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Not bad for something I released back in March.

I had to check, it didn't seem that long ago.

I need to start putting more stuff on the channel and think I might use it in a similar way to how I previously used SoundCloud.

The next couple of uploads will be pieces that were test runs, just me putting some sounds together and seeing if I thought it could become a full track. Neither of them did, but they sowed the seeds for other things.

While I wasn't happy enough to finish them, I don't see why they still can't be shared with the world.

Not everything I try needs to be released, and I'm okay with that, it's all part of learning and improving. There will always be things that don't quite work — it's how I move on from them that matters.

Still, it's nice to give a peek behind the curtain every now and then.

This weekend, however, has seen something new emerging from the post-completion lull.

When I won my copy of the Roland Cloud TB-303 plugin, I said that it gave me the option of messing about in the DAW and transferring patterns to hardware later. That's exactly what I've done.

Having focused on the LM Drum recently, I just started playing with a couple of instances of the 303 and Ableton's core 909 kit — getting back to the techno basics. Something quickly formed and I put a quick loop on Bluesky.

This evening saw the start of the transition to hardware. While it doesn't have the exact same sound, I'm really liking it and have added some extra elements.

It's still in the development phase but definitely heading in the right direction.

I don't know if this will see the light of day before the end of the year. Maybe I'll keep working on more tracks ready for a release in January.

Check it out here - there is one track available during the pre-order phase.

Full release, accompanied by a listening party, is next Friday, 28th November.

This has been in development for a while and I'm so pleased to be able to share it.

It is 9 tracks, over an hour of solid acid:

The album title is a play on the lyric "heroin is so passé" from "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth" by The Dandy Warhols.

It's obviously a self-referential joke (the album is full of acid tracks) but it does have a point: the tracks on this album are not focused so much on what makes acid acid — the knob turning and tweaking. Instead, they were written to create grooves and vibes. More of a feeling — as outlined in "acid is more" a manifesto of sorts.

Eschewing the usual 808 & 909 beats, the album reaches into wider sonic territory while retaining a more minimal approach to track building. (It still includes plenty of 505, 606 & 707 samples.)

While there are 'four on the floor' beats they feel less rigid, more funky. But there are also unsettling moments like "no escape" which serves as an homage to the classic "Where's Your Child" by Bam Bam, and the slight dissonance of "the octet rule broken" and "empty orbital".

This is still, however, instantly recognisable as a randomelements release.

Before (and during) writing my review of it, I mentioned that that the only way to get to grips with a piece of gear was by really focusing on it. That's essentially what I've being doing with this.

The RD-8 and RD-9 are not currently connected and, with the variety offered by the LM Drum, I've not been missing the classic Roland sounds.

Just switching between sample banks (and being able to create my own) has been enough to trigger fresh inspiration, especially with the way the machine works.

The workflow is also more relaxed than the others mentioned above. For example, on the RD-8 & 9 you have to switch between Mute and Pattern modes whereas, on the LM, the layout allows access to both at the same time.

They say that just buying a new piece of gear won't make you happy or make better music, but that's exactly what's been happening.