Is this chord progression too similar to a BoC song?

[Cosmic Manta]

Hey everyone!
I was working on a song, when I started to worry that the chord progression I was using was too similar to something BoC used, as it sounded a bit familiar. Any ideas as to what it is? Or am I just worrying about nothing? http://puu.sh/mgtv5/894e1aad12.mp3

[747Music]

Hmmm, it does sound a bit familiar. But it's different enough that I'm not recognizing any immediate matches to BoC. For a second I was thinking it sounds kinda similar to a part of a Squarepusher song that I haven't listened to in a while, but I can't put my finger on that either as I can't remember what song that was.

Anyways, I think you're safe. It sounds good too.

[Cosmic Manta]

Thank you! I couldn't quite link it to anything, but I figured it'd be good to have a second opinion. Thanks for listening!

[drillkicker]

Reminds me of Boqurant. Also IABPOITC.

[valleaux]

It sounds a little reminiscent of Kid for Today.

[The Telepathic Kid]

I'm really not tryin'a be a grumpy old fart here, but if you're worried about sounding like BoC, maybe don't use the warbly nostalgic synths which are synonymous with their name?

I mean I don't know where you're gonna take the song, you may go in a completely different direction, who knows.

[Jango9]

I think you should be fine as long as you're not doing something like this:

Fun fact: Just about every song on this album rips off a BoC song to some degree

1. Aquarius
2. An Eagle In Your Mind (there's a pretty decent original piece at the beginning of this one)
3. Pete Standing Alone
4. Kaini Industries
5. Rue The Whirl
6. The Color Of The Fire
7. Telephasic Workshop
8. Constants Are Changing (With synths instead of guitars, which represents an interesting possibility)
9. [Nothing immediately comes to mind]
10. Smokes Quantity

As for what you've got here, in my mind the closest BoC relative would probably be In The Annexe, which it doesn't actually sound that much like. I think you're doing fine.

[GH]

Sounds ok. Depends on whether you want to sound like BoC or not. It's lot less BoCy than some of the stuff posted on here. The chord progression specifically, I don't think rips off anything.

It's also worth noting that BoC don't have a monopoly on warbling retro sounding synths. It's more a characteristic of analog synths, & it's quite hard to play a melody on an analog mono synth without it sounding a bit like BoC.

[Cosmic Manta]

I think you should be fine as long as you're not doing something like this:

Fun fact: Just about every song on this album rips off a BoC song to some degree

1. Aquarius
2. An Eagle In Your Mind (there's a pretty decent original piece at the beginning of this one)
3. Pete Standing Alone
4. Kaini Industries
5. Rue The Whirl
6. The Color Of The Fire
7. Telephasic Workshop
8. Constants Are Changing (With synths instead of guitars, which represents an interesting possibility)
9. [Nothing immediately comes to mind]
10. Smokes Quantity

As for what you've got here, in my mind the closest BoC relative would probably be In The Annexe, which it doesn't actually sound that much like. I think you're doing fine.

And I thought Tycho was overly BoCish... “The Grumpy Chinaman” even has a ripoff of the SAMPLE at the end of Kaini Industries...
Thanks for introducing me to this, it's pretty amusing.

[Jango9]

Even funnier when you read what the "artist" himself wrote about this album:

...it is a reflection of my life, encapsulating my dreams, hopes and memories while giving me a soundtrack to experience from. It is a perfect representation, in musical form, of who I am.

My only guess is that he's somehow deluded himself into thinking that he actually IS both Mike and Marcus.

[Cosmic Manta]

Wouldn't surprise me, he seems like quite a character. The songs themselves aren't even that well mixed, they're kinda flat and dull sounding. At least Tycho rips off BoC well.

[drillkicker]

I think you should be fine as long as you're not doing something like this:

Fun fact: Just about every song on this album rips off a BoC song to some degree

1. Aquarius
2. An Eagle In Your Mind (there's a pretty decent original piece at the beginning of this one)
3. Pete Standing Alone
4. Kaini Industries
5. Rue The Whirl
6. The Color Of The Fire
7. Telephasic Workshop
8. Constants Are Changing (With synths instead of guitars, which represents an interesting possibility)
9. [Nothing immediately comes to mind]
10. Smokes Quantity

As for what you've got here, in my mind the closest BoC relative would probably be In The Annexe, which it doesn't actually sound that much like. I think you're doing fine.

If that garbage can get signed onto Domo, then I have a lot more faith in my own tunes. Thanks for sharing this, Jango.

[Jango9]

If that garbage can get signed onto Domo, then I have a lot more faith in my own tunes. Thanks for sharing this, Jango.

No problem, anytime.

[portiss]

I think you should be fine as long as you're not doing something like this:

Fun fact: Just about every song on this album rips off a BoC song to some degree

1. Aquarius
2. An Eagle In Your Mind (there's a pretty decent original piece at the beginning of this one)
3. Pete Standing Alone
4. Kaini Industries
5. Rue The Whirl
6. The Color Of The Fire
7. Telephasic Workshop
8. Constants Are Changing (With synths instead of guitars, which represents an interesting possibility)
9. [Nothing immediately comes to mind]
10. Smokes Quantity

As for what you've got here, in my mind the closest BoC relative would probably be In The Annexe, which it doesn't actually sound that much like. I think you're doing fine.

And I thought Tycho was overly BoCish... “The Grumpy Chinaman” even has a ripoff of the SAMPLE at the end of Kaini Industries...
Thanks for introducing me to this, it's pretty amusing.

I never understood this. Why do people think Tycho Rips off BoC? I mean, there are some similarities in his older work, but to me it sounds way different than BoC does.

[Negamuse]

I never understood this. Why do people think Tycho Rips off BoC? I mean, there are some similarities in his older work, but to me it sounds way different than BoC does.

For me its because the music itself is fairly bland - the most notable thing about it is the BoCish sound palette and when you mentally strip that away theres not enough of its own identity left to stand up. If it bought something interesting to the table Id forgive it the similarity. Hell, if it brought something interesting to the table Id probably hear less similarity because Id have something else to focus on.

All of which is totally subjective ofc. Could just be Tycho is tapping some vein Im earblind to.

[GH]

I think Tycho has a pretty distinctive sound of his own these days. Certainly with the last two albums.

[The Telepathic Kid]

the one thing most BoC copycats don't seem to translate is that feeling of ever present danger.

BoC know that the most beautiful things can come from the darkest places, which is why tracks like Kid for Today and Turquoise Hexagon Sun are so beautiful, because they have that element of sinister darkness to them as well.

[drillkicker]

I've never understood the comparisons between Tycho and BoC. Tycho is definitely dance-centered music and doesn't focus very much on atmosphere, while Boards of Canada is music that uses dance elements to create a very powerful atmosphere, instead of doing it to make actual dance music. If anything, Tycho's sound is similar to Selected Ambient Works 85-92 or Tri Repetae.

the one thing most BoC copycats don't seem to translate is that feeling of ever present danger.

BoC know that the most beautiful things can come from the darkest places, which is why tracks like Kid for Today and Turquoise Hexagon Sun are so beautiful, because they have that element of sinister darkness to them as well.

If you're into that kind of stuff, then I strongly recommend listening to the album Owl Splinters by Deaf Center. It's incredibly tense but extremely beautiful.

Live at Bar Maldoror and Dawn by Current 93 also do this, and I actually had the second track on Dawn playing in a nightmare once. It was very unsettling.

[Cosmic Manta]

The thing about Tycho is that, like MrMessiah said, his signature sound is one that BoC has already made popular― so it really doesn't sound that original. As soon as you hear those warbling synths, you think “Oh, this guy definitely reminds me of BoC.” On top of that, it doesn't even give off that nostalgic vibe that BoC's music does.

That being said, Tycho's music has good production value, and it does manage to capture the BoC sound much better than Little Plastic Pilots. Maybe Tycho's music is sorta like BoC for the less adventurous, for those who aren't up for the weird (albeit joking) references to cults and the like.

[mr3]

I'm w/GH on both counts. Compare analog synths to say guitar. There's a lot more easily accessible creative space w/guitar. Besides, we're social creatures so our art usually reflects that through influences (and so much great music has come from inspiration consciously/subconsciously due to existing music). Tycho may have been influenced partly by BOC early on, but these days I think his bigger challenge is making new sounds that are unique compared to his previous work than compared to BOC.

That riff reminds me of 2 things by the way, and I'm no pro but personally I don't think it's too close to either to be an issue: RDJ's Luke Vibert Remix (from his soundcloud) and BOC's Bocurant.