Musical Graffiti

Looking at my dream board, listening to my tracks, and planning out the next steps to close out the album.

I’m in the final stretch and I never felt better!

Excited to release an unreleased remix of The Music In You as a free download by good friend; Rezn8r!

Leave The Heart

The first vocal off “The Amazing Faculty” album is titled “Leave The Heart” and features lyrics written and performed by TK Wonder.

Vocal session coming up at the end of the month. She really nailed this one so I can’t wait!

The Creative Process and Approach to Writing and Producing “The Amazing Faculty”

A lot of producers post on forums such as Gearslutz about how to overcome writer’s block, how long it takes to finish a song, how to arrange, etc. so I thought it would be cool to create a post about the approach I decided to take on this journey to produce my first album titled “The Amazing Faculty”.

For me I love the creating process - writing new melodies and developing fresh ideas so with this album I wanted to get out as many ideas as possible (and quickly) rather than completing each track from start to finish before going to the next (which is how I use to work). This was great because I got to consistently stay in the creative (fun) stage and before I knew it I was already up to 15 concepts with some of them pretty well developed. Once I reached this point I went back and starting working on each of them in an iterative fashion starting from the first track (which BTW is titled Breakout). This kept everything fresh and prevented me from getting too bogged down in any one particular idea. Of course there was some drawbacks to this. For example I used some of the same percussion elements in order to facilitate a quicker song writing process – to be addressed. In any event I think this approach was more beneficial than detrimental and I’m happy I decided to switch up my process / work flow as it forced me to get out of my comfort zone. Ok so I basically kept doing rounds of revisions until I got to a point where I was ready for some feedback on which tracks could potentially become vocals and which ones would remain as instrumentals. I selected 12 of the 15 ideas for the album and right now all of them are about 75% done with only a rough mix in place. By the way I started in early September (after returning from my Ibiza holiday) and finished all 15 concepts by December!

In terms of vocals… I’ve always enjoyed writing. I use to write poetry and now I’m writing more in the ABAB structure. I have a lot of material and I’m always writing to express myself. Vocals bring several things to the table and hence why I would like to have some on the album. They give tracks much more distance as they now have a better chance to be remixed and getting licensed from other labels, people of course relate to vocals which gives the song more of a stand out and memorable quality, and yes it does help move tracks along although I don’t think filling up space is how I would put it. Furthermore, it’ll give the album much more of a personal touch rather than using vocal samples everyone has access to (although I might have to do this lol).

So my idea was that I would get to a point where I’m happy enough to gauge interest on my music from vocalists. If the vocalist felt a connection with one of the songs then we would go through the lyrics I wrote to see if there’s interest there and finally match up the lyrics to the song. I’m open to ideas and adjusting the lyrical content (or to create totally new lyrics) and I always leave writing the vocal melody in terms of how it’s sung to the vocalist herself. So that’s where I am right now. It’s basically another round of revisions and potentially adding vocals to get some of these instrumentals to the next level.

Finally, I would focus on all the post production edits, transitions, fx, and of course the final mix down before sending it off for mastering. I know everything will be right at that point so I’m well on my way. My goal is to have the album out in a years’ time which would bring me to a release date around this August.

This post was inspired to those who took the time to give me feedback thus far so I want to thank the PTB crew (my brother, JJ Stamm as well as Matt Crosta), Eric Rezn, TK Wonder, Arpi Atapy, and especially singer and songwriter Eitch.

STELLAR SESSIONS VOLUME I. mixed by Erich Von Kollar OUT NOW

The first continuous DJ mix of Stellar Fountain productions got released today on Beatport. Definitely feels good to be a part of this milestone for the label.

Thanks to Stanisha for the winning remix and the whole crew at Stellar Fountain.

Musical Graffiti EP 02 - The Paint Series

In the second installment of the Musical Graffiti anthology, I pay tribute to the infamous spray paint brands that controlled the NYC graffiti scene in the 80s and 90s. I return this time with a lineup of tracks that span from a progressive house vibe to a more contemporary deep house / indie dance sound (breaking from the melodic techno that controlled the first Musical Graffiti EP found on Total Wipes).

We start off with two similar but distinctively different mixes of Krylon. The Cherry Red Mix has an uplifting chord progression with strong overarching melodies to compliment the underlying momentum created with the bass. The Wildflower Blue Mix keeps the same analog and forward moving bass line as before but the chords are filtered down and a new deeper sounding melody comes in to give this version of Krylon a more involved mood. A nice ying to the yang!

Next up is Rust-Oleum which does a great job at capturing your attention from the start and holding it tight all the way till the end. A simple yet effective chord progression finds itself gently treading along giving off an emotional and almost nostalgic feeling which is in sync with my signature sound. The track progressively builds with subtle surprises and unexpected turns to keep it constantly evolving on the crowd, and custom made drones and fx take over the break down to keep Rusto-Oleum unique and hard hitting for the dance floors. Picture big dark rooms with lots of smoke late in the night - that is the environment for Rusto-Oleum! I close the track out with an epic extended outro for further DJ manipulation.

Finally Touch ‘N Tone rounds out the release showcasing my deep house / indie dance side. A slighter lighter kick here but only to be compensated with a big chunky analog bass line. Actually, this track is bleeding analog vibes from all types of vintage instruments in my studio and you’ll hear it with the melodies and fx that move throughout. A quick breakdown / buildup keeps the track moving along nicely and I expect will keep people dancing about. Expect more of this in the future…

All tracks written, produced, arranged, and mixed by Vinny Fiore at PTB Studios, Brooklyn NYC
All tracks mastered by Henri Hurtig

So The Music In You makes it in to the first volume of Stellar Sessions, mixed by Erich Von Kollar.

Press Release:
Stellar Fountain already celebrates their first birthday with a stunning compilation selected and mixed by the label co-owner, Proton rising star Erich Von Kollar. The 15 track in the mix shows a cross-section of the colorful Stellar-sound with the help of talented and well known producers like East Café, Adam Byrd, Stanisha, Biologik, Smart Wave, Tip D’Oris, MiraculuM, Cayo Largo aka Dio S, Tuxedo, CJ Peeton, Nomean, Feri, C.R.E.C.C.A, John Drummer, Vinny Fiore, Oleg Nych, Rytek, Suggy, Adam-P and last but not least Erich also joins the club with an own production. Release date: 2012-10-15.

01. Tuxedo - Medina
02. C.R.E.C.C.A - Endless Ways
03. Cayo Largo - For My Kids (Dio S ‘Quiet The Kids Are Sleeping’ Mix)
04. CJ Peeton - Flowers
05. Adam-P - Deep Travel
06. Smart Wave - Soulmates (Nomean Remix)
07. Rytek - Ritma
08. Erich Von Kollar - Pink Flower (Biologik Remix)
09. Feri - The Curious Case Of A Memorable History
10. Suggy - Apollo Creed
11. John Drummer - Wait For You
12. Oleg Nych - Palmyra (Tip D’Oris Remix)
13. Adam Byrd - Just Believe
14. Vinny Fiore feat. Joanna Schubert- The Music In You (Stanisha’s Instrumental Build)
15. East Café - Outside (MiraculuM’s Inside Mix)

So “The Music In You” got a Beatport feature on the Progressive House New Releases section.

If that wasn’t cool enough - Stanisha’s Instrumental Build was added to the Top 10 Must Hear Progressive House Tracks for week 29. Very exciting stuff! Thanks Stanisha…

Musical Graffiti EP 02

Here is a link to the 12oz Prophet blog containing 173 pages of private spray paint can collections.

Next up on the Musical Graffiti anthology is a two-track EP honoring the classic spray paint brands: Rusto-Oleum and Krylon.

Rust-Oleum (Flat Black Mix) has a deeper darker edge while Krylon (Cherry Red Mix) has a more uplifting and optimistic vibe.

I think they provide a nice colorful contrast to each other and hoping they will go over well with the progressive, deep house, and techno guys.

Vinny Fiore feat. Joanna Schubert - The Music In You // Stellar Fountain [SFR024]

Genre: Techno,House,Tech-House,Electro-House,Prog-House,
Release Date: Jul 09 2012
Label: Stellar Fountain

Ok so the promo campaign starts on VIP Ultima then to Release Promo and two weeks after that the release will be available on Beatport.

Release Info:
Beautiful vocals taking over on Stellar’s next EP which can be called almost an LP with 11 tracks on it. The New York based producer Vinny Fiore teamed up with vocalist Joanna Schubert and deliver a musical ars poetica, which is true in all situation: “the music in you will never die”.

Vinny had so much work in the original, it’s like a new born child for him, whom he can be proud of. Joanna’s fascinating voice don’t let us down, the emotional lyrics finds the way to our heart. We are happy to announce that after so many years of silence John Johnson is back on track with a deep, epic retouch. MiraculuM’s laidback version creating a unique atmosphere, focusing more on the melody side. The two hardworking face of the progressive scene Stanisha and LoQuai made their strong visions on the originals, rebuilding a whole new soundscape. Also a new born project called Midnight Social Club debuts on this release with a peak time bomb, balancing on the edge of house and trance. As a bonus feature you can hand the original acapella, which will be useful as a dj tool!

Conceptually “Shine” was conceived precisely five years ago to the month! After starting a new job that temporarily removed me from the music industry and in parallel going trough a bad breakup right after Valentines day I quickly realized that at the end of the day music was the one constant and grounding factor in my life. However, after never producing the “right” track and several failed attempts with other producers to develop this concept the idea behind “Shine” had went into remission. My story fast forwards to the end of 2011 when several incidents in my professional and personal life resurrected something deep inside my soul and I knew it was finally my time to “Shine!” With that, the lyrics stay true to its original values, is told from an older and wiser perspective, and in a nostalgic and heartfelt fashion.

So… after one of those magical studio sessions when everything goes your way and ends with you dancing around the room alone with your hands in the air, I knew I had finally produced “the track” I been waiting for. I then laid down the lyrics with additional edits from life-long friend James Stamm before I began my search for a vocalist. I knew I needed someone who can deliver my story and drive it home with a larger then life presence. I soon found what seemed to be a perfect match with singer/songwriter; Joanna Schubert. She had recently graduated from Skidmore College and her senior recital turned into the demo reel I needed for an audition. It didn’t take much to realize she had the musical knowledge and breadth of experience that I was looking for to complete the project and like that… I had the voice behind “Shine.”

I turned to professional recording engineer David Lawrence to record the vocals. David tracked Joanna through a Lucas CS-1 tube condenser microphone into a Brent Averill 1073 preamp with a Teletronix LA-2A and Universal Audio 1176LN on compression duties. For effects we added a plate reverb from a super classic box and the Line 6 Echo Pro dialed in the timing for our delays which came from the Eventide H3000s Ultra Harmonizer and a Lexicon PCM41. Dave recorded and mixed Joanna through his superb Sound Workshop Series 34 desk to polish it all off with nothing but class.

The last step in the production process is mastering and in the past I’ve tried several mastering houses ranging from Ibiza to Germany and into London. This time around I didn’t want to take any chances with the final product so I decided to stay at home in NYC for an attended session with Tom Coyne at the world renown Sterling Sound Studios. However, just days before the mastering session Dave and I realized stereo/mono compatibility issues with some of my stems which forced me to cancel the mastering session. The next five days were spent tirelessly trouble shooting in the studio before I was able to solve all the issues. A special thank you goes out to Taylor Martyr at Dangerous Music for the technical support and to Dave for the continued mix down advice.

In any event, I felt like I had another chance at the song and set out to make it even better then before. This is when I had the “MUSIC IN YOU” moment and proceeded to work the breakdown and buildup to emphasize the hook on this record. I truly believe everything happens for a reason and the technical difficulties and countless hours of trouble shooting paid off in the end. Nothing came easy which is ironically one of the messages in the song. With the track now officially complete I was able to reschedule the mastering session with Tom just days after he was on stage with Adele when she accepted her grammy for album of the year.

Treating “The Music In You” in the highest regard… I decided to take everything to the next level and print the masters to half-inch tape on a Studer A 820. My goal was to have “The Music In You” released on vinyl so I went ahead and pressed a very small and exclusive run of test pressings at URP. The idea is to send the test pressings to a select few and carefully hand-picked record labels instead of sending the contemporary digital file in a mass email. This will ensure the label’s A&R department can hear the final product on the desired format and of the utmost audio fidelity. I never had a chance to actually execute this plan as the record got signed with Stellar Fountain Records before I even received the test pressings. Stellar Fountain loved the concept however, they thought the sonics could have been improved upon so we sent “The Music In You” to Henri (Cid Inc) to re-master the record. Henri requested the stems and really turned out a great job with the final masters.

In conclusion I couldn’t have been happier with how this project turned out and the timing of it’s release. Feel free to draw your own conclusions and relationship with the song; for me it’s my love affair with electronic dance music.

In closing, remember these words:

THE MUSIC IN YOU
WILL NEVER DIE

Greyloop presents Float Away episode 066

The remixes are starting to roll in for my upcoming release “The Music In You” feat Joanna Schubert. Check out MiraculuM’s lovely retouch on Greyloop’s new Float Away mix.

Tracklist:
1. Vinny Fiore ft Joanna Schubert - The Music In You (MiraculuM’s Retouch) [Stellar Fountain]
2. Summer (Brendon Collins) - Doppler (Gatzigristos Doppelganger) [Tulipa]
3. John Drummer - Wait For You [Stellar Fountain]
4. Fusion F & Come T - Underwater (Nicholas Van Orton Remix) [Fruit Machine]
5. P8 & Answer42 - Fragments (Guy J Remix) [Anjunadeep]
6. Dio S - Baby Eyes (Thanos Kous Remix) [Stellar Fountain]
7. Summer (Brendon Collins) - Sugar Glider (Ian O’Donovan Remix) [Tulipa]
8. Oliver Schories - Amsterdam [Parquet]
9. Hernan Cattaneo & SoundExile - Japanese Snowbell (Jamie Stevens Remix) [Sudbeat]
10. Weepee - Jade (Federico Epis Remix) [Outside The Box Music]

I just got back from my mastering session with David Lawrence and Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound Studios in NYC; what a humbling experience!

Tom had the “magic button” activated before we pushed “The Music In You” through a vintage Sontec EQ for a dash of extra character and finally to his Studer A 820 tape machine before capturing the final mastered mixes.

Last step in the process is to get my test pressings.

Vinny Fiore feat Joanna Schubert - The Music In You (The Original “Shine” Vocal Mix)

Shine

I’m about to introduce an amazing new vocalist to the electronic scene with my new original vocal titled “Shine”.

I’m very excited about the track and exposing her talents to the world. I believe that everyone will be heartfelt with this one. More to come…

Best,
Vinny Fiore

Posts tagged Vinny Fiore