Koos van der Velde | MetaQuorum

0 The Piper & The Frog – NUMBER 3 IS HERE!!

OUR THIRD TRACK IS OUT NOW!

An electrifying track with a hip hop beat, some snazzy effects and a funky vibe, The Piper and The Frog takes us from Celtic pipes through tropical frogs to a soaring crescendo as guest artist Markus ‘Bluesharp’ Bossert from Basel,Switzerland, carries us away with his bluesy solo on the harmonica. The Piper and The Frog – an IDM/Hip-Hop/Funk/Prog crossover with a sense humour.

Markus Bluesharp_2 — Markus ‘Bluesharp’ Bossert (Photo courtesy AndreaA-rt)

BEHIND THE SCENES

Koos and Dmitry worked on producing the track in the Low Bishopley Home Studio last spring. The biggest challenge was trying to fit the original recording – an MP3 recorded on a stereo mike from the speakers, made back in 2000 – to the new grid to even out the rhythm.

Koos pondering sound-engineering techniques. (Photo by Carol Ermakova)

We’d not worked with a guest musician before – Markus sent several versions of his solo over from Switzerland so we had to pick the best and join them together to make a smooth, seamless track.

THE TRACK

The Piper and The Frog is an electrifying track with a hip hop beat, some snazzy effects and a funky vibe. It takes us from Celtic pipes through tropical frogs to a soaring crescendo as guest artist Markus Bluesharp carries us away with his bluesy solo on the harmonica.

STREAM:
Spotify: https://goo.gl/SGknv9
Tidal: http://listen.tidal.com/album/60135741
Microsfot Groove: https://goo.gl/GnCgPh
Google Play: https://goo.gl/07cosG
Bandcamp: https://goo.gl/phIzM0
YouTube: https://youtu.be/aw90JzNLzA0
Rhapsody: http://goo.gl/IUBJ7F

DOWNLOAD:
MQ Shop: https://goo.gl/2LkUvL
iTunes: https://goo.gl/uBYzB6
Amazon: https://goo.gl/MJdd35
Digital Tunes: https://www.digital-tunes.net/releases/the_piper_the_frog
JUKE: http://goo.gl/iawH9b
Junodownload: http://goo.gl/RcCqpl
Medianet: http://goo.gl/QLQXWa
Gobuz: http://goo.gl/fa8jjv

Genres (iTunes): Main Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap: Hip-Hop; Alternate Genre: Electronic: IDM/Experimental

Genres (MQ definition): Meld: Funk/Prog-Rock/Jazz/Electronica/Hip-Hop – Fusion

Release Date: 12/06/2016
Time: 5:09
Written and arranged by Dmitry Ermakov.
Keyboards, synth and key bass – Dmitry Ermakov.
Drums, audio-engineering – Koos van der Velde.
Featuring Markus ‘Bluesharp’ Bossert – harmonica.
Recorded, produced and mixed by Dmitry Ermakov & Koos van der Velde @ Low Bishopley Studio & Market Place Studio, Weardale, UK.
Mastered by Chris Longwood @ SugarHill Recording Studios, Houston, TX, USA.
Cover art by Dmitry Ermakov.
© Dmitry Ermakov, 2016.
℗ Dmitry Ermakov & Koos van der Velde, 2016.
UPC: 5056052738434
ISRC: UK-682-162-4103
CAT N.: MQN005

0 MetaQuorum’s NEW Tidal Page

News Flash: MetaQuorum now has a squeaky new profile on Tidal @ http://listen.tidal.com/artist/6360894 🙂

0 Back on the Airwaves

Hello everyone!

Well, in amongst all the excitement of our forthcoming new releases , our debut single and album are enjoying some well-deserved radio play.

Tune into Beyond the Dawn radio @ http://goo.gl/S3yFSh at 9pm UK time to hear Circle & Square, or if you miss the show, MetaQuorum will be on high rotation all this week.

And North Sea Fret has joined For The Love of Music’s playlist – lots of great music there, check it out @ http://www.fortheloveofmusic.info/

Hope to see you all on May 15 at 12 noon for the launch of new single Jonathan Livingston @ https://www.facebook.com/events/992128507503734/

Till then

All the best

Metaquorum

0 NEW SINGLES REVIEWED IN NARC.

The 10 day countdown has begun yesterday, and what better way to kick off than this great review in Newcastle’s NARC.Magazine. Thanks guys!!

0 New Singles Unveiled

Hi folks!

It’s been a while… Dmitry and Koos have finally emerged from their winter hibernation mixing in the Market Place home studio, so we can at last unveil the titles of 6 new singles due to be released over the coming weeks and months. Exciting stuff!

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1 – Jonathan Livingston – with star guests the Northumbrian seagulls
2 – Migration – our first song, with Dmitry and Carol on vocals
3 – The Piper and the Frog – featuring Markus Bluesharp on, yes, you guessed it, the blues harp
4 – Cyber Funk – exactly what it says on the label
5 – Chicken and Egg – featuring no chickens
6 – City Folk – with a soundscape from Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Mixing is a complicated, delicate and time-consuming business,

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But when you get it right, you know you’ve hit the spot!

Chris Longwood of SugarHill Recording Studios, Houston, mastered the tracks, and we’re all really pleased with the big sound he’s produced. When we found out Chris works on George Clinton’s tracks, we knew he’d be the guy for us!

So – watch this space for more clips, videos and stories, we’re delighted to share this exciting time with you!

Cheers!

0 VINTAGE IS BACK!

Koos shared his treasure trove of vintage microphones – great collection, including a Tesla AMK 102 and an Astatic Model K-2.

Here’s Dmitry checking out a Krundaal Dynamic Cardioid Microphone Mod. 607. We used it for the low frequencies in a recent session to record percussion for a new track.

For the top side of the drum we used a Samson Q4. Quite a cheap mic, but stuck into a convenient hole in a chair back, it did the job. In fact, the whole set-up was pretty makeshift, as you can see! Improvisation? We love it! 😉

Koos playing his vegan Djembe – custom built by his Dad! @ Market Place Studio, North Pennines, UK.

1 MetaQuorum are back in town!

Koos and Dmitry are finally back on the same side of the Channel, happily reunited with their gear in the Low Bishopley home studio 🙂 Watch this page for the coming videos of the latest jam.

. October 15_1 October 15_3 October 15_2

0 Mixing Work with Pleasure

We love using soundscapes in our songs, so since a new track is on the way, we took a trip to the ruined castle of Dunstanburgh Castle on the Northumbrian coast to sample seagull cries over a rough sea. Got some great sonic shots, and even did a spot of sunbathing!

0 MetaQuorum’s first song!

We’re delighted to announce that the demo of our first song – Migration – is now ready!!!

Written by Dmitry, with Koos on drums and Carol as second vocalist, its our longest track yet, with lots of unusual sound effects, a rippling composition and a great dance rhythm.

Koos and Dmitry spent hours in the North Pennines home studio perfecting the mixing and mastering, and we’re all pretty pleased with the result. – Watch this space for a sneak preview!