Joshua Blum

Let’s play: the Unicorn Theme by Tangerine Dream from the Legend score (1985) 🦄 #synth

Making musical soundtracks for parts of my books help helped me add ways of expressing things I couldn’t quite express in words! This is the main theme for The Thirteenth Hour. #pianopractice joshuablum.bandcamp.com

The Ice Giant! This is a track to accompany a section of a podcast playthrough @pixelgrotto.bsky.social & I did of the game he helped create, Mappa Mundi where the main character encounters a supernatural being. Tried to evoke the feel of wonder thru the sound effects & synths.

We all want our first time to be special. The story of the first cassette tape I ever bought. Mid 90s? Finding stuff in general was a lot harder - you am just of hoped for the best and had to be okay with disappointment. But sometimes … sometimes, the gods shone on you and it all worked out.

That’s the one!

A horizontal battle screen reminiscent of something from a 16-bit Final Fantasy game, but with more neon synthwave vibes. The ground is split into four Zones. Three player characters holding axes, a sword, and a bow are in Zone 1. Four bandits wearing cloaks and masks are in Zone 2.

Mockup of a zone-based battle system inspired by 16-bit RPGs, using sprites made by @13thhr.bsky.social. For a homebrew TTRPG system I've been drafting for us to play around with. (The systems we've previously used have been good but haven't 100% fit our purposes, so why not make our own?)

Bev rocking out! Made in the action figure animating app Nauk Nauk. I’m not someone who is super against or for AI, but things like this are one of the few uses of AI I can get behind. 🎸 @leathompson.bsky.social #howardtheduck www.nauknauk.io/post/POSTc39...

Aurora's Theme - I imagined that each time she appeared in The Thirteenth Hour, you could hear her theme playing. A similar thing was done on the Legend soundtrack by Tangerine Dream, where they wrote a distinctive unicorn theme that plays pretty much most times that the unicorns appear. #synthfam

Will do. I’m trying to learn how to use Cakewalk so I think I should be able to just import the sounds into it … right? 😆

New lands for the imperial rangers to explore!

But the real question is where is Terrion? And your first Sonic game and that RPGish one you made with the flying griffons?

Thank you! It was a ton of work but most things that are worth it are, in the end.

Speaking of which, I picked up your Juno sample pack. I’m
fairly old fashioned with music creation so am just starting to experiment with DAWs and such so looking forward to playing around with the sounds!

Sometimes I get asked why I wrote musical soundtracks to my books, and the truth is, there are just some things words can’t convey - thankfully, music can fill in the the gaps. 🎶 #authorlife

Throwback Thursday! One of the reasons I went with a translucent purple cassette shell for my latest album was because the first was in translucent blue 💙 joshuablum.bandcamp.com/album/long-a... #synthfam #retro80s

Guess what arrived in the mail yesterday? Cassette tapes of Once Upon a Dream! Getting these babies made this summer was a massive undertaking but totally worth it! I love the translucent purple shell we went with. Grab one while they’re available! joshuablum.bandcamp.com/album/once-u...

Today (7/29) would’ve been Dave Stevens’ birthday. Dave was the creator of the #Rocketeer, an indie comic that later became a Disney film. Dave passed away in 2008 from leukemia, but his spirit lives on with every remaining Gee Bee and stick of Beeman’s chewed. My attempt at the James Horner score:

When I set out to make a soundtrack for my fantasy novel, The Thirteenth Hour, I wanted to pay homage to the source: 80s & early 90s sci-fi/fantasy films + new wave music. It took a while, but that’s what I did - 2 LPs of cinematic synth & new wave ballads! joshuablum.bandcamp.com/merch/once-u...

Just received the demo tape for the Once Upon a Dream cassettes. Coming soon to joshuablum.bandcamp.com! Playing this on a vintage Sharp WQ-572 tape player my mom salvaged from the garbage when I was a kid :)
#vintagevibes #vintagetapeplayer #vintagecassettedeck #synthwave #cinematicsynth

It is when it works!!! I bought it used on mine, the jack is fiddly - cuts out sometimes, so one minute, there’s sound, next, just unamped guitar strings. Then again, one can’t have everything!

I have the same amp 👍🏽

Unintentional but yes, liked the echo in the room!

Wow. Definitely would have drooled over that in 1989

Once Upon a Dream CDs just arrived! joshuablum.bandcamp.com/album/once-u... For the full experience, try finding an old school CD player to listen on. Bonus points if you try to jog with one of these things! 😂
#vintagevibes #synthwave #cinematicsynth #synthfam

@pixelgrotto.bsky.social

@pixelgrotto & I are recently watched Manhunter, from 1986, a prequel of sorts to The Silence of the Lambs films. I went in with no expectations, but this is quite an entertaining, stylish 80s movie - good one to check out if you are into 80s horror or vintage synth! open.spotify.com/episode/0fml...

How gorgeous is this ttrpg by @threesailsstudios.bsky.social ?

Mappa Mundi is actually first thing I have ever backed in kickstarter, and it definately seems and feels well worth it!

This seems to have a great attitude towards nature and adventure.

Can't wait to get some chronicles rolling!

Thirteenth Hour theme lullaby style - this was the first Thirteenth Hour piece I wrote years ago and its riffs are found in various places in Long Ago Not So Far Away and Once Upon a Dream. The latter is now live! You can listen at joshuablum.bandcamp.com 🎶 #retro80s #midnightpiano #synthfam

Thirteenth Hour Medley lullaby - playing some quiet midnight riffs from Long Ago Not So Far Away and Once Upon a Dream strung together. The latter is now live! 🎶 joshuablum.bandcamp.com/album/once-u... #retro80s #midnightpiano #synthfam

Really fun discussion! Also on Spotify and most other major podcast platforms open.spotify.com/episode/0BZo...

Rainy day window vibes. Once Upon a Dream is a standalone cinematic / melodic / new wave synth album written to accompany the 80s film inspired novel, The Thirteenth Hour. Out now, streaming on joshuablum.bandcamp.com/album/once-u... #synthpop #synthfam #pixelartist