Sunday Post

I'm a big fan of cover tracks that deviate from the original source material. Things like Devo's take on, 'Satisfaction', and more recently on SoundCloud, Trixie Delight's version of, 'My Heart Will Go On', are perfect examples of how to do it right. And so, I hope to follow on the tradition of kooky rip-offs with tomorrow's release, an unintentional cover of Bill Withers, 'Lean On Me'. 

Unintentional? Well, it started life as a simple collaboration with Little Lone Waltz. Someone whom I've wanted to work with ever since I first came across her on Soundcloud. I provided a beat, she provided the keys. The pieces all fit beautifully together, but it still felt like it was missing something. 

So, I called on someone else who has been dying to collaborate with, Sarah Shamash. In just a few hours of sending her the rough instrumental demo, she had sent me her ideas. It was an unusual, but never-the-less stunning vocal, with the lyrics to 'Lean On Me' anchoring each note. I don't know whether she was planning to rewrite the lyrics or not, I never asked, I loved what she did and so we all decided to run with it. 

Anyway, 'Lean (feat. Sarah Shamash & Little Lone Waltz)', will be available to stream from SoundCloud, tomorrow. 

It's become apparent to me that I have featured on many tracks that I have failed to post on social media. These are either things that I have worked on with other artists, or 'Wou-Wou Open Collab' tracks. Now, I know it's not a big deal, but people go to a lot of time and effort to make this music, it's only right that I do my best to promote their hard work, right. So starting Thursday I'm going to post one of these tracks every week. I'll pick them out at random, and if I run out, I guess I'll just start from the beginning again.

Also, I know I'm jumping the gun a little, but come October they'll be a special 'Wou-Wou Open Collab' playlist to mark the first year of the project. Course, if you're interested to hear some of this stuff now, click (here).

Lastly, work on my long term 'MUSIC BY CHANCE' project has finally started up again. Due to the massive quantity of music to produce for it (over 40 tracks), I've shifted once again to a collaborative approach. It's unlikely that much of anything will surface until the backend of the year, but there are a few things already in the bag from Ronny The Rocket, Sensfuck and Jonathan Beckenstein... in fact, Jonathan has shared his contribution to the project on SoundCloud for all to hear. It's certainly an exquisite piece, and serves as an excellent teaser of things to come.

Happy thoughts, 

- The Wormling

Sunday Post

With Robot Richard's politically charged 'Taxes 2 Asses', and a perfectly mangled remix from lil' spaceman, you could say that last months Wou-Wou instrumental 'Glory Hole', has been playing the field.

These collaborative efforts and my original will be cosying up together on the 'Glory Hole [EP]', which I'm set to release into the world throughout next week. But to fill the music-less void of now, here are two of my favourite tracks from the aforementioned artists.

In other music news, the first few tracks to come from my 'The Audio Bin' project are nearly finished, as is the second 'MUSIC BY CHANCE [EP]'. Both will be uploaded in the next few weeks, but you know me, I'll be pre-warning you before such a thing happens. 

In the arty corner, my studies into synesthesia are coming to a close. Although I won't be abandoning them completely, I feel the ache of change. I'm leaning towards embroidery, but I'm rusty with a needle so will probably begin by mucking around with collage. 

Of course 'daily doodles' and synesthesia paintings will remain throughout next week and beyond, just in fleeting doses. And several art collaborative projects are in the mix, but that's all I'm willing share about that for now - *what a tease I am*.

Til next time, happy thoughts, 

- The Wormling

Glory Hole

New track!




- The Wormling

Sunday Post

Oh yes, oh yes... OH YES!!!

Ahem... sorry about that, I guess I'm just a little excited that my new, rather filthy, instrumental is "cuming" out tomorrow. It's "balls deep" (sorry again) with vulgar grooves, aching guitars, steamy organs... and well, you get the picture.

Also, after a little break I've been doodling my "nudies" once again! This is alongside my recent synesthesia paintings, which I'll also be continuing to share throughout next week.

Happy thoughts,


- The Wormling

Dirty Bomb

- The Wormling

Sunday Post

What's this?! The first 'Wou-Wou...' track of 2015, set to drop over SoundCloud and Bandcamp tomorrow?

Looks likely.


- The Wormling

Resolutions

Traditionally the new year revolves around new beginnings and bettering yourself, and although I don't believe you need a specific date in the calendar to do either of these things it seems that for 'Wou-Wou...', the New Year does mean a fresh start.

I view my work over the last few months more as "building up my chops" than exploring or pushing myself creatively. The 'Daily Doodles' and 'Music Monthly's' have been creative stretches to keep me limber. But I fear that I have reached a point where I keep repeating myself, and aiming for the result instead of enjoying the process; the original essence of 'Wou-Wou & The Wormling'.

With this in mind, my resolution begins with learning new skills and techniques. Things like embroidery, painting, collage, sculpture and mark-making are way up there on the list. I've eased myself in with continuous line work (a welcome detachment from my usual figurative oddballs) which I'll be sharing over the month.

On top of this, I hope to reach some sort of resolve with my creative experiments involving chance. The first of my music by chance will be surfacing around the end of the month, as will the creative writing. And although the chancy music will keep coming way into 2016, I'm giving myself a loose ultimatum of three months to put everything else (chance) to bed, and move on to the other creative experiments and subjects I have lined up.

The usual 'Daily Doodles' and 'Music Monthly' commitments will remain throughout, as I feel it's still important to express, practice and grow in what feels familiar. And with any luck, everything new that I learn will compliment and become familiar in time. So who knows, this time next year I might be sewing nudies instead of sketching them!

Anyway, belated Happy New Year to you and happy thoughts, 

- The Wormling

P.S. - I've been playing catch-up on society6, adding a host of last years doodles to the roost. Meaning prints of 'Jack', 'Elysia', 'Robin' and many others are now available. I'm also in the process of setting up an Etsy shop to sell a selection of my originals. More details to come, soonish. 

Lack Of Sleep

- The Wormling

Sunday Post

I'm officially back from my pre-festive break, meaning I'll be crawling back to my pencil (if it'll have me) and doodling non-stop until Christmas shakes things up again.

To fill the hole 'till the doodles come along, I've been busy preparing December's musical effort - 'Lack Of Sleep' - which'll be freely available to stream and download from tomorrow.

Happy thoughts,

- The Wormling

The Hopeless Aurelian

- The Wormling

Sunday Post

Just between you and me, I was feeling creatively drained this time last week. It wasn't so much that I'd run out of ideas, more that they were being filtered through my shit-tinted point-of-view. So I turned the pressure off and stepped away for a few days. Turned my concentration onto something else. Something that didn't revolve around being completed. 

I played with old recordings, faffed with watercolours and inks. I dipped into T. S. Eliot, I played computer games and watched old comedy. I took an early morning walk and met up with good friends. I escaped... A week later, and I feel a little better about it all. Fresh ears, eyes and all that.

Anyway, next week will be a totally different story, what with my new instrumental track 'The Hopeless Aurelian' coming out tomorrow and a new, more observational/introspective take on my daily doodles starting on Tuesday, things are looking positive once more.

And to top it off, new work on my collaborative project, 'Major Gubbins', has begun!... It's going to be a beautiful mess.

Happy thoughts,


- The Wormling

24-Bit Multimedia Monster

- The Wormling

Sunday Post

Warfare in the London Underground, an indecisive djembe instructor and a whole lotta cassette manipulation found its way into tomorrow's new 'Wou-Wou...' release, '24-Bit Multimedia Monster'.

But it's not the first time my dictaphone snippets have been sprinkled into the mix. In fact the thought of taking a recording of say, bird song from 2011, a drum pattern tapped on a table in 2007, and then mashing it all together with something I'm working on now, is so exciting to me. It feels like magic. 

But it's only over the last few months that I've learnt to take these snippets and play with them properly. Morphing them into instruments and stretching them to make oddball rhythms. And it's with '24-Bit Multimedia Monster' that I share my first example of this sort of creativity with found sounds, however crude.

Have you ever found a sound? Or know where to find a juicy one? If you're not feeling precious over it throw it my way (wouwouandthewormling@gmail.com), I'm always on the look out for 'em. 

Happy thoughts,

- The Wormling

Pixel Envy

- The Wormling

Sunday Post

Call it indecisive, call it generous, call it whatever you will... because there will be not one, but two new homemade tracks for 'Music Monthly' this October!

The first track is called 'Pixel Envy' and will be available to stream and/or buy from tomorrow, the second, '24Bit Multimedia Monster', will be unleashed on the 20th. Both will be dressed in the accidental artwork of my partner-in-crime Chelsea (purposeandform) Ellis.

But wait, I've more good news, especially for those of you who favour the artsy side of 'Wou-Wou...'. Starting this Wednesday (and continuing every Wednesday thereafter if all goes to plan) I'll be giving away some of my original artwork, for free! No hidden agendas, no "Share This Photo..." malarky, just honest clean giving. More info Tuesday!

Happy thoughts,


- The Wormling

Sunday Post

It’s been a balanced old week here at ‘Wou-Wou...’ HQ. On Wednesday (my fun day) nothing seemed to go quite right. I finished the odd job off, but when it came to anything creative I turned to pot. 

Par exemple, top of my list of things to achieve was the fettling of the first instrumental, whose chords, tempo and time-signature were all decided by chance, using a system I’ve coined ‘The Buskers’ Bamboozle’ - an elaborate creative randomiser, that utilises dice, coins, and hats to make those all important creative decisions.

The track in question is called ‘The Moist Go Between’ and is the first of 45 tracks created using ‘The Buskers’ Bamboozle’ to varying degrees. Recording it was a total joy, but mixing it has been a total nightmare, and I don’t feel as if I've got any closer to the sound I want for it. 

Nothing I’m sure a bit of swatting up and time won’t fix, but by the end of Wednesday I was feeling flat and woozy from staring at the computer for hours.

Thursday evening I had the idea to bring back the short-lived Major Gubbins fixture ‘Compact Discovery’ for my latest instrumental ‘King Skirmish’. I’m rather happy with how the paper CD cases look, especially as they're done using my cheap-o printer...

The same can’t be said for the CD’s...

But it’s only meant to be a bit of fun, so until I find a cost-effective way of printing onto CD’s, I’m not going to sweat over it.

Yesterday was possibly the best day in ‘Wou-Wou’s...’ short history, as not only did the ‘Make It Ugly’ paintings go up on the ‘Wou-Wou...’ society6 page, but ‘King Skirmish’ was played on BBC Sheffield Introducing! I’ve never been played on the radio before, so it was a massive high, especially considering that I uploaded the track on a whim.

Well that’s about it. More daily doodles, ‘Compact Discovery’ and society6 uploads over next week.

Happy thoughts, 

- The Wormling

Music Monthly - King Skirmish

All hail 'King Skirmish', the very first track in what I'm aiming to be a long standing monthly music making commitment. A fun little challenge to blow the cobwebs off if you will.



Enjoy!


- The Wormling