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Artist History ==> Web Page 14 of 26
Although Dombrovski did do some drumming for others, the majority of Dombrovski's time from 1993 through 1996 was spent writing and recording music in what was eventually named "TOXIC STUDIOS." During this time, Dombrovski created and produced several of the tracks appearing on his 2003, demo-recording debut Intro, among them "Philly 'Till Dawn," a STEELY DAN-like, R&B, smooth jazz-flavored instrumental composed, produced, arranged, performed, and recorded by Dombrovski and RARE FORM's Tim Sands in September 1994, with Sands engineering and mixing. In addition, Sands' solo-effort single "Look Into My Eyes," a mid-tempo, Todd Rundgren-like, keyboard-dominated love song with Sands on all vocals and instruments, was recorded in December 1994 at Dombrovski's TOXIC STUDIOS.
DOMBROVSKI: Yeah, musically speaking, for all intents and purposes, I had all my eggs in one basket--drums. I knew there were a lot of other techniques involved in getting music out of the head of a writer and into the ears of other people; so I began to assemble, and then work in, my own home recording/project studio. I knew commercial recording studios charge by the hour and are therefore not the most cost effective arena for experimentation. Working under budget constraints can shatter nerves and stifle creativity. I had so many pent-up musical ideas I wanted to explore that I knew assembling my own home recording/project studio was cheapest and healthiest in the end for me, although it was still a relatively expensive proposition, nonetheless, costing me $30,000+ USD.
DOMBROVSKI: It was interesting NOT thinking about myself as a drummer, but rather as an amateur recording engineer, producer, writer, keyboardist, and rhythm guitarist. It took time and patience learning how to function effectively in those roles, which explains why the majority of my time from 1993 through 1996 was spent writing and recording music in my home recording/project studio. I think by working in my own studio, I was able to unveil some of the mystery surrounding the music making and recording process. I think too much mystery lead to misconceptions that were costly in terms of the time, effort, and money I spent trying to obtain musical satisfaction. Drummers are often in an extremely dependent position; however, now I had given myself the means to function independently, which was good because I was able to compare, contrast, and re-evaluate that upon which I'd been long dependent for musical satisfaction.
DOMBROVSKI: February 1993 was the time I began, in earnest, to acquire the recording gear I needed to get the biggest return in terms of recording flexibility and quality. I was aiming for semipro to professional home use. That meant purchasing: a high-quality 8-track recorder, an 8-bus recording/mixing console, a two-track DAT machine for mixing and masters, a two-track cassette deck for copies, plus microphones, monitor amp and speakers, headphones (two or three pairs), compressors/limiters, digital effects, direct boxes, etc.
DOMBROVSKI: Beginning in February 1993, I began recording a lot of original demo material in my ever-expanding home recording studio; four musical pieces recorded there, which didn't disturb me too much after listening to them again and again, made it onto my 2003, demo-recording debut, Intro:
1. "Sanctus Momentu" -- Copyright (C) 1993 by Dombrovski
2. "Venus Rising" -- Copyright (C) 1993 by Dombrovski
3. "Philly 'Till Dawn" -- Copyright (C) 1994 by Dombrovski and Tim Sands
4. "Suffer a Fool" -- Copyright (C) 1995 by Dombrovski and Mike Davis
DOMBROVSKI: I liked working with Tim Sands because we shared a lot of the same musical aesthetic, and we previously worked together in recording situations and a band situation (ECHOES). Tim is a good musician, very resourceful, in possession of great ears, and I enjoyed listening to the projects he was involved with; so it was cool letting Tim perform on, engineer, and mix "Philly 'Till Dawn." I think the song is very punchy and pops, thanks to Tim.
DOMBROVSKI: Again, for all the reasons above, it was no problem letting Tim use TOXIC STUDIOS to record his song "Look Into My Eyes" in 1994. I knew the result would be good.
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Artist History ==> Web Page 14 of 26