Session 24 January 2026

[SMM]

Thank you all for this new session! I'm with you and all in ceaseless prayers.

 

[Evan]

Wonderful session! And it sounds like we’ve got the all clear for the ol’ Mellotron* used by Floyd, Zeppelin, Moody Blues, etc!

*the Mellotron is an electric keyboard that plays loops of prerecorded strings, flutes, etc, (think In The Court Of The Crimson King).

 

[SlipNet]

Wonderful session! And it sounds like we’ve got the all clear for the ol’ Mellotron* used by Floyd, Zeppelin, Moody Blues, etc!

*the Mellotron is an electric keyboard that plays loops of prerecorded strings, flutes, etc, (think In The Court Of The Crimson King).

I always liked "The Rain Song" by Zep, it's got wonderful mellotron string sounds by John Paul Jones, who was the quiet genius in the band. Funnily enough however, I always hated their 1979 album "In Through the Out Door", which is overloaded with absolutely ghastly, garish synth sounds. It totally ruined the sound of the band. Jones by that point had bought a polyphonic synth that had been popularised by Stevie Wonder, and he was determined to use it all over that terrible album. Apparently it was known as "the dream machine". Ugh, just thinking about that album makes me want to throw up. The stuff of nightmares more like!

 

[Thassa]

Christopher Langan's story reminds me of William James Sidis. Purportedly the most intelligent person to have ever lived (or that scored the highest on i.q tests).

They both developed very unique cosmological theories, but chose to live rather anonymously.

 

[987baz]

Thanks as always for the thought provoking session.

The music question is imo indeed a can o f worms. As a musician, recording and mixing engineer I have a few questions. Electronic music as defined by what exactly? By electronic music do they mean all the parts of the song are made by synths?

Let’s take pink Floyd for example, majority of their songs are drums, bass, guitar and vocals, ( non electronic) with some electronic elements as well, how does that balance out? Or does any electronic element make it “anti human”?

The majority of the music I make is sampled (real) drums, guitar, my voice, bass, sampled orchestral strings etc with some fully electronic elements, so I am interested in how that works?

Also, when we record anything, we transform it from an analogue wave into digital, then we mix and master and export it to an mp3 or wav file to be listened to on Spotify or cd or what ever. So does that process make it anti human too? Digitising it? What about reverb and delay and all the other things we use to enhance the sound? Eq is something that is in everything and it changes the frequency by enhancing or reducing parts of the frequencies in the instrument so it fits together with all the other instruments.

If/when we're doing things correctly, the videos are helping to spur thought, reflection and questioning - less any emotional engagement (though I can see how they can skirt the border of informational/emotional in a few instances). So, like any tool, we just keep firmly in mind that it is the intent behind their (proper) use, and making important distinctions between what's informative and what it isn't, that matters greatly, and counts for so much.

So we keep doing what we are doing?

 

[Chilla]

Thanks to all for the sessions! Stay safe, one and all!

 

[Piotrek]

Thank you for another fantastic session!
Warmest wishes!