As explained on the “About” page, the genesis of the Kahana project, and the eventual “Soft Landing” album was the discovery of “Marquee Moon”, bought during a sale at HMV in Southend.
The dual-guitar attack of “So Long” was soon conceived, although the song didn’t take off until the chord sequence was played through a choppy filtered and delayed effect (preset 57 on the Boss ME-25 multi-effects!). That same guitar sound was to be used frequently throughout the album.
Most of the album was recorded during 2013, the exception being “Fly”, which had originally been recorded in 2011 as the only non-acoustic track on a five-track instrumental E.P. “Fly” was a perfect fit for “Soft Landing”, so was revived with a re-recorded drum track. Two of the tracks – the title track and “October Trains” had their origins in looping experiments during 2012. The other six tracks on the album were all freshly-written in 2013.
The sound is basic, and betrays the inexperience in the recording and mixing processes. The drum tracks mostly came from the Yamaha keyboard via MIDI programming, with no other viable alternative at the time for producing the required drum sound. However, it is still an enjoyable album and displays enthusiasm and spirit.
“Soft Landing” was originally released in November 2013 in a self-mastered form. Nagging doubts about the overall sound quality led to the album being submitted for professional mastering the following year, and re-released in November 2014.
Track listing:
1. So Long (4:07)
2. Strawberry Sun (2:55)
3. Don’t Ask Why (6:09)
4. Soft Landing (5:35)
5. Fly (3:55)
6. You Haven’t Got It Right (4:07)
7. These Days (4:39)
8. A Matter Of Time (3:28)
9. October Trains (7:48)