Kat's Log

This unit, “Introduction to Music Production”, introduced me to some artists I had never heard of before contributing to the broadening of my knowledge of very specific genres and music from around the world. I got an opportunity to dive into various topics myself on an ongoing basis and sometimes discover elements I have previously overlooked in my favourite music releases. I noticed a gradual improvement in the efficiency of my research skills and academic referencing—an aspect that I have always found to challenge my time management abilities. This not only contributed to the quality of my work but also made it easier for me to balance various tasks.

Over the duration of this academic term, I sometimes felt limited because of my inability to improvise on musical instruments. While I thought I could rely on the music theory knowledge I have previously used for composing, I was once again reminded of the importance of being able to come up with a musical idea in the studio quickly, off the cuff. I have decided to make time to review music theory, look into improvisation and figure out the way to build my technical skills (which are currently on a basic level) towards songwriting. 

Even though I have been using music softwares and studios for just a year, I noticed how this experience helped me in all of the units. I was familiar with the terminology used in the classroom, the layout of a typical DAW, and the studio equipment, so, having that base, felt confident learning new skills. 

Even after learning to appreciate different genres of music, I still struggle to draw inspiration from all the opportunities Ableton Live offers for electronic music creation, as I have not previously worked in this genre. I expect to overcome the art block by implementing a skill of active listening I developed during the “Introduction to Music Production” module by listening and analysing a variety of electronic tracks and discovering elements I could use in my own production.

In the lesson, we looked at some new post-2000 experimental genres of music, mostly to do with noise and intense electronic music. I discovered that breakcore is characterised by antifascist politics and learned about Igorrr (whose approach to the use of metal music weirdly reminds me of a half-ironic American band Clown Core). But the artist I decided to research further was clipping. It is a band I discovered at a music festival once and was mesmerised by their unique sound. 

Clipping is an experimental hip-hop group that consists of rapper Daveed Diggs and producers William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes. They incorporate elements of noise and industrial music into their sound, such as unconventional sounds, distorted textures, and harsh tones, which create a dark atmosphere that may not be typical in old-school-style hip-hop.

The band is very devoted to crafting a specific atmosphere, self-declared as “party music for the club you wish you hadn’t gone to, the car you don’t remember getting in, and the streets you don’t feel safe on.” They spend a lot of time on sound design, creating the sounds which would suit their vision the best. When reading their interviews it becomes apparent that their broad taste in music is what helped them achieve their trademark sound which is a fusion of different genres. They have mentioned deriving inspiration from industrial and noise rock bands like Nine Inch Nails and Sonic Youth. You can also hear the elements of power electronics – glitch effects, distortion, specific harsh kick sound, and overall industrial atmosphere in the music. Clipping’s beats can be aggressive and intense on some records and resemble mainstream hip-hop on others.

Some of Clipping’s albums, such as “Splendor & Misery”, are conceptual. The band has mentioned that the storytelling and horror film references come naturally to Daveed Diggs when he works on lyrics, however, the rapper claimed the band to be “the most intentional project [he has] been a part of”. Describing the songwriting process he said: 

“As someone who has been in a lot of rooms and worked on a lot of sessions with rap music, it’s a different way of approaching rap songs. Bill and Jonathan are in the room the whole time and constantly nitpicking over the delivery of very small pieces of text, which is great.”

References:

clipping. INTERVIEW (2020). YouTube. 30 October. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RJyG5ByBQw (Accessed: 02 December 2023).

Lester, Paul. “Clipping (No 1,448).” The Guardian, 8 Feb. 2013, www.theguardian.com/music/2013/feb/08/clipping-new-band (Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.)

Nast, Condé. “Clipping.: CLPPNG.” Pitchfork, 13 June 2014, pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19431-clipping-clppng/ (Accessed 2 Dec. 2023)

Records, Sub Pop. “Clipping.” Sub Pop Records, www.subpop.com/artists/clipping. (Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.)

Sherburne, Philip. “Clipping: Los Angeles Noise-Rap Crew Crank out Scientifically Ugly Party Jams.” Spin, 7 Jan. 2014, www.spin.com/2014/01/clipping-interview-noise-rap-sub-pop-midcity/ (Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.)

I read a chapter of a book called “Ocean of Sound” by British musician, author, and professor David Toop. In this publication, he explores the history of ambient music, the philosophy behind it, and its connection to our everyday soundscapes.

In the first chapter, “memory”, which I have been assigned, Toop introduces the reader to the concept of ambient music in a way that one might not have thought of it. He provides examples of different approaches to sound and ambience and draws connections between things you would have never known had anything in common. He talks about Muzak, Brian Eno’s perfume, Javanese pop, hearing his neighbours having a fight, Thomas Pynchon, Balinese gamelan orchestra, Claude Debussy, the music played at Indian cafeterias, bedhaya dancers, Umberto Eco, and the sound of plastic food wrap from a freezer. The chapter has no structure, it is just a fusion of Dasvid’s observations and quotes from people with different professional backgrounds. He provides examples from the world of design and literature, connects sound to other senses – the smells and colours – and covers the timeline from cavemen to modern (and by saying “modern” I mean the year 1995 when it was published) times. The readers must then collect the full picture themselves – collect the images from the book and make out how they all relate to ambient music. The broad range of topics covered in this chapter must be one of the exceptional traits of “Ocean of Sound”. 

His writing style is rich, somewhat sophisticated, and often descriptive. It evokes the sensory experience of sound in a way that, while I was reading the book in a noisy London underground carriage, I could almost space out from where I was and hear the things described in the text. I, however, have found the language to be unreasonably complicated when Toop was being analytical. Being exhausted after a long day, I had to re-read some of the sentences all over and over again for them to make sense. The stylistic choice also left the text feeling a bit scattered due to seemingly unrelated quotes and facts piling up until they connect over a mutual idea two pages later.

If I had to do academic research on ambient music, I would probably go for another, more non-fiction, book. While David Toop does cover a lot of the history of ambient music, the first chapter is more of a suggestion of a new perspective on the connection between music, sound, environment, and aether – the communication and interaction between various sonic elements, such as melodies, natural sounds, and electronic textures. He assembles an approach to creating and perceiving an intentionally “background” yet emotionally complex music. 

“Increasing numbers of musicians are creating works which grasp the transparency of water, seek to track the journeys of telematic nomads, bore moods and atmospheres, rub out chaos and noise pollution with quiet, concentrate on sonic microcosms, absorb quotations and digital snapshots of sound into themselves, avoid form in favour of impression, concoct synthetic wilderness in urban laboratories, explore a restricted sound range or single technological process over long durations, seek to effect physiological change rather than pursue intellectual rigour, or depict impossible, imaginary environments of beauty or terror. Music that aspires to the condition of perfume, music that searches for new relationships between maker and listener, maker and machine, sound and context.” (Toop, Ocean of Sound, p. 24)

Toop, David. “Davidtoop.” Davidtoop, davidtoopblog.com/author/davidtoop/ (Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.)

Toop, D. Ocean of Sound. 1995. Serpent’s Tail, 2018, pp. 4–25.

When I think about music in context, the first album that comes to my mind is “Think Tank” – the seventh studio album by the English rock band Blur, released in 2003. 

The release of “Think Tank” came out around the time of strong geopolitical events, including the 2003 invasion of Iraq. 

The United States and its allies invaded Iraq in March 2003 justifying it under the claim that Iraq’s possession of WMDs was a threat to the world, though there was no evidence for that (Bush, 2003). “Think Tank” was released two months later that year. While the album itself does not necessarily have lyrics mentioning the Iraq War, it is easy to connect the context of its release (as well as the situation in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks) to some of its contents. Blur’s lead singer, Damon Albarn, had also been known for getting political in his lyrics and public commentary. As mentioned in an episode of The Culture Show in 2014, he has been a pacifist since early childhood due to the intercultural nature of the place where he grew up. The desire to speak up and restore justice quite often brought him troubles growing up [1]. Which makes it fair to expect the album to be at least somewhat political.

Indeed, it can be spotted even in the title. Furthermore, for the album’s visuals, the band collaborated[2] with Banksy, who is known for their political activism in the majority of the artworks.

Many songs on the album, such as Out Of Time and We’ve Got A File On You, have Middle Eastern instruments or elements, bringing listeners’ minds to the topic sonically. (Though it’s worth mentioning it was around the time when their bass player Alex James called Albarn “the blackest man in west London” which caused a public discussion around him and cultural appropriation[3]).

The album is imbued with war-themed lyrics like “I could be lying on an atom bomb”, “… if we go and blow it up then we will disappear” or “jets are like comets at sunset” just to name a few. 

Another event that shaped the album was Graham Coxon (the guitarist and co-founder) leaving the band and Blur beginning to fall apart.[4] Damon’s attempts to save the band show in lyrics like  “… now it seems that we’re falling apart/ But I hope I see the good in you come back again” in Sweet Song and “This is a ballad for the good times” along with “Everybody’s stopped believing/ But you know you’re not alone/ You can be with me” in Battery in Your Leg.

“Think Tank” is an exact example of how both external and internal factors shaped the lyrical content and aesthetics of a release. 

Bush, G. W. (2003). Address to the Nation on Iraq. The White House. Retrieved from https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030319-17.html 

[1] The Culture Show. “Damon Albarn: Solo.” Www.youtube.com, 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIMWTsj0hiA  Accessed 23 Nov. 2023. 

University of Oxford. “Think Tanks.” Www.careers.ox.ac.uk, www.careers.ox.ac.uk/think-tanks  

[2] “Bad Meaning Good, 2002.” Banksy Explained, 18 Apr. 2021, banksyexplained.com/bad-meaning-good-2002/ 

[3] Sullivan, Caroline. “Damon’s Big Adventure.” The Guardian, 22 Dec. 2000, www.theguardian.com/culture/2000/dec/22/artsfeatures  Accessed 22 Nov. 2023.

[4] Uncut. “Blur – Album by Album, by Stephen Street, William Orbit and Ben Hillier.” UNCUT, 25 Apr. 2014, www.uncut.co.uk/features/blur-album-by-album-by-stephen-street-william-orbit-and-ben-hillier-9494/ . Accessed 24 Nov. 2023.

While researching the Kampala-based record label Hakuna Kulala, I came across a track that caught my attention with its synth sounds which seemingly mimicked African djembe, talking drums and other percussion, such as woodblock. The polyrhythms on the track were another element characteristic of African music.[1] However, those similarities are not surprising at all, considering that the artist’s name is Afrorack and the piece is called “African Drum machine”.

Afrorack is both the name of the first Africa’s built-from-scratch modular synthesiser[2] and the artist name of Bamanya Brian – the Uganda-based musician who created it.

The Afrorack synth consists of a clock divider, low-frequency oscillator, envelope generator, sequencer, voltage control oscillator, filter, voltage control amplifier, white noise, analogue cowbell, snare, hi-hat, and closed and open hats.[3] Toms, clap, wood block, and other percussion. Another section is an analogue reverb unit, which Brian mostly uses for smoother transitions between sections of a song. An additional element to his set-up is a controller from Arturia called Beatstep Pro, which serves as the first step in Afrorack’s workflow.

His songs are based on live-recorded improvisations on his DIY synth. He starts with a patch kick drum and then begins to layer and modulate the sounds on top of it by changing pitch control, envelopes, and filter in real-time.[4] A singular analogue music instrument, not even run through any digital audio workstations, may not seem like a lot but having this limit shows just how much one can do with enough creativity. Not to mention that limitations helped Bamanya’s musical career progress from just a strong interest in music[5] and electronics to performing at various music festivals. He decided to assemble his now-famous synthesiser out of a lack of money and resources in Uganda to afford any foreign modular synth.[6] By building his own instrument, he got a chance to be in charge of which sounds he would get and to create the ones that would be the most suitable to celebrate African music.

To summarize the ethics behind his work, there is something he said in spring 2018: “Our heritage does not come from Detroit, Chicago or Berlin – but from our own musical traditions. I am convinced that the next electronic music revolution will take place in Africa”.[7]

[1] Anku, W. (2000). Circles and Time: A Theory of Structural Organization of Rhythm in African Music. Music Theory Online, [online] 6(1). Available at: https://www.mtosmt.org/issues/mto.00.6.1/mto.00.6.1.anku.html#:~:text=The%20drum%20ensemble [Accessed 15 Nov. 2023].

[2], [6] Kirn, P. (2020). Afrorack and Africa’s first DIY modular synth make some wild, delicious grooves. [online] CDM Create Digital Music. Available at: https://cdm.link/2020/01/afrorack-first-african-modular/ [Accessed 15 Nov. 2023].

[3], [4] Afrorack (2019). Africa’s first Home made Modular Synth. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov2sEfUv1XY [Accessed 15 Nov. 2023].

[5] Perrier, M. (n.d.). Arturia – Bamanya Brian AFRORACK. [online] www.arturia.com. Available at: https://www.arturia.com/stories/brian-bamanya [Accessed 16 Nov. 2023].

[7] Pan African Music (2022). The Afrorack, first experiments on DIY modular synthesizers. [online] PAM – Pan African Music. Available at: https://pan-african-music.com/en/afrorack-album/ [Accessed 15 Nov. 2023].

I believe every musician has to find their unique way of creating music, and it may be useful to see different styles of working because one might discover something that works for them. In our latest lesson, we looked at the workflows of several musicians, from which I picked two to discuss today: KMRU and Burial. A common thread binding these two artists is their incorporation of field recordings into their creative processes. However, I find that the way they utilise them is somewhat different.

Burial is a British electronic musician known for his work in dubstep and ambient music. His real identity was a mystery at the time, which added to the intrigue as he gained recognition with his album “Burial”.

KMRU, on the other hand, is a Kenyan electronic music producer known for ambient and experimental genres. Despite being the son of a (to some extent) famous musician and politician, he’s recognized for his unique approach to sound design and composition.

Both artists use field recordings, which means they record sounds from their surroundings and use them in their music. KMRU captures the ambience around him to experiment with later, so he doesn’t have an end goal in mind at the first stages of production. Burial also captures familiar sounds, but his goal is to make them sound nostalgic, melancholic, and distant.

In one of the interviews, KMRU expressed concerns about how changes in his life and environment might impact his music. This vulnerability could be evidence of the organic and fluid nature of his creative process. On the other hand, Burial’s approach seems to involve a deliberate effort to bring back and preserve elements of the past, or perhaps his fantasy of someone else’s past. 

While KMRU records sound without a specific goal, Burial follows a similar aesthetic but aims to make his music evoke certain feelings. But both of them draw inspiration from their surroundings, being yet another example of how background and environment often shape the art of someone who feels connected to their place. Despite their differences, both artists bring a unique touch to music production, which works best for them as musicians and individuals.

Resident Advisor. “Burial’s Untrue: The Making of a Masterpiece.” YouTube, 6 Nov. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et5B-zfAIIo Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.

Michaels, Sean. “Burial’s Identity Revealed via MySpace.” The Guardian, 6 Aug. 2008, www.theguardian.com/music/2008/aug/06/burial.myspace. Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.

“Burial’s “Untrue” at 15: Artists Reflect on Their Favourite Tracks and the Album’s Unwavering Influence.” Crack Magazine, 4 Nov. 2022, crackmagazine.net/article/lists/burials-untrue-at-15-artists-reflect-on-their-favourite-tracks-and-the-albums-enduring-influence/. Accessed 19 Nov. 2023.

Ableton. “KMRU: Spaces.” Www.youtube.com, 16 Nov. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxRbgvRNoS4 Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.

Kayanda, Chia. “Part 2: Debunk Speaks to Joseph Kamaru-KMRU.” Debunk Media, 23 Feb. 2023, debunk.media/part-2-debunk-speaks-to-joseph-kamaru-kmru/ Accessed 19 Nov. 2023.

When new music equipment, instruments, and recording technologies are introduced, they can influence how music is produced, and consumed. These advancements often lead to changes in sound, and production techniques, and sometimes contribute to the creation of new genres. For example, in 1986, Akai released a piece of equipment which became a go-to choice for many musicians and producers and impacted the development of sample-based music.

It is nothing but the S900 – an 8-voice, 12-bit sampler. Its sample rate varies from 7.5 kHz to 40 kHz, which allows it to sample up to 11.75 seconds of audio at a sampling rate of 40kHz, or up to 63 seconds with lower rates. The launch of this product was revolutionary, as the previous samplers could not sample anything longer than a few seconds and had only one available sound storage spot at the time while Akai made it possible to have up to 32 samples simultaneously. [1]

The Akai S900 made sampling technology more accessible by offering an affordable option of around £1700 for newly started producers. Before that, sampling was often an expensive and complex process, limited to high-end studios, so the release of the S900 provoked a boom in experimentation among a wider number of musicians.[2] 

MIDI integration in the Akai S900 meant that the sampler could communicate and synchronize with other MIDI-compatible devices. This allows musicians to control the S900, trigger samples, and coordinate between different instruments and equipment during recording or shows. [2] The sampler’s compact design also made it more practical for both studio use and live performances compared to some larger models available in the 1980s. This is also why it became a popular substitute for drum machines in home studios. [3]

As one of the early digital samplers, the Akai S900 contributed to the broader shift from analogue to digital sound processing during the 1980s and 1990s. This sampler became defining to the sound of many artists, including Fatboy Slim, Moby, Depeche Mode, Dr. Dre, Portishead, New Order and Tangerine Dream. [4] [5] [6] 

[1] www.synthmuseum.com. (n.d.). Synthmuseum.com – Akai : S900. [online] Available at: https://www.synthmuseum.com/akai/akas90001.html [Accessed 4 Nov. 2023].

[2] Kraft, Espen. “S900 – This Made Akai the KINGS of Sampling.” Www.youtube.com, 20 Jan. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy-X0FaPpJk  Accessed 4 Nov. 2023. 

[3] Fishman, Paul. “Akai S900 Sampler (IM Jul 1986).” International Musician & Recording World, no. Jul 1986, 1 July 1986, pp. 84–86, www.muzines.co.uk/articles/akai-s900-sampler/11018  Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.

[4] www.soundonsound.com. (2017). Classic Tracks: Fatboy Slim ‘Praise You’. [online] Available at: https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-fatboy-slim-praise-you  [Accessed 4 Nov. 2023].

[5] Ward, Phil. “Under New Orders (MT Apr 1994).” Music Technology, no. Apr 1994, 1 Apr. 1994, pp. 44–48, www.muzines.co.uk/articles/under-new-orders/7751  Accessed 4 Nov. 2023.

[6] Trask, Simon. “Dream State (MT Jan 1991).” Music Technology, no. Jan 1991, 1 Jan. 1991, pp. 40–46, www.muzines.co.uk/articles/dream-state/764  Accessed 4 Nov. 2023.

While choosing a record to analyse, I decided to go for something from an album that had kept me hooked for the past month. Today we’re looking at instrumentation and arraignment in “Star” by Mitski.

In this track, she builds tension by layering synthesisers and other instruments. The song starts with a sub-bass synth (you can hear the LFO circling[1]), followed by a sustained note played much higher up (might be the same synth or something else) until her voice with wet reverb applied comes in accompanied by mellow electronic piano playing sustained chords. 

At the 30-second point, another layer of synth comes in – a dreamy pad. The next instrument to enter the song is a virtual organ holding a sustained chord an octave higher.

Live drums are introduced at 1:08, and the instrumentation goes down to them + the three synthesisers from the beginning + vocal melody. This is the point at which I feel the song falls into the second section. The instruments start to come in once again.

Gradually, live strings emerge – an orchestration of violas, violins and double-bases. This selection adds more of a “dramatic” feeling to the song and fluctuates in its velocity throughout, dictating the intensity. 

The next layer is another high-octave organ[2] doing a chromatic run over the song. Strings also build up in velocity, though it is getting hard to make out separate instruments due to the mixing choice.

The strings, synthesisers, and drums fade out or exit the song one by one until the only track left is the pad that came in second, holding one sustained note. The song comes back to the energy level it began with.

[1] Stolet, Jeffrey (2009). “31. Low-frequency Oscillators”. Electronic Music Interactive, 2nd edition. University of Oregon.

[2] Mitski (2023). Mitski – Star (Behind the Song). [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Kiknae8H_c&t=198s [Accessed 24 Oct. 2023].

In the first section, Genevieve combines polyrhythm and syncopation. She layers her voice/instrument recordings on top of each other seemingly without trying to make them sound coherent and pleasing. The song feels “chopped” a bit and leaves listeners in distress. I am stating this as a practising listener. I was distressed.  

Apart from being syncopated, the melodic lines are heavily panned and mixed quite “tight”. That creates a claustrophobic feeling. On top of that, some of the recordings occupy more or less the same frequency range, her voice has the same texture and pitch and might overlap a bit.

However, those strange composing and mixing techniques do resonate with the lyrics. In the first section, her thoughts are tangled, she’s confused, repeating the question “Why?”.

When the second section of the song comes in, it feels like a big relief. All of the instrumentation changes. Genevieve introduces a gentle pad, a dreamy synth that sounds almost like bells, and a nice quiet drumbeat in 4/4 – the time signature that has the most natural feeling to it and is the easiest to understand and follow. All of the channels are now treated with reverb, which creates a wider sound, so it almost feels like there is more air to breathe. Now the listener can relax and listen to what she has to say, as the lyrics calm down as well: simple “feels true”.

Music production involves an insane amount of people performing various roles, whether it is songwriting or mastering. But a producer? A performer alone is not a producer and a mixing engineer is not a producer – they are just parts of the music production process. At the same time, a producer may also be an engineer or a composer, but what defines them as the producer is the presence of their influence or supervision on all the stages of creating a music record. That is someone who is supposed to turn an idea into a record, ideally a distribution-quality one if they want to be able to pay rent from what they do.

Let’s say, we have got a musician. That person has written a song: a two-minute-long piece with lyrics over four guitar chords. They recorded themself performing it in their room, did some audio post-production (e.g. EQing or “cleaning” from background noise), and published it to Soundcloud. This person was with the song from its foetus state (“Oh, these chords sound nice together!”) all the way until it became a finished product, ready for other people to consume (a track on Soundcloud). So, then again, is that certain someone a music producer or still just a musician? Or is it the question of self-definition?

It is easy to associate the term “music producer” with electronic DAW-based music. The live instrument-based music only comes into the conversation when we touch on professional studio production. But if we define music production as a process of creating a record (in most of cases now, an audio file rather than vinyl), then it implies that any recorded and edited music – of any quality – is a product of music production.