Funk Track

Yesterday I wrote a funk drum riff which was mainly inspired by Funky Tonight by John Butler Trio.

To complement the bright colours and characteristics of my own painting of 'The Courtesan', I wanted to write a light-hearted, funky track. 'The Young Courtesan' track is quite sombre and subdued to express the dark side of being a Courtesan whereas the funk track, in contrast, will express the fun and exhilarating side.

Today I will be working with a guitarist & bassist to develop the funk track. I will post the finished track hopefully later today!

The Young Courtesan track

Today I was working on ideas for The Young Courtesan track. Firstly I choose to add long sustained notes using the strings to create a sombre atmosphere and to add a sense of longingness, and then I added bongos to help build the rhythm and a little ostinato on the miramba.

I have uploaded it to my media player so check it out, hope you like it!

My recording setup

The Young Courtesan track

Uploaded the first ideas for the track titled 'The Young Courtesan'.

Inspired by the poem I read today, I wanted to write a dark, sombre love track and as I was searching for a blank CD earlier I found the perfect bass riff for it!

I had already recorded a drum track with a grand piano ostinato that was very similar to the bass riff but I have decided to take that out now.

Tomorrow I will be focussing on adding a melody, perhaps using a synthesizer and building the drums to a crescendo. Bring on tomorrow!

The bass riff was written by Kieron Kelly, the bassist in my band Indigo Central.

Uploaded music to the blog!

Finally worked out how to add music to my blog! The media player is on the right hand side with all my tracks that I've uploaded so far!

The Young Courtesan before Losing Her Innocence by Nina Alvarez

Found a poem today titled 'The Young Courtesan before Losing Her Innocence' by Nina Alvarez

The eyes of the man who loves me
seek in the dark while I
sleep gently. What rain I
am waiting for, what stories to share
in the warm rain. What rising hopes,
what a looking glass his love is,
making me more beautiful than the
truth of the face.

The man who loves me has dunes and
ruins in ancestral worlds, spaces of peace
untouched by law. It is these places I
will reside, in the countryside, when he comes
here from across the air.

-Nina Alvarez


The poem has inspired me to write quite a sombre drum riff with a restrained melody that breathes an air of melancholy.

Artwork ideas