Daniel Diaz, Multi-Instrumentalist

50 Snapshots (that became 54 eventually)

In 2016 I created a “catalogue” of my instruments and sonic possibilities as a multi-instrumentalist. For that purpose I recorded  several short snippets with each and every instrument I own and play, performed solo or accompanied by other instruments, but one instrument at the time clearly in the spotlight.
The full set is available for streaming in a dedicated Soundcloud playlist here:

https://soundcloud.com/daniel-diaz/sets/50-snapshots-by-dd

I took pictures of the actual instruments when possible (there’ll be a couple of snapshots using my favorite samples, the rest is actual instruments I own).

The instruments I used are:

Ronroco (Bolivia)
Acoustic Upright Piano (Yamaha)
Tenor Ukulele & Concert Ukulele
Fretless Bass Guitar (my custom 1988 Sekine)
Acoustic Bass Guitar (1990’s Larrivée & Kelly Dragonfly 5 strings)
Fender Rhodes
Melodicas: Hohner Piano 36 and Yamaha Pianica
Spacedrum (C minor “Deep Sky” tunning)
Electric Bass Schecter 62 Jazz Bass & Drake Diaz Custom5
Electric Bass : nylon strings (my Epiphone Allen Woody)
Spanish Guitar (solo Kraus late 70’s custom)
Bells (bronze, aluminium)
Harmonium (India)
Accordina (by Marcel Dreux)
Charango (Argentina)
Epiphone Jazz Guitar
Qinqin (china)
Java fretless guitar (Indonesia)
Tun and other bamboo drums
Talking Drums & Udu Drums
Percussions (bombo, Kuntrun, derbouka, doumbek, caxixi, etc)
Cymbals (Zildjian, Paiste)
Folk Guitar (Martin J15)
Stratocaster Guitar (Clean, Disortion)
Indonesian flutes
Upright Bass: bowed (solo&section), pizz, noises and FX
Marimba and Xylophone (real & samples)
Glockenspiel and Vibes (real & samples)
Ocarinas and clay “birds”
Toy Piano
Strings fake or real? (combined samples and real performances of basses and cellos)
Crystal Bowls & Glass Harmonica (samples)
Arpeggiator synths, analog synths, vocoder.
Bass Ukulele (Kala U-Bass)
Tibetan Bowls

Online streaming profiles

Streaming profiles for Daniel Diaz official discography, singles, albums, EP.

Streaming profiles for Daniel Diaz official discography, singles, albums, EP.

Spotify, Apple iTunes, Youtube.

You can listen to Daniel Diaz’s music on most online streaming services (free and paid).

But the profiles that DedeLand controls and can guarantee “clean” of homonym artist’s music and unrelated tracks, and including full official discography are:

SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/artist/3zJXQgBRAEZRZZjndoogd5

APPLE MUSIC https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/daniel-diaz/1361697583

YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SZul24FutvDnDBLBwS__A

.

You can always stream and download HiRes files on Daniel Diaz’s Bandcamp store here:

https://danieldiaz.bandcamp.com/

landscapes, consonance & solitude

18 track compilation, 2006-2015
soundtrack and production music by daniel diaz
Download includes digital booklet.

landscapes, consonance & solitude

Track List:

1.ukelele & orchestra 02:48

2.ambiguo fukushima 02:46

3.siete 03:00

4.panamericana 1 03:03

5.vitae 03:07

6.ambiguo bachiano 02:13

7.berceuse d’été 03:04

8.electric bass phases 02:35

9.stratocaster pulses 03:42

10.panamericana 2 02:53

11.falso requiem 03:58

12.autumnal 02:55

13.l’aube 02:39

14.openness 03:12

15.sieste en bessin 02:10

16.prairie light 02:16

17.litoral mojacar 04:04

18.luna’s divertimento 02:03

Buy Download here

Listen: Spotify

More DD albums here

landscapes, consonance & solitude album by daniel diaz
landscapes, consonance & solitude

landscapes, consonance & solitude
a compilation 2006-2015
soundtrack and production music by daniel diaz

ambient, repetitive, minimalist, naïve, simple and sensitive instrumentals

Credits:

released August 22, 2015

album dynamic range DR 13
24 bit digital masters

performed by DD
(ukulele, multiple bowed upright basses, ronroco, upright bass pizz, charangos, 6 and 12 string electric and acoustic guitars, percussion, acoustic and electric bass guitars, xylophone, analogue synth, glockenspiel, requintos, voice, hang/spacedrum, upright piano , celesta, field drums,Indian harmonium, accordina, string orchestra samples.)

with gustavo bulgach (clarinet) and michel herbin (harmonica)

album cover © jasper van der meij

Electronica Sensible

Electronica Sensible

Old school electronic music, ambient-experimental-electronica

Track List :

Track List

  1. Combray
  2. Oxygen
  3. Voided
  4. Impressionniste (Wendy&Walter)
  5. Tachycardia
  6. Tapes
  7. La Falaise (Insensible)
  8. Morse
  9. Anomaly 484
  10. La Falaise (Theme)
  11. Nordic
  12. Equis (X)
  13. Plaintive (Background)
  14. Sand Pulses
  15. Plaintive (Theme)
  16. Tomita’s (Ice Flakes)
  17. Austral (Underscore)
  18. Instant 1103
  19. Instant 2251B
  20. Instant 6212PK
  21. Austral (Theme)

Total time 64:15 

Electronica Sensible by Daniel Diaz (album cover)
Electronica Sensible

Performed by Daniel Diaz

Total time 64:15 

Composed and performed by Daniel Diaz in Paris (France), Buenos Aires and Villa Gessell ( Argentina) during 2012-2013-2014.

Paris, France between March, 2005 and December, 2010

Available CD and Download:
Bandcamp/Electronica Sensible

Listen: Spotify

More DD albums here

Electronica Sensible: liner notes

This collection started as an exercise on nostalgia meet fashionable electronic music. I’ve been asked in the past few years to score in a specific, “modern” style, inspired by late takes on electronic music like Cliff Martinez, electro-acoustic soundtracks like Johann Johansen and Clint Mansell and more abstract stuff like Alva Noto, Fennesz and Ryuichi Sakamoto.

People who pushed me to revisit this recent and fashionable styles were really reticent to go in a more traditional, old-fashioned electronic school that proved to be very successful and efficient in film scoring on the 70’s and 80’s. Most notably the works of people like Vangelis and Giorgio Moroder. Now, that was outdated and dowdy. But as we know, what’s dated today will be fashionable again tomorrow and eventually I played the (illegal, I know) “Esper Edition” of the Blade Runner OST (that I cherish) to somebody who was crazy with the vintage sounds of Drive soundtrack and realized that, at least those old styles were “in” again.

But, besides the analog sounds, it was the compositions that charmed me when I was a kid and that I was missing the most in recent “electro-years”. Those “themes” and melodies spiced by electronica, those arrangements that could sound almost baroque and out-dated now.

I’ve found myself going back to those LPs I own, full of melodies and yet deeply electronic, from my first purchases (Wendy Carlos and Isao Tomita) to the recent Sakamoto haunting piano with electro-glitches collaborations, through Vangelis and Giorgio and some others.

Here for you, an hour of electronic themes; synthetizers and acoustic instruments, programming and real performances, melodies, chord changes and soundscapes; all as an homage to those electro masters.

                                                      D.D. Paris, 20th December 2014

Themes

Themes by DD:

Track list:

1> Melancolia 3:35
piano, up.bass, classical guitar.
feat: Aude Brasseur: cellos

2> Nostalgia 3:14
piano, melodica, classical guitar, delays

3> The Immigrants 3:53
Electric Guitar, up.bass, delays.
feat: Dave Lewis: Flugelhorn

4> The Immigrants (Alt.Vers.) 3:29
piano, up.bass, drums.
feat: Dave Lewis: Flugelhorn

5> Vignette Vininha 2:06
classical guitar, tape delays and filters

6> 4 Bagatelles N°4 3:00
piano, up.bass, treatments.
feat: Damien Jarry: cello

7> Love Theme N°3 2:11
piano, up.bass, accordina, strings, oboe, clarintet.

8> Love Theme N°2 3:34
piano, classical guitar, melodica, , treatments.

9> Virgilio & The Duke 2:34
piano.

10> Bagatelle N° 1.1 2:03
Daniel Diaz: rhodes, up.bass, electronica
featuring David Lewis: flugel horn,

11> Bagatelle N° 1.3 0:56
featuring David Lewis
2 Muted Trumpets, Trombone, French Horn, 2 Flutes, Solo Trumpet

12> Ansioso 1:25
acoustic piano, acoustic guitar, melodica, electric guitar, upright bass, xylophone.

13> Le Temps Perdu 2:26
upright piano, melodica, upright bass, steel string requinto..

14> Dive At Dawn 3:21
Fender Rhodes, Acoustic Bass Guitar, Accordina, Talking Drum, Percussion.

15> El Manzanero 3:12
Inor Sotolongo (Cuba): perussion.
Line Kruse (Danemark): violin.
Pajaro Canzani (Uruguay): Tiple
Daniel Diaz (Argentina): piano, upright bass.

16> El Pasional 3:17
Inor Sotolongo (Cuba): perussion.
Line Kruse (Danemark): violin.
Pajaro Canzani (Uruguay): guitar
Daniel Diaz (Argentina): piano, upright bass.

17> Bagatelle Numero 5.1 2:16
Daniel Diaz: Upright Bass, delays & filters.
Dave Lewis: Flugel Horn.

18> Bagatelle Numero 5.2 2:34
Daniel Diaz: Upright Bass, Piano, delays & filters.
Dave Lewis: Muted trumpet.

19> Bagatelle Numero 5.3 2:44
Daniel Diaz: Bowed upright bass, treated fender rhodes, electronica, delays & filters.
Dave Lewis: Trumpet.

20> Song For Lisa 3:34
acoustic bass.guitar, 12 string acoustic guitar, accordina, percussion.

Themes, album by Daniel Diaz
Themes by DD

Liner notes:

Themes is an album that compiles some music I composed and recorded for different audio-visual projects (theatre, music libraries, documentaries, TV).  20 tracks have been released in 2013.

These compositions are instrumental songs, like old-style themes, with chord changes and melodies.
Some are commissions, some others are compositions I was keeping for an eventual solo record (that I’ve just started recording, more here), but instead of reworking them I decided to recoup all these tracks in this new collection because I really like the actual themes as they are. No focus on development or performance here (solos, introductions, codas, improvisation) like I used to do in my albums, I decided to keep the bare song, in many cases just the melody exposition.

Just plain themes.

Thanks, love

DD, Paris, 2013.

Total Time 52:00

Composed, Arranged and Produced by DD

Recorded in many places, during 2010-11-12


Available HiRes Download:
Bandcamp/Themes

Listen: Spotify

More DD albums here

Maquina Blanda

Maquina Blanda

Songs from the past, 1995-2010. Unused masters, jams, covers.

Track List :

01> KARMA 3 (Daniel Diaz) 6:05
Manuel Miranda: Flute.
Daniel Diaz: Acoustic Bass Guitar.
Rikhi Hambra : Tabla, Percussion.

02> DOS AÑOS (Daniel Díaz) 6:00
Manuel Miranda: Flute.
Daniel Diaz: Fretless Bass.
Gabriel Kirschenbaum: Acoustic Guitar.
Daniel Miguez: Drums.
Santiago Vazquez Tabla.

03> PATAGONIA 1 (Daniel Díaz) 2:24
Manuel Miranda: Quenacho.
Daniel Díaz: Acoustic Bass Guitar, Percussion.

04> PATAGONIA 2 (Daniel Díaz) 2:36
Manuel Miranda: Quenacho.
Daniel Díaz: Acoustic Bass Guitar, Percussion.

05> ANGEL (Jimi Hendrix) 7:56
Daniel Miguez: Drums.
Daniel Díaz: Acoustic Bass Guitar, Percussion.
Gabriel Kirschenbaum: Acoustic Guitar.
Julian Hojman: Tenor Sax.

06> VIEJO PALERMO VIEJO (Daniel Díaz) 3:19
Manuel Miranda: Flute.
Daniel Díaz: Acoustic Bass Guitar, Percussion.

07>DOS OCEANOS (Daniel Díaz) 6:42
Daniel Díaz: Solo Acoustic Bass Guitar. Field recording: the sea @ Villa Gesell circa 1995.
07> Part 1: Gaviotas 3:22
08> Part 2 : Océanos 3:20

08> WINTER CODA (ZAMBITA) (Daniel Díaz) 7:28
Bobby Rangell: Alto Sax.
Daniel Díaz: Acoustic Bass Guitar.
Nico Arnicho: Percussion.

09> UMBRAL ( Luis Alberto Spinetta) 6:28
Manuel Miranda: Flutes.
Daniel Díaz: Acoustic Bass Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion

10> TOO LATE CANDOMBE (Daniel Díaz) 5:21
Daniel Díaz: Fretless Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Rhodes.
Bobby Rangell: Flute.
Javier Estrella : Drums.

11> SAMBA DE ORLY (Chico Buarque & Toquinho) 5:21
Daniel Díaz: Acoustic Bass Guitar.
Gabriel Kirschenbaum: Acoustic Guitar.
Facundo Guevara : Percussion.

12> EXPRESO NOVA (Daniel Díaz) 3:14
Daniel Díaz: Acoustic Bass Guitar, Percussion
Osvaldo Burucua: Acoustic Guitar.
Rikhi Hambra : Tabla.
Manuel Miranda: Quena.

Maquina Blanda CD

Performed by:

Daniel Diaz:
Acoustic Bass Guitar, Fretless Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Rhodes.

With:

Manuel Miranda: Flute, Quena.
Rik Hambra: Tabla, Percussion.
Gabriel Kirschenbaum: Acoustic Guitar.
Daniel Miguez: Drums.
Facundo Guevara: Percussion.
Osvaldo Burucua: Acoustic Guitar.
Santiago Vazquez: Tabla.
Julian Hojman: Tenor Sax.
Bobby Rangell: Flute, Alto Sax.
Javier Estrella: Drums.
Nico Arnicho: Percussion.

Produced and Arranged by Daniel Díaz
(C)&(P) 2012 DedeLand Music Co, BMI

Recorded in:

Buenos Aires, Argentina between May, 1995 and August, 1997

Paris, France between March, 2005 and December, 2010

Lima, Peru between November, 2010 and March, 2011.

Available CD and Download:
Bandcamp/Maquina Blanda

Listen: Spotify

More DD albums here

Maquina Blanda: liner notes

This is another batch of “un-used” songs, jams, covers and leftovers, a companion of my CD “Maquina Dura” released in 2000. After 15 years of recording in my home studio, by 2000, two official albums have been released: 1993 The Years Alone and 1997 Segundo Ciclo.
But so many recordings have been made in my Pleasure Dome Studios during those creative and formative “Years Alone” in Buenos Aires that I decided to put together two collections of leftovers: one electric (Maquina Dura) the other mostly acoustic. Both include leftovers, studio jams and cover versions.

The electric side was easy to put together. It featured tracks that, for artistic and “quality” issues, didn’t make it to the official CD’s track list. But the acoustic CD featured some tracks that couldn’t be considered leftovers. Tracks that were actually in the song list for Segundo Ciclo, recorded during those sessions, but dropped at the last moment because I decided to make a whole acoustic CD immediately after Segundo Ciclo.
“Maquina Blanda” was my live act and it was all-acoustic (acoustic guitar and basses, tabla and small percussion, flutes). The idea was to drop the “Maquina Blanda” songs form Segundo Ciclo and expand them to form a full length CD for a release by 1997-1998. Then I moved to France and that release never happened, so those tracks remained in the vault for 15 years. I was enamoured with those recordings (my very last full analogue-open-reel masters) and decided not to mix them with some “light weight” jams and demos, and save them for an eventual formal release.

In 2005 I reloaded that project, its concept, sound and repertoire for my trio with Javier Estrella and Bobby Rangell. We went to the studio to complete Maquina Blanda (the album) but eventually we made a full length CD with new recordings (including a couple of revamped tracks from The Maquina Blanda project) and that was it.
That’s how some of my favourite recorded songs remained inexplicably unreleased.

Then in 2010 a commission for acoustic recordings got me to work again with Manuel Miranda (full member of the original Maquina Blanda) and the idea of completing that collection was again in my head. I asked him to record two tracks I had written for Maquina Blanda back in 1995 (Patagonia 1 and 2) and a new track in the same style that was an ode to the old neighbourhood where we both used to live, play and hang out in Buenos Aires on during those years: “Viejo Palermo Viejo”. With these three tracks recorded with Manuel in Lima, now the whole project came full circle.

From the original 1996 track list including “Jams, Covers and Leftovers” just one studio jam and two covers remains, all tracks that we had been playing live and considering for release by then. The rest of the informal, spontaneous jams are replaced by formal recordings of acoustic, spare originals.

Now here it is to you (and to me) Maquina Blanda, almost as I intended to be 15 years ago.

dd, Paris, March 2012

Musique Mécanique

Musique Mécanique:

“electronic” sounding music (and music inspired by electronica) performed using instruments and objects that produce sounds by mechanical means.

Absolutely no synthesizers nor samplers used.

Released December 10, 2010.

Two editions, both eco-friendly (no plastic) available:

Standard Edition:

  • 14 tracks, Musique Mécanique “Vinyl Style” CD, Cardboard wallet, 4 page booklet.
  • 320 kbps Download

Limited Edition:

Triple Vinyl style CD + bonus content.
(packed on a beautiful signed and numbered box created by sergio pittaluga and d.d).
Box Set content:

  • Musique Mécanique 14 track CD
  • Musique Mécanique Bonus Tracks CD (13 tracks)
  • Lärmkunst 20 track CD (music&noise) (more lärmkunst info here)
  • Poster by Sergio Pittaluga, with full information and liner notes. 372×248 mm
  • Poster “Musique Mécanique architectonics” by Arq. Gustav O. Zepol.372x248mm
  • Musique Mécanique’s useless trinkets: 4 stickers, 2 badges, 2 postcards
  • Musique Mécanique’s useful trinkets: 2 guitar picks.

Musique Mécanique Limited Edition

Credits:

performed & recorded by daniel diaz in paris, villa gessel and buenos aires during 2008-2009. mixed and edited in paris 2009-2010.

performed and composed by daniel diaz.

Produced by Daniel Díaz

Cover art by Sergio Pittaluga.

Release made possible thanks of Cezame Music Agency’s support.

Available CD and Download:
Bandcamp/Musique Mecaniquen

Listen: Spotify

More DD albums here

Daniel Diaz Trio Lugar Comun
Daniel Diaz / Musique Mecanique

Track list:

1.Solo Piano Uno 03:48
2.Metallic Drone 03:36
3.Duo 1 03:07
4.Drone Mécanique 06:03
5.Bamboo 03:19
6.Jesse al Arco 02:50
7.Duo 2 03:28
8.Tappin Guitars 04:05
9.Solo Piano Dos 04:55
10.Tension 02:08
11.Frantic Prelude 01:53
12.Frantic Techno 03:03
13.Fierros 03:58
14.Solstice 04:16

Total Time 50:35

instruments & objects used:

  • acoustic piano,
  • upright bass (bowed and pizz),
  • acoustic and electric guitars and basses,
  • hand percussion,
  • bamboo flutes,
  • harmonica,
  • knives,
  • bamboo drums,
  • metal trash lid, stainless steel thermos,
  • wine glasses
  • and other objects.

fx, processing & treatments:

  • digital and analogue delays
  • echo
  • filters
  • reverb
  • wah-wah pedal
  • distortion pedal.

Musique Mécanique: liner notes

Musique Mécanique is the result of two types of research I have been pursuing during the last few years.

First , while working on some “drone” based tracks for another project, I got tired of the usual synth sustained low note as a drone, and all the tweaking, processing and morphing required to give some life to those dull plastic twangs. Being a bassist, it was a natural alternative to pick up my upright bass and try some bowed sustained notes. How much easier was now to add life to that! Not just by means of dynamics and playing techniques, but also manipulating and processing that acoustic “live” sound.  So I started building some basic tracks that I called “organic drones”, they were just drones performed in acoustic instruments and even objects, noises and sounds, then processing and morphing those mixed tracks to achieve an original, unreal yet warm and lively sound. Those organic drones started to get more and more complex and weird as I kept pushing the limits of my postulate: “Just noises produced by mechanical means”.

In the bonus CD of the Special Edition of Musique Mécanique you’ll find the very first track I recorded for this project using this concept: “Recitativo”, is one of my complex organic drones going on for more than 8 minutes, mutating and evolving  as I just solo on top of it my with my electric guitar. Some other tracks using this drone techniques made it to the final cut of Musique Mécanique, most notably “Metallic Drone” and “Drone Mécanique” and “Solstice”, but glimpses of these methods impregnated the whole project in the background of each track.

Then I started a second type of research, exploring the possibilities (and fun) of playing around with delays and echoes.  The random counterpoints, brilliant accidents and unexpected harmonies provided by these delayed signals (usually with particularly high decay/feedback times) proved to be quite addictive, and it took the best part of the album, its bonus tracks and extended to many other projects like “lärmkunst”. The bonus CD includes some compositions I recorded for other projects using the very same “Delays Mécaniques” concept.

The culmination of this echo-drenched research and the idea of using delays as a composition technique, ended up in a collection called “Auto-Counterpoints”, but that will be a different project, as those tracks are more focused, rigorously planned, standard compositions.

Musique Mécanique shows the research process, its unexpected results and delightful accidents.  In a way this is the ultimate ”experimental” album for me: a recording of my experimentations with sound and composition,  a pure “research” project, where I found the charm of starting a track without knowing exactly where it would lead me, without any plot or plan. Then, in post production the composition process continued, giving these recordings a more coherent, achieved structure and sound.

Hopefully some of you will appreciate the results of this process that took 2 years of passionate work. Thanks for making it happen, thanks for listening.

Love:

          dd, Paris October 2010

Musique Mécanique Box set content
Musique Mécanique Box set content
daniel diaz musique mécanique limited edition
stickers – musique mécanique limited edition
badges – musique mécanique limited edition
diaz musique mécanique limited edition guitar picks
guitar picks -musique mécanique limited
diaz musique mécanique limited edition
postcards – musique mécanique limited edition

LOW Volume 1

In 2007 Daniel Diaz released

LOW Vol 1

music for electric and acoustic basses

No synths used, no drums, no percussion, no guitars,  just basses.

An album of original compositions recorded by Argentinian bassist/composer Daniel Diaz in Paris, France between 2005 and 2007, performed exclusively on seven different acoustic and electric Basses.
The CD features both Solo bass pieces and orchestrated multi-track tunes, with basses performing bass parts AND guitar, keyboards, percussion parts et all.

This bass extravaganza is the result of Daniel Diaz’s 25 years performing and composing as a bassist all around the world, and it’s interesting listening for any bass player.

Credits:

All noises produced and recorded by D.D. at The Pleasure Dome, Paris, during 2005-2007. Cover art by Sergio Pittaluga.

Buy CD&Download here

Listen: Spotify

More DD albums here

music for electric and acoustic basses
Low Vol 1 CD cover

Instruments used:
Schecter “62 Jazz Bass”
4 string (w/black nylon strings)
Custom made Sekine Fretless Bass 4 strings.
Riverhead “Low” 4 string Bass tuned B/E/A/D with “floppy” strings. Steinberger 5 string bass tuned E/A/D/G/C
L’arrivée Acoustic 5 string acoustic bass guitar tuned E/A/D/G/C.
Michael Kelly Dragonfly 5 string acoustic bass guitar tuned E/A/D/G/C.
1900 Argentinean Contrabass.
Street sounds used as background noise and rhythmic loop on “La Baja”.
D.D.’s voice used to construct drum loop on “Sans Apostrophe”.

Low VOL.1:

Liner Notes

As a composer and recording artist who is mostly a bass player, a solo bass recording might seem to be a logical step in my career. But it took me 25 years and 6 albums as a solo artist/composer to finally dare to release such a project.  And in the end, this is not exactly a “Solo Bass Record”.

This is an album of music performed exclusively on Basses.

During pre-production, in what would become my first solo output (1993 The Years Alone), I decided to avoid the temptation of releasing a truly “bassist” album. Instead, as many fellow bass players have done, decided to concentrate my first solo statement on my composer-arranger-multi-instrumentalist goals rather than taking the more “risky” (critic-wise) virtuoso solo playing approach.

This was a wise decision, because by that time (in a world “after Jaco”) the standard in the art of bass solos was already extremely high.

So I kept this low-key attitude (no bass pyrotechnics) throughout my whole career, until my last LP, 2005 Lugar Comun.
Even if that trio CD was actually a tour de force for any bass player (trying to keep groove and harmonic/comping roles in an acoustic bass) the main focus was on the songs and overall sound. Actually there are no bass solos in the whole album (other than the 1 minute unaccompanied intro to Luiza).

Through the years I kept exploring the possibilities of the solo bass playing especially after moving to France and adapting to a “life without a piano” for the first time in my composer’s life. These solo-bass excursions are briefly represented in my recorded work (Interlude N°1 in “Maquina Dura” and Dos Oceanos in “Maquina Blanda”). Solo bass playing has always been my own private pleasure, be it studying, composing or just relaxing at home, and my little Steinberger bass was my travel companion around the world, so I ended up playing solo bass quite a lot.

Eventually the time seemed right to make a CD, just me and my bass (basses), by the end of 2005: after touring Lugar Comun’s technically demanding repertory and after many years of exploring my current set-up of 7 different basses and many custom built pedals, I decided to give it a go with this little self-indulgent solo bass festival.

Now: the original approach that allowed me to make a full length CD without the monotony of the unaccompanied solo bass formula was to think about some tracks as standard compositions with different instruments playing each part. Then I arranged/orchestrated them using just my basses. To achieve a full sounding orchestration, different instrument combinations, effects, and special techniques (prominently the volume pedal and the artificial harmonics technique I’m so proud of!) were used.

This “orchestrated” approach was used on the most traditional compositions like Vals Polaco, Zamba Del Bajo and La Baja.

To explore the sonic possibilities and frequencies blend of my different basses (believe me, is not easy to build a clear-sounding 16 track master using just low end) some preliminary “sonic etudes” were put together, just to test the better sounding combinations (Fx/Instrumet/playing-technique/Preamps, etc). Some of these Ad Lib multi-track improvisations were mixed and included in the final cut as “Abstract” episodes (Abstract 1,2, &3).

On the other hand, I did dare to perform many pieces in a more traditional “unaccompanied solo bass” format. But instead of the more obvious virtuoso-showing-off approach, I decided to adapt to the bass some of my compositions and just play the songs solo, using the bass almost as a Baritone Guitar.
The songs that made it to the final track-list are mostly performed with my Acoustic Bass, with just one song using the electric (Sans Apostrophe) and one with the Upright Bass (Interlude #2).

I also tried some more adventurous sounding solo performances using various real-time effects (pedals) as well. As with the arranged “abstract” pieces, I recorded some free improvisations on both acoustic and electric solo bass, just to get new spontaneous ideas of directions and sounds I could use for the solo bass tunes on the LP.

A couple of these improvisations were included in the final cut of LOW vol1: those are Impromptu #1&#2. Both pieces are free form, absolutely improvised “live” performances. The more “orchestrated” sound on Impromptu#2 was achieved using two different preamps feeding two tracks in my multi-track recorder, one with a huge delay effect, and the other with distortion, wah-wah and filter pedals, and using an A/B foot switch to change from one to the other in real time, so I could play live with channel 2 above a long delayed chord just played in channel 1.

One brief exception to the main rule (JUST BASS!) is the use of my voice to record a drumbeat to play over in Sans Apostrophe. I used to practice this song singing that simple groove to myself while playing, so it made sense and was fun to record it that way. I sang the kick&snare part, and then overdubbed the hi-hat pattern, and then I played the Solo Bass song over that.

The second exception is the use of a field recording to bring some street ambience as a background track for La Baja. The recording I used, taken in the street with a tiny microphone attached to my pocket while strolling around Paris, included some breath noise I made that provided quite a rhythmical pattern that goes very well with the chacarera rhythm of La Baja.

The rest is nothing but Basses, absolutely.

Hope this record sounds interesting for fellow bass players AND other music lovers around.

Enjoy!

Love:

DD

Paris, March 2007

Lugar Comun

Lugar Comun/Daniel Diaz Trio

This album is Daniel Diaz’s third CD, performed in trio with USA woodwind player Bobby Rangell and Argentinian percussionist Javier Estrella.  Performed live in the studio with no overdubs.

Credits:

Performed by
Daniel DIAZ : 
(Acoustic  Bass Guitar, Upright Bass,)
Bobby  RANGELL : (Flutes, Soprano and Alto Saxophones.)
Javier  ESTRELLA :(Drums, Percussion.)

Recorded at Angel Studio, Paris, France, May-June 2004

Produced by Daniel Díaz

Arrangements:
Daniel Díaz, Bobby Rangell & Javier Estrella.
« Bebê » and « Rosa…Rosa » arranged by  D.D. 

Mixed by D.D. at The Pleasure Dome, Paris, during July 2004.

Cover art by Sergio Pittaluga.

Available CD and Download:
Bandcamp/Lugar Comun

Listen: Spotify

More DD albums here

Daniel Diaz Trio Lugar Comun
Daniel Diaz Trio / Lugar Comun

Track list:

1. Zamba 4 by daniel díaz (zamba en cuatro)  
2. Chacabas
  by daniel díaz  (chacarera trunca)
3. Lluvias Costeras
by daniel díaz  (tango ballad)
4. Milonga Donata
by daniel díaz  (milonga)
5. Luiza
by antonio carlos jobim (vals)
6. Rosa…Rosa
by sandro & oscar anderle  (milonga)
7. Candombe p’al Beto
by daniel díaz (candombe)
8. Bebê 
by hermeto pascoal  (milongon/samba)
9. Pop (Lugar Comun)
by daniel díaz (popballad)
10. Get Out Of Town
by cole porter (bossa)
11. Calcarea
by daniel díaz  (ballad)
12. And I Love Her
by lennon & mccartney (bolero)

Total Time 70:48