Scrat – first EP

Listen and enjoy…. If you can.
Scott Ballard, appearing as “The Real Lorax” – Eye of Scrat, samples and manipulations.
Rorac Johnson, appearing as “Bosco 11” – Drums and Percussion.
Eye of Scrat and other recording, editing, mixing and mastering – Scott Ballard.
Drums recorded and mixed by Rorac Johnson.
Artwork by Stacy Kulyk.
Experimental, Rorac Johnson, Sacramento, Scott Ballard, Stacy Kulyk, devil music, improve, Musique Concrete, Avant Noisebleed, Santacruzcore, Santa Cruz
Tags
Experimental, Noise, Musique Concrete, Avant garde, progressive, soundscape, noisescape, Electro Acoustic, DIY, recording, EP, Scrat, Eye of Scrat, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, Noisebleed, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, samples, field recording, tape loops, zoom, H4, Industrial, glitch, music, Pierre Schaeffer, Halim el Dadh, Sound design, sound collage, Acousmatic, Elaine Radigue, Merzbow, Boris, Green Jesus, Daphne Oram, Oramics, Forbidden Planet, Fantastic Planet, brutal, DIY synthesis, oscillator, Boss ME-50, Ben Burtt, Bebe Barron, Louis Barron, John Guerin, sound design, optical sensor, The Real Scott Ballard, Bosco 11, The Residents, Evan Parker, John Weise, Dr. Mad Vibe, Theramin, sounds like theramin, Vangelis, Coffinworm, Nails on a pole, From forbidden to fantastic
We just finished our first EP. Rorac and I have been making music and noise together for many years. He lives in Sacramento and now I live in Santa Cruz. This is the first project we have sent files back and forth over the interwebs. The Eye of Scrat is a DIY oscillator fed through a Roland ME-50. Something I have used for awhile under the pseudonym, “Green Jesus”. I send Rorac improvisational sketches to which he drums. He records and mixes those and sends them back to me. Scrat may be an instrument of sorts, but other than that and drums there are no other conventional instruments. Scrat is experimental, improvisational noise for sure, but it is also very much Musique Concrete. Each track features a single tape loop and samples of field recordings recorded with my phone and portable recorder. As of yet, I have only used my own recordings for sampling. Some of the samples won’t be recognizable for what they really are. For instance, in this track – “Volume”, I have used 3 different Elephant Seal samples. The tape loops were all made from the band Yello’s, “Stella”. Rorac’s wife, Stacy did the artwork. Enjoy it… If you can.
Second track from our newly finished EP. I’ve been making music and noises with Rorac for a long time. Now that we live in different places we are sending tracks back and forth via the web,
for the first time. What is going on here? Well, it’s improvisational noise for sure, but also very
musique concrete and even porngrind. Pick your soup, doesn’t matter to me as long as you try it.
Scrat is a DIY generator fed through a boss ME-50, drums, tape loops and samples from field
recordings we recorded ourselves.
A side note about Ruth – the little bird that is prevalent in this track. I was working in one of the
organ rooms that happens to open to the beach street side of the walk. I barely hear and feel a
little plop behind me. I’m glad I looked before I stepped. Little Ruth – a very small chick, had
flown into the organ room from the pretty safe and isolated little patch of dirt and shrubs just
outside the door. I tried to get her but she walked underneath the organ. I just realized for the
first time that I had named the bird Ruth and that the organ is actually an 1894 Ruth and Sohn
band organ. I had to call some other techs to help me get her out before the organ started playing
for the day. So, I have included a picture of her. I bet she was super mad. Good times.
A week or so ago we got this great review from a blogger names Psymon Marshall. This is what
he said in description of the track – ‘Volume’, brings one into familiar noise/industrial territory,
featuring machine buzz and what sounds like a tiger making low growling noises in its throat.
It’s certainly tempestuous and stormy, and drives along at a jittery but boundless pace, rolling
along with a certain modicum of exuberance. Perhaps we’re looking at an unstoppable
behemoth, obliterating everything in its path with uncaring abandon, a killing machine bent on
killing and destruction." That's pretty cool. I will include a link to the full review in the
comments - if you would like to read it.
These are my notes on the track. We just finished our first EP. Rorac and I have been making
music and noise together for many years. He lives in Sacramento and now I live in Santa Cruz.
This is the first project we have sent files back and forth over the internet. The Eye of Scrat is a
DIY oscillator fed through a Roland ME-50. Something I have used for awhile under the
pseudonym, “Green Jesus”. I send Rorac improvisational sketches to which he drums. He
records and mixes those and sends them back to me. Scrat may be an instrument of sorts, but
other than that and drums there are no other conventional instruments. Scrat is experimental,
improvisational noise for sure, but it is also very much Musique Concrete. Each track features a
single tape loop and samples of field recordings recorded with my phone and portable recorder.
As of yet, I have only used my own recordings for sampling. Some of the samples won’t be
recognizable for what they really are. For instance, in this track – “Volume”, I have used 3
different Elephant Seal samples. The tape loops were all made from the band Yello’s, “Stella”.
Rorac’s wife, Stacy did the artwork. Enjoy it… If you can.