Steven Wilson catch-all thread (Porcupine Tree, No-Man, Blackfield, Bass Communion)

[onthewall2983]

I'm very pleased to announce the release of my own software instrument - Steven Wilson’s Ghostwriter. For the last 18 months I have been working with the world’s leading software instrument company EastWest Sounds on this, and it can now be ordered from their website.

For the first time ever this makes some of my signature sounds available to other musicians, as well as replications of recognizable classic sounds originally created by other producers and engineers. These sounds can be used as part of the fabric of complex music productions, or as the basis for cinematic soundtrack-based music, providing a ready-made selection of sonic building blocks.


Mainly I’ve tried to create sounds that you won’t find in any other software instrument or sample library, but in addition more straightforward raw drum, bass and guitar sounds are included, which can be manipulated via the powerful Ghostwriter instrument interface (which includes an amp simulator, SSL EQ, 2 compressors, echoplex tape delay, a powerful reverb, filter and envelope stages) to create your own unique sounds.


To get more of an idea you can now listen to 2 online demos that include some of the sounds you will find in the library.


World excluding Europe - http://www.soundsonline.com/Ghostwriter


Europe - http://www.soundsonline-europe.com/Ghostwriter

[onthewall2983]

Nothing much on the new album except SW said on his Facebook recently that he plans on sharing video from the recording sessions once they get underway.

In No-Man related news, Tim Bowness is moving forward with his 2nd solo album, one that was originally going to be the next No-Man album. Like Blackfield it's a project that's kind of fading into the background but they obviously felt it best to just put Tim's name on it since No-Man is a more intrinsic collaboration (unlike Blackfield where it's more separate).

From his website:

Featuring eight songs (including seven Tim had earmarked for a new no-man album), Abandoned Dancehall Dreams was mixed by Steven Wilson and features performances by Pat Mastelotto, Colin Edwin, Anna Phoebe and members of the no-man live band (Stephen Bennett, Michael Bearpark, Pete Morgan and Andrew Booker).

[theburningreptile]

I just got done checking out Bass Communion. Wow, this is great. I think I will start off with the title album. I've always loved ambient music and this has to be one of my favorites. Favorite track so far is A Grapefruit in the World of Park.

[onthewall2983]

"Radioactive Toy" from last year's Royal Albert Hall show

[seasonsinthesky]

I just got done checking out Bass Communion. Wow, this is great. I think I will start off with the title album. I've always loved ambient music and this has to be one of my favorites. Favorite track so far is A Grapefruit in the World of Park.

it was "Drugged II" that hooked me first. i learned BC1 texture by texture and eventually tried more, but the rest hasn't quite settled in me like BC1 (except some other randoms, maybe, like Litany and "43553E99.01" from BC3). still have a great reverence for that one in SW's lengthy and excellent discography.

[onthewall2983]

Steven explaining his Ghostwriter software

[onthewall2983]

Steven on recent projects he's been involved with, and a hint on what's to come with his next record

For the first part of the year I’ve been doing a lot of mixing work for other artists, something I always find very inspiring.

The new Opeth album Pale Communion was mixed into stereo and 5.1 at my studio in February. I also sang harmony vocals. It’s by no stretch of the imagination a metal record but it’s still plenty heavy and a great piece of work - for me the epic orchestrated ballad “Faith in Others” that closes the album is Mikael Åkerfeldt's finest achievement to date. Pale Communion is released by Roadrunner Records on 19th June. It’s also the first Opeth album to be recorded and mixed in higher resolution 96/24. I hope Roadrunner will release a high res format, but I don't know their plans on that.


At the start of the year I mixed the new solo album by my long term friend and collaborator Tim Bowness. Abandoned Dancehall Dreams mainly consists of songs Tim wrote with a no-man record in mind, and was recorded with members of the touring band, so the material definitely has that DNA. The album is released by Inside Out Music on 23rd June.


Other mixes I have done recently are 4 songs on the forthcoming ANATHEMA - official band page album Distant Satellites, released by Kscope on 9th June, and one song on John Wesley’s fantastic new album Disconnect, which was just released by InsideOut.


From here on I'm focusing on writing more material for my next album, which I plan to record with my band in the Summer. More news soon…

[onthewall2983]

New Bass Communion box set to be released next month

[seasonsinthesky]

hopped right on that when i got up this morning. kinda confused that it skips the BCII extras and "Quantico," though.

[onthewall2983]

So on top of taking part in mixing and collaborating on 3 of my most anticipated releases of new music this year, he's still managing to give older titles his magic touch.

From his Facebook

Also on the way this Summer are my stereo / 5.1 remixes of Jethro Tull’s A Passion Play (a 2 CD / 2 DVD set including the “lost” 1972 Chateau Tapes album), Gentle Giant’s The Power and the Glory (Blu-Ray/CD and DVD/CD), and XTC's Drums and Wires (Blu-Ray/CD and DVD-A/CD). There are plans to continue with all of these artist’s catalogues over time, with hopefully another early 70’s Yes title towards the end of the year.

[eversonpoe]

oh man, that XTC album is gonna sound SO GOOD.

still waiting/hoping for Beat & Three Of A Perfect Pair to get released :/

[onthewall2983]

More info on Tim Bowness' latest solo album, set to drop next month.



Disc 1:
Abandoned Dancehall Dreams:
1. The Warm-Up Man Forever (4.06)
2. Smiler At 50 (8.19)
3. Songs Of Distant Summers (5.02)
4. Waterfoot (4.14)
5. Dancing For You (5.59)
6. Smiler At 52 (4.05)
7. I Fought Against The South (8.51)
8. Beaten By Love (3.28)


Disc 2:
Abandoned Dancehall Mixes:
1. There Were Days (Smiler At 52, Grasscut mix) (4.53)
2. Sounds Of Distant Summers (Songs Of Distant Summers, Richard Barbieri mix) (5.31)
3. Singing For You (Dancing For You, UXB mix) (4.42)
Abandoned Dancehall Outtakes:
4. Abandoned Dancehall Dream (2.25)
5. The Sweetest Bitter Pill (3.51)
6. The Warm-Up Man Forever (band version) (4.15)
7. Songs Of Distant Summers Part 1 (band version) (4.55)
8. Songs Of Distant Summers Part 2 (band version) (3.59)

21 years after No-Man's debut and 10 years after Bowness's previous solo release My Hotel Year, Tim Bowness returns on the Inside Out label with his ambitious second solo album, Abandoned Dancehall Dreams.


Produced by Bowness and mixed by his No-Man band partner Steven Wilson, Abandoned Dancehall Dreams features performances from Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson), Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree), Anna Phoebe (Trans-Siberian Orchestra) and members of the No-Man live band (Stephen Bennett, Michael Bearpark, Pete Morgan, Steven Wilson, Andrew Booker and Steve Bingham).


Classical composer Andrew Keeling, best known for his work with The Hilliard Ensemble, Evelyn Glennie and his orchestrations of Robert Fripp's Soundscapes, provides string arrangements for four of the album's eight tracks.


Distinctively combining Art Rock and singer-songwriter influences, Abandoned Dancehall Dreams alternates between the low-key and the large-scale, possessing the cinematic scope and sophisticated sheen of No-Man's best work, while taking Bowness's music into unexpected areas, including the propulsive drum and string chug of The Warm-Up Man Forever, the fretless bass, synth and choir combinations on Dancing For You, the Nick Drake-esque Waterfoot, and the grinding Rock codas to Smiler At 50 and I Fought Against The South.


The CD edition of Abandoned Dancehall Dreams comes with a companion disc featuring strikingly beautiful mixes from collaborators old, Richard Barbieri and UXB, and new, highly rated Brighton band Grasscut, as well as outtakes and alternate versions of album material (including an extended 2 part No-Man live band take on Songs Of Distant Summers).


The limited edition double CD is packaged in a 16 page Media Book featuring the instantly recognisable artwork of I Monster's Jarrod Gosling.
Completed at Phil Manzanera's Gallery Studios and Steven Wilson's Nomansland in early 2014, the album was mastered by award-winning Pink Floyd engineer, Andy Jackson.


Abandoned Dancehall Dreams is a singular statement from a singular artist.
All pre-order copies come with a free 16 page booklet featuring a Tim Bowness essay on the making of the album and exclusive artwork.
Pre-order for 23rd June release.

Pre-order link

[henryeatscereal]

I know "The Raven that refused to sing" it's only 1 year with 3 months old but damn this wait for the new album is feeling like forever...

[onthewall2983]

It may be little consolation, but Cover Version is available for pre-order now, for a June 30th release.

[henryeatscereal]

woa, it is!

I wasn't aware of his cover for The Cure, holy crap, my fave Cure song done by my fave artist!

[onthewall2983]

Steven's recent update on his FB suggests the next album will come out early next year, but that there will be previews beforehand just as with Raven. Also sounds like it will be as conceptual, saying that the music, story and visuals will all work together.

[seasonsinthesky]

SW doing a concept sounds great but we all know it'll just be about serial killers (again).

what i'm looking forward to is the day he realizes his solo gigs can be about all of his music, since he's always the final say in basically every other group he's ever been in. so, for instance, slipping in some PT (not Trains and not just Radioactive Toy) will make sense and get big crowd pops, but i'm talking more about the less-touched catalogue — a Cover Version set, an encore with Together We're Stranger followed by Drugged played live by his amazing backing band, etc. there's no reason to hide behind "well maybe No-Man will do a mini-tour around London again in 2017" when Carolina Skeletons easily fits in with half of his solo records and the few Bass Communion performances have been him alone or with others improvising (also cool, though). it would also be an excellent reason to raise stuff from the dead that never got a chance: both Voyage 34 phase 2 and The Sky Moves Sideways phase 2 (besides IS...NOT), some stellar jams from the early days (No Reason to Live, No Reason to Die, This Long Silence, It Will Rain for a Million Years, even Cloud Zero and Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape), even the weird pseudo-solo songs like Cure for Optimism, and the more 'performable' Bass Communion tracks that have a lot of Theo Travis on them.

someday he'll do a 'career retrospective' tour and curse himself for not doing it earlier!

[henryeatscereal]

^it would be nice but maybe it's "easier" just to reunite Porcupine tree?

I believe his solo act has really acquired a "voice of his own", and now he has enough catalogue to fill a complete solo show without feeling repetitive... playing "Radioactive toy" was a nice touch for the last tour but i do think that songs from "Insurgentes" have the same weight...

BTW, "The Raven that refused to sing" was about ghosts, wasn't it?

[onthewall2983]

I could see him doing something like what seasons is describing, but more like a one-off concert. Would be cool to see something like that for his 50th birthday.

[onthewall2983]

No-Man's Schoolyard Ghosts is getting a 2-CD release, featuring rare, unreleased tracks and several of Tim Bowness' demos which formed much of the material. As I predicted earlier, it seems that this will replace the version that originally came out which featured a surround-sound version on DVD, with videos for a few of the songs. It's still available on Amazon but I'd imagine it will dry up soon.

[pulse]

A new single HELLO featuring Tom Morello, Eric Wainaina, Madchild, Steven Wilson, Kool Keith and White Noize will be released on July 28th by Revolution Harmony to benefit Hope Runs.

http://www.revolutionharmony.org/music

Revolution Harmony is an ongoing series of All-Star charity singles from British-African composer Ray Holroyd, based on Salt Spring Island, Canada. All proceeds go to charities that restore harmony between people, animals and the environment. Proceeds from HELLO will benefit Hope Runs, a non-profit organization that uses running to empower AIDS orphans in Kenya with the tools of personal health, social entrepreneurship, and education.

[onthewall2983]

Steven and Tim Bowness are guest-DJ'ing on TeamRock radio right now, for their Prog Magazine progam.

[onthewall2983]

From his Facebook

Last month, UK magazine Prog sent out a request to all those with an interest in progressive music to email in a list of their favourite albums, and apparently received a huge response. In the new issue the results are published and Steven's album The Raven that Refused to Sing is ranked at number 9 in the resulting top 100 best progressive rock albums of all time. 'Fear of a Blank Planet' is the highest ranked Porcupine Tree album at number 19, whilst Steven's other 2 solo records, 3 more PT albums and Steven's collaboration with Mikael Åkerfeldt, 'Storm Corrosion' also make the top 100 (the magazine also features an interview with Mikael and a review of the brilliant new Opeth record Pale Communion). Thanks to all those who voted for these albums!

Recording of the follow up album to The Raven that Refused to Sing starts this month (with the same band line up). Release is scheduled for early 2015, more updates soon.

I mentioned the list in the Progressive Rock thread. Not surprised so many of his albums made it on. I'd imagine Deadwing, In Absentia, and maybe The Sky Moves Sideways are the other Porcupine Tree albums on the list.

[henryeatscereal]

He deserves to be there, so glad

[onthewall2983]

Relayer is confirmed as the third release in the series of SW remixed Yes albums to be issued in 5.1 & new stereo high-resolution audio configuration. Relayer was the band’s 7th studio album, released in 1974, and contains just 3 long pieces, including the ambitious 22 minute Gates of Delirium.

Mixed by Steven Wilson & released with the full approval of the band, Relayer will be available in CD/DVD-A digipack & CD/Blu-Ray mini LP gatefold editions. These are available to pre-order now from http://stevenwilsonhq.com/sw/headphonedust/, release date 3rd November.


Both editions will also contain the original album mix in high-resolution & bonus audio material, full details of which will be announced shortly.


Restored artwork approved by Roger Dean & new sleevenotes by Sid Smith complete the package,the release of which coincides with the 40th anniversary of the album's original late 1974 appearance.

[onthewall2983]

The revolutionary Drums And Wires, from 1979, is the second in a series of expanded XTC album reissues, including 5.1 Surround mixes, new stereo mixes and High-Resolution stereo mixes of the original material, along with a wealth of extra audio and visual material.

All pre-order copies come with exclusive postcards signed by Andy Partridge.

Pre-order for 27th October release.

---------

Steven Wilson produced the mixes with the input of founder band member Andy Partridge and the full approval of the band.

This cd/blu-ray edition is presented in special packaging with an expanded booklet and sleeve-notes by Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding and Dave Gregory.

Help with adjusting your player settings (if necessary) can be found here: http://www.opusproductions.com/disc/setup.html

---------

* CD features a stereo mix by Steven Wilson plus 6 additional singles and non-album tracks .

* Blu-ray (Region 0, NTSC) features:

Presented in 24bit/96khz LPCM Audio:

- Album mixed in 5.1 Surround.
- Steven Wilson stereo mix and original album mix in High Resolution stereo.

Blu-Ray exclusive material includes:

Numerous additional stereo* and 5.1 tracks, new stereo album instrumental mixes, 5 demo sessions and promo films for the singles Making Plans for Nigel and Life Begins At The Hop.

* including the two tracks from the single that accompanied early copies of the vinyl album, two extended mixes of songs and the DJM mixes (songs earmarked as potential single releases).

---------

Complex knotty rhythms and memorable melodic hooks collide with thought-provoking lyrics on the album that established XTC as one of the most inventive bands of the New Wave era.

For those already familiar with Drums And Wires, this reissue provides a comprehensively expanded edition of a much loved classic. For anyone fortunate enough to be new to the spiky delights of Drums And Wires, yes, Pop music really was this good at one point in time.

Pre-order link. His official website states this and the work on other albums by the likes of Yes and Gentle Giant were completed earlier this year and that he's entirely focused on his next album now, which we'll hear about soon.

[onthewall2983]

Steven and band at work, at London's AIR Studios.

[seasonsinthesky]

AIR Studios is a huge deal... and very expensive!

[onthewall2983]

Interesting that they've gone back to London, after doing the majority of Raven in Los Angeles. Hopefully they have Alan Parsons behind the boards again.

[onthewall2983]

From Marco's Facebook

Just finished the recordings for the new STEVEN WILSON album in London. It was a great vibe and I think the material came out great. See you soon on tour with that band again.... thank you Adam, Guthrie, Nick, and Steven. And also thank you Steve Orchard for the amazing sounds we got in the studio.
Picture taken by Lasse Hoile.

My guess is we'll get the album sometime towards Christmas or after New Year's, so roughly same as my initial prediction.

I'm also hearing things about that there will be a new Porcupine Tree album next year. I'll believe it when I see the news from SW himself on this, but this actually doesn't surprise me. I imagine he'll want to switch gears after the 2nd album in a row with his solo band.