SOC7 Productions & SpareRoomStudio

present the music of

SOC7

(aka: Chuck Pedersen)

Site last updated 12/31/2008.

Basic Background

With a musical background in 70's progressive/art rock, and with a personal love of synthesizers and newage instrumental music, Chuck brings a unique sound to his solo compositions. In addition to solo works, Chuck has had the priveledge of working with musicians which shared the same stage with and performing as opening act for such great names as REO Speedwagon, UFO, and the Commodores. Other notible performances have included opening for Rich Little in the mid 80's at the Nanuet Theater in the Round (New York State), and performing on board the USS Saratoga for one of the last family day events prior to her being decomissioned.

The "Crystal Heart" project

In 1996, Chuck was contacted by Crystal Heart Records (a newage division of what was then known as Delinquent records in Decatur, Al) to join a team of artists working on a newage compilation album titled "Sounds of the Soul". The project took several months to complete however when it was done, it contained a wide variety of music from indie artists around the country, some of which Chuck remains in contact with today.

Here is the review by PJ Birosik, from the May 1997 issue of The Monthly Aspectarian magazine

Sounds of the Soul (Crystal Heart Records) (audio clips below)

This album is an excellent introduction to the New Age/Ambient releases of Crystal Heart Records, whose support of independent artists means that some of their work will be made available in the U.S. for the first time. From the nouvelle classical styling of Oregon's Phillip Walker to the deep space musings of Belgian electronic ensemble Major Minor, each track presents a different perspective on how synthesized music can be used to convey the longings of the heart and soul.

Floridian Chuck Pedersen's "Beyond Andromeda" succinctly captures both the anticipation and anxiety of an oft-desired close encounter nearing realization. His slowly evolving synth textures underscore the drama of the dynamic piano melody that propels the listener ever forward to a date with destiny.

The "Mission: Critical" project (audio clips below)

In the late 90's, Chuck decided to follow-up the Crystal Heart project with a solo project of his own. At first, this endevor was to be a single CD however after many long hours and too many compositions later, it was decided that the project would change to a trilogy. The first in the series was the release titled "Mission: Critical", which was completed in 1998 and released shortly thereafter.

Unfortunately, the second (Zero Hour) and third (Tundra) CD's in this trilogy had to be placed on hold for quite a long time due to band, work, studio and equipment upgrades, family schedules, and the old time & money issues.

HOWEVER..............Now the good news........

The long awaited time for completing the projects has finally arrived. With the end of 2007 comes a move to migrate from Windows to Mac, and other improvements such as the addition of 2 new Kurzweil 2600xs Keyboards and a switch to Logic Studio.

Below is the artwork for "Mission: Critical". A friend of mine in England (Steve Attwood of Digital Waterfalls) did this work, and with a little luck he will still be available to assist with the next 2 installations.

Sci-Fi Weekly's Sound Space had this to say about Mission:Critical

Mission: Critica"....Each of the 16 songs on the CD is written and performed--under the pseudonym S.O.C. 7--by composer Chuck Pedersen. Mellifluous melodies such as "Beyond Andromeda (The Final Encounter)" and "Wonders of Space" relate some of the astronomical marvels encountered by the escaping vessel, while selections like "Twilight," "Alone" and "Illusions" offer a slightly darker and significantly more psychological ambiance. In the meantime, the title track, which is divided into three separate sections, subtly reminds listeners that the ongoing story represents a serious situation."

Yuri Pugachov, a Russian artist who also seeked out new music, listed the following entry:

S.O.C. 7 (USA)

Mission: Critical (1999) Progressive / symphonic electronics from Chuck Pedersen. Comparable to Amin Bhatia's Interstellar Suite.

Yuri Pugachov also had the following to say about Amin Bhatia's Insterstellar Suite, to which SOC7 has been compared

Bhatia, Amin (Canada), The Interstellar Suite (1987). Amin Bhatia developed a very individual style that incorporated multi-layered analog synths resulting in some sort of electronic symphony. In the early 1980's, he won a synthesizer competition organized by Roland where Bob Moog and Isao Tomita were part of the jury. In 1987 the long-defunct Cinema label released Amin's Interstellar Suite - a very good example of (mostly) analog synthesis of the orchestral / symphonic variety.

Audio clips from

"Sounds of the Soul"

Transmission Two

Trance 7

Ancient Ritual

Spiral Structures In virgo

Audio Clips from "Mission: Critical"

Experimental

Here are some experimental "draf and idea" audio clips and shorts which are not currently targeted for any projects in particular, but are placed here for your listening pleasure.

As part of the fun of making music, everyone knows that mistakes are made.....ooops...guess we are all human, but as everyone also knows, the music process starts with ideas and are later refined, mistakes are cleaned up, and the final product is mixed, polished, etc, etc.

These clips are first takes, so for your entertainment I've left the mistakes in. Some will breeze by you in a flash without notice. Other will catch your attention like an ice-cream brain-freeze !! (LOL). But that is the fun behind it. Stupid stuff that you say to yourself....CRAP....that wasn't right....stuff like wrong notes, problems with lfo and vibrato, filter sweeps that sweep too much, etc, etc.

As new clips are available they will be posted.

As time permits, the final edited versions will be made available on there associated music projects.

Please enjoy.

Experimental 1 (added April 2008) - experimental in theme pattern

Experimental 2 (added April 2008) - dark/haunting theme

Experimental 3 (added April 2008) - bass pattern, key changes, other stuff

Experimental 4 (added April 2008) - in the style of a ballad

Experimental 5 (added May 2008) - nice groove, bass, and cool theme

Experimental 6 (added May 2008) - techno/dance

Experimental 7 (added May 2008) - in the form of techno/dance

Experimental Rock 1(added Dec 2008)

Experimental Rock 2(added Dec 2008)

Experimental Rock 3 (added Jan 23 2009)

Experimental Prog Rock 4 (added Jan 25 2009)

Experimental Soundtrack-ish (added Feb 6, 2009)

These short compositions have been written for, and submitted to, the Spectrasonics contest in an attempt to win a copy of the new Omnisphere Virtual Synthesizer.

Once Around The Block

Up The Down Staircase

Feel free to send me feedback on any of the music contained within this site. My email is below.

Chuck can be contacted at:

spareroomstudio@comcast.net