p r e s e n t s . . .
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN YOU AND ME IS AN ILLUSION
THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS TO THIS PROJECT (DESCRIBED BELOW) HAS BEEN REACHED, BUT IF YOU'D LIKE TO BE PART OF MY NEXT COLLABORATION PROJECT OR IF YOU'D LIKE TO RECIEVE THE MOTION RECORDINGS NEWSLETTER FOR UPDATES ON THIS PROJECT'S DEVELOPMENT AND MY OTHER MUSICAL ENDEAVORS, CLICK HERE TO SEND ME A MESSAGE.
With the following instrumentals, I hope to catch the attention of artists who would like to be a part of my next album, which will be comprised of some or all of the instrumentals, with the addition of vocals and DJ scratches by various people from all accross the globe. The album's tentative title is The Distance Between You And Me Is An Illusion, and its meaning has to do with the idea of community.
There are many problems in the world, most of them relating to violence, greed, and fear, and I believe that solutions to all of these problems can be realized through the formation of communities. Communities are groups joined in the performance of a function or multiple functions, which participate in communion, or sharing. By sharing thoughts, communities can generate incredible new ideas and solutions to problems; by sharing resources, communities can find themselves in an abundance of material goods.
With modern communications technologies and multiple private dwellings organized into towns and cities, it seems that the soil is ripe for communities, and even a global community, wherein sharing resources and information could result in a perpetually evolving and self-enriching society. But unfortunately, the dominant culture, which has been shaped by large corporations, through the use of the mass-media system, is one of consumerism. In order for a consumer society to survive, division between the people is necessary, and so we are taught by the media to remain apart from one another. Advertisements constantly remind us of our individuality while neglecting to focus on our similarities. We're provided with a huge assortment of different brands and styles of clothing, toiletries, automobiles, and entertainment, when most of these products provide the same essential functions; we're made to think that the world is made up of many widely varying types of people, when in actuality, we have the same essential drives and needs. Even though we have a natural drive for communion, the media tricks us into believing that we can achieve this through consumption. Often, advertising sells the idea of communion, but the products themselves can never live up to the promise. For example, chewing gum commercials commonly depict couples kissing and embracing, but when we buy the gum, all we have is gum, along with an empty feeling that makes us want to buy something else that also promises a meaningful relationship but doesn't deliver it. What we seek, deep down, is communion, which can provide us with all of our needs, and which is provided by community.
Another, related, meaning of the title, The Distance Between You And Me Is An Illusion, has to do with the subject of energy transfer and the power of brain waves. I believe (and this belief can be backed up by many different scientific studies and experiments, although I won't try to prove the hypothesis here) that thoughts can be very powerful and that they have the ability to cause changes in the real world. Furthermore, I believe that thoughts held in common by multiple beings generally have a force greater than thoughts held by a single being. (It is a principle of physics that the combination of multiple brain waves with the same frequency will result in an amount of energy which is squared with each additional brain wave; the energy exerted by the thoughts of a single person is one fourth of the energy exerted by two people with the same thought, and it's one ninth of the energy exerted by three people with the same thought.) This means that people united in thought can create monumental changes. It also means that, whether we realize it or not, we're all part of a mental community, which is responsible for the state of our reality. The reason that our reality is made up of so many conflicting forces is that people are isolated from each other - disconnected. Again, the solution to the problem is community.
If you rap, scratch, or if you just write lyrics, and the ideas that I've outlined inspire you, or if you have any messages that you feel might bring the world closer together, use the music on this album to write to and/or to rap upon. Send me your plain vocals, scratches, or lyrics in any shape or form, and if I deem them suitable, they'll be included on the upcoming project. (Go here for complete guidelines and information about submissions.) Also, if you have artwork or photography that you'd like to submit for the album cover, or if you just have an idea for the project, please feel free to send it to me. I hereby guarantee that all participants will be notified prior to the album's release to verify permission, credits, and royalty payment arrangements.
jonahmo@hotmail.com
1101 Ewa Place; Kihei, HI 96753; USA
(808) 874-9391
contact@motionrecordings.com
To sampling artists and DJ's: Feel free to use the music on this album for your own purposes - I won't sue you, however, I'd appreciate some credit.
(6/2/ 01)
I've recieved a huge amount of e-mail from people interested in this project. At first, I was giving out CD's of the instrumentals for free, but due to the number of requests I was getting, I'm now asking for either $2(US) or a CD/tape of your own music.
(6/10/01)
Under the Comments link at the top of this page, there's a message board. I think that this would be a great way for the project's participants to share ideas for lyrics, etc.
(6/20/01)
I've updated the web site for my personal record label, Motion Recordings. This is one of the labels, I presume, that will release this album. The question of distribution is still up in the air, although I've recieved a couple offers. Hopefully the album will be released via several different independent labels and/or distributors. (I'm also accepting demos for the label - mail to 1101 Ewa Place; Kihei, HI 96753; USA.)
(6/30/01)
I've put up a complete list of guidelines for recording vocals and questions regarding how I'm going to use the vocals, which should be read by anyone who wants to contribute and which, I think, will answer most of the fequently asked questions that I get.
(7/13/01)
Hip Hop Congress, a cool web site, has posted a feature article about this project (under the Music link).
I've posted a list of all of the artists that have shown interest in this project, and who may participate in it, here.
(8/27/01)
All submissions have now been collected, with a few stragglers remaining to get theirs to me. Soon I'll begin processing and placing the vocals onto the instrumentals and writing/recording my own vocals alongside. Other projects in the works: I'm producing an album by my rapping friend, S. Winter Fifield; I'm designing some kick-ass Motion Recordings t-shirts; and I'm re-processing some older recordings I've done, including the Experimental Man computer-made mix CD, the Nasty Gentlemen EP (me and my friend, Matt Davis), and the Jonah Love single. Stay tuned...
(10/6/01)
The new Mole instrumental album has been released - what are you waiting for? Go buy it on CD for only $6!
The Distance... project is still on the back burner for now, because I keep getting more people sending in submissions. I now guess that it will be available by January or February, 2002.
(11/7/01)
The new Mole solo rap album is available. For a limited time you can listen to it as free MP3's here. You can also read the lyrics here. And of course you can buy it ($6) here.
I'll start mixing the Distance... project next week.
Love,
The Mole
MotionRecordings.com