One of my favorite tracks i've written in the last 6 months; THE ROAD WARRIOR

When i first set out on making my Mad Max themed album 'The Road to Fury'; i had no idea how well it would be received! It was purely just a project that i personally wanted to see if i could complete.

I started and finished the album within 8 days, and that included getting it sent off and published on iTunes and a few other digital distribution sites.

One of the first tracks to be completed and also one which helped guide the whole sound and style of the album was the track 'The Road Warrior'. The track is of course a direct homage to the classic Mad Max films of the 80s.

A funny thing about my album is that i didn't get to properly listen to the album on monitor speakers until a few weeks after it was published, and the final adjustments i had to make using my bog standard iPhone headphones; so hearing it back now i am so glad it sounds as it does!

So although the album was launched back on the 1st of May, it could possibly be my favorite album ive created so far!

You can grab the album here; BANDCAMP

and please have a listen to my favorite track; The Road Warrior

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 :)

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

New album out tomorrow!

As you may remember, i released a single called 'Take Your Time' around 4 months ago. The track was a funky new approach style wise for me, and due to the response i got from it i decided to push the idea a bit further and create a whole future funk album!

Alongside the 8 new tracks there will be 3 remixes by Volt Age, Stereospread and EAR.

Keep an eye out for more details tomorrow!

Here is the finalized album artwork that i created;

The flattery of piracy!

Today i found that my album 'The Road to Fury' is available on multiple torrent sites, uploaded by a few different people. Now you would assume that this would annoy me; however, i could not think of a better compliment!
The fact that i have made something that people deem worth pirating means that i must be doing something right.
There have always been milestones that i wanted to breach with my music, the first was to be listed on iTunes, the second was to make a noticeable profit, and finally to be pirated!
Now it seems i need to set a few more and carry on enjoying the ride!


-Just in case you might wonder why i am fine with my album being pirated, i shall elaborate;

Piracy has become a strange thing for the music and film industry, many big companies use the stats from torrent sites to gauge popularity of products/films/music/etc.
For instance; Netflix uses the stats from sites such as the Pirate Bay to gauge which films and tv shows they should host through their service. The amount of seeders and leechers of a pirate file acts as a very realistic measure of how popular something is. No more surveys, or focus groups.

One of my favorite artists and musicians; Trent Reznor, openly suggested pirating his albums due to the high cost of them in certain countries. These high costs were set by his record label.
Other artists in the past have even sent out blank cd's to fans so they could burn their albums.
Metallica famously released an album with some of the songs being lower quality than the copies ripped from the sound libraries of Guitar Hero!

Nature finds a way, but piracy finds it faster!

rant over :)

Occams Laser over and out!

Poster design and new logo

Today marks a whole year of my Occams Laser logo's creation!
So to honor how well it has served me i am upgrading it and also have made a movie poster to accompany a new era of Occams Laser!

The design was made purely on my iPad using the brushes3 app. No fancy filters, no magical template, just good old fashioned paint skills and a bit of time.

The tagline 'Dubstep is a disease. Meet the cure.' is a homage to the similar tagline from the film 'Cobra'.

This may also be used as a promo for my next EP/Album.

Its been a few weeks since i launched my album 'The Road o Fury' and i thought it was about time to hack back to the past and create an 80s style commercial for it!!




Album available at these digital stores;
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the...
https://occamslaser.bandcamp.com/albu...
https://soundcloud.com/occams-laser

Also come and follow me
https://twitter.com/occams_laser_
https://www.facebook.com/occamslaserband

"Law and order has begun to break down following the major energy crisis. Motorcycle gangs scavenge the lands and terrorize the population. As such, Main Force Patrol, an out-run police force, has been created to patrol the lands and uphold the remains of law and justice. 

Soon only one driver remains, Max Rockatansky. This man, through vengeance and circumstance is destined to become…The Road Warrior" 

========================================­====== 

The Road to Fury is my tribute album to Mad Max! 
All tracks written, produced, performed and mastered by Tom Stuart (Occams laser). 

After getting hyped up about the upcoming new Mad Max film 'Fury Road' i decided to make a dedicated tribute album. This project has taken two weeks to complete all 13 tracks. 
There are three dedicated vocal tracks, a couple of narrative style tracks and a whole bunch of synthesized goodness!
credits
released 01 May 2015 

All tracks are named after people, places, quotes and phrases from George Miller's dystopian world of Mad Max. 

A special thanks of course to George Miller as well as DRIVE Radio, Neon Droid, Straktobeam, Renz Wilde, EAR, Stereospread, Lapses, Karate King records, Distrokid, Retro Promenade, and everyone else who has been supportive of my work so far!

The Road to Fury!

"Law and order has begun to break down following the major energy crisis. Motorcycle gangs scavenge the lands and terrorize the population. As such, Main Force Patrol, an out-run police force, has been created to patrol the lands and uphold the remains of law and justice.

Soon only one driver remains, Max Rockatansky. This man, through vengeance and circumstance is destined to become…The Road Warrior"

==============================================

The Road to Fury is my tribute album to Mad Max!
All tracks written, produced, performed and mastered by Tom Stuart (Occams laser).

After getting hyped up about the upcoming new Mad Max film 'Fury Road' i decided to make a dedicated tribute album. This project has taken two weeks to complete all 13 tracks.
There are three dedicated vocal tracks, a couple of narrative style tracks and a whole bunch of synthesized goodness!

Released 01 May 2015

The album is out now on Spotify/iTunes/Rdio/Deezer/Amazon/Bandcamp and even Tidal :P 9there is a link to bancamp below)

All tracks are named after people, places, quotes and phrases from George Miller's dystopian world of Mad Max.

A special thanks of course to George Miller as well as DRIVE Radio, Neon Droid, Straktobeam, Renz Wilde, EAR, Stereospread, Lapses, Karate King records, Distrokid, Retro Promenade, and everyone else who has been supportive of my work so far!

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 -

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!

Straktobeam

Some of you may remember around a year ago (back when i had just started making music under Occams Laser) i made a remix for a band called Straktobeam! The track was called 'Midnight Run' and to date this was by far the most fun track i have had the pleasure of creating. The combination of an already amazing track as well as an equally awesome group of people; made this a bit of a landmark for me.
It is safe to say that if i had not have attempted that remix, i would probably not be in the position i am now!

A year on, and i am proud to present another remix that i have made for Straktobeam, this time it is their new track 'Melange'. I wanted this remix to be a surprise for the band, so i made the remix from scratch, working out the notes and trying to capture the essence of the original but with my own 80s spin.
Who knows, in another year i may create another remix for them! Until then, enjoy my remix of Melange by Straktobeam;

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!

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

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!

Lips are Moving!

So in case you missed it; i released my own version of the track 'Lips are Moving' by Meghan Trainor. This originally started out as a bit of fun and a test of my own vocals. However since it was posted it has had 1,500 song plays and reached its free download limit within an hour!

So here it is in all of its glory

And this is why im single :D

The next chapter!

Its been nearly a month since i launched my first album! And so far the experience has been amazing, all the feedback has been great and everyone involved has been extremely helpful in spreading the word of its magical synthesized beauty!

Now...

What next??

Well i already have a plan for my next EP (possibly an album) which is all based around the theme of robots (specifically an Android).
There is one track that i made which originally was going to appear on my first album, however right in the week before the release i started putting lyrics to it and it turned into something way beyond what i was expecting. This has led me to a slightly new direction and so you can expect to hear vocals on at least one or two tracks in the next release. Vocals sung by myself of course :)

A few years back i used to sing in a band, so its kind of nice to re-visit this side of music making again.

Stay tuned for more updates on my next project very very soon!

Tom / Occams Laser
bleep, bleep, bloop.