Sound of Contact: New Progressive Rock Band with Simon Collins & Squids!

[Squids]

This just announced yesterday...


December 12, 2012, Lightyears Music and Sonic Reality are proud to announce a new progressive rock band project, Sound of Contact. The brainchild of Simon Collins, Dave Kerzner, Kelly Nordstrom and Matt Dorsey, Sound of Contact have created a sound all of their own while paying serious homage to the greats of Prog rock and electronica. With a forthcoming concept album entitled “Dimensionaut”, producers Simon Collins and Dave "Squids" Kerzner along with mixing engineer Nick Davis (Genesis’ co-producer/engineer) unleash a collection of truly atmospheric science fiction inspired space rock!

After making 3 solo albums Simon Collins, son of legendary musician Phil Collins, decided to try something he had always wanted to do. Ever since he was a child watching and air drumming along to his father’s band Genesis he dreamed about having a band of his own, a group of artists that shared a vision with whom he could collaborate with musically and lyrically. That band is now “Sound of Contact”. It features Simon Collins on vocals and drums, Dave Kerzner on keyboards, Matt Dorsey and Kelly Nordstrom each trading off duties on guitar and bass.

With their debut album “Dimensionaut” they hit the road running with a deep concept album about a dimensional time and space traveler making new discoveries in alternate realities on a trek to expand the boundaries of the human experience. The album features a wide range of material from dark and mysterious progressive rock to romantic and high energy alternative rock songs. From atmospheric instrumental segues to melodic radio-friendly vocal tracks to the 18+ minute long epic grand finale “Dimensionaut” has a refreshing balance of adventurous musical styles and brings back the art of a concept album to a new generation of listeners.

Visit the web site and get on the newsletter to be up to date on activity relating to Simon and the band. Both Simon and I recently contributed to Steve Hackett's Genesis Revisited 2 album (doing vocals and keys on Supper's Ready) and if you like that then you'll probably like the 18+ minute track at the end of "Dimensionaut"! Some nods to that in there.

Here's the web site and here's the first video trailer for the album:

[Meme Prog Mutation]

Trust you will keep us informed of progress here.

Tom

[KerryKompost]

Right on Squids! I'm at jury duty today so I can't access the video trailer but will check it out upon my return to work come Monday. Looking forward to hearing this!

[bill g]

Very cool! And Nick Davis engineering! Science Fiction inspired space rock, huh? Sounds interesting.

[AncientChord]

Congratulations Dave! The video trailer sounds great! Pink Floyd meets Genesis! Can't wait to hear the whole album...Auto-buy. And you and Simon also did a great job on "Supper's Ready" for SH. Hope Steve will invite you up on stage in La Mirada. Best of luck!

[Squids]

Thanks! I'm glad you like it. Signing up for the newsletter on the Sound of Contact web site is the best way to stay informed on that specifically. But, I make my way over here when I've got something particularly proggy to say.

[battema]

Definitely looking forward to hearing this. Really enjoyed U-Catastrophe lots

[Squids]

Definitely looking forward to hearing this. Really enjoyed U-Catastrophe lots

I played on about half of that album and co-wrote one of the songs, the one with his dad drumming on the track (sadly one of the last times we'll hear Phil drum like that I'm afraid). It's called The Big Bang: https://soundcloud.com/sonicelements...ns-big-bang-ed

Since that one was co-written by the two of us and the new "band album" has every track written by at least the two of us plus the other guys in the band it's perhaps something of a "seed" to the sound of the band. Some sci-fi-prog elements carried over anyway.

[battema]

I played on about half of that album and co-wrote one of the songs, the one with his dad drumming on the track (sadly one of the last times we'll hear Phil drum like that I'm afraid). It's called The Big Bang: https://soundcloud.com/sonicelements...ns-big-bang-ed

Since that one was co-written by the two of us and the new "band album" has every track written by at least the two of us plus the other guys in the band it's perhaps something of a "seed" to the sound of the band. Some sci-fi-prog elements carried over anyway.

Big Bang is a very fun track, always dug that one.

I expect the next one will be at LEAST as enjoyable for me as U-Catastrophe was

[Bbernardini]

Nice bit of "Echoes" seagull sound at 2:26.

[Luis Nasser]

Nice bit of "Echoes" seagull sound at 2:26.

Indeedd, though that sound was first heard on Tommy.

[JKL2000]

I actually heard a real seagul make that sound BEFORE Tommy.

[JIF]

Space prog? I don't think I like that. Btw, do you guys have a facebook page?

[ThomasKDye]

I am very intrigued. Ever since Frost* I've loved the idea of prog-rock and electronica combined, just so that the "band" element is still there. Looking forward to it!

[ASIA Featuring John Payne]

Sounds good Dave, nice work.

[Boceephus]

Sounds like a worthy project

[Squids]

Nice bit of "Echoes" seagull sound at 2:26.

Thanks. Those were some sounds that I originally did for Steven Wilson's Raider II track on his album "Grace For Drowning" which was recorded around the same time we started recording "Dimensionaut". In fact, I could have potentially been on more songs on GFD if I wasn't so wrapped up in our own album (I had "Sectarian" and "Remainder the Black Dog" in early skeleton state to potentially add keys to and actually Simon had a couple Blackfield songs to try drumming to at one point as well). The rule that Steven had, and it's a good rule I use myself, is that I could send over anything I want as long as I didn't mind if he didn't use it! So, one of the things he didn't use were these "echoes" fx I did with an old Vox wah. I did a bunch of stuff and not all of it was used but there's a deluxe edition of the album with another version of the song that I believe has more stuff from me... but it still doesn't have these echoes fx. It does have a bunch of Binson Echorec fx though (that's an old delay unit that Pink Floyd used to use) as well as an EMS Synthi. I did a big "sound design" session that I could use for both. I had no idea what SW was going to use but when we got to the parts of our album that needed a retro-futuristic atmosphere these types of sounds were great.

[Squids]

I am very intrigued. Ever since Frost* I've loved the idea of prog-rock and electronica combined, just so that the "band" element is still there. Looking forward to it!

I think Simon is probably more into Electronica than I am (despite me being a keyboard player and vintage to modern synth guy). There's more of that infused in his solo albums than there is on this. For one thing I believe the entire album (apart from just a few segues) was played live in the studio as opposed to being sequenced. Even when I used my own company's partnered instrument plug-ins like SampleTank, Sonik Synth, SampleTron, Miroslav Philharmonik etc. I just played it live and recorded it into ProTools at the studio like I would from a keyboard. Some songs weren't even done to a click because they were born out of improvisations in the studio. Chris Holmes the tracking engineer at the studio in Vancouver where we recorded most of it was GREAT at keeping the recording going no matter what we were doing. Then he could do some editing magic to cut out the fat. It turned out to be a really great way to work because you were always working with inspired playing with no inhibitions as opposed to trying to do things deliberately pre-planned and relying on quantizing or other sequencing crutches. Sorry if that sounds technical (I guess you have to be a musician to understand some of that but I know many people on here are so...).

Anyway, there's a real "band" element in that there are people in the same room playing together. Simon is a GREAT drummer! Apart from just a few things previously he hasn't shown what he can really do behind the kit until this album. Playing with him was like playing with Phil Collins meets Gavin Harrison (sort of like that anyway but really Simon has his own style I can't match to anyone apart from the obvious influences from his pop). The chemistry when we played together was incredible. Like we've played together for years! So despite the album taking over 2 years to come out (and it's still not out but that's gonna change soon) there were moments that it flowed so well we'd practically write a song stream of consciousness style. As much as I am into the whole "collab over the net" kind of production (and do it often) to play with a band in the same room and creating together is one of my favorite things to do... especially if the musicians are great and the ideas are compatible. That's one of the things this album has going for it. Also a good balance of "prog" and accessibility.

The music for the video trailer is probably the most 'electronic' sounding part of the album. It comes in toward the end of the story where there's a pretty intense thing about to happen. It's the beginning of an 18+ climactic trip! Sort of an homage to Supper's Ready in some ways but very sci fi and futuristic. Just a few nods to it here and there... mostly in the keyboard solo. The first one. (lots of keyboard solos on the album... yeah! haha... ironically on my own album that I'm working on there is barely one keyboard solo. But this band, SOC, is very keyboard heavy.)

[Squids]

Space prog? I don't think I like that. Btw, do you guys have a facebook page?

Yes. It's here: http://www.facebook.com/soundofcontact

[JIF]

Yes. It's here: http://www.facebook.com/thesoundofcontact

I found it earlier today, and "liked" it.

[SymfoZone]

Teaser's sounding really good. Looking forward to the debut.

[Boceephus]

Pre-orders should start soon, I believe.

[Squids]

Pre-orders should start soon, I believe.

Depends on a few things on the biz side to iron out first. The album's actually been done for quite some time and as you can imagine I am dying for people to hear it. I co-wrote every song on the album lyrically and musically so it represents the most creative input I've put into a project to date (one reason I want people to hear it) but also it kind of fills a gap for Genesisy-keyboard-based music with a modern alt rock edge to it (something Genesis themselves probably wouldn't connect with if they were still making records... unless they brought some new blood into it and were convinced that fuzz basses and Mellotrons are back in style!!!! haha jk). Seriously though I think Simon carries the torch in a cool respectful way and we embrace all of our influences (not just Genesis) in a balanced way. But lovers of concept albums, sci fi, catchy melodies and prog flavors will find a lot to love about it I think!

[Squids]

The Facebook page url has changed to the actual name of the band. http://www.facebook.com/soundofcontact

Btw we're talking about the possibility of playing some gigs with a couple other well known prog bands in Europe in the Spring. Just talking for the moment but that could be very interesting!

[Squids]

Might be touring in Europe this Spring with SOC along with some cool prog bands. I'll let you know as we get closer...