This page contains info on music projects I've been working on; original tracks, mixes, free samples and synths, I've created and other miscellaneous material.
Below is a discography of tracks I've been working on over the years. Unfortunately I cannot make these tracks available over the web page as some contain many samples that are not royalty free, or sampled directly from owned tracks and so can't be legally distributed until paid for and agreed as such with the owners. But there's nothing to stop me from playing them for you sometime as long as I don't broadcast it! I hope to be in a position to make them available soon, but do bear with me!
- Shane
swfobject
Table of Contents
What is 'blue skies'?
Discography
Track Details
Coming Soon
My Own Music Collection
What is 'blue skies'?
My Journey
The 'blue skies' project is a collection of
I hope my work isn't like the current spate of faceless commercial dance tracks. As far as I'm concerned dance music has all but died and it is only the originality of a few fresh artists and the always surprising ability of the godfathers to give it an original fresh twist every so often.
From the start I would have been very much influenced by the likes of BT, Underworld, Fluke, Chicane / Disco Citizens, Hybrid, Quivver, Tilt, Enigma, Deep Forest, Sasha, Red Jerry and more recently remix artists such as Gabriel & Dresden, Scumfrog, Solar Stone, Armin Van Buuren, Deepest Blue, Crystal Method, 4 Strings and lots of others that any half-witted dance music fan would know of.
balearic dance of the mid and late 90's. I use a lot of orchestral sweeps, guitar samples, deep bassy beats, some light breakbeats, computer game samples (emulators from my 8-bit days!)
I almost always use vocals and indeed build many tracks around it. I can't get enough of Jan Johnston, her vocals are simply stunning every time; I remember the first time I heard her vocals on BTs Calling Your Name mix, it was like an epiphany for me. This was the sound I wanted. Tori Amos has an incredible voice and I think her melancholy vocals work wonders for some of my tracks. Olive has always a powerful voice, again adding a melanchly but powerful life to tracks.
Indeed I use so much of vocal
It's just so goddamn hard to separate the vocals out from the tracks without getting the accepella samples (costly!)
What equipment to I use?
I have a very humble set of equipment. I tend to use mostly software as I just can't afford dedicated hardware, so I use my trustworthy Compaq Presario 5000 Server (P5455EA) version with a modest Intel Pention 4 processor 2.0 GHz, pumped to 768 SyncDRAM, I have 2 trusty Creative soundcards. I store my samples and tracks in it's sizeable 80GB hard-drive. I also use an IBM Aptiva dinosaur to do lots of batch work in the background. I need a better PC!
Cubase, Reason.
Early tracks were put together originally using whatever apps I had at the time - SoundForge.
(all of cost legal copies)
Discography
Albums
#1 the blue skies project
Track Listing:
CD 1: Deep Blue Skies
blue skies - Blue Skies (original blue skies mix)
blue skies - The Truth Released (original blue skies mix)
blue skies - My Future (original blue skies mix)
blue skies - Addicted (original blue skies mix)
blue skies - Reach Out (original blue skies mix)
blue skies - Perfectly Clear (original blue skies mix)
blue skies - Trying To Be Loved (original blue skies mix)
blue skies - Electric Sunshine (blue skies mix) Purple
blue skies - Beautiful Things
blue skies - Gravity
blue skies - Last Moment Of Clarity (original blue skies mix)
blue skies - Lightspeed (original blue skies mix)
blue skies - Remember Me (original blue skies mix)
CD 2: Dark Blue Skies
blue skies - Bye Bye (blue skies lo-fi dub)
blue skies - Melancholy Piano (original blue skies mix)
Floor-Essence - Up In Flames (Shane's original floor-essence mix)
blue skies - Revolver (dark angry skies mix)
Floor-Essence - Floorfire (Shane's original floor-essence mix)
#2 the blue skies mixes
Track Listing: CD 1: The Deep Blue Sky Mixes
The Faint - Glass Danse (blue skies mix)
Limp Bizkit - Behind Blue Eyes (original blue skies mix)
Octave One ft Ann Saunderson - Blackwater (Chasing the blue skies mix)
Solar Stone - Seven Cities (blue skies mix)
Madonna - Drowned World / Substitute For Love (blue skies mix)
Appleton - Don't Worry (blue skies mix)
Benjamin Diamond - Little Scare (blue skies mix)
Adam Freeland - Barefoot In The Head (original blue skies mix)
The Killers - Mr Brightside (Shane's floor-essence mix)
Coldplay - Clocks (Shane's extended floor-essence remix)
Talk Talk - It's My Life (Shane's floor-essence remix)
Track Listing: CD 2: The Dark Blue Sky Mixes
The Chemical Brothers - Out Of Control (original blue skies mix)
The Doors - Break On Through (Shane's floor-essence mix)
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (dirty floor-essence remix)
Floor-essence - Spa-tastic (The Numpty Song)
Floor-essence - Twist Inside My Head
Sarah McLachlan - Fallen (blue skies mix)
Natalie Imbruglia - Smoke (blue skies lo-fi mix)
Original blue skies Tracks
blue skies - Blue Skies (original blue skies mix) June 2002
blue skies - The Truth Released (original blue skies mix) December 2002
blue skies - My Future (original blue skies mix) January 2003
blue skies - Addicted (original blue skies mix) January 2005
blue skies - Bye bye (blue skies lo-fi mix) October 2004
blue skies - Rain (original blue skies mix) September 2004
blue skies - Everybody (original blue skies mix) August 2004
blue skies - Lightspeed (original blue skies mix) June 2004
blue skies - Reach Out (original blue skies mix) March 2003
If it's in space and all is lost - A million shattered pieces
Then let it be
I'll tell you things you won't believe - I'll tell you anyway
I'll be released
I'll be released
Blissful bubbles, let me sleep
Rock me gently, don't let me think
Blissful bubbles, please let me sleep
Rock me gently, don't let me think too deep
Too deep
Too deep
Too deep
Don't listen to the hearts of the world - The answer lies within
You know the truth
You know the truth
I'm pleased to meet you, can you come? I'll play real loud for you
Your future's just begun
Your future's just begun
Blissful bubbles, let me sleep
Rock me gently, don't let me think
Blissful bubbles, please let me sleep
Rock me gently, don't let me think too deep
Too deep
Too deep
Too deep
I'll tell you tales you won't believe - I'll tell you anyway
I'll be released
Don't listen to the hearts of the world - The answer lies within
You know the truth
You know the truth
blue skies - Perfectly Clear (original blue skies mix) January 2002
I have been trying for years to even get close to the 'stutter edit' as perfected by BT, and it took me ages to get even this close. In the end I cheated and had to do it the hard and lengthy way by just slicing audio at exaggerated values and iterated treatments over it again and again until I was happy with it. Added lots of feedbacked, delayed and waveformed flange on this one. I'm quite proud of this track.
I'm seeing perfectly
I'm seeing perfectly
I might take your hand
Maybe
I sense you all around me
I know you're all around me
I know it
I'm seeing perfectly
I may go with you
{Run from me and I will}
{Blind only and I will find you}
I am not seeing
But I know you're there
I am not seeing
But I know you're there
blue skies - Trying To Be Loved (original blue skies mix) March 1998
This track is very much Chicane and dreamhouse trances influenced, with the edge taken off. Mind the deep bass doesn't blow your speakers, your reverb on your sub-woofer needs to be on low for this one! This is one of my own favourites, with those sumptuous Luce Drayton vocals, it was easy to build the song around them.
Written, produced, mixed and engineered by blue skies. Contains samples from "To Be Loved", as performed by Luce Drayton taken from the Album "Suicidal Angel", written by Luce Drayton/Andy Blissett, published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd, used by (pending) courtesy and (pending) arrangement with EMI Music Publishing Ltd.
blue skies - These Days (original blue skies mix) ???
blue skies - Revolver (dark angry skies mix) August 1999
Ok, I know this track must sound a bit dated, but I think it still a bit of a angry b*tch, it still makes me wanna loose the head a little and trash my studio (bedroom). Of course I'm way past that. And I couldn't afford another one. It's quite bouncy and simple and starts off very cheeky, and then breaks down and then back up again into a gutting violent rage. I'm not totally happy with this song to be honest, I feel like I've cheated a little, definitely the easiest track I've done to put together.
Written, produced, mixed and engineered by blue skies. 'Revolver' contains a sample of "That's When I Reach for My Revolver" performed by Moby, written by C. Conley and published by Lambent Music (BMI) 1996, used by (pending) courtesy and (pending) arrangement with Lambent Music (BMI).
blue skies - Electric Sunshine (blue skies mix) August 2004
This track is full of leftfield swirling synths full of rises and falls, to me it's like Chemical Brothers, junked up on Underworld mixing an eclectic Gus Gus, if you'll forgive the comparisons, kinda influenced by the classic late 90's happy dance rush sound. I wanted to call this get the F*ck on the Floor, but I'm trying to be a respectible artist!
blue skies Mixes
Sarah McLachlan - Fallen (blue skies mix) March 2005
The Faint - Glass Danse (blue skies mix) August 2004
Octave One ft Ann Saunderson - Blackwater (Chasing the blue skies mix)
April 2004
Natalie Imbruglia - Smoke (blue skies lo-fi mix) August 2003
Madonna - Drowned World / Substitute For Love (blue skies mix) August 1999
There was something haunting, confessing and naked about the vocals and lyrics on this that I wanted to use it. I had to make this track short, it's too vulnerable a song to sustain any length.
Written, produced, mixed and engineered by blue skies. Contains samples from "Drowned World / Substitute For Love" as performed by Madonna, written by Madonna/William Orbit/Rod McKuen/Anita Kerr/David Collins, published by WB Music Corp./WEBO Girl Publishing Inc, 1998, used by (pending) courtesy and (pending) arrangement with WBMusic Corp./WEBO Girl Publishing Inc. Contains samples from "Why I Follow the Tigers" performed by San Sabastian Strings, used courtesy of Warner Bros. records, Inc. by (pending) arrangement with Warner Special Products, Inc.
Solar Stone - Seven Cities (blue skies mix)
I know this one is a classic, and I couldn't help myself. For me, the original is a complex song layered away to one, and heralds the start of a chill out session, I've handed in my ticket, got my coat and am hitting the fresh air, floating a little from dancing all night, mission accomplished and it's time to chill. Except I'm always a little giddy and want to hear this song.
Written & produced by Rich Mowlett & Andy Bury for Solar Stone Productions. Copyright Control (p) 2000 Hooj Choons Ltd. Licensed from Hooj Choons Ltd. Remixed by blue skies. (Pending) Courtesy and (pending) special arrangement with Hooj Choons Ltd.
Appleton - Don't Worry (blue skies mix) January 2005
Benjamin Diamond - Little Scare (blue skies mix) ???
Way Out West - Mindcircus (blue skies cut) ???
Adam Freeland - Barefoot In The Head (original blue skies mix)
October 2004
The Chemical Brothers - Out Of Control (original blue skies mix)
October 2004
Other mixes (under the floor-essence name)
Floor-Essence - Floorfire (Shane's original floor-essence mix) January 2003
The Doors - Break On Through (Shane's floor-essence mix) December 2004
The Killers - Mr Brightside (Shane's floor-essence mix) February 2005
Coldplay - Clocks (Shane's extended floor-essence remix) November 2004
Talk Talk - It's My Life (Shane's floor-essence remix) September 2004
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (dirty floor-essence remix) July 2004
Floor-essence - Spa-tastic (The Numpty Song) August 2004
Floor-essence - Twist Inside My Head
Floor-Essence - Up In Flames (Shane's original floor-essence mix)
January 2002
Track Details
(Full track details to follow)
My Own Music Collection
Coming soon
(More details to follow!)
This page is currently under construction. Please be patient.
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