Define your style of production. A) Consider what kind of music producer you are. B) Use the interactive PDF Skills Audit to reflect on where your current skill set it (embed a picture of it completed into the blog post). C) Comment on areas that you would like to develop over the first year.
Analyse a track from RZA referencing the class discussion and your own research. A) Describe the track using specific terminology. B) Apply the idea of intertextuality.
Liquid Swords Gza
RZA produced this specific song through sampling, chopping up the sample then adjusting the audio through a sampler called the E-mu Systems SP-1200. This sampler would be controlled through a midi device operated by rza, the midi on the piano would pitch-shift the closest filled sample slot to match the requested pitch this would give RZA a lot of opportunity for precision having every key on the midi playing a different pitch. The sample was from Ann Peebles who was a 60 is/70s Memphis soul singer/ song writer, this genre of music especially around this time is no stranger to RZA’s music if anything we see it persistently and this is partly to do with multiple reasons one being texture; the texture of the song although sounding harmonic and lush carries a gritty element due to the time in which the song was recorded this crossover with the rap music and the context is perfect it is emphasizing what they are saying they are talking about struggle and emotional problems rza is trying to make it as real possible
Reflect on your experience of exploring a production process informed by the work of RZA. A) Describe what you did. B) Discuss what you produced. C) Consider what this way of working offers a music producer.
My experience involved trying to emulate a snare which rza used, through a simple DAW snare. My immediate response was to analyze the eq of the rza snare and navigate the one I was creating to match it, although I knew this would not give an exact replica of the drum it would set me on the right path. From there I started to research rza’s technique on perfecting his drums. He used the ASR sampler which emphasized the rough edges, and further mixed them through filters. However, the more I researched the more I realized how a lot of the time he used the sample as itself with no groundbreaking alteration. This made the mixing task hard for me but fundamentally led to more experimentation, playing around with reverbs trying to emulate the response of the studio it was recorded in, and learning how to keep it as minimal yet effective as possible. Also playing with distortion to give the warm textures and as previously mentioned making it gritty.
When it came to making my own beat, I started with the drums and being a fan of groovy funk-soul drum brakes I felt as though I knew where to look, researching and listening closely to songs by Melvin Bliss and Nkono Telles, I found an aggressive and quick drum loop from Melvin Bliss, (I liked the simplicity of it I felt this allowed me to focus on complexity more when it came to chopping up the samples) I took this into logic, and looped it finding its bpm. The snare and hats were very off time, which I felt personally wasn’t working, so I altered them close but not right next to their bar, I then started to play with sampling vocally and instrumentally using chords taken from different Nina Simone songs. Gathering about 6 all from piano I then experimented with its structure. The difference of audio on each individual chord gave the track an inorganic feel which i like as it was a good juxta position to it being from a live piano.
Analyse a track from Moor Mother referencing the class discussion and your own research. A) Describe the track using specific terminology. B) Offer thoughts about how her music engages with politics. Word count: 300 – 500.
The tracks production carries a range of organic elements crossed over with electronic we immediately see this at the start where we are presented with phased and flangered noises you would hear from someone’s mouth such as gurgling eating and a constant sound of breathing, this crossover between production styles makes the sounds recognisable yet somehow unknown which makes you unsettled as it almost feels like a viscous alien is breathing on your neck as thought you’ve upset it, these breathing noises get more liquidated as the song progresses creating a feeling as though the track and moor mother are melting being also unsettling. This then starts to be accompanied by the lyrics which immediately strike you as rich, intense and emotive “Europe is God” “Everything else is the devil” these lyrics are referring to the 17th century and are there to give us context of the reality between how europe and especially royalty viewed themselves in contrast to the rest of the world and for what reason. As these lyrics are spoken, vocal effects which sound like the devil play and eventually break into screams, showing that these people are not devils, these are people suffering because of your entitlement. She goes deeper into the violent legacies of empire and she starts to list names and finger point “The Portuguese, the Dutch, the French, the Spanish, the Americans” here she is educating us on who was involved, allowing us to realize ourselves that these countries are still the some of the most powerful despite taking part in such a horrible thing. Which leads to later lyrics of “there’s no place to escape it” the money which these governments own clearly have traces of the slave trade. The song carries other production techniques which are less technical such as a simple constant 909 kick which runs through the song, although how simple it is it still creates a feeling of marching and royalty despite having electronic elements. Others are again pitch shifting and vocal changes with later in the song going to a much higher octave, Almost sounding like a child screams emphasizing the children this impacted. The rhythms ande melodies of more mothers lyrics are really effective in this song also, the melodies are rhythmic like a poem and the pronunciations are confrontational this allows one to understand its urgency and her emotions in the situations.
Reflect on your experience of exploring a production process informed by the work of Moor Mother. A) Describe what you did. B) Discuss what you produced. C) Consider what this way of working offers a music producer.
When I made my moor mother track I immediately started with the chords, looking really for something which gave that dreary, dark but impactful feeling something which really could coincide with poetic lyrics of something serious. I definitely took too much time looking for them as I feel I really have to when there’s a feeling specific what I’m looking for, this definitely didn’t help with the time I had to make it. I settled for two chords, furthermore inspired by a song in which moor mother did the same. As these were chosen I immediately felt as though the song should start with these, no drums but some kind of constant pad in one note, I went through multiple on logic and was looking for genuinely something which gave the spookiest atmosphere settling for one which sounded like a smoke machine across which bird chirps and alarms. I dragged this out the the chores for the first 16 bars almost trying to give the audience some portal into the song to come, which may have not been as effective as intended then after this adding poetic dialogue now without the pad and the chords but filtered and sounding underwater.
analyse a track from Rashad Becker referencing the class discussion and your own research.
reflect on your experience of exploring a production process informed by the work of Rashad Becker
analyse a track from a producer of your choice. Apply similar analytical processes as with RZA, Moor Mother, and Rashad Becker but choose a different analytical focus. Word count: 300 – 500.
Find one text from the library and summarise its key arguments. A) Go to the library and find either a magazine article, a journal (or periodical) article, or a book chapter. B) Read the text and make notes. C) Summarise the main idea that it presents. Word count: 300 – 500.
write a final reflective account of this unit. A) What were the different skills that you developed? B) How might these news skills support your practice? C) What would you like to develop further? Word count: 300 – 500.
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