Bashiri
Johnson is a musician, writer, educator, producer and Artist. He
has recorded with the likes of Whitney Houston, Donald Fagen, Madonna,
Steve Winwood, Celine Dion, Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, Carol King,
James Taylor, Sade, Aretha Franklin, Blues Traveler, Peter Wolf, Eric
Clapton, Lionel Richie, and Peter Gabriel....and many more.
He grew up in Brooklyn and developed a sense of rhythm
very young from listening to drummers like Airto, Ralph McDonald, Big
Black, Tito Puente, Bootsy, Olatunji and Tony Williams. In his words
from his own bio:
"Rhythms are like oceans. They have many sources.
My rhythms come from the streets, from divine intervention, traditions,
other musicians, the sky, everything, anything."
This open approach to music making and inspiration is
shared also by another artist named Hermeto Pascoal. Perhaps there is
some influence there from Airto? Like his desire for universality, and
interaction with his surroundings, Up From the Curb is accessable and
organic.
UFTC is a Kurzweil format cdrom for the K2x00 series
synthesizers. Since this is a newer sample library produced by Kurzweil,
KDFX has been included in the programming. To make sure the cdrom is
compatible with K2500's without the newer FX system, UFTC also includes
a non-KDFX macros directory where all the loops, hits and programs are
loaded without FX.
The structure of the cd is generally split between loops
and hits, but there are also folders where the loops are grouped by
tempo. There is also a 'modified' folder that offers synthetic elaborations
on the raw material in VAST. The cdrom weighs in at 400mb between hits,
loops and programs.
There are 19 loops total on the cdrom, each with an
individual feel and compliment of instruments. These loops were built
from overdubbing sessions with Bashiri, and are offered with extensive
variations, and all at numerous tempos. The tempo variations are not
some trick in Acid or Beatcreator/ReCycle. They were recorded at the
desired tempo and show Bashiri's own approach to the loop at different
speeds. 19 loops may not seem like much compared to the average commercial
dance CD, but these loops are complex and not electronic in origin.
Each has many layers that can be revealed by exploring the slider
mix programs where layer volume is assigned to the sliders.
Most of the loading of programs and samples on this
cdrom will be done through disk load macros. There are macros organized
by loop number, tempo, loop/hit combinations, and multisampled ensembles
and instruments. Unlike other cdroms, there is no sample memory size
consideration made here. So if you have less than 64mb of sample memory
in your Kurz, you should probably load fewer versus more macros at a
time. Its actually more likely that you will run out of sample numbers
first though.
The macro naming convention used for loops: LP(loopnumber)_(tempo).MAC
For hits: (instrument)(loopnumber).MAC
The loopnumber in the hits macros identifies what
loop those instruments are taken from.
The different types of macros are as follows:
Loops
Hits
Hits(all
objects)
Ensembles
Loops
and Hits
Loops
by Tempo
Loops
and Hits by Tempo
Modified
Objects
Demos
There is also a non-KDFX folder that contains these
macros but without KDFX programming for K2500 and K2000 synthesizers.
Though more instruments were used on the cd, here is
a list of the more eccentric:
African
Bongo, AKA Can Drum:
An African street drum, used for community gathering and festival grooves.
African
Iron: A small curved piece of iron, hit with a metal beater. Usually
functions rhythmically as a clave.
African
Rattle: L-shaped, with round cut out pieces of gourd that strike
against each other, creating a full-bodied shaker sound.
Anvil:
Not the traditional blacksmith's anvil, this is a metal plumbing pipe
struck with a metal beater.
Awlo:
A unique iron instrument, the metallic rattling is produced by 6 small
beaters sounding against a bell. Bash
Bash
Bell: A large, cone-shaped iron bell, one of Bashiri's favorites.
Bull
Roar: A traditional South American and Australian aboriginal instrument,
constructed by attaching a cord to a bow or chambered plank. The sound
is made by twirling the instrument around the player's head.
Batwa:
Not an instrument, but more of a technique. It's the sound produced
by alternately blowing over the mouth of a bottle and generating wordless
vocalizations.
Caxixi:
(casheshe) This is a rattle found in Africa and Brazil, a woven basket
with beads, gravel, or pebbles inside.
Coil
Chime: A 6-inch metal coil, found in an auto junkyard. Bashiri describes
it as resembling "a big slinky."
Darabuka:
A type of North African Dumbek, this is a small, high-pitched drum.
Dun
Dun: An African bass drum, known as the "heartbeat drum."
Guiro
Pipe: A hollow ridged piece of metal tubing, played both by hitting
and scraping.
Hair
Drum: A large Central African bass drum; the head is made from hair-covered
skin.
Humanatone
Whistle: This is a whistle blown into by the player's nose. Pitch
is controlled by opening and closing the vocal cavity.
Mini
Tabla: Like a Tabla...only smaller.
Mini
Talking Drum: See Mini Tabla.
Ocean
Drum: A frame drum, covered on both side and filled with BBs. The
player can hit the drum in the traditional manner, or roll the drum
to create an "Ocean" sound. Both these techniques are used on the CD.
Oji:
A thin, high-pitched metal Vibraslap, manufactured by a small company
called Rhythm.
Party
Favor: A metal New Year's Eve party toy.
Patum
Tubes: These are long plastic tubes, cut to different lengths.
Satellite
Drum: A trippy metal percussion sculpture - made by a company called
Epiphany.
Stomp:
The sound of Bashiri stomping on the studio floor.
Sun
Bells: Made by PJ Percussion, these are similar to agogo bells.
The sound is produced by shaking.
Tamb
Stick: A stick with tambourine jingles on it.
The loops in this cd are organized by loop number, and
tempo; in seperate folders. Each loop file will load a number of programs
that generally follow this format:
Full
Mix: Each loop is presented as a full mix version that contains
all the layers at once.
Slider
Mix: The individual layers in the loop can be controlled by the
sliders, with KDFX sliders on the extreme right.
Submixes:
Each layer from the full mix is in its own program.
Chromatic:
A very large version of the programs with both full mix and submixes
arranged across the keys.
Here are some examples of the slider mixes, with each
layer brought in successively:
The hits folders cover all the instruments in different
combinations. Unlike the loops, these can be used to make your own grooves
from scratch, or add some worldy flair to an existing mix. The instrument
programs really are lively and sometimes things like pressure sensitivity
are used to keep every touch sounding unique. Lay in a little harder,
and the drums' pitch will bend just enough to keep it interesting.
There are SO many instruments here that I cannot properly
convey their number. The number of programs on this disk total may be
in the thousands. Each instrument has numerous kurzfiles, which would
then load many programs. I don't know of any other product that can
offer quite so many bongos and shakers. Let alone all the other instruments
covered here- take a look at the Percussion Instruments section of this
review. Not only are they keymapped sometimes taking up the WHOLE keyboard,
but the programming is exceptional as well. This is a serious sample
library for 'world percussion'. I would say this based on the hits programs
all on their own.
Here are some examples of a few multi-sampled instrument
programs:
The programmers for this cd grabbed an assortment of
the loops and strutted their stuff with the kurzweil synthesis capabilities
and KDFX. Ranging from simple distortions, to synchronized lazerverbs,
to a new approach called WindowVerb. Windowverb uses a timed LFO to
open and close an input to an effect buss. Its useful for applying verb
for example to only a certain portion of the loop. One slider (F) controls
the position of the window, and another slider(G) controls the width.
Maybe someday someone will figure out how to get KDFX to change the
start point of a sample!
Here are some example files showing the versatile combination
of layered beats with VAST and KDFX:
Kurzweil has scored another win with this sample library.
Bashiri performs and gives us a taste of his musical universe that is
unique and tasteful. The producers of this cd took his initial work
and extended it with program variations. Then they launched his playing
with the Modified programs for a fresh modern collection of sounds.
Getting into every nook and cranny would take a considerable amount
of time. But unlike some bargain products that seem to hold quantity
over quality; Up From the Curb holds both.
The Loops are downright streetlevel grungy. No quantization
or beefing up with cheap beatboxes. The grooves swing and pull you into
their bohemian charm. The hits are enormous in number, and could prove
invaluable during your next session. The selection Bashiri brought out
is exotic and homebrew at the same time. He finds musical uses for many
common objects that we take for granted. The Loops/hits section gets
you into these grooves with opportunities for your own emphasis and
direction. Lastly, the modified section is a modern take on groove programming,
that may even be termed GROOVE SYNTHESIS.
Compared against other sample libraries that offer gobs
of drum sounds with minimal programming; Up From the Curb will take
on its own identity depending on who uses it.
Though the programs will work on non-KDFX units, Kurzweil
users should seriously consider an upgrade to take advantage of the
new effects system that is as much a part of the instrument as the VAST
algorithm. Without it, Up From the Curb is still an asset to any studio
that demands fresh exotic sounds with 'worldclass' execution.
Apple Mac OS X Version 10.5 Leopard
