easythetape

[easythetape]

Week #17 MAY - Final Thoughts

Overall I am happy with the outcome of the project and the recording sessions and collaborations were rewarding and have really inspired me to continue to make music. Hansel Mac, Dodz and RODEL were all people I have known and wanted to work with for quite some time and I’m sure that the work we’ve done together will lead to more collaboration in the future. It was a shame that quite a few of the collaborations I had lined up fell through for various reasons, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, I know this has made I hard for a lot of people, and I am just happy that so far I and my family are okay, my uncle had it but recovered, and even though my girlfriend, and her mum are both key workers, they are healthy and safe. 

Although I didn't get as many collaborations involved with the project as I originally set out to, I think the people that did give their artistic input into ‘The Tape’ really elevated the project. A massive shout out to them all Dodz, Mimi, Hansel, Callum and Laurence. I am also happy with the reaction I have got from my posts on social media, hundreds of likes on instagram with an increase in followers on insta and Facebook; hundreds of plays on SoundCloud and hundreds of views on YouTube its just the beginning but I am happy with the numbers so far. Hopefully they will just increase as I continue to do more press and promotion around the project and try and push it further. Throughout the process I have released singles and promoted the content on my social media channels to create a buzz around the project, this can work effectively at getting things noticed (Rodgers, 2013).

It was also a shame not to be able to release a physical run of cassettes but I decided against this for monetary reasons. I didn't get a chance to include some of the topics that were initially going to be explored. Such as the more political and conscious themes but both Hansel and Dodz did great jobs on the lyrical content and I think they really understood the ideas behind the concepts on The Tape and captured exactly what I was looking for, covering a lot of ground. As did RODEL with her lyrics about love and unfulfilled relationships.

I really liked the idea of a project constantly in flux, Kanye did it with The Life of Pablo. Described the work as “a living breathing changing creative expression.” (Bengtson, 2016). It was finished yet unfinished, a project in flux. It was finally finished four months after the initial release. It is one of the most powerful and introspective of West’s projects to date. (Damico, 2016). Easy The Tape went through many iterations and changes, and unforeseen circumstances did result in lots of tracks having to be cut or rethought. But these tracks will see the light of day and my idea is after the initial release on Bandcamp to keep updating the project for a while - both Bandcamp and SoundCloud allow you to edit releases after the initial drop (Bandcamp, 2020) - so doing this will keep interest in the project and when I'm happy with the track list I will drop the beat tape on Spotify.

My time management hasn't been fantastic with the project, the gantt chart I created at the start of the project completely went out the window. I will be honest and say with some of the things that have been going on this year, it has been very hard to focus and think introspectively about anything and even make music and stay creative, because at times I have wanted to crawl into a dark hole and stay there; Stephen, a dear family friend and father figure, dying and having to see my mum breakdown was not on my bucket list; my girlfriend suddenly turning into a front line key worker, was worrying and still worries me; having to once again move as much as I could back to London after I got stuck living here during Lockdown has all impacted on my mental health and made it difficult to see through the project to the level I would have liked but I am glad I pushed through and handed in the work.

Update: It was cool to get a few of the tracks from The Tape featured on 1020 radio, cheers Joe!

You can now access EA$Y THE TAPE by clicking this link: https://easygreen.bandcamp.com/album/ea-y-the-tape

References:

Rogers, J. (2013). The Death and life of the music industry in the digital age. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publications.

Bengtson, R. (2016). “The Life of Pablo” and the Death of the Traditional Album. Retrieved October 2019, from Complex website: https://www.complex.com/music/2016/06/kanye-west-life-of-pablo-death-of-traditional-album/

Damico, P. (2019). Kanye West: Understanding The Life of Pablo [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7ktpDCTvm4/

Bandcamp. (2020). How do I change the order of an album’s tracks? Retrieved 2020, from Bandcamp Help Center website: https://get.bandcamp.help/hc/en-us/articles/360007902053-How-do-I-change-the-order-of-an-album-s-tracks-

[easythetape]

Journal Update #16 MAY - Fly Lyfe / Anime

For years I've watched anime and have been a lover of anything cartoon or animated in fact when I was younger I remember one of the first jobs I wanted to do was become an animator and I had been known to make claymation shorts (one of which was shown in front of my entire school) it was an computer safety PSA with morph who I modelled myself out of plasticine. I also taught myself how to draw and got an art GCSE, I didn't pursue it any further as wanting to be a film director took over and I started making short films and got my film studies A level.

One of the first anime series I got into at school was The Boondocks, along with Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop, Hip-Hop was a way into these series and they all had English dubs. In fact The Boondocks is an American production made in the style of Japanese anime, so it isn't technically anime. However, Aaron McGruder, the series’ creator, has vocalised his love of anime and manga (Japanese comics or graphic novels) and how both inspired The Boondocks comic strip and animated series. Anime signifiers are also apparent in both — from Huey and Riley Freeman’s large eyes to the exaggerated facial expressions characters offer. (Watson, 2019). In addition to this South Korean animation studios like Moi Animation and Studio Mir — both based in Seoul — helped bring McGruder’s vision to life, the former more notable considering it animated the first three seasons of The Boondocks. (Watson, 2019). So maybe it is an anime after all, whichever way you look at it The Boondocks was my way into to the wider world of Japanese anime like Cowboy Bebop, Lupin the III and Initial D.

To help create a film like vibe on the tape I have enjoyed using sampled and monologues from various films that have been important in my life, and growing up. Samples from the Boondocks appear on both Fly Lyfe and White Label.

References:

Watson, E. (2019). Yes — “The Boondocks” Is the First Black Anime. Retrieved 2020, from Okayplayer website: https://www.okayplayer.com/originals/is-the-boondocks-an-anime.html

[easythetape]

Journal Update #15 MAY - Kick About

One of the last beats I completed for Easy The Tape is entitled Kick About, and as the name suggests the beat is inspired by my crazy love of all things football.

Football is one of the loves of my life, I used to play Sundays and at school but music took over... the other love of my life! My whole family is involved in some way. My dad and I are Crystal Palace supporters and ex season ticket holders, my dad also played semi-pro in his youth. My cousin is a pro who has played for a number of clubs including Brighton and Lewes. Both my uncles are heavily into the sport and one of them coaches a county team (he supports man u and the other supports arsenal and also follows crystal palace). My uncle that supports arsenal owns a restaurant in West Wickham and caters for footballers like ex palace player and current under-18s CPFC coach paddy McCarthy. My grandad also played semi-pro in his youth for none other than Bristol City FC. So it's safe to say football has always been part of my life and runs in the family. Kick about is based around a piano riff from a 70s sporting theme tune sample which was was chopped and looped. There is also a sample from a 90s palace match in which club legend Ian Wright scores a wonderful goal.

Above is my late grandads autograph book with a signature from the great English footballer Sir Stanley Matthews!

[easythetape]

Journal Update #14 APR - Spider-Man

I arranged a session with my cousin Callum who brought a few of my uncle's old synths to the studio. Specifically the Arp Odyssey and Roland Jupiter MKS80, we worked for around two days creating new material for the tape. 

It was cool to get him involved and this particular collaboration linked in with the themes of family connections and relationships explored on The Tape. My family has a lot to do with my early musical influence and my memories of jamming with my cousins are happy times. As we grew up and both started to specialise in different areas of music but we continued these ‘jam’ sessions usually me on drums and cal on keys, (see pic below) but usually for fun or when the time allowed. So it was great to actually collaborate for a project that will be released.

Callum is a talented multi-instrumentalist and all-round nice guy who specialises in piano (he currently teaches piano at a school). Cal has a great understanding of jazz, and I was able to learn from his knowledge on the keys and record multiple parts of him playing melodies and chords on synths. He contributed to the tracks Kick About, TOAST OF PARIS, Drink it Up and Spidey.

(Pictured above is the Arp Odyssey and the Super Jupiter MKS-80)

It was great that he bought these two of my uncles synths along, because they produced solidly fat, analogue, retro sounds and fed into the idea of nostalgia. Adding analogue ‘warmth’ to the beats was something that was important for me because I love the concept of noise and in particular I am a fan of Lo-Fi Hip-Hop. Although I would not describe the beats on The Tape as Lo-Fi Hip-Hop there are certainly some elements of the genre included like my use of the SP-404 effects and tape hiss. The Roland Jupiter’s “great sound is due in part to the classic analog Roland technology in its filters, modulation capabilities and a thick cluster of 16 analog oscillators at 2 per voice.” (Vintage Synth Explorer, 2017). The Arp Odyssey is a revolutionary analogue synth and I am glad to say it has featured on The Tape. The Odyssey is a “duophonic unit with two VCOs, most notable for its sharp sound and the versatile sound-creating possibilities” not easily available on other small synths of the time. With functions and modulation options such as oscillator sync, sample & hold, pulse width modulation, high-pass filter, and two types of envelope generator, it featured a rich array of sound-generating potential. The Arp Odyssey's signal path had a major impact on synth manufacturers that followed. It became the standard for subsequent eras, influencing even the polyphonic and digital synthesisers that were to come later. The Arp Odyssey was used by many great musicians including Herbie Hancock, George Duke and Kraftwerk (ARP, 2015).

I made a special SP-404 emulation effects rack for use in live performances to market and create hype for Easy The Tape (pictured below)

What went well:

We created quite a few new ideas and also recorded multiple parts on more than one of my beats, which gave me a lot to work with and choose from. It was also good to learn from Cals knowledge on the keys. And because we knew each other creativity flowed and the session was productive.

What didn’t go so well:

Didn’t get as much done as I could have due to having too much fun in the sessions and getting distracted listening to music, playing Gamecube and watching old TV and films... to find samples though, all of which you can hear in the beat ‘Spidey’. 

The Artwork for the track is pictured below.

The main sample on Spidey is recorded directly from the original VHS of one of my favourite spider-man films when I was a kid (pictured below)

The use of sampling directly from VHS references not only the sample itself but the sonic characteristic it carries with it. This piece of technology is obsolete now and only used in a nostalgia inspired visual art or music, and sometimes as an effect for music videos that reference the nostalgic and ‘Lo-Fi’ aesthetic. Hopefully incorporating samples like this will evoke a nostalgic response in the listener with realising. In addition Multiple samples from vintage spider man cartoons of my childhood were recorded from Lo-Fi (obsolete technology, such as VHS and DVD). I remember being so excited to wake up on Saturday morning and sit in front of the massive flickering box in the front room with my cheerios for double bills of Spider-Man: The Animated Series. When I think about it now it brings back happy memories and it has a lot to do with that ‘Lo-Fi’ aesthetic, the flicker of the CRT screen which always seemed giant compared to little me and the crunchy nature of the sound coming out of the low budget TV speakers... simpler times. Hopefully listeners will get these same feelings when listening to the beat.

Once I’d finished a first mix on Spidey I showed the track in one of our production showcases for feedback

Feedback on the first mix of ‘Spidey’ from the peer review session:

Nick (tutor): The use of samples is great and the elements all work together and communicate well with each other. The stereo image is a little strange however. The snare feels too wide and leaves a gap in the centre. The kick is central and acts as an anchor to a point but there isn’t any central information in the mid range, which is needed. It’s ok to have the wide information with the snare but consider layering this with a mono version of the snare to give focus whilst also sounding wide. I also think the distorted bass sound should be in mono and the piano sample should be more central. Overall the mix seems lopsided towards the right, so some attention towards balancing out your panning is necessary. 

Nice placement of all the elements of the track sounds tight and professional, although feel parts are possibly a little dry and could move about a little more to fill spaces that sometimes feel a bit empty, vocals are cool!

Production sounds great, the structure is all there, maybe the backing sample (horns and keys) could come up in the mix a bit more?

Real nice stereo spreadage, could even play with that as the track develops? Really like the subtle pad in the second half. Real nice velocity control on the drums and stuff, sounds smooth as a babies bum. Mix sounds pretty tasty too. 

NY/Parallel compress those intro vocals. Beat is nice and breathy though.

This is ace. Really great use of the chosen samples. Maybe spread out a bit too much.

Kick is really punchy and clean! Maybe some saturation and stereo spread of the hats. Overall sounds really nice, good mix.

Drums sound really nice, the stereo spread on the snare works well although there could be a layer in mono. 

This track reminds me of some of the songs included in the Baz Luhrmann production of Great Gatsby - mainly "No Church in the Wild" and "Ni**as in Paris" by Jay-Z. Not sure if he's an influence but it might be interesting listening to some of the production techniques he uses to enhance the mix of this track.

I think it's great and has a strong foundation.

Really great track! Love the way you’ve played with the stereo field although the hard pan of the piano sample feels a bit extreme for me. Texturally it sounds great and got me rockin’!

Above is a picture of just an excerpt of my large spidey comics collection. I started collecting around 2006/07, and if I remember correctly the right comic is the first issue I ever bought, the left is probably my most prized comic in that collection, 30th anniversary edition... nerd...

References:

Vintage Synth Explorer. (2017). Roland MKS-80. Retrieved 2020, from Vintagesynth.com website: http://www.vintagesynth.com/roland/mks80.php

‌ARP. (2015). ABOUT | ARP. Retrieved 2020, from ARP - The Legendary Analog Synthesizer website: http://www.arpsynth.com/en/about/‌

[easythetape]

Journal Update #13 APR - Visuals / Corsa

Due to COVID-19 the and set backs the idea of getting people to make multiple visuals for The Tape had to be seriously re thought so I decided to create a few myself to use for social media promotion and then maybe in the future I can collaborate on some visuals for other beats on The Tape. I did reach out to a few people I knew but they were either finishing off their degrees or unavailable.

My background in film, videography, and photography came in handy here as I already knew how to edit using premier pro and I also had a idea of where I wanted to take the artwork; a style in keeping with the artwork for the tracks. As you can see from the blog posts each track has its own individual artwork... apart from the intro.

The first visual I made for The Tape was for a track called Corsa. Which features one of my favourite Grime MCs of all time D Double E. I came across one of his freestyles based off a track he released quite a few years back called Bodyworkz. But this freestyle was done in DJ Cameo’s garden and had no beat under it, so it was the perfect candidate for a remix, or flip as I like to call it.

The theme behind the rap and all the British cars DDouble name drops, twisting their meanings with clever word play, was a great fit for The Tape and immediately once I heard the freestyle I started constructing the beat and had the idea for a simple visual, which showed all the motors DDouble was rapping about. This beat also has a Latin piano riff at its core, which is another example of my love for Latin American music and culture. The idea of merging Grime, Trap and Latin has been something I’ve experimented with for a while after hearing Mez’s ‘Normal Shoe’ which has production by Diamondz.

[easythetape]

Journal Update #12 APR - TOAST OF PARIS

TOAST OF PARIS is a special track inspired by my love of films and specifically car chases. The track utilises samples from the 1998 John Frankenheimer film ‘Ronin’ (one of my all-time favourites).

A theme that puts fire in the belly of Ronin is the notion of how its mercenary characters are riding out what one of the Biblically refers to as their “seven fat years and seven lean years.” When war is your business, eventually you’ve got to find work during peacetime. And while these operators are all angling for a pretty nice payday, one can’t help but think—especially on repeated viewings—that this whole thing happens between the end of the Cold War and the start of the War on Terror, between the invention of the World Wide Web and the proliferation of the modern information technology age. In many ways, Ronin feels like the last hurrah of a bygone spy movie from a bygone spy era, using bygone cinematic discipline (no CGI, no 360 slo-mo, no splashy soundtrack). Like its characters, this movie teeters on the cusp of irrelevancy, but maintains its balance through a combination of still-sharp skills, ruthless efficiency, and an iron will to survive. That demands respect (Coffin, 2018).

The beat was also inspired by my love of France and my childhood trips to the south of that wonderful country.

I recorded some old french language tapes (pictured below) I found hidden away, tapes that I used to listen to when I was young and taking regular holidays in France to try and learn some basic phrases to try out on holiday... When I was younger one of the things I always looked forward to, in the summer was going on holiday to France, eating crepes, ice cream and drinking ice tea in the sun (this memory was the inspiration behind the title of another beat on the tape ICE TEA). I have since been on a road trip across half of France, visited, Paris, Normandy, the Centre Val de Loire, Auvergne and of course many south coast or Côte d'Azur cities, like (my favourite) Nice and Antibes, Saint Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Saint Laurent-du-Var, Juan-Les-Pins,  Cagnes-sur-Mer, Monaco, Cannes and I am still teaching myself French with the help of Duolingo (I hope to go out there again when is safe to do so). TOAST OF PARIS draws on this nostalgic inspiration, and that feeling of pure joy when you touch down on sunny foreign soil to enjoy a holiday, a feeling I’m sure many of all ages can relate to.

In the digital era, the sonic artefacts which analogue mediums emit, such as surface noise and hiss, create a sense of nostalgia and a disjunction of time (Fisher, 2013). This concept is accentuated in TOAST OF PARIS, with the use of noise, and tape hiss captured off the tapes above, I like to use the effect subtly though. You can actually hear this tape hiss on most beats from The Tape. 

I also created the artwork for the track (1st picture) and got feedback on the beat from peers in my class.

Feedback from peer-review session:

Nick (tutor): The track is great and makes creative use of samples that are reference points to your memories and cultural influences. It would be good to get a clearer idea of what your memories consist of and how they're leading your music aside from the use of samples

really nice sounds great, the mix is on point

synths don't quite sit in the mix add some tape saturation 

Add a de-esser or cut off EQ around 12khz to take out sharp peaks, sounds amazing though.

So phat, really colourful, possibly revisit the snares sidechaining influence on elements. 

Mind map for TOAST OF PARIS below:

The beat is inspired by one of my favourite films with the great Robert de Niro and possibly my favourite actor Jean Reno (Léon). I used samples from the film both in the composition and to construct the visual. The film is set in France and I have been to a number of the locations where it was filmed in both Nice and Paris (see the video below). I posted the video on my socials namely YouTube and IGTV.

References:

Fisher, M. (2013). The Metaphysics of Crackle: Afrofuturism and Hauntology. Dancecult, 5(2), 42–55. https://doi.org/10.12801/1947-5403.2013.05.02.03

[easythetape]

Journal Update #11 APR - Dodz Single Release

I sent a tune called SABOR to Dodz a while back and he was really positive and complimentary about the beat, which was encouraging. I value his opinion and it was a good moment to get the OK from him on the project. He initially called me right after he’d listened to the beat and heaped praise on it. Dodz was the first collaborator to get on board with the project hence why it is the first single released and the second song on The Tape.  

The beat is an original composition of mine that again draws on latin flavours mixed with Trap and Grime. The driving force of the beat is based off a guitar riff for which I used the Native instrument Cuba expansion to get that ‘authentic’ Latin sound. There are also Future Beats influences which can be heard in the use the saw synths for the chords. The concept of fusing Trap and Electronic music, with Hip-Hop, Grime and Latin is not something completely original or new though, “over the last year, trap gained a much-hyped interest in the electronic music world and blogosphere. It’s since evolved into a different beast, one that has a few opposed faces.” (Exarchos, 2016). I like the genre of Trap because of its “few opposed faces” (Exarchos, 2016); you can do a lot with it, fusing your own influences into any “Trap” beat. Southern originated Trap moved a bit further forward in the 2000s and embraced an “EDM sensibility that was pointing to the future” (Exarchos, 2016) eventually influencing every genre from Hip-Hop to Pop and Grime to Future Beats.

I sampled Snoop Dogg vocals for the intro and outro from the track Vato (a Hip-Hop tune with a Latin flavour), which I used to have on repeat when I was younger, on my little hi-fi in my bedroom... Tha Blue Carpet Treatment was one of the first rap albums I remember buying and Snoop will always be a favourite.

This is a mind map of themes and concepts explored in the track (pictured below)

References:

Exarchos, M. (2016). Synth Sonics as Stylistic Signifiers in Sample-Based Hip-Hop: Synthetic Aesthetics from ‘Old-Skool’ to Trap. Synthesisers: Meaning Through Sonics. Presented at the 2nd Annual Synthposium, Melbourne, Australia.

[easythetape]

Journal Update #10 MAR - RØDEL Recording Session

The final session at 747 was with Mimi (RØDEL). It was another great day where Mimi and I worked on original material. I had a rough idea that had a chord structure and was semi arranged. Mimi brought her laptop where she had a few lyric ideas written in her notes. However, the bulk of the writing she did in the session while I did some finishing touches to the production. It was a nice calm session to end the week, we only did one track but I’m proud of our collaboration. She went in on the vocals with some lovely jazzy 4-part harmonies, that complemented the Jazz synth chords and light melody.

Mimi came up with a brilliant vocal melody and variation that followed along with the chord structure and we worked out the structure of the song as she wrote the verses. It was a nice collaborative process where we bounced ideas off each other and she was happy to take my suggestions on board. Once we’d finished recording the hooks and the verses she did a few takes of lovely ad-libs for me to mess around with as well.

what didn't go so well, only worked on one idea, but this allowed us to really go into that idea and create a bespoke tune which both of us had equal part in sculpting. She liked the my music and enjoyed the session so hopefully there will be a chance to collaborate more in the future!

I also reached out to Jada (Wavey Jadey), who I have known since I was about 13, for a session. She recently released a really nice Neo-Soul / RnB inspired single and I reached out to her over Instagram, unfortunately we couldn't make the collaboration happen in time, she had commitments and I had to go back to Bristol however, she liked my beats and wants to work in the future so that is positive!

[easythetape]

Journal Update #9 MAR - Hansel Mac Session

During each session I uploaded Instagram stories to create some buzz and mystery around the project which I still haven't officially announced yet. When the project is nearing completion I will post on both Instagram, Tumblr (my website) and Facebook officially announcing the project.

During my week back in London I also completed a session with rapper Hansel Mac. Hansel is an old mate of mine and he was open to talking about lyrical content I gave him some of the themes behind the tape and he created a sweet rap about the trials and tribulations of being a 20 something guy living and growing up in London. I have known Hansel since I was 18, we met through a mutual friend during a stint doing videography for a night that he went to in London. The session was really rewarding and again I learnt valuable lessons, specifically to do with speed, workflow, and quick vocal processing. Hansel came prepared to the session with a rap he’d written for the single The Judge (which I will release via Soundcloud and Spotify in April). This was great for the energy and speed of the session. In particular, his energy was great and he had nice words about the beats I’d sent to him. We had ‘The Judge’ done in four takes and honestly wasn't expecting to get much more done than the single, but once he was happy with the takes and it was arranged I started playing him more beats until we found something that caught his ear. (The mind map for The Judge pictured below)

A beat I had called Dragons Triangle caught his attention and he started reeling off a fast rap with a fairly dark tone, but it instantly fit the sinister feel of the beat. So, we decided to lay down vocals and arrange that. This one took a few more takes but was rewarding and I understood that he wanted the best performance and energy to translate on the record. I didn't have time to mix and master it for The Tape but will put it out at a later date as a single.

Areas to improve on would be there were a few times where maybe focus wandered and we started talking about music and artists that we liked introducing each other to new tracks. However this was also rewarding and helped to break the ice and create a relaxed atmosphere to the session. His positive energy and easy conversation was really helpful and we got along well as well which probably factored into to the chatting. 

Hansel actually texted me after the session to say how inspired he was by the collaboration which was really positive and he gave me some feedback which read: ‘as a producer you’re good at creating a positive and encouraging environment’ and he said that this was important for getting the best out of artists and that he was looking forward to making more music! This was good feedback to hear as it’s important when collaborating, “that everyone is encouraged to speak their minds” (Brown, 2019) and feel comfortable and encouraged, in my experience this is the best way to get positive results.

Collaborative processes can enrich not just art but our own human lives (Booth & Bacharach, 2016) it’s important to note that the session had a resoundingly positive affect on both of us and I think that contributed to the aesthetic of The Judge, I’m really proud of what we produced. Overall we got two tracks completely laid down and arranged, more than I thought would be achieved in a  session.

I also decided on the final artwork (below) for the Judge and sent it off to Distrokid to be the second single released off The Tape!

Update: The single got accepted on some Spotify playlists that I submitted to which was fantastic and Hansel was really happy about that. This was great promotion at this early stage.

References:

Booth, J., & Bacharach, S. (2016). Collaborative Art in the Twenty-First Century. New York, NY: Routledge.

Brown, G. (2019). How to Collaborate Effectively with Other Music Producers. Retrieved 2020, from iZotope website: https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/how-to-collaborate-effectively-with-other-music-producers.html/

[easythetape]

This one of the first tracks I ever produced and Laurence did some shredding. As mentioned in my previous Journal post. I made it in Reason at about 13, the style is a bit more downtempo/electronica and it's about 8 minutes long... A lot has changed since then!

[easythetape]

Journal Update #8 MAR - LRW Session

Last week I completed sessions with the guitarist of ‘Not the Rolling Stones’ Laurence Whiteley / LRW / Big L.

Laurence is an old friend of my dad's and someone who I have actually played a live gig with. I played drums and he was on guitar when we did the odd gig as a backing band for my dad. Laurence also collaborated on one of the first songs I ever produced when I was making music as a hobby. The track SORN I created on Reason when I was around 13 and had only just started learning how to program in Digital Audio Workstations. So it was a nice full-circle moment to get him back involved with a project that I will release. Big L has known me since I was a baby. He has seen me grow up and start making music of my own, always encouraging me along the way. This was another way in which I engaged with the concept of nostalgia on the tape I looked to family relationships and historical connections to inform most of the collaborations on The Tape. All my chosen collaborators have an important place in my life, I looked back and using introspective thought and using memories from throughout my life to come up with ideas for collaborations.

Big L played guitar parts over multiple beats in the session (629, The Limey and White Label making the final cut). Big L also provided helpful insights into mixing methods, how to get the right tone on the guitar (for example when emulating Jimi’s sound on 629) and getting the guitar sitting properly in the mix. I learned a lot from him in the session and was really thankful he took time out of his schedule to do a day recording. In total, he played on 8 beats so I have a lot more material for future releases. We (mainly he) wrote an original riff to one of my more unfinished ideas and I also got him to replay some Jimi Hendrix licks because he knows the material so well, he is Jimi in a Hendrix cover band and were both big fans of Hendrix.

Having Laurence replay some classic Hendrix’s riffs should allow me to get around the copyright issues surrounding his material. Although I did use a very small Hendrix vocal chop in 629. As I have discussed previously on the blog I am not going to worry too much about sample clearance at this stage. The project will be released on Bandcamp and fans will be able to pay what they want, Radiohead adopted this strategy with In Rainbows (2007) and the album entered the Billboard chart, the U.K. Album Chart and the United World Chart at No. 1, it went on to sell millions worldwide. According to Radiohead's publisher, Warner Chappell, In Rainbows made more money before the album was physically released than the total sales for the band's previous album, Hail to the Thief. Meanwhile, music fans were thrilled — as we are always thrilled — with great music that comes free, or cheap, and directly from the band, instead of through corporate filters. In Rainbows was an important milestone on the path to fans having more avenues to obtain music and feeling more connected with the artist. (Garland, 2009).

What went well:

Was immensely productive and Laurence is a pure professional, he figured out the keys and themes of my beats quickly and absolutely shredded most takes and even when I had a suggestion for him for a chop, melody line or bit of improv he would listen and work it out. It was a very rewarding session and he gave me lots of tips on how to process guitars mainly through native instruments guitar rig, to get authentic classic rock tones like those used by Hendrix.

What didn't go so well: 

Personally, me not having Ableton sessions set up, interrupted the flow of the session more than once. If I had projects with multiple guitar tracks open that already had some processing on them it would have greatly sped up workflow and therefore the session and increased productivity. Increased productivity is a side effect of flow. Being in the ‘zone’ is an experience described by psychologists as ‘flow’ or ‘flow state’, and it’s essential to doing meaningful deep work. When you achieve flow, you do achieve the holy grail of productivity: intense, laser-focused single-tasking and much much more (Patterson, 2018). 

White Label

The sample which is the basis of White Label was found when digging through my Grandads record collection. He called me one day saying he was going to get rid of a load of old records unless I wanted to come down and have a look through the records. He was a songwriter in the 60s and 70s and I knew there would be some good finds in his collection. I went down that weekend and sat sifting through records for hours. At one point I came across a white label that had obviously been given to him in the 70s (or thereabouts) as a promo copy by another artist or maybe one on his old label: Target. I had no way of knowing because the record had absolutely no indicators. It was just a pure white label in a white sleeve, but it was clean and in good knick and I thought definitely keep that, cause there’ll probably be some fire on there! It looked like a 12″ disco single or something. When I got home, back to the studio it was the first record I put on the turntable and sure enough it was absolute fuego. I didn't do anything with the sample for a long while but I knew it was a good ‘un and also very obscure, in the vein of DJ shadow, I thought it would be perfect or The Tape.

The Limey

The Limey is the final Beat on the tape and started off as an idea based on a bass riff I found by the great Soul/R&B Disco producer Van McCoy. This beat was also inspired by film soundtrack music, specifically, the work of David Holmes who scoring on Oceans 11, 12 & 13 has influenced my work. I was also inspired by the sound track to the British TV program The Hustle. The Hustle was a show I was really into when I was younger and recently got back into watching it with the mrs. The soundtrack is composed by Simon Rodgers and Magnus Fiennes (Fiennes & Faber Music, 2020).

Hustles music is based in Downtempo, Trip-Hop, and Electronica. Sample based artists like Bonobo and Quantic, also played a part in influencing the beat, their music always came across as cinematic and very evocative. I am trying to capture a feeling or ‘scene’ with each beat. ‘The Limey’ was also inspired by another of my favourite films of the same name by Steven Soderbergh (who coincidentally also directed the Ocean’s films). The Limey is where the intro vocals are sampled from.

References:

Garland, E. (2009). The “In Rainbows” Experiment: Did It Work? Retrieved 2020, from NPR website: https://www.npr.org/sections/monitormix/2009/11/the_in_rainbows_experiment_did.html/

Patterson, R. (2018). The Flow State: How to Enter Your Brain’s Most Productive State. Retrieved 2020, from College Info Geek website: https://collegeinfogeek.com/flow/‌‌

Fiennes, M. (2020). ABOUT | Magnus Fiennes. Retrieved 2020, from Magnus fiennes website: https://www.magnusfiennes.com/contact

Faber Music. (2020). Simon Rogers | Faber Music. Retrieved 2020, from Faber music website: https://www.fabermusic.com/we-represent/simon-rogers

[easythetape]

Journal Update #7 MAR - Marketing Ideas / Going Home

I focused on a marketing case study this week to gather some ideas of possible ways to market The Tape. The project I focused on was 99.9% by one of my favourite Future / Hip-Hop producers KAYTRANADA.

Like Kanye KAYTRA also released two versions of the artwork in collaboration with Spanish artist Ricardo Cavolo. One was released worldwide (Top) and another (Bottom) that was only released in his native Canada. Kaytranada also created hype for the release of 99.9% with a video game, playable on his website. Kaytra released a video teaser for the game on his Facebook page. And the online side-scroller is modelled after the highly addictive Flappy Bird. Anyone who hits a high score will be gain a free download of "Nobody Beats the Kay," a bonus track from 99.9% (Camp, 2016).

Kaytra also released a series of singles and videos before the final release. In May 2014, the 21-year-old artist from Montreal has now delivered on that promise with the arrival of his seductive new single off the EP, “Leave Me Alone,” which draws from both old-school R&B and contemporary dance music, and also features the dreamy vocals of Shay Lia, another artist from Montreal (Chiu, 2014). Kaytranada collaborated with Detroit jazz musician Karriem Riggins; Canadian group BadBadNotGood have two tracks on the LP. There is another track with Syd tha Kyd from The Internet as well (Middleton, 2016). In the 24 hours that followed his first single release "Bus Ride", Kaytra went on to offer options for pre-order, revealed the album's artwork and tracklist, plus provided several album snippets (with individual animations for each) via social media (Cakes, 2016). This idea is something i look to replicate doing visuals for most songs and posting them on my social media channels to gain traction.

Furthermore, this week I arranged studio time at 747Music Studios in London and I caught the train home on Saturday. This week was personally a very hard one, I got the news that I’d lost a very close family friend and mentor to his battle with cancer. This was the worst news and it still hasn't sunk in, and has brought about some serious introspection about mortality, but with all the help and support he had given me in his final weeks and the strong mental attitude he was trying to imbue, I know he would want me to see the project and my degree through to completion and I will be dedicating both my dissertation and ‘Easy The Tape’ to his memory. Now I am more determined than ever to make the best use of the sessions I have set up this coming week with Hansel Mac, LRW music and RØDEL.

References:

Camp, Z. (2016). Play Kaytranada’s Addictive Video Game Inspired by His Upcoming Album *99.9%*. Retrieved 2020, from Pitchfork website: https://pitchfork.com/news/64948-play-kaytranadas-addictive-video-game-inspired-by-his-upcoming-album-999/

‌Chiu, D. (2014). Stream Kaytranada’s New EP Track, “Leave Me Alone.” Retrieved 2020, from The FADER website: https://www.thefader.com/2014/08/12/stream-kaytranadas-new-ep-track-leave-me-alone‌

‌Middleton, R. (2016). Kaytranada Announces Album 99.9%, Release Date, Shares “Bus Ride.” Retrieved 2020, from Music Times website: http://www.musictimes.com/articles/67961/20160317/kaytranada-album-99-9-release-date-bus-ride.htm‌

Cakes, B. (2016). Kaytranada Reveals Details About Debut Album “99.9%” & Takes Us On A “Bus Ride” | SoulBounce | SoulBounce. Retrieved 2020, from SoulBounce website: http://www.soulbounce.com/2016/03/kaytranada-reveals-details-about-debut-album-99-9-takes-us-on-a-bus-ride/

[easythetape]

Journal Update #6 MAR - Pre Production, Organisation & Hauntology

Artists in the field of hauntology make no attempt to rid samples of their, format induced, sonic artefacts (Fischer, 2013). A lot of the samples I recorded came from vinyl, cassettes and youtube, none of which had particular clarity but will add to the nostalgic sense of production on The Tape. Artists in the field of hauntology highlight elements such as tape hiss keeping the integrity and originality of the source material. Nostalgia is a critical element of sonic hauntology (Balanzategui, 2016). A concept that will be heavily explored on multiple tracks on The Tape.

I organised the samples and videos I had downloaded so far into a folder and added this folder to my sidebar in Ableton (pictured below), so I can quickly access any samples I need when producing. This should help to maintain a flow state, and make future production sessions more productive as well as helping to create and maintain a sound palette. 

In order for a mix to sound great there needs to be a palette of sound colours that all work together to create a final masterpiece. (Elliott, 2011). The first step in creating a coherent mix is to decide what the final mix should even sound like. If you do not have a clear direction of what you want your final mix to sound like then you might as well be painting in the dark! (Elliott, 2011).

References:

Balanzategui, J. (2016). Haunted nostalgia and the aesthetics of technological decay: Hauntology and Super 8 in Sinister. Horror Studies, 7(2), 235–251. https://doi.org/10.1386/host.7.2.235_1

Fisher, M. (2013). The Metaphysics of Crackle: Afrofuturism and Hauntology. Dancecult, 5(2), 42–55. https://doi.org/10.12801/1947-5403.2013.05.02.03

‌Elliott, M. (2011). How to Create and Maintain a Sound Palette. Retrieved 2020, from Music & Audio Envato Tuts+ website: https://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-create-and-maintain-a-sound-palette--audio-11118‌

[easythetape]

Journal Update #5 FEB - ICE TEA and the Sampling Dilemma

One of the main ethical issues I am facing with my project is the extensive use of samples. Sampling has always and will always be a part of my musical process I am a Hip-Hop head and I just love the art. This post will explain my stance on the ethics and the issue, how I intend to combat it and in cases not combat it and ignore the rules. The history of Hip-Hop is rich with examples of high profile sampling lawsuits and sampling troll companies that have negatively effected and sometimes ruined artist's careers, definitely stopping them from gaining any royalties on their releases. As a disciple of Madlib, crowned Complex’s producer of the year 2019 (Skelton & Simpson, 2020), and J Dilla, who both heavily utilised samples in their productions and are integral to their styles it will be hard for me to stay away from this element of my own productions. Madlib has, “after decades of perfecting his sample-based production techniques, worked with everyone from MF Doom to De La Soul to Mos Def to Kanye West.” (Skelton & Simpson, 2020).

Sometimes sampling is viewed as ethically and morally wrong or immoral. On the other hand sampling can be viewed as the highest form of artistic ‘flattery’ and a strong case can be made that supports the fact that sampling in one form or another has existed for centuries. For example, a Diabelli composition named Waltz in C Major was essentially remixed by Beethoven in Diabelli variations, a collected piano works released in 1824 (Read, 2017). Thats a long time ago. Today many of the opinions about copyright law are largely shaped and driven by copyright holders who commonly believe that the purpose of copyright is to protect their works from infringement. But as it’s clearly expressed in the United States Code, that’s not the central purpose of copyright. The a purpose of copyright is “to promote the progress of Science and useful Arts.” The United States Copyright Office even doubles down on this declaration in its own description of the function of the copyright office: “the purpose of the copyright system has always been to promote creativity in society…” Any serious conversation about the role of copyright, creativity, and the arts must begin with this key fact: Copyright was created to promote creativity (Said, 2016).

Mark Ronson argues in his TEDTalk How Sampling Transformed Music, it is not about “hijacking nostalgia wholesale”, but about creating new tapestries of sound. Ronson eloquently explains, “We take the things we love and we build on them. And when we really add something significant and original and we merge our musical journey with this, then we have a chance to be a part of the evolution of that music that we love.” Rather than looking at sampling as a form of disrespect, it is often the case that artists that sample have the utmost reverence for the people who created the music that came before as you’re not going to sample music from a song you hate. Instead it is likely that they heard something in the music which inspired them, and so “they instantly wanted to inject themselves into the narrative of that music.” (Khoo, 2019).

I have to be realistic and understand that at this point in time I am an unknown artist with a small audience, and no commercial backing. I am not looking to release The Tape with any label and therefore I do not expect to make any money off this release. The fact that sample clearance is monetarily prohibitive, and I don’t have the budget, (which I’m mainly reserving for the release itself and marketing) prohibits me from paying for samples. Hank Shocklee of Public Enemy is quoted saying “Jay-Z and Kanye can afford to pay the sample rates, but not the kids starting out in their own little home studio in their house,” Shocklee says. “And that, to me, is what’s holding back creativity,” (Richards, 2012). 

Seeing as Hip-Hop and Trap are largely reliant on samples I am not going to creatively limit myself, with this project because I want it to be my best work, and as a hero of mine Stan Lee says you “do your best work when your doing what you want to do and your doing it the way you think it should be done.” (UCLA Extension, 2018). I am well aware of the legal implications of doing this and not limiting myself to royalty-free and un-copyrighted material or material in the public domain. Although I will make use of as much un-copyrighted material as I will write some of the tracks on ‘The Tape’ completely from scratch, I won't be able to do myself justice if I don’t allow myself free-reign to sample anything that works within the concept of the beat-tape. For example, Led Zeppelins breaks, which have already been heavily recycled in Hip-Hop, are not out of copyright but would be subject to the idea of De-Minimis. Many cartoons, tv shows, and films I wish to sample from will also not be out of copyright because I grew up in the late 90s and early 2000s.

(IF) any track does blow up I will sort it out with PRS and the publishing companies after the fact. There are a few things I can do to minimise the risk of any lawsuit, however, I will sample from family archives, cassette tapes, films, my own vinyl collection and attempt to, following in the footsteps of DJ Shadow, take obscure snippets and manipulate them or transform them in a way which makes them my own. On DJ Shadow’s debut album Endtroducing he sampled more obscure records, making it a sort of rule to avoid popular material; he said: "I've always pushed myself to use obscure things, and if I use something obvious, it's usually only to break my own rules.” (Keyboard, 1997). Also sampling from other Hip-Hop artists usually means you are okay and they won’t sue, so there will be a few samples (mainly vocals) from other Hip-Hop songs in The Tape.

ICE TEA

A beat that I started working on this week is called ICE TEA which is based on a sample from an acapella by Jamaican artists Home T, Cutty Ranks and Cocoa Tea. The rest of the instrumentation is mine but there are other sampled vocal shots from other Reggae tunes in the beat. There are going to be multiple samples taken from some of my favourite Reggae artists throughout ‘The Tape’. This is one example that links to my love of Jamaican music. When I was a teenager I was heavily into Reggae and Bob Marley and became a Mod. For a long period of my youth I identified as a mod/casual it wasn't a particularly popular sub-culture it just fitted with my musical tastes at the time. I love Soul and classic Reggae and Dub, and used to go to Channel One nights at a local venue in Tooting. My mate ‘Skinhead Dean’ is a DJ and runs Good Intentions sound system, he introduced me to loads of great Reggae and Ska and I used to go to their Up their Junction night. Brighton and Carnaby Street were favourites and where I got the gear, I used to have a parka, tonic suits and all swag (I still have my tonic suit).

References:

Skelton, E., & Simpson, P. (2020). A Conversation With Madlib, the Best Hip-Hop Producer of 2019. Retrieved 2020, from Complex website: https://www.complex.com/music/madlib-interview-best-hip-hop-producer-2019

Read, C. (2017). A History of Sampling w/ Chris Read (WhoSampled) at Point Blank London [YouTube Video]. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZGobMX9I48

Said, A. (2016). Hip Hop & Copyright Part 2: You Can Be Sued for Samples on Free Mixtapes. Retrieved 2020, from HipHopDX website: https://hiphopdx.com/editorials/id.3197/title.hip-hop-copyright-part-2-you-can-be-sued-for-samples-on-free-mixtapes

Khoo, Y. (2019). Sampling: Is imitation really the sincerest form of flattery? Retrieved 2020, from PHASER website: https://phasermagazine.com/main/2019/11/29/sampling-is-imitation-really-the-sincerest-form-of-flattery

Richards, C. (2012). The court case that changed hip-hop — from Public Enemy to Kanye — forever. The Washington Post. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-court-case-that-changed-hip-hop--from-public-enemy-to-kanye--forever/2012/07/06/gJQAVWr0RW_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.6cdf1ff6573c

UCLA Extension. (2018). Stan Lee Keynote at the 2017 Graduation Ceremony [YouTube Video]. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMo9Guj5gCc

Keyboard. (1997). WebCite Query Result. Keyboard. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.webcitation.org/6FGMHPpaB?url=http://www.solesides.com/winblad/shadowkeyboard1097.html

[easythetape]

My girlfriend Marina, provided vocals for EASY WAKE UP! the intro track of the project. It was fun getting her in the studio to record, even though she was reluctant to do it. She loves her music and used to host a radio show when she was at uni.

[easythetape]

Journal Update #4 FEB - The Judge Artwork / Motoring Memories

Above are the two mock up designs for the cover of the single with Hansel Mac which I created before the collaborative session. The art here was inspired by my love for motoring and nostalgia, my dad also loves muscle cars as does Laurence who played guitar on the project. Laurence has owned a number of American muscle cars, such as the Camaro Z28, which I was lucky enough to get a ride in a few times, man that thing shifted, lovely candy apple red paint with a strong metal flake, thing was majestic when I was younger glistened in the sun. 1970s artwork and lettering also inspired the design.

That 70s Funk/Soul aesthetic also informed the beats sample which is Pigmeat Markham’s ‘Here Comes the Judge’ (a popular Hip-Hop sample). This Soul classic was released in 1968 and relates to a feeling of nostalgia. According to WhoSampled this song has been sampled 11 times by two of my favourite producers guts and Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) (Whosampled, 2020). My dad was also a fan of Soul as was another inspirational figure in my life DJ Skinhead Dean, who DJs Reggae and Stax Soul, I used to go to his nights when I was a bit younger and more of a hardcore ‘Revival Mod’. I wanted to incorporate all my influences from that time and the rest of my life, on the tape spanning back as far as the 60s, with inspirations like The Who, The Kinks and Jimi Hendrix.  

My love of latin music can also be heard on The Judge, the other main sample is from popular Música Brasileira composer Celso Fonseca. The brass sample is from a beautiful composition called ‘Miles Ahead of Time’ from the 2001 album Juventude / Slow Motion Bossa. It’s funny to think I would have been about 4 when this album was released. Latin music has been influencing me and my music for a number of years now and I love the complexity and syncopation in the rhythms and composition with the Jazz inspired chords. Latin samples and compositional techniques can be found littered throughout The Tape, for example on my original composition Isn’t That Easy featuring South London MC Dodz YT. 

References:

WhoSampled. (2020). Samples of Here Comes the Judge by Pigmeat Markham on WhoSampled. Retrieved 2020, from WhoSampled website: https://www.whosampled.com/Pigmeat-Markham/Here-Comes-the-Judge/sampled/

Fonesca, C., & Bastos, R. (2001). Miles Ahead of Time [CD]. Brazil: Dubas Música.

[easythetape]

Journal Update #3 JAN - Introspection and Early Memories

I will be using meditation to delve deeper into my childhood memories, using this technique and the concept of introspection will hopefully allow me to come up with unusual and unique aspects of my younger days that I may have forgotten about. 

In 2011, Sara Lazar a Harvard researcher discovered that particularly mindfulness meditation can “change the structure of the brain.” In the study it was found that eight weeks of Mindfulness base meditation increased “cortical thickness in the hippocampus, which governs learning and memory, and in certain areas of the brain that play roles in emotion regulation and self-referential processing.” (Walton, 2015). Mindfullness will be an important practice in not only helping to remember certain aspects of my childhood that are important and influential but also is decreasing the stress level that comes along with trying to complete a major project in a short space of time. 

Another recent study found that two weeks of meditation helped people’s focus and memory. Mindfulness improved working memory capacity while simultaneously reducing the occurrence of distracting thoughts (Mrazek, Franklin, Phillips, Baird, & Schooler, 2013). “Since the strong focus of attention (on an object, idea, or activity) is one of the central aims of meditation, it’s not so surprising that meditation should help people’s cognitive skills.” (Watson, 2015).

Furthermore meditation is proved to aid in “self-referential processing” and this is an area of thought I will be engaging with a lot over the coming weeks and months, that is introspection. Introspection is a major concept of The Tape as the project draws on personal influences both in artistic and musical direction as well as personal nostalgia and insight from my past. Introspection can “yield valuable data on how to reform ourselves and re-establish relations with our fellow humans” (Samma, 2017). This is important for the collaborative process and will help me reflect on how the sessions develop with other artists and musicians. 

References:

Walton, A. (2018). 7 Ways Meditation Can Actually Change The Brain. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/02/09/7-ways-meditation-can-actually-change-the-brain/#20c090611465

‌Samma, A. (2017). Mastering the Art of Introspection - Abraham Samma - Medium. Retrieved 2020, from Medium website: https://medium.com/@abesamma/how-to-master-the-art-of-introspection-30b1483e254b‌

Mrazek, M. D., Franklin, M. S., Phillips, D. T., Baird, B., & Schooler, J. W. (2013). Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing Mind Wandering. Psychological Science, 24(5), 776–781. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612459659