Ok, first of all, the things that won’t change:
- There is still a project
- There will also be a release
- The project consists of composed songs up to 90 seconds in length.
Now for the change:
The contents of the #secretalbum project will be spread over several releases. Those releases will start in 2012 and may continue until 2014.
Onto the details:
The Basic Idea
This idea first surfaced early this year in discussion with @frl_sm1lla, when we were talking about the Aeneis suite, the suite which (according to plan) is the biggest suite on this project, with a total playing time in the 10 minute range. It was her idea that this should be a separate release from the #secretalbum project, because it was strong enough to stand on its own.
Of course, I wouldn’t have any of this, my rationale being that taking out this very suite would considerably weaken the #secretalbum/D.R.M itself.
So why the change of mind?
Quite simply, an issue of project management: the tracklist (including, of course, tracks for which I neither have a detailed idea nor musicians) has right now more than 70 positions. With this comes a list of (possible) collaborators (music, cover art and otherwise) extending well beyond 50, and let’s not forget that all of them doing that for no compensation than a heartfelt “thank you” and the honor to be on this project (go figure!).
Add to that that the project suffered from some throwbacks (artists suddenly quite literally disappearing, me moving house, and right now a composer’s block, affecting at least my dear Aeneis suite, …), and it’s understandable that I was forced to move the release date from a “possibly end of 2011″ to a “end of 2012 hopefully” now. I don’t want to move that anymore.
Now, it’s not that nothing has been done ever since the project start (that was April 2011, remember?): a complete suite (Rückwärtsfließpreßverfahren, formerly known as 20/20) and a bunch of some eighteenish tracks are already in a “release candidate” state – meaning: last mixing run, mastering, and off with it. It would be stupid to let them lie around any longer.
Sooo, I decided to turn #secretalbum into a group of individual releases. These will be individual albums (EPs, sometimes short ones), which appear as they are ready, but they will somehow appear under the summarizing #secretalbum banner (that being more a marketing strategy thing than anything else). And they can start rather soon…like, this fall?
Specific Release Strategy
All of the ideas which ever surfaced with regard to this #secretalbum project (at least the good ones) will find their way into a release strategy, which may look some like this. As I said, things simply get shifted or swapped when something gets finished before another thing:
1. Verschluckbare Kleinteile (2012)
This is a collection of the tracks not part of a suite which right now are ready for release. Which also means: if others get to be ready in the next weeks/months (I’m thinking maybe e.g. Wassersuppe?), they may still be included. As of now, it’s around 17 tracks with a total playing time of around 14 minutes.
2. Rückwärtsfließpreßverfahren (2012)
The aforementioned suite. This could also be a 2012 release – if I don’t decide to include it on Verschluckbare Kleinteile (which I don’t want to do actually – the only reason for this would be the short playing time of under 5 minutes for this 13-track release).
3. Größenordnungen (2013)
Also this has been around for some time (and suffers from a disappearing artist – volunteers on touch guitar or grand piano welcome!). Also a sub-five-minutes release, but I assume/hope this could be ready sometime during 2013.
3. Aeneis (2013)
The big one. Extending some over 10 minutes in total, this will be an album where I myself do not play a single note. Really! Also, expect release sometime during 2013.
4. Baßtelstube (2013/2014)
Just started this – stuff for electric bass guitars (and maybe double basses as well). Two tracks are written – if I get more ideas, this could be yet another release – another one with a ’round-5-minute playing time.
5. Ugly Hardcore Suite [working title] (2013/2014)
Have some very definitive idea, but right now lack the hardcore trio/quartet to play it. Also a possible 2013/2014 release (but don’t count on it), and this would maybe only 3 minutes or so in length.
6. Verschluckbare Kleinteile II [working title] (2013/2014)
I told you about the total of more than 70 track ideas currently on my list. Some of these will never get completed by end of 2012 – but they may very well be completed by early 2014 or so. Also, I might have new ideas. This release is, if you will, the closing release and garbage collection for this project.
Album Name?
There will be a name for the entire series, and names for the individual releases. It’s simple for the individual releases which contain a suite – name of the release = name of the suite. For the entire series…it will by all propability not be D.R.M. Actually, #secretalbum or #secretalbums could work, though…
About Cover Art
I just addressed that topic with cover art project manager Anna Bejenke, and the idea is like this that a) there will be some kind of unifying cover art concept and b) each individual release will feature another cover artist, working withing the (wide) boundaries of the unifying concept.
More details on that concept are still hazy, so stay tuned!
What does it mean for you artists?
First of all, none of the stuff already recorded will get trashed – everything will end up somewhere. In the case of the Verschluckbare Kleinteile/Rückwärtsfließpreßverfahren stuff, you now can even be sure that it will be released in 2012 (maybe even in fall). As for those I have been in contact with and who had to decline because of scheduling problems – rest assured that I’ll contact you again. If you still have some stuff to do, it now means you have more time!
What does it mean for you fans?
More releases! In the long run even more short stuff! Altogether more fun!
Yours,
Rainer