Ambient Artist Mark Rushton Has The Buzz

Ambient and Electronica artist and podcaster Mark Rushton has issued a new downloadable MP3 through his label, MarkRushton.com. The track is called "The Buzz, Part 2" and features over 6 minutes of katydids and other nighttime sounds recorded near his new studio in Iowa City, Iowa.

As Rushton put it himself:

"The katydids are out in my neighborhood every night now (late July 2007), and since I have woods behind my house there's lots of them chattering away."

"Here's 6 minutes of the sound, along with numerous other buzzing and rhythmic insects. It's nature's orchestra."

"I like how the rhythms get off track and are imperfect, but are constantly interesting."

"In the background, because of a northerly wind, is ambient noise from Interstate 80."

Rushton recorded the sounds using a Sony minidisc recorder and a pair of binaural microphones. The field recording was only edited for time, fades added at the beginning and end, and rendered as a 128kb-encoded MP3.

The track "The Buzz, Part 2" can be downloaded at mp3.markrushton.com.

Listeners with iTunes or other RSS feed aggregators can subscribe to Rushton's free recordings at mp3.markrushton.com.

"The Buzz, Part 2" is also available as a download at last.fm.

Rushton uses a variety of sites to promote his music, including podcasts at podcast.markrushton.com. These podcasts have received well over 100,000 downloads in the past couple of years to a worldwide audience.

Rushton also sells CDs via CDBaby.com, CafePress.com, BuyIowaArt.com, Amazon.com, and through mail-order. Downloads of his albums can be purchased from over 50 different online retailers, such as iTunes, Rhapsody, and eMusic. Free MP3s are made available on his web site, markrushton.com. He also utilizes MySpace, Lastfm.com, AcidPlanet.com, Download.com, and Soundclick.com for additional promotion. His music is used every month in the background and segues for the short story and literary fiction podcast at Boundoff.com.