THE MUSIC OF STEPHEN UGO ROSIN (1989-1997)
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OVER AND OUT
Although there are a couple of rhythmic tracks, the majority are dark ambient recordings.
NOT WITH A BANG
MR. FIST - FLESH HOUSE OF FUN
MR. FIST - ORGAN FAVORITES
This collection sort of fell together as this archive was assembled. For some time there have been plans to do a silly organ record, so here it is. It's primitive and simple, but still a pleasant listen. Inspired by Lenny Dee.
PHONOPHOBIA
PAREIDOLIA
MARIANAS TRENCH
AIR TO MORPHEUS
The tracks are "static" ambient pieces designed for meditative purposes and also work very well for those who like something soft to listen to as the go to sleep (hence the reference to Morpheus, god of sleep).
ZERO INPUT FEEDBACK GENERATOR
Recording of this piece took place on March 3, 1994 and was improvised in one take with no further post production or overdubs. It was thought that the master recording had been lost, but it turned up in a recent search though various old VHS audio masters. It was remastered for online release on November 12, 2015.
As this recording was taken from a VHS tape over 20 years old, there are inevitably some audio artifacts such as signal dropout which are common with this medium. Efforts have been made to correct and remove as many of these as practical, although some instances remain due to the limits of the remastering process and lack of more sophisticated tools for finer editing. It is hoped that these do not prove to be more than minor blemishes upon an otherwise intriguing work.
TRACES OF MEMORY
This collection contains the best of these recordings.
THE GEAR DROUGHT EXPLAINED
After spending the better part of the 1980s accumulating production equipment such as recording gear, synths, drum machines, sequencers, FX and sundry other noise makers, the situation as the 1990s kicked off became, financially, quite dour. Paid employment was problematic and debts were mounting to the point where personal bankruptcy was declared. With rents overdue and no options left, the only thing that could be done was to sell off anything that could fetch a decent couple of hundred dollars, more or less. The result was a production arsenal that was completely deflated with only the barest minimum remaining. Rather than succumb to the desperation and depression, the creative urge redoubled and means were found to make the most of what was left, the results of which are collected on the four volume set comprising Traces of Memory, Dream Shadow, What's In a Stain & Chicken Parts.
DREAM SHADOW
Part of a series of four CDs which includes Traces of Memory, What's In A Stain & Chicken Parts. All four were recorded during "the gear drought" of 1991 & 1992. All tracks were recorded live directly to VHS Hi-fi with no editing or overdubs.
This collection contains the tracks that fall into the ambient end of the spectrum.
WHAT'S IN A STAIN
Part of a series of four CDs which includes Traces of Memory, Dream Shadow & Chicken Parts. All four were recorded during "the gear drought" of 1991 & 1992. All tracks were recorded live directly to VHS Hi-fi with no editing or overdubs.
This collection contains tracks that fall more into the rhythmic end of the spectrum.
This collection contains tracks that fall more into the rhythmic end of the spectrum.
CHICKEN PARTS
Part of a series of four CDs which includes Traces of Memory, What's In A Stain & Dream Shadow. All four were recorded during "the gear drought" of 1991 & 1992. All tracks were recorded live directly to VHS Hi-fi with no editing or overdubs.
This collection contains tracks that were so weird they didn't fit anywhere else.
This collection contains tracks that were so weird they didn't fit anywhere else.
CXI
This set was originally conceptualized and compiled in 1995 with the intention for it to be released as a CD. However, it was shelved due to various distractions and other project priorities shortly after the mixing and editing were completed. Ultimately, it was completely forgotten until November 2015 when a retrieval project was initiated to digitally capture various neglected analogue masters from VHS HiFi source tapes.
The material included in this mix spans a period of intermittent and unrelated production from approximately 1986 through to 1995. Although most of the elements can be found in other releases in the BnT catalog, there are some components that are unique to this mix which is why it is being offered as a separate download.
As this mix was sourced from 20 year old VHS tape, there are some flaws inherent in the medium which are noticeable from time to time including occasional dropout glitches. These are minimal, however and should not distract significantly from the overall listening experience. This recording is therefore presented here primarily for documentation and preservation purposes.
The material included in this mix spans a period of intermittent and unrelated production from approximately 1986 through to 1995. Although most of the elements can be found in other releases in the BnT catalog, there are some components that are unique to this mix which is why it is being offered as a separate download.
As this mix was sourced from 20 year old VHS tape, there are some flaws inherent in the medium which are noticeable from time to time including occasional dropout glitches. These are minimal, however and should not distract significantly from the overall listening experience. This recording is therefore presented here primarily for documentation and preservation purposes.
ACID09 - PHOMA EP
The mid 1990s was a period of rebuilding and rebirth, as an artist. The decade had begun by having to dismantle and sell off the home studio, which had been built up over the previous decade, in order to pay rent and avoid homelessness. Securing stable employment with a (more than) living wage meant that, in 1994, it was possible to start reconstructing home production facilities again.
Soon enough, there was a new multi-track recorder, drum machine, sequencer, synth, FX and more. Between 1995 & 1997, a number of tracks were recorded, loosely identified under the project banner of Phoma. The term refers to a common type of soil fungi. It was chosen for its phonetic properties and conceptual identification with something very "earthy" and primordial.
This project never managed to coalesces into anything particularly coherent beyond having a few tracks featured on an independently released split CD with two other artists. Being produced just prior to the explosion of internet access, there was little impetus to organize anything much beyond the recordings process. They were never collected into a specific release, though most have been published as parts of various other, disparate sets. It is now felt, however, that they should be gathered together into some form of presentation which leverages the stylistic expressions consistent between them.
Soon enough, there was a new multi-track recorder, drum machine, sequencer, synth, FX and more. Between 1995 & 1997, a number of tracks were recorded, loosely identified under the project banner of Phoma. The term refers to a common type of soil fungi. It was chosen for its phonetic properties and conceptual identification with something very "earthy" and primordial.
This project never managed to coalesces into anything particularly coherent beyond having a few tracks featured on an independently released split CD with two other artists. Being produced just prior to the explosion of internet access, there was little impetus to organize anything much beyond the recordings process. They were never collected into a specific release, though most have been published as parts of various other, disparate sets. It is now felt, however, that they should be gathered together into some form of presentation which leverages the stylistic expressions consistent between them.
ACID08 - FRAGMENTS OF THE '90s
This disparate collection of "acid tracks" was recorded at various times between 1991 and 1995. They represent a fragmented attempt to keep a toe in the world of techno music during a time when resources and equipment were limited and attentions were drawn to other styles while the zeitgeist shifted towards more nostalgic concerns. They have never been collected together into a coherent collection before this release.
Released: 06.11.2021 | Style(s): acid house, techno
ACID07 - WORLD WITHOUT END, AMEN
On May 17, 1990, at Vancouver BC's Graceland nightclub, a multi-media fashion event took place curated by Forbidden Colours. The main fashion show / performance included this mix as musical accompaniment. This musical and audio material was composed, produced and performed by Stephen Ugo Rosin at various times between the summer of 1989 and April of 1990.
Released: 11.11.2015 | Style(s): acid house, techno, ambient, tribal
ACID06 - BACK TO GOATHEAD
At the time this was recorded, I was fully engaged in doing techno & acid house based electronic music. I'd managed to assemble a decent array of gear, including two TB-303s, both a TR-707 & 727, Akai sampler and a number of synths. This session turned out to be my last major foray into this genre for some time as I was so broke afterwards that I had to sell off most of my music gear. As such, it essentially represents the peak of my skills in this direction at this time.
Conceptually, I was moving into a fascination with contemporary "occulture", inspired by organizations such as Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth. Neo-Paganism, (modern) Satanism, Thelema and Chaos Magick were driving the direction of my little personal library. This was during the height of the so-called "Satanic Panic" which manifested most frequently in the media when the daily talk shows would book people like Zeena LaVey (daughter of Church of Satan founder, Anton), Michael Aquino (founder of the Temple of Set) or Nikolas Schreck (founder of the Werewolf Order) and pit them against frantic Christians claiming Satanic groups were responsible for sacrificing mountains of babies, though these accusations NEVER managed to manifest into any criminal charges.
With all this coming together at the time, my intent from these sessions was to try to release an EP to be called, Back to Goathead. The title was a play on the title of the Hare Krishna magazine, Back to Godhead. I wanted to have the classic goat headed Baphomet type figure on the cover for my version. I never got around to releasing this at the time and the idea for it fell into neglect and was forgotten over the years. As I've been sat at home during these current times of pandemic, wondering whether I'll even survive it all, I figured I'd finally put this out in as close to the form I'd imagined as possible. I think the music still holds up with the modern techno of today, even though it's 30 years old. Maybe you'll find it good enough to light a candle, offer up a blood sacrifice and do some Jackin'!
Released: 20.04.2020 | Style(s): acid house, techno
ACID05 - IT
The material on this album began as a set of backing tracks for a live multimedia performance which was held at the Industrial Eclipse nightclub in Vancouver, BC on January 6th, 1990. After the performance, the tracks were then completed with overdubs inspired by elements which were improvised during the live set. This collection was then issued on cassette in a limited run of hand duplicated copies.
ACID04 - CAUTION ACID
This collection of acid house tracks was recorded throughout the latter half of 1989. They were produced on a 4 track cassette portastudio and mastered to VHS Hi-Fi before being remastered in 2001 for digital media.
Some tracks were released in 1989 on a limited hand copied run of cassette EPs called "Om Hum". These were the first tracks I recorded after getting my hands on the infamous Roland TB-303 Bassline Machine. I found one along with a TR-606 Drumatix drum machine at a local flee market for a very cheap and cheerful price, which I can't recall now. They were both in mint condition at the time and were happily integrated with the TR-707 I already had in my arsenal of gear. Once I had these tools at my disposal, I was really able to get that classic sound off the ground and then push it into my own realms.
Some tracks were released in 1989 on a limited hand copied run of cassette EPs called "Om Hum". These were the first tracks I recorded after getting my hands on the infamous Roland TB-303 Bassline Machine. I found one along with a TR-606 Drumatix drum machine at a local flee market for a very cheap and cheerful price, which I can't recall now. They were both in mint condition at the time and were happily integrated with the TR-707 I already had in my arsenal of gear. Once I had these tools at my disposal, I was really able to get that classic sound off the ground and then push it into my own realms.
ACID03 - BLACK SUNSHINE
This collection of early acid house tracks was recorded at various times throughout the first half of 1989. It was produced on a four track portastudio and mastered to VHS Hi-Fi before being remastered in 2001 to digital media. Some tracks were originally released in 1989 on a limited hand copied cassette, Black Sunshine | Digging For Sky. Lucifer Song also appears on the 1994 Dossier compilation CD, Coordinate 01, which was curated by Front Line Assembly members, Bill Leeb and Michael Balch.
ACID02 - INDUSTRIAL ECLIPSE BACKING TRACKS
This is a collection of backing tracks from a live performance held at the Industrial Eclipse nightclub in Vancouver on May 27th, 1989. These tracks were never completed after the performance and remain as is for this release.
Released: 06.11.2021 | Style(s): acid house, techno
ACID01 - EVOLUTION
Sometime early in 1988, I walked into my local import record shop and my friend who worked there immediately demanded I listen to a new 12" single that had just come in. It was something called Acid Tracks by a group called Phuture. I immediately noted a few things about this recording.
Firstly, it was very dry and crude. It sounded under produced, but there was also a strange distinctiveness to the sound that was so alien and "street". I recognized the sounds immediately because I was familiar with most Roland gear. The TR-707 drum machine and TB-303 Bassline Machine were incredibly distinctive sounds and pretty much all that was audible save for a bit of phased noise in the background.
I'd not heard anyone really use the 303 for several years since I'd seen one demoed in a music shop way back in 1982. They were something that was kinda forgotten at the time. Yet this sound and the way it was being used with the filters and resonance constantly being tweaked and manipulated was unlike anything I'd ever heard done with the instrument.
After that, I dutifully bought a copy of the record, brought it home and played it for my friends, who immediately thought it was crap. They didn't get it, but I quickly began to try to figure out what the secret sauce was in this thing and started to concoct my own attempts to emulate and expand upon it. I didn't have a 303 yet, so I did my best to use my Roland SH-1 mono-synth to a similar effect. The earliest results of those experiments are captured in this set of tracks, which were recorded throughout the latter half of 1988 and early 1989.
Firstly, it was very dry and crude. It sounded under produced, but there was also a strange distinctiveness to the sound that was so alien and "street". I recognized the sounds immediately because I was familiar with most Roland gear. The TR-707 drum machine and TB-303 Bassline Machine were incredibly distinctive sounds and pretty much all that was audible save for a bit of phased noise in the background.
I'd not heard anyone really use the 303 for several years since I'd seen one demoed in a music shop way back in 1982. They were something that was kinda forgotten at the time. Yet this sound and the way it was being used with the filters and resonance constantly being tweaked and manipulated was unlike anything I'd ever heard done with the instrument.
After that, I dutifully bought a copy of the record, brought it home and played it for my friends, who immediately thought it was crap. They didn't get it, but I quickly began to try to figure out what the secret sauce was in this thing and started to concoct my own attempts to emulate and expand upon it. I didn't have a 303 yet, so I did my best to use my Roland SH-1 mono-synth to a similar effect. The earliest results of those experiments are captured in this set of tracks, which were recorded throughout the latter half of 1988 and early 1989.
Released: 06.11.2021 | Style(s): acid house, techno