Jingo Harleyman: ‘Life in a Korean Movie’, Track No. 7

18th May 2023

The seventh track on the EP ‘Life in a Korean Movie’, Ice-Cold Angels, has been uploaded to YouTube:

All tracks are free to download on the Bandcamp site:

https://jingoharleyman.bandcamp.com/album/life-in-a-korean-movie

Track 6 (‘We are the Cyborgs but that’s OK’) was inspired by Asian Sci-fi; Track 7 is another genre piece, this time the gangster film.

‘Ice-Cold Angels’ is the soundtrack to an imaginary crime-action movie, incorporating sounds of explosions, gunfire, speeding cars, police sirens, and gangsters shouting.

Lee Byung-hun … a Korean Alain Delon ? Still from ‘A Bittersweet Life’.

Musically, I chose the key of F and used the Korean Nando – Kyemyonjo scale, limiting myself to the five notes of that pentatonic scale: F G G# A# C.

Again, I was experimenting with the synth effects and sounds on the iPhone Garageband app, and some new guitar tones that were recently added. The ‘Digital Rainfall’ hopefully evokes the constant rain that seems to permeate crime and cyberpunk movies.

Kim Ok-bin in ‘The Villainess’ – fans of ‘John Wick’ will appreciate this film.

The music is non-profit, and I hope to introduce more audiences to Korean cinema and culture. All films are credited in the video. As such, I hope I may claim ‘Fair Use’, the video being for non-commercial artistic and educational purposes.

The next section is just for my own records and will be of no interest to anyone except maybe low-fi recording geeks.

The track is in the Key of F

Tempo 229 4/4 Time

Garageband sequence

Track 1 Classic Drum Machine

Track 2 Audio – Voice – Extreme Tuning

Dialogue from ‘The Villainess’ & ‘Shiri’

Track 3 Liverpool Bass

Track 4 Alchemy Synth – Mallets – Woodblock Space

Track 5 Alchemy Synth – Sound Effects – Digital Rainfall

Tracks 6 – 9 Guitar tones

Track 6 Melted Transistors Guitar amp Distorted

Track 7 Cold Fusion Guitar amp Processed

Track 8: Big Sustain Guitar amp Distorted

Track 9: Moving Lead Distorted

Track 10 Drum Machine – Acoustic – Retro Rock

Track 11 Fuzz Overload Guitar amp Distorted

Track 12 Alchemy Synth – Bass – 70s Classic Synth Bass

Track 13 Alchemy Synth – Sound Effects – Massive Slam

Coming soon … ‘Sassy Girls on the Beach’

Jingo Harleyman: ‘Life in a Korean Movie’, Track No. 6

17th May 2023

The sixth track on the EP ‘Life in a Korean Movie’, We are the Cyborgs, but that’s OK, has been uploaded to YouTube:

All tracks are free to download on the Bandcamp site:

https://jingoharleyman.bandcamp.com/album/life-in-a-korean-movie

The most experimental piece on the EP, ‘Cyborg’ uses various synth settings and effects to recreate a robotic, electronic soundscape, mixed with some traditional-sounding patriotic marching songs.

The dichotomy of traditional and futuristic sounds is continued by the use of a Chinese pipa set against a heavy bass drum machine.

The next section is just for my own records and will be of no interest to anyone except maybe low-fi recording geeks.

The track is in the Key of C

Tempo 110 4/4 Time

Garageband sequence

Track 1 Tweed Rhythm Guitar amp

Track 2 Echolocation Synth

(Alchemy Synth – Rhythmic – Echolocation Synth)

Track 3 Chinese Kit – Percussion

Track 4 Drum Machine – Trap Door

(More – Electronic – Trap Door)

Track 5 Picked Bass

Track 6 Alchemy Synth – Voices – Female Choir Morph

Track 7 Drum Machine – Crate Digger

(Drum Machine – Electronic – Crate Digger)

Track 8: Alchemy Synth – Voices – Girl’s Choir 1

Track 9: Alchemy Synth – Voices – Moving Voice

Track 10 Alchemy Synth – Sound Effects – Transform Flare

Track 11 Pipa (played on synth Keyboard – Other – Pipa)

Track 12 Melted Transistor Guitar amp – Distorted

Track 13 Spy Tremolo Guitar amp – Processed

Tracks 14 & 15 Film Clips ‘SORI’ & ‘Air Doll’

Track 16 Garageband FX

Audio: Voice, Extreme Tuning

Coming soon … ‘Ice-Cold Angels’

Jingo Harleyman: ‘Life in a Korean Movie’, Track No. 5

10th May 2023

The fifth track on the EP ‘Life in a Korean Movie’, Christmas every August, has been uploaded to YouTube:

All tracks are free to download on the Bandcamp site:

https://jingoharleyman.bandcamp.com/album/life-in-a-korean-movie

A two-chord song that builds to add synths, guzheng and a glockenspiel, evoking the melancholy of this love story that never was.

The inspiration for the track, ‘Christmas in August’ (1998), was one of the first films of New Korean Cinema to combine romance with heart-breaking drama. In later years, two young lovers one with a terminal illness, became something of a cliché, but this film remains one of the best; simple, delicate and very moving

The next section is just for my own records and will be of no interest to anyone except maybe low-fi recording geeks.

The track is in the Key of G

Tempo at drum section 133 6/8 Time

Garageband sequence

Track 1 Drum machine: Vintage Kit

Track 2 Clean Stack Guitar amp

Riff: Gm7 (root on the 10th fret, A string) / Cm7 (root on the 3rd fret, A string)

Track 3 Grand Piano

G F# G C / G F# G

Track 4 Alchemy synth – Voices – Girl’s Choir

Chorus selection (Chorus 11 o’clock / Reverb 11)

Track 5 Guzheng

G Am C Em chords

Tracks 6 Film Clips. Audio: Voice, Extreme Tuning

Track 7 Alchemy Synth – Glockenspiel

D G A – E D C

Tracks 8 & 9 Guitar Tones

Track 8: Palace of Mirrors PROCESSED

Track 9: Auditorium CLEAN

Riff: E 15 14 15 B 15 E 14 G 12

E string {C B A} G F# G D F# G {E} [20th – 12th frets)

B string D [15th fret]

G string G [12th fret]

Coming soon … ‘We are the Cyborgs, but that’s OK’

Jingo Harleyman. ‘Life in a Korean Movie’, Track No. 3

28th April 2023

The third track on the new EP ‘Life in a Korean Movie’, Lover’s Phobia, has been uploaded to YouTube:

All tracks are free to download on the Bandcamp site: https://jingoharleyman.bandcamp.com/album/life-in-a-korean-movie

Another one of my favourite Korean films, another film about two young people in love fated only to share a short time together.

The track is based solely on one chord, Em11, played in two different positions. The first position is on the 5th fret, the second on the 10th.

Both intro guitar riffs are based on the notes of the 5th fret position. The bass plays variations on the notes of the chord.

The mood changes as the tempo slows and guitar arpeggios replace the riffs. The chord moves to the 10th fret position.

The third section has thrashing chords and a faster tempo, along with drums and a more atonal bass, hinting at the unhappiness after the ‘happy’ ending.

The film stars Kang Hye-jung & Cho Seung-woo

The next section is just for my own records and will be of no interest to anyone except maybe low-fi recording geeks.

The track is in the Key of Em

Tempo at drum section 187

Garageband sequence

Track 1 Chorus Shimmer (processed Guitar amp)

1st Riff on top 3 strings:

E – A note B – G & E notes G – D note

Track 2 Cool Jazz Combo Guitar amp

2nd Riff: notes of the Em11 chord (5th fret position) on E & B strings.

Tracks 3 & 4 Sparkling Clean Guitar amp

Arpeggios of Em11 chord, 10th fret position.

D, A & E strings, then B, G & D strings.

Track 3 plays the chords, Track 4 uses fingerpicking

Track 5 Alchemy Synth: Mallets, Atlantean Bells

Setting 1: Warm Ring (Chorus at 7 o’clock, Reverb 1) Setting 2: Wooden Mallets

Tracks 6 Drum machine: Live Drums, SoCal

Track 7 Precision Bass

E – G – C – F – E (with variations)

Track 8 Film Clips. Audio: voice, Extreme Tuning

Coming soon … ‘Living in a Korean film’

Jingo Harleyman on Bandcamp … and it’s all FREE !

2nd December 2022

Yesterday, before work, I finally opened a Bandcamp account for my solo project Jingo Harleyman.

I am really not tech-minded, so completing anything online is a minor victory for me. I still need to add a photo and a bio but at least I have uploaded six tracks, and hope to add more today.

The address is: https://jingoharleyman.bandcamp.com/

The music, which I recorded on various phones and iPad apps, is available to download free of charge.

The six tracks are taken from the twenty-four track project ‘Hari Karachi & the Durango 4’, the soundtrack to an underground cult film.

You may watch clips from the film on YouTube:

Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsmo9VDTZXw&ab_channel=Chadav

Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNtSgvvBLLQ&t=284s&ab_channel=Chadav

Part 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RODBAMlmg8o&t=217s&ab_channel=Chadav

Part 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC3p1ChzsUk&t=405s&ab_channel=Chadav

Meanwhile, I need to learn more about Bandcamp and make the dashboard more appealing. Any help, tips or advice will be gratefully appreciated.

Furthermore my band Butterfly Decal also need a Bandcamp page, as we have a number of tracks already completed.

I’m working with my old friend Niall Keohane in this band, and Niall’s technical expertise elevates the low-fi music; he makes it sound professional and epic !

Niall’s also a multi-instrumentalist, and regularly plays gigs and makes recordings.

In case you haven’t heard anything from Butterfly Decal (there are several videos on YouTube), here’s one from Niall, about the love affair between Jazz legend Miles Davis and French singer Juliette Greco:

Thank you all very much for your time

All the best from Sai Gon

Jingo Harleyman – ‘Hari Karachi & the Durango 4’ OST (Part 3)

26th September 2022

Part 3 of the OST (original soundtrack)

‘Hari Karachi & the Durango 4’

The music was composed and performed by Jingo Harleyman, and is royalty-free; anyone may download the music or use it for non-profit purposes.

Furthermore, all the music is free to use for no-budget or low-budget projects. Please credit the composer:

Hari Karachi is a cybertective, notable for wearing crocodile boots.

In Part 3 Karachi realises why the notorious Durango 4 revenge posse are hunting him; the cybertective has uncovered a hidden, nefarious dark website known as Cicada 126.

Seymore Green employs the Mai Tai Girls to get Karachi to safety, then Karachi can plan to destroy Cicada 126 … unless they get to him first.

Now, without further ado, the video:

The story (spoiler-free) will conclude in the next blog post, Part 4 of the OST.

Thank you to everyone who has watched the video. Your time and support is really appreciated.

Jingo Harleyman – ‘Hari Karachi & the Durango 4’ OST (Part 1)

16th September 2022

Part 1 of the OST (original soundtrack)

‘Hari Karachi & the Durango 4’.

The music was composed and performed by Jingo Harleyman, and is royalty-free; anyone may download the music or use it for non-profit purposes. Furthermore, all the music is free to use for no-budget or low-budget projects. Please credit the composer:

Hari Karachi is a cybertective, notable for wearing crocodile boots.

Karachi has a small, intimate network of informers, enforcers and compadres: one stormy night he picks up a coded warning from Tiger Girl.

Tiger Girl, cyber expert, Wing Chun Master, Heaven’s own Angel

The beautiful, highly-skilled compadre wants to meet Karachi at the Chamber of Jade to pass on some terrifying info from the darkest of dark webs …

Now, without further ado, the video:

The cult film is based on the book by award-winning author Duncan G. Balthazar.

More on the elusive, reclusive, enigmatic author in the next video blog.