Digital Bath - Deftones (Cover)

First time I heard this song I was high as a kite and Chino Moreno’s octave-up chorus hit me like a freight train! Here's my take on it many years later. Digital Bath is a truly mesmeric, one of a kind recording that is probably best left alone (I know). That being said, a few weeks back I found myself fiddling with some piano parts and then recording the unlikeliest of bed tracks, a tape loop! (Basically unscrew and tamper with a cassette until the tape itself is only 20cm or so long and loops back on itself with the erase head disabled). And here we are.. Inspired by youtube tape enthusiasts Hainbach and Amulets, I recorded the 3 main chords of the song on to channels 1-3 of my Tascam 424 mkiii so I could ride the faders up and down in playback mode as if it were an instrument (that's what I'm doing in the video in case it's unclear). This served as the perfect glitchy, atmospheric drone-like foundation for my drums, piano/vocal and synth parts which were of course shot separately but performed in single takes respectively.

Aside from the depth and power of Deftones' original recording, much of my inspiration for this version came from a happy accident I had running my vocals through two very prominent vocal plugins simultaneously. The old classic Valhalla Vintage and then Hainbach and Audio Thing's own 'WIRES' Soviet Wire Recorder Echo. The chained combo of the two really transported me to another place entirely whilst playing, which felt completely necessary given that trying copy or better the original in it's original format would be kind of futile.. As soon as I'd established this vocal chain I found myself channeling Thom Yorke / Radiohead a little, stylistically.. And then I remembered the similarities between Digital Bath and How To Disappear Completely.. Anyone else picked up on that?? Something about that hanging chord before the big "FEEEL LIKE MOOOOOOOOOOORE!!!!!!"

Anyway learning, recording and mixing this beautiful song has been an amazing journey for me, bringing all kinds of fond memories to the surface (hence the massive write up). I dedicate this wholeheartedly to my best friend Ross Palmer.

#Deftones #DigitalBath #WhitePony #Wires #Korg #Tascam #Tapeloop

Hardware used:
Tascam 424 mk3
Tascam M208
Korg OpSIX
Korg Minilogue
Belling Upright Piano
Pearl Export Kit
Mics:
SE8 stereo pair
Shure SM57 / SM7
AKG D112

Visuals:
Iphone 7
Canon M50

Software:
Logic Pro X
Vocal effects:
Valhalla Vintage
Audio Thing WIRES

A video about Tape Looping by Hainbach    • How to do Sound on Sound Looping with...  

Other covers by me:
Smashing Pumpkins "SOMA"    • ROB BRAVERY - Soma (Smashing Pumpkins...  
Randy Newman "Old Man"    • Old Man (Randy Newman Cover)  
Adrianne Lenker "Anything"    • Anything - Adrianne Lenker Cover (on ...