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BIBY ON BOARD:
COMMUTER NOISE BECOMES COMPUTER MUSIC ‘ON THE MARC’
Electronic musician Peat Biby Writes, Records CD Entirely on the Train
PEAT BIBY HAD ENOUGH. One of the thousands who ride the MARC commuter train between Baltimore and Washington DC twice a day, Biby decided to “take back” his commute by turning it into a creative workshop. Trainbound two hours a day, the Baltimore-based electronic musician set himself a challenge: Write, record and mix an album’s worth of songs completely on the train, using only his laptop microphone and keypad.
The result is On the MARC, a CD that blends the ambient soundscape of commuter life with Biby’s original and inventive instrumental melodies, sound processing and drum programming into evocative musical compositions. Biby set himself one rule: No cheating! No prefab loops or pre-programmed beats – it was all made from scratch and performed on a laptop’s typing keypad. No overdubbing or mixing in the quiet of a home studio. It all had to happen right there – on the MARC.
The project also has a visual aspect: CD’s deluxe edition is accompanied by a limited edition photobook of atmospheric images Biby captured on his journeys.
With his first solo project On The MARC, Biby creates an enticing listening experience that explores the train’s external world – from offbeat station announcements to sniping fellow travelers – as well as the commuter’s internal monologue, brought to life by a meticulously programmed computerized voice that suggests beat poetry.
“The songs express those two contrasting moods: the commutes where you are totally frustrated by the time eaten up in your life and by the other riders, and the times when you are sort of spaced out, just watching the world go by the window,” says Biby. “The songs grew out of the sounds you end up paying attention to on the train, the recurring notes and rhythms that are part of the ride. Once you grab onto those ambient sounds, you start to build it in your mind; those sounds become muted bell tones, bass lines or drum patterns.”
The new CD also takes on the culture of the commuter train: from the harsh “quiet car” rant of “Please S.T.F.U.” to the hypnotic recitation of train stops in “Who Needs Technology When You’ve Got This?”
“There was an incident where a woman gave my wife a dirty look for coughing on the train, like ‘will you just shut up?’ It’s almost unbelievable that people treat each other like this once they are stuck next to each other on their daily commute,” Biby says. His own frustration is expressed in the track “Ode to D.C. HarDCore,” a raucous, note-perfect homage to the musician’s teen years in DC’s punk scene. It sounds like it was recorded in a messy Arlington basement rather than on a train using synthesized sounds and a laptop keypad. (Another song, “The Deacon,” pays musical homage to his sighting of Baltimore indie-pop icon Dan Deacon at the train station.)
The music captures another key part of the commuter experience: Biby says he wanted to honor the restraint of the hardworking professionals who make the MARC commute happen everyday. “They have an ounce of patience more than the average person – and they have great voices.”
On The MARC captures these rhythmic, sometimes hilarious announcements that accompany commuters each day. Becoming part of the music are the positive, entertaining jokester at Union Station in DC and the characteristic voice of the older woman whose morning announcements at Baltimore’s Penn Station provide a comforting start to the weary commuter’s day. “She has a beautiful voice and enunciates in a memorable way. It excites you to hear it,” Biby says. “I hope she likes the song.”
As tough as commuting can be, transforming a rider’s daily grind into music brought its own challenges. Mixing a CD on tiny earbuds was hard enough, but performing an entire album on a one-octave simulated keyboard using the laptop keypad kept Biby busy during his commute.
“Can you create an idea from scratch and get it down when you know you’ve only got 45 minutes of focused time?” Biby asks. “There were many days I was trying to hit ‘save’ on the laptop while running to get off the train before the doors closed.”
On The MARC by Peat Biby is available on CD and digital download via www.SunKingRecords.com or wherever you buy music. A deluxe edition including photobook, CD and download card is also available. An EPK with song samples and interview segments is available at the website. For review copies and interviews, contact press@sunkingrecords.com
To be released Sept 18, 2012, as Sun King Records #SUNK-232. Distributed worldwide through MORPHIUS Records, Baltimore (www.morphius.com). Hear more of Biby’s creativity on the rock-electronic release “Cha Cha Cha” by Jonesamatic, on Sun King Records.
BIBY ON BOARD:
COMMUTER NOISE BECOMES COMPUTER MUSIC ‘ON THE MARC’
Electronic musician Peat Biby Writes, Records CD Entirely on the Train
PEAT BIBY HAD ENOUGH. One of the thousands who ride the MARC commuter train between Baltimore and Washington DC twice a day, Biby decided to “take back” his commute by turning it into a creative workshop. Trainbound two hours a day, the Baltimore-based electronic musician set himself a challenge: Write, record and mix an album’s worth of songs completely on the train, using only his laptop microphone and keypad.
The result is On the MARC, a CD that blends the ambient soundscape of commuter life with Biby’s original and inventive instrumental melodies, sound processing and drum programming into evocative musical compositions. Biby set himself one rule: No cheating! No prefab loops or pre-programmed beats – it was all made from scratch and performed on a laptop’s typing keypad. No overdubbing or mixing in the quiet of a home studio. It all had to happen right there – on the MARC.
The project also has a visual aspect: CD’s deluxe edition is accompanied by a limited edition photobook of atmospheric images Biby captured on his journeys.
With his first solo project On The MARC, Biby creates an enticing listening experience that explores the train’s external world – from offbeat station announcements to sniping fellow travelers – as well as the commuter’s internal monologue, brought to life by a meticulously programmed computerized voice that suggests beat poetry.
“The songs express those two contrasting moods: the commutes where you are totally frustrated by the time eaten up in your life and by the other riders, and the times when you are sort of spaced out, just watching the world go by the window,” says Biby. “The songs grew out of the sounds you end up paying attention to on the train, the recurring notes and rhythms that are part of the ride. Once you grab onto those ambient sounds, you start to build it in your mind; those sounds become muted bell tones, bass lines or drum patterns.”
The new CD also takes on the culture of the commuter train: from the harsh “quiet car” rant of “Please S.T.F.U.” to the hypnotic recitation of train stops in “Who Needs Technology When You’ve Got This?”
“There was an incident where a woman gave my wife a dirty look for coughing on the train, like ‘will you just shut up?’ It’s almost unbelievable that people treat each other like this once they are stuck next to each other on their daily commute,” Biby says. His own frustration is expressed in the track “Ode to D.C. HarDCore,” a raucous, note-perfect homage to the musician’s teen years in DC’s punk scene. It sounds like it was recorded in a messy Arlington basement rather than on a train using synthesized sounds and a laptop keypad. (Another song, “The Deacon,” pays musical homage to his sighting of Baltimore indie-pop icon Dan Deacon at the train station.)
The music captures another key part of the commuter experience: Biby says he wanted to honor the restraint of the hardworking professionals who make the MARC commute happen everyday. “They have an ounce of patience more than the average person – and they have great voices.”
On The MARC captures these rhythmic, sometimes hilarious announcements that accompany commuters each day. Becoming part of the music are the positive, entertaining jokester at Union Station in DC and the characteristic voice of the older woman whose morning announcements at Baltimore’s Penn Station provide a comforting start to the weary commuter’s day. “She has a beautiful voice and enunciates in a memorable way. It excites you to hear it,” Biby says. “I hope she likes the song.”
As tough as commuting can be, transforming a rider’s daily grind into music brought its own challenges. Mixing a CD on tiny earbuds was hard enough, but performing an entire album on a one-octave simulated keyboard using the laptop keypad kept Biby busy during his commute.
“Can you create an idea from scratch and get it down when you know you’ve only got 45 minutes of focused time?” Biby asks. “There were many days I was trying to hit ‘save’ on the laptop while running to get off the train before the doors closed.”
On The MARC by Peat Biby is available on CD and digital download via www.SunKingRecords.com or wherever you buy music. A deluxe edition including photobook, CD and download card is also available. An EPK with song samples and interview segments is available at the website. For review copies and interviews, contact press@sunkingrecords.com
To be released Sept 18, 2012, as Sun King Records #SUNK-232. Distributed worldwide through MORPHIUS Records, Baltimore (www.morphius.com). Hear more of Biby’s creativity on the rock-electronic release “Cha Cha Cha” by Jonesamatic, on Sun King Records.