welcome TO BALKANIMAL PRODUCTIONS by Skender Makota

CHECK OUT THIS RECORDING OF A LIVE SESSION where we added lots of PERCUSSION PARTS and MOOG PARTS for the Live Act of ALL ORIGINAL SONGS!

This time with Myself on Synths etc, Mel Hammond and our friend Sylvia Sir Shiva on Percussion, it is UNEDITED and RAW, and there is a VIDEO on the front page of my site www.balkanimal.com showing us recording this live, ghetto style with phone but recorded well and just recently uncovered...

As a result, I get two additional versions of Dolphins In Love and End Of The World songs, which I will upload individually soon!

THIS IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT UNCHANGED AND RAW, and video shows all of this as it is played!

It is COOL to see how great moments happen just like that, as it shows what we do and how we have fun doing it! This is part of Ash and Dash Live act I do with DJ Mel Hammond, my brother and partner for over two decades!

check out some of the latest uploads in playlists below and on soundcloud free hq dwnld

Thanks for checking out my music!

These are all original tracks composed and produced/engineered/played by Skender Makota.

If you like the artwork (as I do), visit www.doroteart.com

My goal is perform my own music LIVE and this is, among other reasons, why I post all of my songs here, without worrying too much if its bumping, downtempoish or even non-electronic exclusively.
This is also why I happened to end up with many versions of a single song, hence all the playlists with various mixes/versions I recorded over the years.

I do not discriminate when it comes to music, so my style varies wildly, from melodic ambient to driving techno, to Chicago house which I consider my default state, over to trip hop, drum n bass and especially oldskool jungle etc.
I have been playing piano since 5years old, and love playing jazz piano, bass and guitar.
These instruments, in addition to quite a few synthesizers, I also use in live settings, where I recreate these songs or more specifically, I remix them from the scratch and live.

This way, my every live performance is producing a different mix of a given song, which is awesome, fun to do and made possible using many factors/tools, namely Ableton Live, analog console with multiple outputs etc..
While I personally (as a sound engineer and total gear slut) love geeking out on musical gear, when it comes to playing live, technical side is irrelevant.
Getting the groove right, having fun doing it and making people dance is a primary objective!

This is why I rarely, if ever, cared to prepare my show/music ahead of the show, then often freak out cause I did not, but then rock the show by winging it and everyone's happy..
Though newer tech and control is a Godsend to those performing el music live, conveying the emotional message, the feel and the idea behind the song or a complete show/set to the audience - all the while maintaining the melodic theme, is how I approach each show.
I also adjust the sound depending on the mood and setting, audience response etc.

* ADVICE to those brave souls who dare download my hi res 44k16bit cd quality traxx, and play them in their own DJ sets - as you can see I like lower BPM's by default, but nobody's stopping you to pitch the bitch up, I always thought that default state of a song should be slower so as to allow it to BREATHE, then go crazy if you want depending on how fucked up your audience (or you) is..
CAAAN YOU dig it*

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Additional Info and projects:

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I am also part of ASH & DASH - house music live act duo with Chicago legendary DJ/producer Mel Hammond.

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Another live act project, the legendary Chicago Underground House Live Act from the 2000's - DA MONKEYNUTZ PROJECT - currently being revived and prepared for live performance.
Monkeynutz Project - Live PA Chicago based quartet of true and real househeads:
- Corey McCue aka Munk Julious
- Skender Makota aka daBalkanimal
- Miles Holt
- DJ Kwak

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Finally, I am starting a live act duo with my talented sister, Jasmina Makota (jasminamusic.com), keep an eye out for upcoming releases of our new songs with her on the vocals!
More on all that soon, sign up for updates on skendermakota.com or balkanimal.com!

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Some of the gear I use when composing, producing or performing my music...

Keys/piano; MOOG, Roland, KORG
Bass guitar:- Sandberg Jazz bass;
Synth: - Moog bass, synth lines,
Guitar: Gibson Les Paul
+ the pretty awesome poor man Gibson, but just as good Epiphone Les Paul,
Moog Subarmonicon,
Moog DFAM,
Moog Mother32,
Moog MINITAUR (I used this baby a LOT, especially in the earlier unreleased work you can hear on this page, or my website + download for free).
Moog Sub37
Moog Little Phatty SIg Edition
Pioneer DJM900NXS2
Pioneer CDJ900NXS
+ many other pieces of gear these are just to name a few.

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For the time being, All downloadable in hi-res format 44k/16-bit
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Balkanimal - focus on live pa performances where I try to recreate different mixes of my own original house, deep house, tech house, techno, minimal, ambient, jungle, drum'n'space... well, you get the idea :)
IF IT MOVES, THEN IT GROOVES!

Sourced from yesterday, merged with tomorrow, and I got to where I am today.
I try to not restrict myself in the world of electronic music composition and creation by doing my staying within the confines of the sub-genre expectations, lingering in the (boring) safe zone, the beaten path which in my view is a waste of time and zzzzzz,
I try to push the envelope and reinvent.
I also like meeting, collaborating and otherwise hanging out with people who share this view, not just music and art, but science, education, life and social acceptance, where we truly are equal cause we truly feel that way.

Trend followers are not worth my time, neither am I worth theirs..
but if you want to reinvent, and have fun in life doing it by exploring options in electronic music creation... then by all means - we're already friends!

contact: musicnlight@gmail.com
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Future historians do not follow trends...
They set the trend followers on the right path to the future!
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PS. While I never relied on music as my source of income, nor would I allow myself to shape my sound in order to sell the final product, get a record deal or whatever. I believe doing that would one day end up with me hating music and blaming the job for it, and I def don't want that to happen, cause I have nothing else left in life to look forward to and truly enjoy doing, but music.
I can still take a tip or donation, which I would use strictly for adding more awesome sounds to my studio and deliver back the product... but no worries, I am glad you gave me your TIME to listen to my music, which is priceless, and I appreciate that.
Drop me a note letting me know if you liked it, I really want to know what people think, and I prefer people who are NOT musicians, DJ's producers etc, just regular consumers, cause their opinion is unbiased, and I want to know what it is, regardless if its bad or good, I take this feedback and keep learning as I go in life.
Thanks again, and keep he beat alive wherever you are!
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latest uploads and jams, ideas... FREE 44K/16BIT DL
Here's the URGENT MESSAGE below:

unreleased... jams, ideas... FREE 44K/16BIT DL

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Thanks for stopping by!
Skender Makota is a Chicago based composer, musician, producer, performer and DJ.

Skender is a graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston, majoring in Music production and Engineering (Music Synthesis minor) and Piano/Bass as principal mandatory instruments, graduating in 2007.
He is running a recording/production facility in Chicago, on the NW side of the city, as well as teaches music production, engineering and composing/performing, either in a personal 1hr session or class-type tutoring with more people who can save by sharing the class with others.

Skender is also part of electronic music Live House music bands/duos with DJ Mel Hammond (Ash & Dash), Skender's own sister Jasmina Makota, and finally, the long running Chicago Underground collective "Da Monkeynutz Project" with Munk Julious (Corey McCue).

Most of the time I (da Balkanimal) am enjoying the gifts of music by playing jazz, transcribing solos and examining the language of sounds in various forms: from acoustic pianos banged up and slightly out of tun - BUT played by for ex. Bill Evans... realizing over time and institutionalized/academic approach to music, that techniques are important to be mastered but emotion is what music conveys, and no school can teach you that.. like FM synthesis music is the carrier freq and emotion... well everything else :)

Which is why I suggest people free their minds when approaching composition in electronic music and just jam like we did back in the days in the (real) garage bands.
Songs will follow and take shape as jamming accumulates.

Ableton, logic, Reason, these are just some of the programs I am happy to share my insight with those interested. Email me and sign up for newsletter, I do not spam, but want to send you interesting stuff I think would be worth a bother, trust me, I hate doing anything else but making music, newslettering and all is a pain in the ass for me after all... but gotta do something and therefore rest assured I will not spam, be direct and to the point with occasional updates, including free downloads, lessons, or videos and of course - live gigs where I perform live using Moog synthesizers in a live PA setup, playing my own original electronic music: HOUSE, TECHNO, DEEP HOUSE, TECH HOUSE, AMBIENT, JUNGLE - WHATEVER - I like all styles and make music as such, so don't be surprised to see me go from jack to tears to bangin techno or disco in a in sec! SEE YOU and make sure you at least let me know you like or NOT like my stuff, I appreciate all feedback...