"So where's the JAM?"

OK so it's been 3 months to date since my birthday and so far there has been no indication whatsoever on the release of my first single (which I originally planned to be 'out there' by early September '07 at the latest). Not even a post on the web! - which is infamous for even plain nonsense. So what's going on?

I was riding high and it was all good during my birthday celebration (pictured below - just 'some' of the entourage) at a club when the song passed the DJ’s personal QC and pumped it on the house speakers. What a moment, hearing my own track mixed in amongst US R&B and not sounding at all out of place. Nobody left the floor... In fact more people came on to the floor as the DJ announced that the song was made by our very own 'local boy'. But all that seem like a distant memory now..

In the course of three months, that one track (The Weekend Jam) has not gone through much change neither. Sure I managed to have ONE session in a studio in an attempt to record proper vocals but there was never a follow up session to finish it off. My dear producer/engineer friend who had agreed to take on the project with me was going through some 'personal' issues that she had to deal with and unfortunately my project got somewhat sidetracked. No blame though - it's just how it is.

So there was nothing much else I could do but to fix the earlier recorded vocal track (done with my own SM58 mic) and make the best out of it, which I am still completely unsatisfied with to this day but fortunately have had the privilege of another dear producer/engineer friend (a master at mixing tracks) who is willing to help me fix-it-up.

One problem solved, but there are more matters that contributes to the delay. My fellow collaborator Constantine a.k.a. Johnny Blaque feels that his earlier rap is too mediocre and doesn't do justice to the caliber of the song which, on one hand, is a nice compliment but doesn't quite help the production time line on the other. He decided to rewrite his segment and, as much as I hate to say it, it has taken him 3 months and still no new lyrics on his part. Once again though: No blame - just how it is. You just can't rush art, right?

But to be fair ultimately the delay is mostly because of me. Since my birthday I have gone through quite a number of my own 'personal' issues, the biggest one worth mentioning is the recent departure of my soul mate, who has gone overseas to pursue a new career. Since August, knowing that we had little time left together, I have shifted most of my attention to her and her alone, cherishing her presence before having to deal with her absence, and leaving little production time.

After she left (roughly a month ago) I faced difficulties in getting back into my creative mode as I went through (and am still going through) a tough emotional phase. I spent most my time playing a game called 'dota' to distract myself from thinking too much as the Cubase interface simply didn't help. My active determination diminished into a hermit-like life and also faced sleeping problems.

"Only time can heal" most would say and I guess they were right as, despite my inability to cure my sleeping disorder, I am now slowly getting back into the music groove.

So here's the 411:

- Still no lyrics to his part on the song but Constantine has been hanging around with me and we've been dwelling into making new songs... and they are sounding great. It's nice when fresh and new ideas enter my realm of 'usual tendencies'. For example, I would have never thought of writing a song called 'KK-fornia'! We decided to bring that old summertime Chicano style anthem back describing how our beloved hometown (Kota Kinabalu a.k.a. KK) resembles and perhaps supersedes the ever-so-praised life of california. Hence, KK-fornia.

Note: I have no idea why he would post a demo and a very unfinished track on his AMP site but indeed he did so you can catch a glimpse of the track at http://amp.channelv.com/amp/viewArtist.html?id=22097

- Simultaneously we are also composing a song called '7 years, 7 minutes', a track based on how a relationship can take 7 years to build, but can only take 7 minutes to destroy. Deeeeeep.

- Inspired by my current emotional situation I have written a song about what I'm going through at the moment - which I will not write about just yet as it deserves its own blog that will make its way here in the near future.

- Those that have read my earlier post entitled 'The Weekend Jam' may recall that the song went through 'a lot' of versions before it made it to its final state. Well, history is repeating itself as another track of mine is currently going through the same process. Even the title have suffered the multiple change syndrome. From 'unknown' (as in literally unknown) to 'Too Much' and now to 'Waste of Time', the song is sounding great as my arrangement skill improved since I worked on it last.

So with all this happening, the question remains: "Where's the JAM?"

Well I guess it'll still be in the fridge (bad joke, sorry) until my man Johnny Blaque gets inspired, after which it'll then make it's way for it's final mix, and THEN finally you get to hear what I've been raving all this time about.

I can hear your thoughts. You're asking "Why not just post it now temporarily? After all, you did play it in a club!" Well, it's rather a complicated question to answer but here goes: That club thing was a test. I wanted to see whether the song will work in that environment in terms of arrangement quality, mix, & dance factor (It passed, though with room for improvement). Furthermore, it was only a '1 time' thing. To post it on the net would be allowing it to be scrutinized due to your ability to listen to it over and over again. As tempting as it is to post it right here right now, I have this 'thing' about presentation. I just can't bear giving out half-baked works and allowing it for criticism until I've given it everything I've got.

So, with that said, I do sincerely apologize to those that have waited all this time. I know it has taken a damn long time but I'm afraid it's gonna take a lil while longer. Trust me, nobody wants the track ready more than me... but Patience is a virtue they say, and as I mentioned before, you just can't rush art.