Videos Complete

A short work day today, managed to complete the Cycles videos. I could spend longer on these, as ever. There is always a trade-off between time and quality, a limit when it must be called finished. So, six Spotify Canvases have been completed, and a main video for Cycles III. One last change was adding a film of a candle being lit at the start, this was inspired by the album artwork. I removed the moon design, and added a new 'golden ring' object for the brass instruments.

During this, I contacted Spotify about my erroneous 'strike'. The operator said that these strikes were an aspect of my distributor, Distrokid, not Spotify:

"Distrokid chose to present you with this material explaining their 'three strike' policy against artificial streams. Spotify did not produce these materials, nor do we require you to engage with them."

Of course, I have no control on how my music was or is streamed. I have never paid for streams (and never would, it's a stupid idea on every level, who would want 'fake' fame!?), never authorised any streaming artificial or otherwise, and never requested music promotion of any sort with anyone. It's odd that I, the artist, would be punished for my music being streamed by third parties that I have no influence or control over. Well, the efficient and helpful Spotify customer service agent made a note of my case. This is the best I can do.

Most of the day was spent on social Christmas trips. My big day of the week is Wednesday with a 'forum' about my mural design in the Market Hall from 12 to 3pm, then the Artistic Echoes music performance at 20:30 in Macclefield.

I need to start a new project, a new album, new paintings, a new book.

Cycles III Video, Completely Wrong Spotify Strike

A nice gamer night last night with Simon, H, and Aff. Our third of the year.

Today, steady work on the Cycles videos, completing the small Spotify canvases. Most of the productive day was spent working on the Cycles III video. Initially it involved simple lights, but I wanted to add more and looked at the old butterfly footage I filmed a few years ago for this. It didn't look clean enough, and I wondered if I should use digital butterflies instead. After some experiments, I simply swapped the glowing blue lights of the lead piano melody for butterflies, and the results looked pretty good:

Now, however, I am annoyed! I've received an extremely patronising message from Distrokid, more of a dressing down, for a 'Spotify strike' because one of my songs (one of the old songs recorded with Tor) has been detected on an 'artificial' stream or some such nonsense, and implies that I've paid for this! This is ridiculous! I have never and will never pay for streams on a streaming service. I know, of course, the stupidity of fake streams, and didn't need telling about this even before there was a policy about it. Rather than allowing any sort of appeals process, the messages simply imply guilt and give no recourse to respond, or permit any action. All I can do is click some sort of stupid 'I did it' button (a forced lie!). This is so unjust! Nothing to do with me or anything I've done. My only act is to message my distributor's customer support and state that this is a mistake.

After months of relentless SFXEngine attacks, I'm now faced with attacks on my music. What can I do? I must sigh and try my best.

Cycles Videos

A first day of steady work in some time. I started on the Spotify Canvases for Cycles. These are simple animated videos. Pretty, and perhaps too simple for full length videos in a loop. They are inspired by the cover artwork.

I also started on a full-length version for the new Cycles III track, where the sparkly light objects correspond to the notes. This is essentially a reworking of the painstaking Challenger video, but now happily done using Argus. Much faster to create, and better looking most of the time because I can move the camera and do all sorts of fancy effects. It needs, ideally, more reality, more chaos and less of the cold perfection of computer graphics.

It is very pretty though, and reminds me of my old computer graphics from 20 years ago, images like Embrace and Conch. Not a coincidence, as the root images for those images and this animation are the same light flares. Those renders from the early 2000s have served me well over the years. This is, exactly how imagined the music. A circle of piano notes, but I had also planned (and filmed at one point) butterflies; and perhaps myself playing the piano would improve it. Each choice is tested and kept or eliminated. Creation is always a slow process.

Life and the Fate of the Universe

Predictions about the ultimate fate of the universe tend to assume a cold and lifeless universe, calculated and observed as a system separate from the observer, when life is a crucial aspect of the universe. Life reduces entropy because it has evolved via a system where too much entropy is destructive. Natural selection best preserves that is which has the lowest entropy. Life supports order and order supports life.

Life not only reduces entropy, but supports and multiplies systems that also reduce entropy. Perhaps, over time, this will increase, and grow to oppose any increase of entropy in the universe by natural means.

Live at Macc Art Lounge

A tiring and busy few days. Another performance yesterday at the Macc Art Lounge, performing Christmas Smells and Christmas is to Go, but also several tracks from We Robot, then several Fall in Green tracks. This was probably my longest performance of songs so date; and certainly the longest since the two Marius Fate performances at All Saints' Church and Wistaston Memorial Hall.

After that, a lovely evening with Deborah. Today, filing all of these events, and more preparations for the revamped SFXEngine. My next public events are the Crewe mural 'forum' at the Market Hall on the 20th, and that evening a repeat performance of We Robot songs for Artistic Echoes in Macclesfield.

I'm now somewhat weak and weary. These dots of events and tasks are more draining than focus on one single activity. The year is nearly over, so preparations for 2024 must be made. What will the year hold? I feel nothing but optimism. Optimism about the future is a universally good thing. The future is the only place where perfection exists.

Crewe Library Party

A good day at the Crewe Library Winter Party event. Lovely to see many friends, and we had a quick pre-show photograph from the press photographer Peter Robinson who was kind enough to take lots of photos:

Deb opened with readings from Tolstoy:

Then the open mic poetry followed by the music performances. David Fray, the Poacher's mandolin player, injured his finger a day or two ago so was unable to play (as bandaged in the top photo!).

We rounded the afternoon off with a group rendition of Feast of Stephen by Mike Heron, performed by Mike, A.K.A. Mick Dick of the Forrest Dick band.

It was a lovely day, but tiring, with lots of carrying and lifting, and perhaps insufficient food. I felt weak at the end of it all. One of my amps was very volatile, with violent cracking when just touching a cable. One of these (probably this one, I didn't risk it) is also very noisy when turning the volume knob. I need to get it serviced when I can afford to - or I may try myself. We raised over £100, with 4 sales of Deb's book going to the LATH total. Exact total to follow.

The Book of Lou Salome

Two busy days. Much of today was spent working on a new book of the Lou Salomé poems and sheet music. This will be in a square format of 21.59cm, so about the size of an old 45 RPM single. Several new illustrations have been created for it, here is Entwined in Infinity:

I'm also rehearsing the music for tomorrow's show in the library. The month of work on Snow Business is easily distracting from the important art I must make. I need to focus on the future and the next project, the great unknown. One thing I must do is rephotograph my recent paintings with my new lighting.

Help I Cry

I wrote a new poem (or song lyrics) last night and completed it today.

Help I Cry

Help I cry to the no-one in my head
to God, the man who died
as a dream of you, of me,
of a calm summer sea
when reality is rain and dread.

Help I think to my sinking cells
and my cells say sorry
to you, for I cannot,
I must wait for the rain of self
to stop its helpless pelt.

For there is no help.
There is no help.
There is no help.