Sound designing and recording–since 2000–under the nome de plume Kamelmauz (was Kamelmowz,) I compose, design and assemble ambient and experimental music. My sound is inspired by esteemed influences too numerous to mention. The stylistic range is ambitious, running as it does from the exotic orientalism of In Khorasan to the experimentalism, dark ambient strokes, and mildly noise-oriented blasts of Slidemare and Poor City.
It’s only point is to provide ((me)) with an experience of flow, and, deep amusement. My music is also naive. It can’t help but be so. I’m not a finicky music maker. However, and on the other hand, I play my ears and have been working my sources as a listener for over forty years.
DJ Weirton, himself an influence on my ears’ journey, called In Khorasan, ‘world hed music.’ I like the term and feel he hit the bullseye of one aspect of my creative intentions. Ken Warren said of Slidemare,
It felt great to hear your studio Yin plucking, on the east end of Lake Erie, opening the chasm to another empty urban space.
I like his discovery.
Future projects include the tentatively titled, Sum Soundz, where I return to the keyboard and synthesizer part of the studio, for some more shadowslow ambient. Pedal steel will be featured in On Your Way Down. More metallic guitar-driven dronology is in the offing, on the Slidemare II, (working title.)
My soundworlds are rendered at nogutsnoglory studios, and, issued by Duty Free Records. Stephen Calhoun is my producer and graphics kingpin. Some might term this DIY, but I term it tautological!
Duty Free Records are distributed through Bandcamp.
Drafts, demos, working and workshop versions, and throwaways, make it to Kammelmauz-Soundz on Bandcamp.
Glori watching over Kamelmauz
Discography:
release date - April 19, 2011
Sleeper (ep) 2011
Slidemare (2009)
In Khorasan (2001)
sound kitchen for Kamelmauz and compiler Dub Collision
My principle software sound tool since 1999 is Absynth, a very ‘thick’ synthesizer, effects array, and modular patch system. It allows me to mangle patches, key in riffs, and spin out sonic weirdness quickly and intuitively, without much fuss, while leveraging the starting points provided by the multitude of expert patch makers in the Absynth community. Lately, I’ve been using it as an effect for steel guitar. NI Reaktor is my principle platform for effects, convolution, and signal manipulation chains.
Audio goes into an MacBookPro, through Guitar Rig Mobile. Guitar Rig output is fed into DSP-Quattro 3, or Logic, where various effects inserts or side chains, using Absynth 4, Reaktor, a software Luxtronic 1310, Tone2 Warm Verb, Audiffex, and, Michael Norris’s wonderful, free AU effects, come into play. I’m devotee of the Kontakt sampler instruments from Soniccouture and, recently, 8DIO. Multi-tracking and MIDI ends up in Logic. I use an Edirol M80, Akai LPD8, Line6 FBV MKII, and iPhone as MIDI controllers.
On the guitar side, I utilize an Industrial Guitars Indy Rail (Emaj), a Melbert (by Bob Allen; DMaj,) and Rondo SX LG1 (E7) lap steels, and two circa 1970 Fender 400, 8-string, pedal steel guitars (E9/B6.) On occasion, I’ll run audio from the direct out on a Tech21 Trademark 60 combo amp into the I/O box and take advantage of a pile of cheap stomp boxes. I’m a big fan of low end chorus effects and disobeying the rules for guitar pedals.
At times I can jangle and mangle various hand drums, found percussion, and blow through an epoxy didgeridoo, plunk pentatonic vamps on an Ethiopian krar, and, load up and blow out various samplers. Field recordings are captured on an aging Zoom and iPhone.
Connect with me on Twitter, Google+, and Like the Kamelmauz Facebook page.
