Hello my darling ||||||||, I’m Scarlet Dame.
You’re all very special to me, and none of you know that I exist. I’ve been a lurker on lines for some years. But i’ve learned much. I’ve been humbled by your passion and vulnerability in your music and thoughtful explorations of your process. I’ve learned that the best time to begin again is always right now, to whatever extent we’re ready and willing. Please allow me to introduce myself.
In the last year and a half I’ve ended a business, come out as trans (she/her), ended a marriage, gotten sober from drugs and alcohol (just celebrated 1 year 11/1), moved back to Brooklyn, and most perhaps importantly to me - finally began pursuing my love of music after over 10 years of self denial after I decided not to go to conservatory and traumatic events. In early 2019, I bought an 0-coast, and started my journey into modular. A close friend of mine made a wonderful suggestion - that I not record anything at all for 1 year, to just play for myself. It was one of the best gifts I’ve ever given myself.
When we went into lockdown in spring 2020, I was in New Orleans trying to tie up loose ends. I ended up having my case mailed to me from NYC, and I was able to buy some more equipment with COVID stimulus checks. As my system has grown I’ve learned to sometimes miss those days of less! A downsizing may be in my future.
In quarantine I started making recordings for the first time in my life. I love the immediacy of modular, of playing live. Everything is single tracked. I usually produce in sessions of no more than 2 hours. Sometimes I go days or weeks looking at my modular, wondering if it’ll excite me again when I sit down at it. Terrified that it was all a dream, that I won’t find my way to a place that inspires me. But every single time I sit down, within 5 minutes, maybe 1 minute, I’m grinning like an idiot. I usually sketch out an idea in 10-20 minutes, then figure out how to modulate it and setup some macro controls to transition textures, sketch out another section of sorts, and then experiment for 20 minutes or so. In an hour or so, I start to play for myself. Sometime’s I’ll destroy elements entirely and rebuild sections of the patch, but I rarely spend longer than 2 or 3 hours before finishing a recording. When I sit down next, I pull all the cables first. There’s something so therapeutic about that for me, these patches and recordings are all transient.
Here are some selected tracks from the last 9 months. I’ll continue to post tracks below as I make them! I’m really happy to be at a place now where I feel willing to share and participate. It’s a pleasure to be here.
Perhaps my favorite to date. I’ve been intensely reexamining my relationship to money, work, and creative vision and this sample really resonated with me.
A lullaby I sent my now partner before we were dating in the early pandemic. Still gives me tender goosebumps of love.
I still love this groove. Failure is simply a bad habit. And habits can be broken.
This is the first track I ever shared with more than a few people. I have mixed feelings about it now, but it’ll always be important to me.
Crater is a banger. I danced my face off in my underwear in front of my modular. There was sweat everywhere. I’d just gotten the WMD Crater Kick Drum. I named this track very creatively. I miss drugs and raves but modular is better.
I’m obsessed with spoken word and twisting techno. Here’s some more. There are issues with so many of these tracks, poorly done mixes, bad transitions, etc. But there are also elements I’m still obsessed with. The harmonic in the drawn out kick drum here pulls at me in such a delicious way. I want it to be more of what it is; it’s everything I want it to be.
Most recent. Made it last night after a number of months without recording anything. Frankly, I think I freaked myself out. I had been recording a lot, and started thinking about putting my material out there more publicly, talking to friends in the industry. I’d been getting some positive feedback. What can I say, having your dreams come true can be much more terrifying than anything else.
Feedback appreciated! I’ll do my best to post updates and recordings as I make them below! Looking forward to getting to know you all.
Love
Scarlet
