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Jabun
Nick Standing AKA Jabun: Multi-instrumentalist, Composer & Mastering Specialist at JabunAudio making dynamic, clean and punchy masters to encourage people to turn up your music, rather than turn it down! Creator of the Skapunk project Better Than The Book

Nick Standing @Jabun

Age 33, Male

Freelance Audio Guy

Burgess Hill, England

Joined on 9/13/05

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Jabun's News

Posted by Jabun - June 24th, 2019


Hi everyone and hope you're having a great start to the week!


Some more interviews / features to share with you today from Breathing The Core about Better Than The Book and the upcoming Hopes and Dreams album! Exciting times! The first one today is a behind the scenes look at the artwork! Check it out via the link below:

 

http://www.breathingthecore.com/2019/06/behind-artworks-better-than-book-hopes.html?fbclid=IwAR1I65VwSrLLiImeupXn5amOv5Bo1La5Ao2LDXKeV8ff5zM-J9v-5YIgcqo

 

They've also shared the project biography in another featured post! This is the same biography which has appeared in the press releases from the album, and was written in collaboration with PR manager for the album Meg from Live A Little Bit Louder. A huge thanks for all the hard work and help getting the message out! Check out the feature via the link below:

 

http://www.breathingthecore.com/2019/06/band-biographies-better-than-book.html

 

And finally, Better Than The Book now has its own dedicated section on Breathing The Core's website, as well as being added to their list of bands! That's pretty darn cool if you ask me, and feel free to catch up with all the past interviews / features on that special page below:

 

http://www.breathingthecore.com/search/label/Better%20Than%20The%20Book

 

That's all for today's post, but there are still more interviews and things to come soon, so stay tuned for more! Hope you have a great rest of the week and thanks as always for supporting Better Than The Book and my various projects! Until the next one, take care!


All the best until then,


Nick

Better Than The Book / Jabun

https://betterthanthebook.bandcamp.com/

https://www.patreon.com/NickStanding


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Posted by Jabun - June 21st, 2019


Hi everyone!


Just a quick update but I thought this was something cool to share! It's 4 weeks until Better Than The Book's 2nd album "Hopes and Dreams" is released and Spanish alternative music site Breathing The Core have just interviewed me about the album and the project! Check out the interview about Better Than The Book below, and thanks for having me BTC!


http://www.breathingthecore.com/2019/06/interviews-better-than-book.html


And you can also read a track by track interview about the upcoming album below too! Semi-spoilers here but I hope you enjoy the behind the scenes look into BTTB's 10 new songs!


http://www.breathingthecore.com/2019/06/track-by-tracks-better-than-book-hopes.html


That's it for this post, and the next will be coming at most in 2 weeks time coinciding with the final pre-release single of the Hopes and Dreams album. Have fun until then and hope you're enjoying the new music!


All the best until then,


Nick

Better Than The Book / Jabun

https://betterthanthebook.bandcamp.com/

https://www.patreon.com/NickStanding


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Posted by Jabun - June 7th, 2019


Hello fellow Newgrounds ska-punks, rockers and headbangers!

 

The time has come again, and I hope you're as excited today as I am for some more Better Than The Book! The 2nd single from the upcoming Hopes and Dreams album, "Artificial Ignorance", has just been released accompanied again by an animated visualizer courtesy of my great friend and musical collaborator, Vladimir Kuznetsov of World Beyond! Cheers Vlad! Check out the song via the video link below, and I hope you enjoy the return of horns, walking basslines, organ and skankin' guitars in "Artificial Ignorance"!

 

 

Pre-orders for the Hopes and Dreams album are also now open on the Better Than The Book bandcamp page, so head over to Bandcamp to pick up a download of "Artificial Ignorance", the lead single "Meteor Shower", and pre-order the Hopes and Dreams album now:

 

https://betterthanthebook.bandcamp.com/album/hopes-and-dreams

 

Or get even more value when you become a monthly subscriber on Patreon! This month (today), the $1+ patrons will receive an mp3 download of the new single Artificial Ignorance, $2+ patrons will additionally receive the lossless CD quality WAV file for the track, $5+ patrons will receive the ENTIRE Hopes and Dreams album (artwork, mp3s and WAVs) right now, over a month before the public release on July 19th, as well as press photos for the album launch campaign and lyric sheets, and $10+ patrons will receive all that + an in depth look into the making of the new single "Artificial Ignorance", as well as a special thanks in the album credits for Hopes and Dreams!

 

Not only that, but when you sign up, you'll gain access to the entire history of rewards for your tier including the complete Better Than The Book discography (Including the One Small Step EP and Two Years On albums), last month's new single "Meteor Shower" + many Patreon exclusive bonus tracks and more!

 

https://www.patreon.com/NickStanding

 

That's it for this post and the next one will be coming in 4 weeks time on July 5th coinciding with the final single of the Hopes and Dreams album, before the album launch on July 19th! More ska punk coming soon and thanks as always for supporting Better Than The Book! Take care until the next one and enjoy the new music :)

 

All the best and keep those horns blaring,

 

Nick

Better Than The Book / Jabun

https://betterthanthebook.bandcamp.com/

https://www.patreon.com/NickStanding


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Posted by Jabun - May 10th, 2019


Hello fellow Newgrounds ska-punks, rockers and headbangers!

 

The time has come! After tonnes of hard work and preparation, the lead single from the new Better Than The Book - Hopes and Dreams album , "Meteor Shower", has finally been released accompanied by a stunning lyric video courtesy of my great friend and musical collaborator, Vladimir Kuznetsov of World Beyond! Cheers Vlad! Check out the video below and prepare yourselves; this is BTTB's heaviest and most experimental track to date! I hope you enjoy "Meteor Shower"!


 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl3Snl83OcI  

 

Not only that, but pre-orders have now opened for the Hopes and Dreams album on Bandcamp, and I'm super excited to finally reveal the cover art for the album too:


iu_25460_1338520.jpg


Head over to Bandcamp to check it out, pick up a download of Meteor Shower, and pre-order the Hopes and Dreams album:


https://betterthanthebook.bandcamp.com/album/hopes-and-dreams

 

Or get even more when you become a monthly subscriber on Patreon! This month (today), the $1+ patrons will receive an mp3 download of Meteor Shower + the album art, $2+ patrons will additionally receive the lossless CD quality WAV file for Meteor Shower, $5+ patrons will receive the ENTIRE Hopes and Dreams album (artwork, mp3s and WAVs) right now, over 2 months before the public release, as well as press photos for the album launch campaign, and $10+ patrons will receive all that + an in-depth look into the making of track 01 of the album "The Hardest Part", as well as a special thanks in the album credits for Hopes and Dreams!


Not only that, but when you sign up, you'll gain access to the entire history of rewards for your tier including the complete Better Than The Book discography (Including the One Small Step EP and Two Years On albums) + many Patreon exclusive bonus tracks and more! There's never been a better time to subscribe to Patreon than today!

https://www.patreon.com/NickStanding

 

With the first single now released for the new album I also think it's finally time to reveal the schedule of what's to come, another two single releases, the album release + all the associated rewards on Patreon if you’re interested:


When the lead single is released and album pre-orders open (today):

- $1 / $2 patrons will receive the lead single Meteor Shower

- $5+ patrons will get the full Hopes and Dreams album + press photos

- $10+ patrons will receive a WIP+Demos package for "The Hardest Part" 


When the 2nd single is released (June 7th):

- $1 / $2 patrons will receive the 2nd single

- $5+ patrons will get something else to share

- $10+ patrons will receive another WIP+Demos package


When the 3rd single is released (July 5th):

- $1 / $2 patrons will receive the 3rd single 

- $5+ patrons will get something else to share 

- $10+ patrons will receive another WIP+Demos package 


When the full album is released (July 19th):

- $1 / $2 patrons will receive the full album + all $5 tier extras shared

 

It's certainly going to be a busy and fun few months, and I hope you're excited as I am :)


That's it for this post! The floodgates are open now and more Better Than The Book will be coming regularly until the album release on July 19th! Get ready for some more things ska-punky and familiar and some more things a little different like Meteor Shower, and thanks as always for supporting Better Than The Book! Take care until the next one and enjoy the new music!


All the best and keep those horns blaring,


Nick

Better Than The Book / Jabun

https://www.patreon.com/NickStanding


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Posted by Jabun - May 5th, 2019


Hi everyone and hope you're all having a great weekend!


The time has finally come and so today I'm announcing that the new Better Than The Book single "Meteor Shower" will be premiering on YouTube on May 10th at 6pm BST, along with pre-orders opening for the upcoming Hopes and Dreams album! Exciting times!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl3Snl83OcI


Mark your calendars, come be the among the first to listen (if you haven't heard it already as a $5+ patron), and prepare yourselves, this is BTTB's heaviest track to date!


Looking forward to next Friday and thanks as always for supporting Better Than The Book and my various music projects here on NG! Take care until then :)


https://betterthanthebook.bandcamp.com/

https://www.patreon.com/NickStanding


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Posted by Jabun - April 15th, 2019


Hello fellow Newgrounds people!


It's been a while since the last post but there's some huge news to share with you today! After much hard work and preparation it's finally time to unveil my ska punk / pop punk project Better Than The Book's 2nd full length studio album: Hopes and Dreams! Well... sort of... the public unveiling will be on May 10th when the lead single is due to drop, but if you're following me on Patreon then the pre-release party has already started!


If you're a $5+ tier patron, then you'll be receiving the full album, Mp3s, WAVs and artwork a whopping 96 days before it's released in full to the public in July (such is the promo schedule), so it's never been a better time to become an Early Pigeon than today!


For the $1+ patrons you'll be receiving the full sized cover artwork for the album before the public reveal with the lead single in a month's time, as well as the singles and album as they are released to the public over the next few months.


If you're a $10+ patron, then this month I'm continuing from where we left off last time for an in depth look into how the Hopes and Dreams artwork was made, as well as some alternative artworks which weren't used for the final cover. Don't forget too that as a $10+ patron you'll also get your name mentioned in the special thanks section of the album credits (if you'd like)!


I'm also sharing with my patrons the release schedule for the singles and album (as well as their associated rewards) before it goes out to the public with the lead single on May 10th.


With so much going on, it's never been a better time to join Better Than The Book and my other projects on Patreon and remember that when you sign up, you'll receive all the previous rewards for your tier including the entire rest of the Better Than The Book discography with Patreon exclusive bonus tracks, demos and much more. Sign up for as little as $1 a month, or $5 to pick up the new Hopes and Dreams album now (as well as the entire BTTB back catalog) before it's released to the public. I hope you enjoy it! 


Become a patron today: https://www.patreon.com/NickStanding


And for a taste of what you'll be getting and what to expect from the new album, check out the Better Than The Book Discography playlist here on Newgrounds:


https://www.newgrounds.com/playlists/view/96219dcedc6c47deb91c079c2f410ee3


That wraps things up for this post! I've been very busy lately sorting out everything for the album's release and marketing campaign, but I think things are going smoothly and I can't wait to show you what's to come! The next big post will be on May 10th coinciding with the lead single release, but until then I hope you have a great time whatever you're up to, are getting excited for the next few months of BTTB action, and as always thanks for supporting Better Than The Book and my various music projects on Patreon and here on Newgrounds!


All the best,


Nick


Jabun / Better Than The Book


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Posted by Jabun - December 3rd, 2018


It's not technically my own music but here's some fantastic news today from World Beyond as our new collaborative alternative metal album "Nobody Asked For This So I Did It" is released!

It's been one heck of a journey being a part of this, and having played lead guitar, acoustic guitar and bass in some combination on 21 out of the 22 tracks of this project, as well as countless hours of listening and consultation on the production, it's undoubtedly been not only the biggest musical collaboration I've done with World Beyond, but my biggest musical collaboration to date EVER! A huge thanks to my musical genius friend of almost 6 years now, Vladimir Kuznetsov (who I met here on NG back in 2013) for having me on board with the project and being my go-to 2nd set of ears on my own music throughout the years! I think that's all I wanted to say about it, but here's an official press release statement about the project from the main man himself, Vladimir Kuznetsov! Congrats on the release my friend, and looking forward to the next collaboration already!

Vladimir Kuznetsov and Nicholas Standing present a brand new World Beyond album "Nobody Asked For This So I Did It".
For the past 2 years we've been working on a new release, an album which draws inspiration from the music we listened to during our high school and university years. From the early 2000s to this day, the alternative and metal music genres have been a major part of both our lives. They were always there for us when we needed them, countless songs by badass bands and artists within reach right in our pockets. They empowered and encouraged us, helped us deal with pain and hardships, they were a way to vent and a way to find out there were people in this world like us, with thoughts and feelings we could relate to. And today we want to bring you a soundtrack for the reality you are living, no matter where you are in life, if you ever feel like nobody cares what you do or who you are. As you put your headphones on, we want you to have something to carry with you, and to tune into whenever you most need it. We want you to feel confident; we want you to feel strong.

"Nobody Asked For This So I Did It"

Heavy Rock Delivery Ready For Pickup

01 Not the Beginning
02 Alternative Route Advised
03 Driving Force
04 From Under the Rock
05 Over the Ridge

06 Rock Hauler
07 Diesel Heart
08 Bulletproof
09 Resonator
10 Waterline

11 Because We Can
12 Riffs Explode
13 Rally
14 Where Fires Burn Bright
15 Renegade Radio

16 Nickel and Dime
17 Heavy Duty
18 Dawnbreaker
19 Revolt
20 Awaken the Giant
21 Not the End

22 Rewind Machine

Released December 1, 2018
Lead guitar, acoustic guitar, bass by Nicholas Standing
Additional vocals by Marica Vilibic (Revolt)
Written and produced by Vladimir Kuznetsov
Special thanks to: Speeder for his support in making and promoting this album, Marica Vilibic for lending her incredible voice for Revolt and everyone who bought our music in the past making this project possible.

"Nobody Asked For This So I Did It" is available now on Bandcamp and will be coming to iTunes and other major digital distributors soon! In the mean time, you can stream the tracks on Bandcamp! I hope you enjoy it, and if you do, go send Vlad some love and share the album with your friends! Rock on!

https://worldbeyond.bandcamp.com/album/nobody-asked-for-this-so-i-did-it


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Posted by Jabun - October 8th, 2018


Hello fellow Newgrounders!

It's finally the big day, and after tons of hard work and planning, I’ve finally launched a Patreon page for my music projects Better Than The Book & Jabun (amongst other musical things)!

https://www.patreon.com/NickStanding

For those of you unfamiliar with it, Patreon is an online platform where patrons can pay a monthly subscription to support creators and their creations in exchange for various rewards, and to start my own Patreon adventure off with a massive BANG, everyone who contributes will receive the full debut EP from Better Than The Book: "One Small Step"! That's 4 songs + album art + a couple extra edits, all for just $1! Every month thereafter you’ll receive more music downloads and album art (many of which will be Patreon exclusives), and depending on your subscription tier you’ll get even more content and perks including early access to content, never before released demos, work in progress tracks and behind the scenes stuff, and at the highest levels, one-to-one mentoring for your own music and more! I'll also be releasing lots of music which I can't release here on Newgrounds such as remixes, mash-ups and covers (of which I have a vast backcatalog), so if you're interested to see those, then head over to Patreon to take a look!

While I'm busy mixing Better Than The Book's new album "Hopes and Dreams", I'll be uploading a couple of tracks from the BTTB back catalogue each month, as well as some bonus tracks & exclusive downloads which I can't wait to share with you! For those of you on the DEMOlition Pigeon ($10) tier, prepare yourself for a deep dive into my creative process and a taste of what's to come in the new album, and I hope you're ready for some headbanging, skanking goodness soon!

If that sounds all great to you then head over to Patreon for all the details, goals, rewards, examples of the music you’ll be contributing to, and a personal introduction video which I’m positive you’ll enjoy watching! Many thanks for the support!

That's all for today, though if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below and I'll try to answer them. I can't wait to share more music with you all soon!

All the best and keep those horns blaring,

Nick

Jabun / Better Than The Book


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Posted by Jabun - October 3rd, 2018


​Hi everyone!

Some huge news today from my ska-punk/pop-punk music project Better Than The Book, and my electronic/cinematic music project Jabun:

In a few days, after much thought and lots of hard work, I’ll finally be launching a Patreon page for my music projects Jabun, Better Than The Book and other personal passion projects. Full details to come when the page is finally launched, but in short, Patreon is platform for artists and creators where people can contribute a monthly subscription in exchange for various rewards ranging from music downloads (including many Patreon exclusives), early access to content, behind the scenes and never before released demos, and much more. Some of the rewards include one-to-one mentoring sessions, and these tiers have a limited number of places to make sure I still have time to pursue my own projects in addition to helping people with their music.

To show my thanks to all the closest supporters of JabunAudio, Better Than The Book and my various other projects, I'll be opening the Patreon page and these rewards to my close friends and those subscribed to the JabunAudio or Better Than The Book newsletters first, before opening it to the general public. If you want to be first in line to see these limited tiers (including mentoring sessions) and the Patreon page as a whole, be sure to subscribe to the free JabunAudio newsletter on the JabunAudio website (https://www.jabunaudio.com/), or to the Better Than The Book Newsletter on the BTTB website (https://betterthanthebookuk.weebly.com/) to be first in line to get a space. Many thanks again for all your support over this vast journey and I look forward to interacting with you on the Patreon page soon!

1338520_153856796583_PatreonIntroThumbnailFINAL.png

That's all for today, but be sure to keep an eye on this space for the Patreon launch in the coming week!

All the best,

Nick (Jabun)


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Posted by Jabun - September 9th, 2018


Hello fellow Newgrounders!

It's been a super busy couple of months, but I'm super excited to announce that after many weeks of plucking strings, pressing keys, programming synths, and belting at microphones, along with illness, injured fingers and lots of unexpected happenings, recording has finally finished for the upcoming Better Than The Book ska-punk/pop-punk album! It's been an amazing journey so far, and there's still much left to do as I move onto the next stage of the production process: editing, mixing and mastering! Thanks for all the support so far. I can't wait to show you how far things have come since "Two Years On"!

https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/667858   

With all that being the case, I thought it was finally time to reveal the title and tracklist for the project too:
 

Better Than The Book - Hopes and Dreams

Tracklist:

01 The Hardest Part

02 Artificial Ignorance

03 And I Fear

04 Meteor Shower

05 Brighton

------------

06 Get A Haircut

07 (The Travelling To See Eva Song)

08 GG

09 You've Got A Lot To Say

10 Hopes and Dreams

(Approx length: 39 minutes)

 

I really can't wait to be able to share this with you all and I hope you're as excited as I am to hear it. No ETA on the release just yet as there is much work left to do, but I'll be sharing more updates with you as and when I can. If you can't wait, feel free to refresh your ears with the rest of the BTTB discography here on NG. I hope you enjoy it!

That about wraps things up for this post. In other news, I'm still working on setting up a Patreon page, though I've been prioritising the album's production recently (as well as other work), so that's been on the back-burner. Hope to have some more updates on that soon. Anyways, thanks as always for supporting what I do and I look forward to sharing new and exciting things with you all soon!

Keep those horns blaring,

Nick Standing (Jabun)

 


 


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