To say the least I have been well pleased with these synthesizers and the texture of sound that they bring to my recent music.
Designing Drums with the TR-08
In early 2022 I also acquired a modern day version of the 808 drum machine called the TR-08. I had a few goals in mind with designing drums on this particular drum machine. One, I wanted to use drums that I knew would match the sound characteristics of my analog synths. The 808 is tried and true so I knew I could not go wrong with it’s sound. This brings me to my second goal which was to use a drum machine that would give me a nearly authentic 808 sound. An original 808 device nowadays is out of my budget and I didn’t want to use 808 sample packs. The TR-08 seemed to be one of the best options for me because it actually does sound have a good 808 sound and it isn’t too pricey. Third, I wanted to have a consistent sound with the music I was producing so my approach was to make nearly all of my drum patterns using this device. I knew that if I solely designed drums with the TR-08 for a period of time that I could become well versed in it’s use and begin to make some really good music.
It didn’t take me long to figure out the various parameters and menu functions of the TR-08. As with other hardware drum machines, I really liked being able to to use my hands instead of a computer mouse to sculpt the bass, treble, decay and pitch of the various percussion sounds. I also enjoyed using my hands to punch in the timing of my drum sounds on the step sequencer. Using the TR-08 brought me back to my first experience in making beat patterns using a step sequencer on a well known computer program called FL Studio 3 back in early 2001. So now 22 years later, I feel pretty accomplished having become proficient as an 808 drum designer.
80’s Influence and VaporWave
This album in many ways is connected to my desire to reconnect with the vibes and energy from the 80’s. Why the 80’s? The music, video games, movies, cartoons, and culture of the 80’s takes me back to my childhood. As a parent I’ve gotten a chance to sort of relive my childhood by exposing my own children to the things I remember enjoying when I was their age. Thundercats, TMNT, Silverhawks, Ghostbusters, NES and SEGA video game’s and their music, the Axel Foley song, Jam On It, and the list goes on. For the past few years I’ve probably revisited something from the 80’s on a weekly basis. The sounds of that time period were of course heavily synth based so staying in touch with everything from the 80’s in a way has provided me with ideas on ways to use my new gear.
In addition I must say that some of my inspiration to produce an album like this also came from hearing music from a genre called vaporwave. This nostalgic style of music typically uses smooth jazz, R&B and pop samples from the 70’s and 80’s. When I first heard some of the music of this genre I thought that the producers were composing this music using old school gear and synthesizers but I later discovered that most of the artists were chopping up and slowing down samples. On the other hand there are also artists like Windows96 seem who compose music without samples but still use synths to create a nostalgic, warm, vaporwave type sound. With all this being said, PEACE OF MIND was definitely influenced by my own sentimental feelings that come from being raised in the 80’s.
The Album, Artwork and Final Words
I have been listening to and fine tuning the 18 instrumentals on PEACE OF MIND for most of 2023. Many of the tracks are around 2 minutes in length which has allowed for me to easily listen to sets of them on my commutes to work, or when driving my children to different functions. I kept the songs shorter because I felt like my chords and drum patterns were enjoyable yet somewhat repetitive. This shorter time frame allowed for me to show off the various parts of my songs arrangement in a way that seemed just right for what I had composed.
This time around I did all of my mixing and mastering for the music so everything you hear — the great, and the good (and hopefully not anything horrible) is from the experience that I’ve gained over the years and the work I did with my own hands.
The cloud photo for the album art was one of many that I’ve taken on my iPhone over the years. I’d always thought that it would be the perfect photo for an album or something music related. The shape and tones of the clouds are dramatic and mysterious which definitely connects to the sonic tones of many of the instrumentals on PEACE OF MIND. My album artwork was designed to be very simplistic placing more of the emphasis on the sky photograph.
In closing, I’d like to say that I feel accomplished that I have finally released a new project. I have a great deal of music that has been finished or nearly finished but for one reason or another has not been shared or published. I have had to push through much self doubt and overcome issues of comparing my music too much to others or feeling like what is the point of making music especially as I grow older. I still have these issues but finishing a project like this demonstrates my will to keep being creative and expressive and to not get stuck in the same place. With every track that I finished on this project I felt a sense of being reminded of my own unique gifts and abilities. I am thankful that my music is a part of serving this profound purpose in my life. I hope that PEACE OF MIND is both enjoyable and uplifting for those who experience it.
Thank you for being here to hear my album, read my reflections and for your general support of my artistry. You can stream PEACE OF MIND on most of today’s outlets Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon etc. You can also purchase a digital copy of my album on my bandcamp site for $25.
abdullah powell 