Anger and music writing

The people who know me best know that i'm a rather happy chappy! It's hard for anything to negatively affect my mood in a negative way.

However...

There will always be one thing (one girl) that can instantly transport me to a place where my entire body slowly fills back with uncontrollable hate. Even a slight glimpse of a picture or even the mention of their name can take me back to one specific hate filled moment.

Funnily enough though this is something i have been known to activate on purpose. And that purpose is when i need some music writing inspiration!

I found a long time ago that i can truly funnel these pure emotive feelings and turn them into powerful and emotive tracks. Writing music is usually meant to be a fun and happy thing to do, but if in doubt GET MAD :)

Tips N Tricks with Occams Laser - Episode 3 (Music Distribution)

Its that time again!
The third in my Tips 'N' Tricks tutorials series; this episode delves into the depths of getting your music distributed without the need for using a label.
Let me know what you think, and what you'd like in the next video.
And of course it would be awesome if you re-shared this and subscribed to my Youtube channel :)

The 'Tips N Tricks' tutorials!

I decided a long time ago that when i got to a comfortable position in my music that i would then share all the secrets and techniques I've used to get where i am.

There are of course many better tutorials on how to make the actual music side of things, and so the whole point of my tutorials is to examine the background side such as self-promotion, distribution and fan-growth.

So far i have made 2 episodes of 'Tips N Tricks' and the aim is to have this as a weekly episodic series.

All i really want is for people to understand that they can do most of the leg work themselves and not have to rely on record labels and big companies to gain a good footing in the music industry.
The Music industry itself is a very odd place and for new musicians and artists its very easy to get lost.
Hopefully with some of my tips it might just make things a little easier.

So here are episode 1 and 2;

Its Discount time!

Happy Saturday!
As a token of good will; there is 50% off my new album with the code 'cheapskate' at the checkout https://occamslaser.bandcamp.com/album/take-your-time

Big reveal!

Okay screw it i cant hold back any more! Here is the reveal;
My album due for release next Friday (1st of May) is a MAD MAX inspired concept album! This is in celebration of the upcoming film 'Mad Max; Fury Road'.
Although i like the original scores of the first three films they needed a bit more oomph! So consider it an alternative, with more outrun flavor, more synthesizers, and maybe a few vocals chucked in for good measure wink emoticon 
At this current moment there are 12 tracks all with titles inspired by the world of Mad Max with a run-time of roughly 45 minutes. Here is the title and album artwork i cooked up to start your juices flowing -

April update!

This month so far has been the most full and also fun since i started Occams Laser.

Not only have i released my third EP, but i have made a remix for Straktobeam, a remix/cover for Stereospread, and finished three songs for various Retro Promenade compilations.

Today i have the big news of making DRIVE Radio's top 10 with my track 'Take Your Time'. which you can find here;
DRIVE Radio Top 10
They put me at number 3, which means a huge amount to me as i generally regard these guys as the official charts of the retro/synth community!

Also my remix which i made for Doreen & Emerald Records back at the end of last year is now ready and waiting to be heard as well as a host of other remixers such as Statickman, Irregular Disco Workers, Copycat, David Garcet & Mjane and of course myself!
The tracks will be exclusively on Juno, Beatport and Spotify as well as iTunes in the near future.
You can listen here;
 The Last Dream - Remixes!

E&D Records also wrote a pretty nice review of my tracl;  '...the deep and driving Occams Laser mix is perfect for your local disco club laser show at midnight and your drive back home just before the sun comes up. Hard to make a better Italo track...' 


There is also a bit more which i have been keeping as secret as possible...
Only one person other than myself knows what i have in the makings right now. All i can say is that i have made some of my best tracks so far and they may well be part of a new album. The only hint i will give is that the music is based around the theme of a film/film series from the 80s! I have a feeling you might be happy with the result ;)

EAR remix of Take Your Time

Just after i published my newest single 'Take Your Time', i was contacted by an amazing new artist on the synthwave scene! Alessio also known as 'EAR'. He asked about remixing my track and of course i said yes! Given a small space of time and free rain on the remix he thas now produced one of my favorite tracks of the year so far! Not only is the remix amazing but in my opinion it surpasses the original track.
Please have a listen to the remix and follow this amazing Synthwave up-and-comer!

A-Sides

Occams Laser proudly presents... A-SIDES 
Although traditionally a-sides relates to a side of a vinyl, but i hate conformity so instead all the tracks begin with the letter A. 

The EP was created in my Electronic log cabin, utilizing all the power of the 80s and all the enhancements of the now! 
The sound of this EP is that of darkness and hope in equal measures. All made using FL Studios 11 combined with a Alesis V49 midi keyboard ....and of course a handful of hefty vst's! 

The EP is also available on iTunes/Spotify/Amazon/Google/Tidal and many more digital outlets! 


A huge thanks to everyone in the Synthwave/retro-electro community.
Specifically; Renz Wilde, Citizen Kannot, Kenshi, VHS Dreams, Vincent Nuit, Dallas Dredske, Karate King, Maniac Synth, Luigi Donatello, Rick thorpe, Marko Maric, Straktobeam, Preqwal and so many more amazing people!

The Happiness Approach!

There is something which i have always adamantly tried to adhere to when making music; Having fun!
At times making music can be very high pressure due to time constraints and even genre constraints. But if the stress is the motivation behind the creation of a song then it will never sound as good as one created whilst powered by the enjoyment of creating!

Considering that most music producers and artists will have to listen to their tracks hundreds if not thousands of times in small snippets and in its entirety; you have to have a full on enjoyment of the song, otherwise it can quickly become just a pest that you cant wait to see the back of.

I live to make music, and it will never be the case that i make music to live. Money can play some part in music, but it should never be the driving force. Finishing a song quickly because you need the money from a song is the quickest way to make no sales whatsoever :D

Even when iv'e released a track and the track doesn't magically get a massive hype around it, im still happy! Im only trying to spread the music i make and enjoy and not trying to get others to follow me like a cult of mindless troglodytes.

Musical taste is personal, but that shouldnt be taken personally ;)

New Single out NOW!

'Take Your Time' is a smooth sensual 80s style super ballad about not rushing relationships and waiting for the right moment....Cliche?? Never!!

Written, produced, performed and publicized all from my log-cabin!

You can buy the track from iTunes

or you can watch the official music video here--->

Better late than never

I forgot to say a few weeks back about the locations you can now buy and listen to my latest EP...MNEMONIC POSSESSION

Amazon

Google Play

Youtube

Bandcamp

The EP is also available on iTunes, Deezer, Rdio and a few other digital music vendors!
Thank you so far for all the amazing support! This EP has been the most fun so far to make!

The Privilege of thinking differently

Now of course most people who will stumble upon this blog will be here because this blog is linked to the music making side of my life. And whilst it is of course true that making music is one of my biggest passions in life, i don't make music because i want to, i do it because i have to!

Let me explain;

For the last 4 or 5 years i have become increasingly aware that my brain struggles to shut off, and even though it might sound egotistical in some ways; i know that throughout my life i have never met anyone who truly can understand how i think.
Im an only child, something i am very glad of, although i am of course biased to this opinion i feel that being extremely comfortable existing as a singular person and not someones brother or sister grants an extra boost in mental stability. I also think that it lends very well to the idea that only children are much happier when left to their own devices and can make use of alone time to a higher level.
For instance; if you leave me on my own for a few hours with my keyboard and laptop, i will start, write and finish a composition. But if you have someone else in the room at the same time, it is likely that this will slow down my progress. This isn't saying that i cant work well with others, but rather that i am happier solving problems on my own for the reason that there is much more reward when the success isn't shared :)

Its very true that i have never tried to be the best academically in my life, i scrapped through my a-levels and only applied to one university which i got into and then scrapped a 2:2. But this is based mostly on the fact that i have always enjoyed absorbing information in a more natural sense. If you have a tutor or teacher that are telling you what to learn and how to learn it; then there is much less incentive to accept and retain that knowledge. However finding a passion and then improving that passion through your own methods of information gathering and self teaching - can provide something much more worthwhile.

All of this is linked to having a brain that wont shut off. My coping mechanism is to channel my over active synaptic's into something i have chosen to be my passion, and as it was chosen it also means that the outcomes and successes give much bigger rewards. Meaning that the more i create the more rewarding it becomes!

This is why i quit my job to make music.

Tom / Occams Laser

How to start in the music industry

Hi, i thought it would be good to share my trade secrets on how to start out in the music industry!

With all kinds of Electronic music the key is social media. Most of the target audience for the genre will not find your music naturally due to the amount of electronic music produced. So to get around this problem (at least at the start) you need to find people who would likely appreciate your music. 
For example; if you search the word 'electronic' or 'electro' on Twitter, you will find all the people who have used the word in any tweets, this is where you can pick and choose accounts to follow with the hope that firstly they follow you back and secondly that they might listen/share your music.
(As a side note; i advise that you make a twitter persona specifically for your music, and never tweet about anything but music and your own musical projects. Hopefully you can get an account with your name that you produce under.)
You need to build a healthy enough twitter account that people will discuss your music on a semi-regular basis.

A similar approach also needs to be taken with any and all other social media outlets; google+, facebook, instagram, tumblr, blogspot, and of course Soundcloud & Bandcamp.

Social media is key to the process just because you need a loose following who are likely to publicize your work which ultimately makes the job of promoting any new songs/EP's?Albums much easier and also gaining more chance of captivating new audiences.


The second biggest part of releasing music is the 'how and when' aspect. Over the last year i have worked out that the best approach to keep your followers interested is to release music regularly, by that i mean an average of 1 track a week. In the case of any album or EP you should never post all the songs on the same day as they will instantly lose the extra exposure which you gain from posting them with at least a day in-between. 
Also the day and time you release music can be key; if your primary audience is in America then you need to release music according to peak times in america, the peak times for most countries is 5pm. So if your primary audience is in the UK then no time-zones have to be taken into account and 5pm would be the best time.
The day which you post a new song/album is also key to if it will be noticed, Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays are regarded as the best days in the UK. 

Of course the actual music that you release also has a huge part to do with the success of your music career, and related to this you need to pick a genre and stick to it. Of course you can mildly blend styles but it is KEY that you keep to a certain style or sound so that you are recognizable and distinguishable from others who produce similar music.

Once you have a good following and a strong catalog of music the next step would be to get your music distributed onto sites such as iTunes/Deezer/Rdio/Amazon/Youtube/Spotify/Beats. There are two ways to get your music distributed to these sites and they are signing to a record label or going it alone and using an aggregate site.
With the record label route, you need to contact the record labels that you like personally, and those attached to similar artists within your genre. This can sometimes take a lot of work and time as most record labels will usually be managing multiple artists. Persistence is key.

The other option (using an aggregate) is the choice that i myself have taken. I use a site called 'Distrokid' who distribute to most of the biggest digital distribution sites, of course there is a fee attached to this option however Distrokid is extremely cheap compared to others such as Tunecore, CDBaby and Reverbnation. These other sites do offer similar deals with a few extra sites added onto the list but Distrokid allows you to upload as many Singles/Albums etc as you like for a whole year whereas the other sites charge you for each EP/Single/Album that you upload. 

The choice for how you want to get distributed onto major digital music sites is of course personal preference. But whenever you publish new music it is vital to use the social media networks that you have established to drive more people towards what you have created.
Also asking your audience for feedback and engaging actively within the music community will be a sure-fire way to also gain the respect of other music producers within the community.

No matter what, make the music that you want to hear yourself! Passion is obvious and if it shows in your music then you're on the right track.

Tom / Occams Laser
https://soundcloud.com/occams-laser

New EP is released into the wild!

Hi there guys and gals! My new EP has just launched! Its going to be name your price for the first week on Bandcamp so please go check it out and by all means download it for the extremely good value price of...FREE! (or be a sport and part with your sweet sweet money)

WARNING - ears may become pregnant with 80s nostalgia.

(the EP will also be available on iTunes/Amazon/Spotify/Deezer/Tidal/Beats/Youtube all very soon)

Mnemonic Possession!!

I can officially announce that there will be a new 4 track Occams Laser EP launching in the next few days! The title of this instrumental marvel is....MNEMONIC POSSESSION

The EP will be name your price on Bandcamp for the first week and will also be available on iTunes/Amazon/Beats/Spotify as well as many other digital outlets.

There is also another EP planned for release which will be much more vocal-centric which i aim to have out very soon, however its not quite ready for your ears just yet :)

Here is some topical concept art to whet your whistle;

Semi rant; Quasi-Roflcopter :)

Let me just say; I LOVE MAKING MUSIC!
and over the past year i have had more fun learning new techniques and using new methods as well as meeting, collaborating and working with a whole host of amazing people.

HOWEVER...
The list of people who i actually now know i can rely on and who have helped me in this last year is an extremely short list.
The slightly more ironic side to this is that some of the more reliable people are ones who i have known for a very short space of time and live hundreds if not thousands of miles away.

Its a well known fact that making any sort of headway in the music industry is a hellishly long road with more twists and turns than a bowl of spaghetti. And as i have chosen to not get involved with any labels and instead do all the publishing, advertising and paperwork; this task is even more fraught with complications.

So as i'm publishing my music through my own channels of social media, you would think that friends and family would be the go-to when it comes to getting the hype train started and first few listeners gained...No...In fact i would say the complete opposite.
I try not to post too much on my personal Facebook page just to cut down on irritating people with 'spam'. But i have posted a few bigger things such as album launches and even the creation of my Occams Laser Facebook page. Generally these posts have had little to no interaction and disappear relatively unnoticed. This is in stark opposition to when i post a similar post on my Twitter feed, where i know hardly any of my followers yet i get a quicker and more vibrant response!

Let me also just state that not every one of my friends is useless :D some of them are more than helpful! But its just sad how many people who i have known for years (most of them owing many favors) cant even show the slightest glimmer of support.

I started the Occams Laser music persona nearly a year ago now, and over this time i have found my sound and style, launched an EP and Album, and in total created 80 tracks (45 that have been published). Other than a few small chunks of help from a few people and places i have accomplished all of this myself.

My final point (which i think by far is the funniest) is my love of modern technology :)
Unbeknownst to many when you hand out free album codes from bandcamp; you can find out which ones have been redeemed, and not only that but if you're as meticulous as i am and write down who you gave each code to, then you also know who hasn't even redeemed them.
I mean come on!! I poured blood sweat and tears into making an album and made the effort to specifically give out free codes to an album which i am trying to ultimately make money on... and you cant even show enough support to click...a...button.

I pride myself in trying to help my friends as much as i can, whether you've known me for days or years; i will help as much as i can. And yet that support is rarely re-paid.

To those reading this; you are the support :) and you are the ones who i make music for, so even though this is a massive rant, its purpose is to distinguish the loyal from the fake and the sacks of shit from the gems!

TIME FOR A BEER!!!

Occams Laser over and out!