Custom Music, Sound Design & Audio Editing

Please note that the music samples listed on this page are for audition/evaluation purposes only. Please email me to see if track is available for licensing.

Early History

Electronics and music have always been major interests. In my high school days in the mid '70s I would scan the 'FM dial' and hear the ethnic music. Later during college, I started listening to African music via shortwave radio. At the same time I had a continuing interest in electronic music. A local music store had a ARP 2600 in their teaching studio. I would visit often after high school to use their synth. However my folks bought me a Moog system 15 during my senior year in high school.

From 1976 - 1980 I attended Berklee College of Music, graduating with a diploma in performance, (with piano as my principle instrument). During the first year I would frequent the electronic music lab and used their ARPs and Revox 2 track machines. At that time there was no such things as electronic music major and since The Boston School for Electronic Music was not accredited, I ended up at Berklee.

After college, I played 'multi-keys' in several bands and did session work as a synth programmer. I grew tired of playing 'top 40' and my interest shifted to the kora around '84. During this time I could be found playing my kora in Harvard Square and around Boston and eventually New York City. My days as a 'street performer' subsided with the beginning of the Dot Com 'gold rush', late 1995. Here are some Mp3s from my musical past. Please enjoy them and share your comments with me. (Be sure to visit my current Band page to see what I am up to these days.)

Thanks!

Recent Sessions

• Duga kora solo (3/8/2010)
• Metal Theme, 60 sec version (3/4/2010)
• Film Cue, 120 sec version mix-in-progress (3/2/2010)
• Bantang Ba Kouyate rare out take, recorded at RPM NYC 1990
• Hi-Tech theme (alt. version) 60sec
• Fast Paced, Hi-Tech 60sec
• TV Logo 1 15sec
• Car Commercial w/ "drive-by" 30sec
• Car Commercial 30sec
• Soliloquy futuristic cue 30sec excerpt
• Space Cue 30sec remix -- theme composed 10-20-92
• Tabara (9/2/09), solo kora recorded w/Sony D50 and an AT822 mike
• Kids Song Remix (9/18/09), based off a piano and melody MIDI track, composed in 1992
• News Theme here is a recent (9/17/09) ruff remix of a track I composed in 1994
• Kora Rock w/ kora, mixed 9/6/09 created in Logic 8
• Imaginary Film Cue w/ kora, recorded 8/30/09 with the Sony D50, backing tracks created in Logic 8. (not a final mix)
• Imaginary Film Cue w/ kora & tribal drums in Logic 8. (alternate mix)
• Karia "coastal style" kora solo, recorded 8/13/09 with the Sony D50, sweetened w/ Logic's Space Designer & Tape Echo plugin.
• Juka kora solo recorded 8/12/09 with the Sony D50, Logic's Space Designer verb was used for the mix. Here is the dry recording.
• Salimou kora solo recorded 8/12/09 with the Sony D50, Logic's Space Designer and Delay Designer was used for the mix.
• Logic Audio Demo, all sounds are from the virtual synths built into Logic 7. This track was originally composed in 1993 remixed 3/2005, more work to be done, not happy with drums, but it is start ):
• Chase This (Logic remix) This 30sec music cue was composed by guitarist Brady Mosher, using Acid Pro and Vegas Video. Here is the original track for comparison. I am surprised how much fuller the Logic mix is!
• American Express demo [Mp3 @ 472k, 30 sec.] TV commercial for American Express, produced by Eric Kaye Music NYC. Track features kora and percussion, recorded 11/2002.

GarageBand Demos

Here are two examples of what this cool Apple music 'app' is capable of. I will post a remixed version, using Logic shortly.

• Haus Musik 1 Style: Club Techno
• Monday Blue Style: Metal Rock
• Sunday Series 1 Style: New Orleans R &B

Dub Kora w/'Kalimbass'

These two demo tracks were created with Tom Spicer on 'kalimbass.'
These two tracks are here for evaluation only, please email me to license this music.

• Crown Midnight
• Afro Harp

TimeFactor Demos

Just got my TimeFactor pedal, and it does some pretty amazing sonic tricks. Listen to some samples of what it can does. Please note that the Kora w/ Loop Freeze improv, was run thru Logic for some extra reverb and a touch of chorus near the end, and 'Infinite Loop + Choir' has Space Designer 'verb added as well, enjoy.

choose a Mp3 sample.... Kora w/ Loop Freeze Infinite Loop + Choir Kora loop freeze logic Euro Rhodes Ele Piano

Moog Music's MuRF Demos

Just got my Moog MuRf filter pedal, and it is very cool. Here are some samples of me seeing what it can do, enjoy.

choose a Mp3 sample.... kora-MuRF-extreme-filtering kora-MuRF-Filtery1 kora-MuRF-gatting kora-MuRF-panning kora-MuRF-modulation2 kora-MuRF-SlowSteped kora-MuRF-FilterRates kora-MuRF-modulation1 kora-echo-MuRF

Tracks from Ancestral Voices

Released in spring of '90, Ancestral Voices has had air play on syndicated radio shows including Hearts of Space, Musical Starstreams, Echoes, Totally Wired, and New Sounds (WNYC-FM). Although Ancestral Voices has been out production for over 10 years, you can order a CDR (I have a few booklets left) please contact me for details.

• Island Journey [Mp3 @ 476k] David Gilden: kora & PPG Wave 2.2, Jimmy Earl: fretless bass.
• Dragonfly Dream [Mp3 @ 552K] Dave Gilden: keyboards, Steve Gorn: bansuri bamboo flute, Ray Spiegel: tabla drums, and Jimmy Earl: fretless bass.
• Ancestral Voices [Mp3 @ 523k] David Gilden: mbira dza vadizmu (Zimbabwen thumb piano), PPG Wave 2.2, Oberheim, and Kurzweil synthesizers.

The music video Island Journey, created by Abby Digital, using the Fairlight CVI, was on VH1 for a short period of time in the late '80s!.

Solo kora tracks

These tracks are from my Distant Strings release:

• Jesu Joy of Mans Desiring, J.S. Bach [Mp3 @ 705k]
• Blackberry Blossom [Mp3 @ 361k]

David Gilden appears on Gabrielle Roth & the mirrors recordings: Ritual (kora overdub on Cloud Mountain) and Waves (PPG overdub on Spirit).

Production Music circa 1995

The following tracks were recorded at my home studio direct to DAT around 90 - 94 if my memory is correct! The majority of these track are all original compositions except where noted. An Atari Mega ST running "Dr. T" MIDI music software was used originally to create the MIDI files. The home studio has grown over time; the latest addition is Emagic's Logic Audio 6 Platinum running on a G4 (Quick Silver -- dual 1GHz). The current studio arsenal includes:

• Speck XtraMix console
• Lexicon LXP series reverbs
• Kurzweil 1000 series modules & K1000 keyboard
• PPG 2.2 (with MIDI)
• Emu Procussion
• Kawai XD-5 (sample playback -- drums)
• Casio VZ1
• Simmons SDE module
• Roland D550
• Roland Dance and Drum & Bass modules
• Korg Wave Station A/D
• Oberheim Xpander
• more stuff, ask!

Audition the tracks:

Production Music circa 1990

The following tracks were recorded during late eighties at the University of Massachusetts, Boston campus. In 1990 these along with other tracks were released on the "Zeds Music Production Music Library." With exception Scarlatti, I improvised and or sequenced these tracks to tape. On the 'Lets Go remix' I added a few passes of Memory Moog being modulated via the Minidoc. Here is a partial run down of what we had in the studio back in those days:

• vintage API console
• MCI 24 track two inch tape
• Linn Drum
• Memory Moog
• Roland TR303 Bass Line
• Garfield Electronics Mini Doc
• Moog modular system (3 tiers)
• Lexicon Reverb 224 w/ Larc
• Roland 12 bit sampler with mini floppies!
• PPG 2.2
• Oberheim Xpander
• Crumar String Machine

Audition the tracks:

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