I thought I’d put down some thoughts on where I stand musically. A taste of what to expect regarding the forthcoming music I’m putting the finishing touches to which will perhaps be interesting to anyone who listens and is motivated to navigate to this website.
I believe in attempting to create musical moments and sounds that excite both the ear and perhaps the mind. In my music I think you can hear an attention to detail in the selection and creation of sounds and manipulation of samples. I’ve spent many many hours designing and creating sounds I’ve used within the forthcoming album.
That’s not to say that I haven’t used preset sounds here and there, indeed I have nothing against using a sound that blatantly works that I haven’t had a hand in amending. I think sample packs are a good example. There are so many amazing ‘one hit’ drum sample packs, scrub that sample packs, that you’d be a fool not to get out there and pick up some incredible usable sounds straight out of the box. Sampling is such a diverse and creative art with, like seemingly all areas of production, an endless array of powerful tools out there. Using presets are only a problem where their presence indicates an obvious lack of imagination or technical ability.
If you read the first post on this blog you’ll see I allude to the charm that the first album I released four years ago, Nakatomi Plaza, holds for me. Part of this charm is listening back and appreciating the artistic and technical limitations I had at the time. I think there are certain moments where a few overbearing preset sounds come in (and a lot of moments where you can hear some ‘charming’ production skills!). Their inclusion shows the technical limitations I had at the time and perhaps how my enthusiasm and passion for the music masked a critical evaluation of my artistic vision and values. However what I can hear is that passion. I still think there is some killer material on there.
Moving to the forthcoming album I hope I’ve carried that passion forward but enhanced the listening experience with four more years of learning about the mechanics of musical creation. If you managed to sit through the previous album you’ll hear many of the same musical ticks. A lot of the music on the album was initially conceived around if not before the music I was preparing four years ago. The initial club material which I’ll be releasing before the album does represent perhaps a more contemporary snapshot of the music I’m creating but only in so much as the initial starting point of each track has been in the relatively recent past. I would say that maybe they showcase some more conventional arrangements and tempos than some of the tracks on the album. The level of detailing is perhaps reduced but then I would expect that of any club material by necessity. I’m pretty excited to hear the cuts once they come back from the mastering house. Stay posted…
ES Waves 