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What is Oya Music?

Well as I was working on the music I was particularly inspired by a photo of a woman representing Oya and so I decided to use the name in the title of the collection. Since the vast majority of my work does not have any singing or spoken word on it, I have to use the titles to drop a little knowledge.

I hear applause on the tracks was this done live?

No. The entire collection was done using Garageband. Two different versions actually. So the applause you hear are from the applause and laughter tracks available there. One of the prime movers in the creation of this set was the question I asked myself: If I was a huge star what would my Live CD sound like? So this collection answers that question. The problem that confronted me was picking a virtual venue so to speak. Do you pick a large wide space? A cozy space? Each has their own acoustic signatures for how the instruments would sound and feedback from the audience. For two of the tracks: Bassified, Solitude and Dub, I chose a large relatively "distant" audience with more reverb. Most of the other tracks have a closer, and smaller venue feel. The intro as done last and I think it shows that in the end I preferred the smaller more personal venue sound. Still though, the collection is meant to be listened to from beginning to end and in order.

Would you tell us more about how the tracks were created?

I have two places where I create music. I have a Casio Celviano AP38 keyboard connected to a 12" Powebook G4. That's my preferred location for creation because the keyboard has weighted keys and it's easier for me to stream test mixdowns to my Hifi (ha there's a term you don't hear often). I also have an older Yamaha YP-101 connected to a Power Mac G4 Sawtooth, with a 900 Mhz upgrade card in it. It's fast enough to get things done, but I'm pushing it. Sometimes though, the limitations of it makes for good discipline to not just thrown in effects just because you can.

I see you have Summertime on there twice.

Yeah, that is one of my favorite songs. It's up there with Funny Valentine. I've heard it done many times, but one of my favorites, as noted in the track is one done by the late Oscar Peterson as heard on "Oscar Peteson Plays the George Gershwin Song Book". In fact I took the opening 3 notes directly from that. After that I "own" the track. The "banded" version I did after that was really a test. To see if I could take the song out of it's traditional Jazz sound. I've done other translations of the song though.

What made you redo the "Market 4" track?

Well I got an e-mail from Taalam that Stevie wonder was feeling that track or something in that regard. It was posted up on Youtube and a realized I had the CD with that piece on it. I was in the middle of working on the music so when I dropped Taalam's vocal on it, it just fit. This is actually the second one of Taalam's pieces I have put music to, the first was Come Back Forward. In that piece I actually had to break up his performance to match it to the music, but on Market, that is raw, uncut and unedited Taalam. By the way you can cop the original track on iTunes (Pieces of Change).

Anything else coming down the pipe?

Well in producing this collection I made a lot of stuff that was either not within' the theme, straight garbage or I simply could not finish. The one's that are off theme will make it to another set since most of them are finished. And then I want to try out this Korg DS thing I bought for my Nintendo DS. Straight electronic stuff there, but the limitation and combination between it and Garageband will be interesting.

Tracks:

Intro (Ours)

Tunji Tune Up

Bassified

Solitude

Do For Love

Ayers Style

Dub

Summertime (Piano Solo)

Summertime (with band)

Qadir

Market 4 Niggaz (Feat. Taalam Acey) Language!

Outro