Maffiss

No Distance Too Far

maffiss — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 08:59:02 +0000

I just finished a new song! I’ve been writing little bits and bobs since the release of the EP, and this is the first one that has become a finished song. One thing I noticed about the self-titled EP was that it was a lot more chilled out than I first realised. I think after writing so many different songs and then cutting it down to 6 tracks, I managed to cut it down to 6 fairly chilled ones, with a couple of loud parts. With the songs I’m writing now, I’m trying to make them a bit more energetic, but still quite chilled and atmospheric, and also a bit more varied. I want the next CD (which will hopefully be a full length album) to have upbeat songs, slow songs, and generally more variation in the tracks. Anyway, I’m not really sure why I’m telling you that.

You can hear my new track ‘No Distance Too Far’ and download it for free, here! Enjoy.

The Maffiss EP

maffiss — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 20:52:34 +0000

The time has come! The Maffiss EP that I’ve been working on for a good few months now has been released into the wild! I’ve had some great feedback from the CDs I’ve sold to my friends and family (they got it a bit early!) and people seem to be really enjoying it. The EP was released online today and you can grab it from the following places:

If you want the physical package (digital download included) then get it from BandCamp – I would recommend this option as you can have the physical package, digital package or both! If you just want the physical package or prefer to use BigCartel, then get it from BigCartel!

If you want a digital download, you can get it from BandCamp again, or from iTunes, or from Amazon MP3 if you prefer. Also note that you can leave reviews on iTunes and Amazon so if you have heard the CD and like it, it would be great if you could leave reviews on there!

Thanks guys! I hope you enjoy the EP.

All done

maffiss — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:07:03 +0000

There’s no turning back now! The CD is finished, tweaked, mixed and all that stuff. I’ve designed the packaging and sent it off to print, and now the songs have been sent off to the digital stores, ready for release on the 19th Feb. The EP should be appearing on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon MP3 and the Zune store on the 19th. That’s assuming everything goes to plan. The physical release should be done by then too. The packages are on their way, and I’ve gone for some rather fancy schmancy “lancing wallets” which look rather cool if I say so myself! I’ve also just ordered 100 blank, printable CDs for the first batch of releases.

On a side note, if you are a reviewer, or know anyone who will listen to and review CDs from unsigned artists, please do let me know! I’d be happy to send you a pre-release version for reviewing.

Nearly Done!

maffiss — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 10:28:24 +0000

All 6 tracks for the EP are complete. I’m still going to be tweaking parts and re-recording parts but I have 6 tracks that I’m happy with and that I think work well together. I’ve worked out how long it will take to get the music done, design the packaging, wait for it to appear on iTunes, get the packages printed and CDs duplicated and the release date is now *drum roll* the 19th February 2011! So set the dates in your diary and check back on this brand spanking new website when it comes out to see all the info you could possibly need.

While I’m mentioning it, you may have noticed the new Maffiss website. I designed it myself (I also design graphics and websites under the name Ogvidius) and when the EP releases I’m going to be doing something rather fancy here.

One of my favourite things about purchasing a CD was the packaging, and looking at the booklet, and reading through it as I listen to the album for the first time. Unfortunately, with digital album downloads we’ve lost that and so this website is going to become the digital album booklet. You’ll be able to read the lyrics to all the songs as well as reading behind the scenes notes from me on how the track was made and what it’s about. And maybe even a video clip explaining the thoughts and process behind each track!

Of course I will be rewarding people who buy the physical CD too with some really nice packaging and a hand-written note from me inside (each note will be unique and different). Check back soon!

All I Want

maffiss — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 15:43:44 +0000

Another new song finished! I’m definitely nearing the completion of the EP now. Looking into packaging options and deciding which tracks to include. So far I have 4 definite tracks and plans for another two.

I recently finished the song ‘All I Want’ which is a more typical worship song than my other ones. The whole song is based around a simple arpeggio which builds up and progresses as the song goes along. The lyrics are all about seeking God’s face and wanting nothing more but to be in God’s presence. Something that has been on my mind since the start of the year and sermons, songs and things I’ve read have reinforced it. All this inspiration made the lyrics quite easy to write and they flowed quite easily! The song has 3 parts (two verses, a two part bridge and a two part chorus) or something like that.

Hear the new song HERE.

New Songs

maffiss — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 15:43:17 +0000

I’ve recorded some new songs! First is a new original song, with words! It’s taken me a while to get round to finding a good melody, writing lyrics, recording the lyrics and being happy enough with it to release it into the wild. But I managed to do it eventually. You can hear ‘Like Waterfalls’ on my website here. It’s not perfect, but it’s not bad for a first attempt. I recorded the main melody first, then the harmony (set at half the volume) and then some ‘oooooh’s with a 100% reverb on to get a weird echoey sound on. Which I’ll openly admit is a bit of an idea I got from listening to Bon Iver.

I’ve also done a new remix of Fleet Foxes – Oliver James which you can hear here. I love Fleet Foxes and since this song has parts in that are almost a’capella it wasn’t too difficult to make a remix out of it.

Progress is going well with the EP. Three finished tracks and a few half finished ones. I’m currently working on a worship song my sister wrote.

Wings Like Eagles

maffiss — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 15:42:33 +0000

I finished a song today. It wasn’t one that I was planning on but it all came together really quickly! In two days, in fact! Every so often a song just writes itself, and this was one of those occasions. After reading Isaiah 40 the verse that says “those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles” I got a moment of inspiration and had the idea of an ‘airy sound’ with breathy pads / strings, echoing bells and light drums. A sound of flying on the wings of an eagle.

I set off trying to recreate the sound this morning and remembered a song called ‘Icicle Chimes’ I wrote a year or two ago. It was one of my favourites of my old songs and so I decided to recreate the song with an airy feel rather than an icy feel. I did that and got it to a point I was happy with, but it didn’t quite feel finished. So I sat down at the piano, played what I had so far and then just carried on playing chords that seemed to flow and I found a chord progression I really liked. I hit record and played in the chords, then played in some drums over the top, then just sat down with my headphones and laptop and added some breathy sounds, pads, strings and bass and it was done!

You can hear it on maffiss.com – and it will definitely be a part of the EP. If you like it, you could ‘like’ it on Facebook, or send me a tweet and let me know what you thought! Thanks, and enjoy!