Post nuclear synth pop at it’s best, who would have thought it could sound so catchy and upbeat!!! – my tongue is firmly in my cheek!!!

Awakening was recorded in september 2010 and was the second track I produced after my studio refit earlier that year.

Ever wondered what it would be like to wake up dead?, then this song is for you – enjoy!

An affluent couple get rather more than they bargained for when they purchase their dream country home. The house is host to dark secrets from a macabre past event!

Head to the Stories page on http://www.chrisankin.com and prepare to be disturbed!

First written as a poem in August 2010, subsequently recorded as a song in January 2011 this work has crossed borders in it’s presentation and also has an artwork image created by fantasy artist Cheryl Austin (Maid in the Dark), which graces one of the walls in my home.

Having recently featured on Viktor Aurelius ‘Whispers in the Dark’ show on BlogTalk radio it’s a cautionary tale to beware the female vampire form – you have been warned!!!

Let Hemoglobin flow….

This track evolved out of what was originally intended to be a demo of an atmospheric film score, however I ended up writing lyrics for it and turning it into a song, yet kept the long build at the start, hence the track length!

It’s best heard on headphones and I hope if you close your eys it will invoke images of a forlorn and misty garden of eden, with a central gothic female character – well it works for me!, this is best described as a ‘songscape’

I was the guest on the US BlogTalk radio show ‘Whispers in the Dark’ recently, and discussed all the various elements and projects I’m involved with, you can download or listen again to the show at the following link
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/viktoraurelius/2014/02/05/whispers-in-the-dark–episode-84

This track was the second song I wrote and recorded in late 2011 after my studio refurbishment, it’s a story about vampires being Vampires in a modern suburban setting.

The track reached and stayed at No.1 for 2 weeks in the local Milton Keynes Music Chart in January 2012

Chris x

This song was inspired by a female performance group that I saw at the 2013 Bram Stoker International Film Festival ‘vampires Ball’, in which one of the group sang an old victorian lament. It was a very powerful yet simple performance with a single spotlight on the singer, who stood by a gravestone, it sent a chill down everyone’s spine for it’s purity.

I was also influenced by the film ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ in which the Count loses his love Elizabeta in the opening sequences – a loss which haunts him for his entire immortal life!

Chris x

LONG SHADOWS

Here’s my latest song, together with a short behind the track look at how it was recorded.

This was a bit of a departure from my usual style, however when I’m writing I try to go with the flow, as a song develops I find that there are often key stages that determine which direction a track is going to go and other choices seem to follow on from that point.

In this song I used what I think is a fairly convincing acoustic guitar sound from the Omnisphere synth, I tried to play it in the same style as a guitarist, that being a picky appregio that runs the course of the tune, but has some strummed chords at the end of each chorus.

I experimented with a real Berong (a kind of small drum used in folk music) that I was given as a gift, and using the tapered beater that came with it recorded a rhythm and some rolls on the side and skin of the drum.

staying with the acoustic sounds, I then used a couple of small lengths of wooden curtain pole that for some reason I’d hung onto. Again I recorded a clave type pattern that features through the track, I panned it left in the mix and added some reverb which I panned to the right.

In the instrumental break, I had wanted to record me whistling, however I found that it’s more of an art than one would think to get a perfect take and sound, so I resorted to a harpsichord sound which I think adds a touch of the medievil to the feel.

Finally I put a vocal harmony on the chorus and a glockenspiel appreggio at the end, and the track was complete.

I did toy with beefing up the last verse, but I kind of liked the natural feel, so decided to leave it as it was. The thing is that songs are usually adaptable so there are several takes and genres that can be applied if I later want to re-record the song entirely.

As for the lyrics, well they are of course quite morose as usual, and perhaps a bit of a twist at the end!

Chris x