Original post on mastodon.online

It's #MusiciansDay - am I a musician? Who knows.. I generally only use virtual instruments, does that count?

But I do make some things that are approximately music, as Key 13. In the last couple of months of 2025 I made some tracks using a real instrument, of sorts - although perhaps it's more […]

Original post on mastodon.online

So, now it's been on #TIBtv Fresh, I can release my new video. Which is a very old track I hate, and hate even more having spent two weeks lining up all the Petternodes animations to match it :)

So here's a challenge: do you want to remix it into something wild and random - "Unexpected!" - that […]

Original post on mastodon.online

I might have submitted another Key 13 video to #TIBtv .. brand new, completely self-animated this time, no reliance on third-party footage.

But, on the other hand, it is a *very* random track I chose to animate. So there's that. And I have no clue what I'm doing with animation, so there's that […]

Just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone who bought, downloaded or streamed Sun • Moon • Stars both yesterday and last week. It's very much appreciated.

I'm still blown away that anyone wants to listen to this stuff made on pretend instruments with my little nanoKEY 2.

#key13

Little Flowers of Perpetual Annoyance

Oh by the way, I forgot to write down all the options for naming the creature-with-the-red-eyes! Still open to suggestions..

video.key13.uk/sun-moon-stars/key-13-li...

#key13

Sun • Moon • Stars - an EP by Key 13 Release Party party.bonkwave.org

Release party chat and lobby now open at:

https://party.bonkwave.org

#Key13

So.. Key 13 EP launch with videos -

Monday or Tuesday evening? 8pm ish? There's too much already going on tomorrow I think.

#key13

Submitted it, no going back now :) What have I unleashed on the world...

#key13

Aha.. I have finally figured out how to use parameter locks on the OP-XY - specifically to modulate/automate variations in the FX sends and envelope parameters. Whoo!

There's still more to learn about these but I'm getting there.

New track incoming at some point soon.

#opxy #key13

you will be coal you will be coal

I've finished another OP-XY track - not quite so happy with this one for a number of reasons, but here we are:

https://music.key13.uk/audius-consumed/3/

#key13 #op-xy

Finished another track on the OP-XY, slightly rushed the mix to meet a songaweek deadline :)

Original post on mastodon.online

I believe it's traditional to include one's SoundCloud link when a post gets popular! But although I do have one, it's a bit random. And who knows, it probably relies on Cloudflare...

So here's my Faircamp instead:

https://music.key13.uk/

And there's still some valid free #Bandcamp and #Mirlo […]

Original post on mastodon.online

Final one of these for now - new/old Key 13 release: Uncooked 05: Misfits.

Free streaming and download, just as with the others:

https://music.key13.uk/uncooked05-misfits/

This one has all the tracks that didn't fit anywhere else. Oddly enough it might be the strongest of the lot!

The idea […]

Original post on mastodon.online

Included on this release is "Unexpected Petunia", the "medieval reggae" (sorry!) track I knocked up in about two hours one Saturday afternoon 5 years ago and have never really liked.

But others seem to, and it made an appearance on the recent Spring Bonk Wave live streams in the lobby playlist. […]

Original post on mastodon.online

Sneaking out another Uncooked release - "04: Early Efforts" - this time of the very first Key 13 tracks from 2020. Some of these even predate the Key 13 name, originally released as "keeftoons".

https://music.key13.uk/uncooked04-early-efforts/

I wasn't supposed to be remastering/remixing any […]

Original post on mastodon.online

Did you know that Key 13 sometimes has a heavier side?

The seven archive tracks on "Uncooked 03: Semi-Metal" are examples of that harder edge.

As with the other "uncooked" releases these tracks are demo-quality, taken as they are - although I did tweak a couple for this release. If you think […]

Original post on mastodon.online

The second in my series of "Uncooked" releases is now available - only on my Faircamp site.

Subtitled "80s influence", this one is a loose collection of 80s-inspired tracks. It's a lot more song-based than volume 01, only a couple of instrumentals.

As with all the "uncooked' releases these are […]

Uncooked 01: Electronic Uncooked 01: Electronic

Quick test to see if my opengraph tags are working (and a quick cheeky extra plug for my not-so-new release "Uncooked 01")

https://music.key13.uk/uncooked01-electronic/

#key13 #faircamp

Original post on mastodon.online

An upgraded Faircamp site and a not-so-new Key 13 release "Uncooked 01: Electronic".

Read more here: https://words.key13.uk/key-13-uncooked

In short: the first in a series of (at least) 5 planned archive releases, and a shiny new, slightly streamlined, Faircamp site.

I don't know if any of […]

Original post on mastodon.online

I wrote this track over three years ago when the Russians first invaded Ukraine. Sadly it seems even more relevant today.

Maybe I need to add another verse about all the additional horrible things in my feed timeline.

mirlo.space/key13/release/pretentiou... […]

Original post on mastodon.online

For some reason my muse has decided that this week is for creating random cover art, without any music to go with it.

Gah..

https://pixelfed.de/p/keef/833474537390037554

https://pixelfed.de/p/keef/833473441743784218

Maybe one day I'll write something to go with one of these.

#Key13 […]

Original post on mastodon.online

Does anyone know what happens if you make a release private on Bandcamp that some people already bought/own?

Can the people who bought it still see it?

I've found conflicting information around the web - I wonder if the behaviour changed at some point.

Alternatively, does anyone who bought […]

Original post on mastodon.online

Also, trying to distract myself from the fairly awful politics going on today in the UK, I just tried out @mirlo 's post feature for the first time, to see if it would make a viable alternative to SoundCloud for my ad hoc #songAWeek releases.

It's definitely an option - there's no social […]

Many thanks to the amazing @mixtape who have just started serialising the Pretentious Incongruity album!

Starts here, with, of course, what else but Solarpunk Grazers: https://nham.co.uk/2025/05/solarpunk-grazers/

#key13 #nham #fedivision

Pretentious Incongruity: A Key 13 Retrospective Today marks the release of Pretentious Incongruity: 2020-2024, a retrospective compilation looking back at some key milestones in the lifetime of Key 13 as a recording identity. You can stream, download and purchase it here: * Mirlo – stream for free, or buy lossless downloads – 50% of proceeds go to Mirlo * Faircamp – stream, or free high quality MP3 downloads * Bandcamp – stream or buy lossless downloads ## 2020: Key 13 is born I was always musical when I was younger, but as my life and career developed I just didn't have time. My two ancient Korg keyboards (Poly 61 and M1) have been neglected, gathering dust in the corner and no longer functioning – sadly not touched for over twenty years. On March 6th, 2020, on a complete whim, I put in an order for a Korg nanoKEY 2 MIDI keyboard, in glorious limited edition orange, green and black. By March 20th, I'd created a SoundCloud account and uploaded my first track. > *[It was called _Face Mask_ , for those who are interested – made with Korg Gadgets, that came free with the nanoKEY. The Covid-19 lockdown was just about to start and this is reflected in many of my track titles from that period.]* Given my musical formative years, and that I'd be creating everything with virtual synthesisers, I assumed I'd end up with an early-80s-inspired electronic sound. This led me to think about brutalist and cold war imagery. I'd recently visited an old Soviet nuclear missle silo in Lithuania, so had some photographs to play with. Once converted into stark monochrome, I had the banner photo for SoundCloud: The launch key for the missiles was on display in a cabinet, labelled '13', and I found a photo I'd taken that looked like a possible logo. Sometime in April or May 2020, the name **Key 13** was born, quite literally, from this photograph. Since then the meaning of the name has changed for me in a few ways. First, you have to say my actual name in order to pronounce it (try it!). Also, there's a highly pretentious musical theory interpretation that escaped me at first – the classic Western musical scales are made up from 12 notes, or keys – so obviously I want to go one step beyond and find the thirteenth! When the Russians invaded Ukraine in 2022, the cold war stuff felt a bit too inappropriate and so the images needed to change. Besides which, my music had developed in many different directions. I went through a few variations on a theme, before going back to some old photographs I had taken of my local area – featuring sea, sky, and clouds – and used those. I still don't like the typography here – it's not a great font, but I couldn't find anything I liked any better, so it'll have to do for now. ## 2020-2024: Timeline / Milestones > ### 2020 > > **March** – nanoKEY 2 purchased, SoundCloud account created > > **April-May** – Key 13 identity created > > **June** – First track created in Logic Pro, _Furloughed_ , shared on Reddit WATMM > > **September** – First track with “realistic” virtual instruments _Road With No Name_ > > * * * > > ### 2021 > > Very little music created – unable to finish anything, unclear what direction, if any, to take. No good source of feedback or anywhere to share/talk about music. Only three tracks published to SoundCloud in this time – one of which (_Invertebration_) later became _As the Sun Sets Over the Water_ on the _Sea · Sky · Clouds_ EP. > > * * * > > ### 2022 > > **January** – _Lateral Flow_ created in just 9 days, crucially breaking the writer's block > > **February** – Joined /r/songaweek on Reddit, creating _Seventh Friend_ in just a weekend. This proves to be a great creative boost. > > **March** – First major productive phase, first real “songs” with lyrics, vocals – _Doomscrolling_ , _City Lights_ > > **April-June** – created one track every week, in a wide variety of styles. > > **August-October** – created several tracks in the prog-rock 'Utopia' sequence, yet to be formally released outside SoundCloud demos. Also _Mournography_. > > **October** – joined the Fediverse > > * * * > > ### 2023 > > **February-April** – another intensely productive time – _The Space Between..._ , _L.U.C.A._ , _Shadow Biosphere_ , _Tick Tock_ and many others created for /r/songaweek > > **May-June** – Created _Solarpunk Grazers_ and entered it into the 2023 Fedivision Song Contest, where it came joint sixth out of 40+ entries > > **June-July** – Created a Bandcamp account, remastered several tracks for submission to Radio Free Fedi and to put on Bandcamp as singles > > **August-November** – probably the most intensely productive period so far – creating _Heretic_ for the first _Not What I Call Bonk Wave_ compilation, a couple of tracks for _NWICBW Vol 2_ , a run of 6 electronic tracks (including _Prompt Engineering_ and _Poetical Science_) that will form the core of a future album called _The Algorithm_ and some more slightly psychedelic guitar-based tracks including _Sunbeams_ and _Cosmochelonian_ that will form another EP, hopefully for release later in 2025, which is why they're not on this compilation. > > **November-December** – Launched the Key 13 Faircamp site, and created the Faircamp Web Ring > > * * * > > ### 2024 > > **January** – _Monotropic_ and _Children of Broken Code_ created and released > > **April** – _Sea · Sky · Clouds_ EP released, featuring remixed/remastered versions of four tracks. Mirlo account created. > > **May** – _Misaligned Aardvarks_ created and entered for the 2024 Fedivision Song Contest, where it came first out of 70+ entries. > > **July-November** – Took on the compiling/bonk-herding duties for the third _Not What I Call Bonk Wave_ compilation, which proved to be a massive task. Also wrote two tracks for the compilation. * * * ## 2025: Five years later I can't believe that five whole years have passed since I bought the nanoKEY, and I've produced so much diverse material under the Key 13 banner (all of it created on the nanoKEY, augmented with a few other input devices) that it's becoming a little difficult to manage and navigate. I thought, after some time, I might start to develop a “signature sound” but that doesn't seem to have happened. The result is a large number of unrelated singles and random tracks on compilations, rather than self-contained albums. The last year or two has seen a proliferation of new places to share independent music – Faircamp, Mirlo, jam.coop, Bandwagon and more (see this blog post for more details) and it's becoming quite a chore to push all these individual single releases out to every one of these sites. I'm guessing it's not easy for listeners either, assuming I have any – I struggle myself when artists only have single releases, I much prefer listening to albums or EPs. I really wanted to get some of my old material on to Bandwagon to get it into The Indie Beat Radio but I didn't want to make the existing situation worse. Also, most of my earlier material is not on Mirlo, for the same reasons. ### A Retrospective I came up with the idea of one big release – a five year retrospective, with some of the key tracks I feel mark milestones in my progress, plus some that just felt they should be there. And one or two which slipped onto the album by chance and probably shouldn't be there at all! There's very little in common between any of these tracks except universally poor production, and an excess of ambition vastly outstripping talent. > _Pretending to be a musician..._ > _Pretending I know what I'm doing..._ > _Everything mismatched and inconsistent..._ > > **Pretentious Incongruity**. This post was supposed to just be notes for each track, explaining a bit about how they were created, and why they might have a special place in the collection. But it's already several pages long, so I think that will have to be another article. See: Track notes ## A note on production quality My production skills started out at zero, so pretty much all these tracks needed some attention. A number of them were remastered in 2023 so that I could submit them to the sorely-missed Radio Free Fedi, and those are the versions that have been on Bandcamp and Faircamp up to now. But I didn't get too deeply into the mixes so there were still some issues. This retrospective felt like an opportunity to revisit them, and also to include some other tracks which might deserve a proper release. I'm still quite bad at this mixing/mastering side of things, but hopefully this release addresses some of the bigger issues with most of the tracks. ### Three months of work I've spent the last three months remixing and remastering all this material, exclusively for this release. That's probably longer than it took to create them in the first place! Despite that, I'm still really unhappy with most of them and there's several tracks I don't want to hear ever again as a result. _Misaligned Aardvarks_ still sounds pretty dreadful to my ears. _Heretic_ is just impossible to get the drums and bass right (for me, anyway) – this is about the 8th mix of that track I've done over its lifetime and I'm not sure it's any better than the first one. I did so many different (all bad) mixes of _City Lights_ that I can no longer figure out which one has actually ended up on the album. I nearly left if off in a fit of pique, but it, like many others, has a special place here. Maybe no-one else will notice the differences. Probably no-one ever heard the originals in the first place, and I doubt many people will listen to everything here. But _I_ know, and I feel a tiny bit better about fixing the worst bits. I'm equally sure I'll listen back in a few months and find still more glaring issues, some of them newly introduced with these mixes. I can't listen to my _Sea · Sky · Clouds_ EP any more, it's so harshly mastered – the version of _The Space Between..._ on here was tweaked from the original mix & master, not the EP version, which hurts my ears. But I guess that's the way it goes. ### Why not pay someone else to do it properly? I did think about paying for some professional production help – but that's where the whole Imposter Syndrome thing kicks in. I can afford it, but is any of this good enough to warrant that? Realistically very few people will listen to this stuff, and even fewer will pay money for it. Would that change if it was better mixed? Probably not. Do I really want to inflict that process onto anyone else, even for money?! Most of it probably needs re-arranging and re-recording from scratch anyway to have even the remotest chance of sounding good. So, sadly, you're still stuck with my terrible efforts. If it's any consolation, I think I have learned some things during the process, so perhaps any new releases going forward might be a bit better. Not much, but a bit. Maybe now I've got this out of my system I might find another creative spark, as between this and the NWICBW3 compilation, I haven't written or released very much music lately.

Along with the track notes, i also did a blog post looking back at the five year history of Key 13, and the thinking behind the retrospective release.

blog.key13.uk/pretentious-incongruity-...

#Key13 #PretentiousIncongruity

Original post on mastodon.online

If anyone's been reading the track notes for Pretentious Incongruity, I've been adding to them a bit through the last few days - and just expanded the section on Misaligned Aardvarks.

blog.key13.uk/pretentious-incongruity-...

There's also now an embedded music player on there […]

Bandwagon.fm - Pretentious Incongruity

And.. finally out on Bandwagon!

https://bandwagon.fm/67f008d7c791c733bb85df20

#Key13 #FairTradeMusic #PretentiousIncongruity

Original post on mastodon.online

Might it be Fair Trade Music Friday?

Well, obviously not. Because it's Thursday today, at least in this time zone.

But tomorrow is a Friday... If only there were some way to find out...

https://isitfairtrademusicfri.day/

... and if only there was a helpful bot you can follow that will post […]

A black miniature midi keyboard, with yellow and orange keys, orange buttons and green writing. The photo has been processed with a stupid effect to repeat it like an old TOTP video graphic.

Exactly five years ago today I bought the limited edition orange Korg nanoKEY2 on which every single Key 13 track has been written and performed...

I was going to do a big retrospective release to celebrate but I haven't quite got it ready yet, so that will […]

[Original post on mastodon.online]

Original post on mastodon.online

I somehow managed to sneak a new Key 13 track out earlier this week, started and finished in 48 hours.. it's a slightly bland SynthWave-ish track, as I needed some music to go with some cover art I created!

And it's in Lydian because that was the theme for #songAWeek .. although you could […]