Light + Shade

Light + Shade
Studio album by Mike Oldfield
Released	26 September 2005 (2005-09-26)
Recorded	2004–2005, Buckinghamshire
Genre	Instrumental Pop New Age Electronica
Length	82:01
Label	Mercury
Producer	Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield chronology
Tubular Bells 2003 (2003) Light + Shade (2005) Music of the Spheres (2008)
Singles from Light + Shade
"Surfing" Released: 2005 (promo disc)

Light + Shade is a two-disc album by English musician Mike Oldfield. It is the first album to be released by Oldfield following his signing with Mercury Records. The album was released on 26 September 2005 (See 2005 in music). Some of the music on these CDs was originally released (with alternate mixes) on the soundtracks to his virtual reality games, Tres Lunas and Maestro.

Background

The album offers two genres of music for two different moods, Oldfield created this division by creating two CDs of music. The first nine tracks are dubbed "Light" and feature brighter and quiet pieces; the second half of the album is the "Shade" portion and brings in a much darker feel. Many of the tracks on the album are remixed and/or extended versions of the music from the Tres Lunas video game.

On his official website Oldfield reported that besides the standard version of the album, a 5.1 surround mix of the album has been produced as well. However as of 2010 it has not been released. In addition, four tracks from Light + Shade were made available in the U-MYX format for fans to mix themselves.

Oldfield's attraction to vocal modification surfaced again, this time in the form of Vocaloid, a virtual vocal software package, the voice of "Miriam" was used. The virtual voice "Miriam" is based upon the voice of Miriam Stockley, whom Oldfield had previously worked with. One of the Vocaloid tracks, "Surfing" was meant to be the albums first single, according to the Spanish website zm.nu.^[1] "Tears of an Angel" also featured Miriam singing alongside the Cantor software.

The tracks "First Steps" and "Ringscape" were arranged by Robyn Smith. Christopher von Deylen makes a guest appearance on "Nightshade". Oldfield repaid the favor by playing guitar on "Morgentau", a track from the Tag und Nacht album for Deylen's band Schiller.

"Quicksilver" is another name for the metal Mercury, which is also the name of the record label which he is currently with. On Oldfield's next album, Music of the Spheres, he repeats this trick, with a track title "Musica Universalis" which when translated is Universal Music.

The track "Blackbird" is named after one of Oldfield's motorbikes, a Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird.^[2]

Track listing

Light

1. "Angelique" – 4:40
2. "Blackbird" – 4:39
3. "The Gate" – 4:14
4. "First Steps" – 10:02
5. "Closer" – 2:51
6. "Our Father" – 6:50
7. "Rocky" – 3:19
8. "Sunset" – 4:47
9. "Près de Toi" (Bonus track)

Shade

1. "Quicksilver" – 5:55
2. "Resolution" – 4:33
3. "Slipstream" – 5:15
4. "Surfing" – 5:36
5. "Tears of an Angel" – 5:38
6. "Romance" – 4:00
7. "Ringscape" – 4:22
8. "Nightshade" – 5:11
9. "Lakme (Fruity Loops)" (Bonus track)
10. "Cook's Tune" (Bonus track)

U-MYX CD-ROM tracks

• "Quicksilver" (U-MYX version)
• "Our Father" (U-MYX version)
• "Slipstream" (U-MYX version)
• "Angelique" (U-MYX version)

Equipment list

Guitars Fender Strat (pink) 1963 Paul Reed Smith Signature 1990 Ramirez Classical 1974 Fender Precision Bass 1964 Piano Steinway Grand 1928 Keyboards Roland Yamaha

Computers Mac G5 (Logic 7) PC (Windows XP Pro with FL Studio) Software plugins Glaresoft: iDrum Linplug: Albino 2 Native Instruments: Absynth 3 / Altered States / FM7 / Morphology / Reaktor / Sounds of Polynesia / Wired reFX: Vanguard Spectrasonics: Atmosphere / Stylus RMX Steinberg: Groove Agent / Hypersonic / Kantos / Slayer / XPhrase Virtual Vocalist Software: Vocaloid / Cantor

Use in other media

Pieces from Light and Shade have been used in media, such as the use of "Resolution" and "Slipstream" in the BBC's technology series Click.^[3]

References

1. ^ Mike Oldfield regresa con “Light + Shade”, August 19, 2005, Zona Musical (Spanish)
2. ^ "One Track a Day". Tubular.net/Fanny Oldfield. http://tubular.net/onetrackaday/index.pl?t=9520. Retrieved 2010-03-11. 
3. ^ "Click". BBC iPlayer. 2009-10-10. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ncsxb/Click_10_10_2009/. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 

External links

• Mike Oldfield Discography - Light + Shade at Tubular.net
• Logo rendered by Hans Claesson