I've been putting together some music using UTAU (mac version of vocaloid). It's like trap/chillwave-y/dreampop-y. I'm gonna put out an EP of this stuff together once a write some more:
EVERY DAY
https://soundcloud.com/calumbowen/every-day-feat
WINTER VALENTINE (collaboration with mus.hiba)
https://soundcloud.com/calumbowen/calum-bowen-mus-hiba-winte r

Feedback would be great. I'm wondering what other kinda tracks I should include in this EP (probably four or five tracks). I want to end with a super sleepy waltz.

Nice to see you here Calum! I had no idea you were a member at KvR!

Love the tracks, I hadn't heard Every Day before. As always your playful, jazzy character comes through. Please hurry with the EP!

Whoa, I like the plasticine sounds a lot. Nothing this poppy or happy will ever quite be my cup of tea, and the vocal mix is rather abhorrent (I certainly understand the urge to mask vocals on occasion, though; and the rest of the mix is rather magical sounding), but I gotta say I like it. First thing I heard in a long time that seems to cry out for a video

and I'm gonna be the first one to buy it! That 'Every Day' track is an absolute gem. I love it! Such a playful, bouncy and happy mood with a subtle 'cut and paste' technique in places.

I do like that "masked" vocal. It's almost as if was an instrument rather than a vocal singing words. It works for me. It's similar to how I like using vocoders, where they appear to 'talk' but no intelligible text is used.

Thanks you guys!

@tristezaorange - you too. I'm not all that frequent but I check out these forums every now and then. :~)

I totally get the thing about the masked vocals - it's partly a lack of confidence, partly stylistic choice - i mean it's hard to draw the line between the two. :~D The whole EP is connected to dreams a lot so it's also partly (in the case of every day in particular) supposed to be a kind of dreamy voice as well.

@runagate "First thing I heard in a long time that seems to cry out for a video" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL-NbkK77pI OK It's barely much more than an image but it moves a little ;~)

Either way, I've been thinking about the possibility of making some videos for all of these or some other way to present them as an audio-visual package. Who knows! Still got more music to write!

Makes sense to me What is that, a flashing elk?

you know how i do!

This is eminently cooler than I am qualified to comment on.
Just a joy. Helps me remember where I put my imagination.

hahaha, you are way cool ouroboros. Thank you for the comment. It was really kind.

LIstened to Every Day. What a totally infectuous, yet surprisingly sophisticated ditty!

Victor.

Thanks Victor! A lot of what I love about J-Pop is that unashamed pop and catchiness coupled with all sorts of interesting stuff going on - usually in the harmonically (japan luvs jazz!)! To strike a balance between pop and something that full of interesting musical content was one of my main aims with these songs!