Inspiration On Demand
Tis the season to be merry!
And I’m doing my bit to add to this merriment with my suitably festive remixes of four tracks from my third album.
Tried and tested last weekend where they almost caused a yuletide riot, these house mixes of Do Be Do, Robot Go Disco, Old Joanna and Contains Nuts are sure to get you dancing around the turkey, and the emphasis is most definitely on the “parrrtay”.
The individual parts are great. They work together beautifully. But you’ve still got a niggling feeling that the finished whole is less than the sum of its parts.
Face it. It sounds flat and boring. Why?
Your music lacks contrast. There’s no light and shade. Contrast creates tension and release, the driving force of music. Without it your music will sound lifeless, no matter how brilliant the parts.
I learnt this from Nirvana. The first time I heard “Smells Like Teen Spirit” I was blown away. Two contrasting sections – the sparse laid back verse and the heavy distorted chorus. Extremely simple yet unbelievably effective.
In house and techno there’s often a slight nod to contrast in the form of a break. The rhythm comes out. Everyone’s supposed to put their hands in the air and then (usually with an almighty woosh) the rhythm come crashing in again. But there are more interesting ways you can create contrast.
Taking stuff out is often more effective than slamming in with everything you’ve got. Not only does it make for a huge moment, it gives you somewhere to go.
In my forthcoming club remix of Robot Go Disco I build the track to a point where it’s almost noise, then (with an almighty woosh) take nearly everything out leaving just the kick and bass:
Create contrast compositionally.
If you’ve got a section which stays on the same note, add some chord changes. Or if you already have some, do the opposite (or change them).
I wait until almost the end of my Robot Go Disco remix to get to the chord changes, which after nearly six minutes on the same note, creates impact:
In week 4 of my 10 tracks 10 weeks album project I got completely stuck. But by concentrating on creating contrast I finished Crush, and it ended up as one of my favourite tracks off the album.
The early versions of Crush had two distinct sections – one with chord changes and one without, but sounded completely flat:
But in the final track I contrasted the two sections by changing much of the instrumentation:
You’ll also hear that I didn’t just change the instrumentation of the two sections in Crush.
If you make one section that’s rhythmically, harmonically and/or melodically simple then make another that’s more complex. You’ll end up with a piece of music that sounds technicolour, not black and white.
What other music uses contrast to devastating effect? How much do you think about contrast when you write music? What techniques do you use to create contrast? I’m sure I’ve made some glaring omissions – feel free to share below in the comments.
But don’t settle for ordinary and average just because you’re surrounded by it. By confining yourself you’re missing out. There’s a world of amazing music out there waiting to be plundered for ideas, inspiration and perspective. Don’t dismiss it. This is music, not a religion.
If you don’t already, pick a genre you’re unfamiliar with and look it up on Wikipedia for its classic albums. Then listen to just one of them a week. Just one of them. Once. Who knows, you might even like it. But if you don’t, you’ll certainly learn from it.
By making the effort to broaden your horizons not only will you learn more fast, you’ll have a massive advantage over many other producers who obsessively listen to music from their minute sub-genre.
I make my living from writing electronic music. I’m not putting it down, I love it. The best of it easily stands up to the best of anything else. But I’ve learnt more from the masters in other genres than the masters in my own. I’ll even prove it. Look out for forthcoming posts on inspiration I’ve found and techniques you can learn from music in other genres.
I’m curious to know, how often do you listen to other music? What non-electronic music inspires you? Feel free to share in the comments…
We don’t need another Deadmau5, Skream, Joris Voorn, Carl Craig, Four Tet, DJ Sneak, Tiesto, Booka Shade, Jimpster, Flying Lotus, Luciano, James Murphy, Matthew Dear, Mr Scruff, Royksopp, Dubfire, Underworld, Sasha, David Guetta or Mike Monday.
(We certainly don’t need another Mike Monday.)
While long time readers will know that I wholeheartedly subscribe to the “talent imitates, genius steals” argument and have this up on my studio wall –
“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery – celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to.” Jim Jarmusch
– the key here is “it’s where you take them to”.
We don’t need another someone else. What we need is you.
Where do you want it to be heard? Which situations do you imagine it being played? Who will hear it? Is it a means of self-expression which only you’ll experience?
Be honest with yourself. You might think “I don’t care about playing it to anyone else”, but that sounds suspiciously like The Fear talking. If you have an inkling you might want to put it out there, acknowledge that and go for it. Don’t pretend you’re just doing it for fun. Because if you’re doing it right, often it won’t be fun.
By thinking about your purpose it’s easier to overcome the moments of creative “stuckness” that everyone experiences. And crucially, with a clear outcome in mind at the start you’ll know where the end is, when to ship and when you can move on.