Our latest release, the song Pulse (The City Beautiful) needn't ever have been written, recorded or released. We wish we were never compelled to create a song based upon a tragedy such as the mass shooting at Orlando's Pulse night club on June 12, 2016. However, the song sadly came to be, and we hope that it provides some small comfort to somebody, and maybe even raises a little money that we can donate to the families of the victims.
Here's a little bit about how Pulse (The City Beautiful) came to be created. On June 12, 2016 all of us were stunned, saddened, shocked, angered and frightened by what happened in Orlando. Steve was at home and had intended to spend some time working on the final stages of the upcoming ZFB album, Sound Revival. Instead, he started experimenting with some trance music loops. He wanted to create a soundscape that evoked a dance club, but slower and more somber. That piece was quickly entitled Pulse and little thought was given to using it in any serious way.
As the day went on, and the news reports continued, the gravity of the situation became more and more apparent. With every news flash there were more disturbing details. Steve reached out to Rich, just to check in, since Rich and his family live pretty close to the scene, and Rich's place of work is even closer. Rich, like all of us, was stunned by the news, which was compounded by the proximity to his home. Steve decided to overlay a separate recording of Rich on his trademark e-bow, onto the existing Pulse track. By some sheer coincidence of xenochrony, the combination worked. It was then that Pulse was deemed to be a Zen Fuse Box track.
Steve reached out to Peter, to see if he had any words that expressed our collective sentiment about the situation. Peter responded quickly and brilliantly with a poem he entitled The City Beautiful. In a desire to get the track completed quickly, Steve suggested that Peter leave the poem on his voicemail. The voicemail recording was then grafted onto the instrumental track and Pulse (The City Beautiful) was nearly complete.
The last work to be done on the track was a fitting ending. Steve recalls that one of the most haunting reports from the day after the massacre was the news that as police were entering the Pulse night club after the shooting, the previously vibrant club was silent, except for the sounds of the victims' cell phones ringing as desperate friends and loved ones tried to contact them. Our track therefore fades out with the sounds of cell phone ring tones.
The song was officially released on June 16, 2016 at http://www.cdbaby.com/artist/zenfusebox and is making its way to iTunes, Spotify and all the rest. ZFB has pledged to donate proceeds from the purchase of the song to victims' families. We'd appreciate any support you can give, including sharing this information with anyone who might be willing to help.
Thanks.