I am sitting at work, it is 06:55 am, and I am wondering where all this is going. My HTC is now playing the latest mastering attempt at the instrumental track for my latest song for the hundred-and-...th time. I just can't release the track until I know it is the way I want it to be. As of lately, I have started to care more about what others want my music to be. I have become more aware of the fact that this might be my only chance of making it big. That's probably the reason I started trying to make electronic music as well. I mean, as long as I can have a career in making music, it doesn't really matter if I'm on stage with a band or in front of a computer and some turn-tables... Or does it? I know I have a gift when it comes to the "non-electronic" music as almost any part of a conventional band, but that doesn't really help me when I am in need of 3 or 4 other persons to take on the road. Then it just seems simpler to just be alone with your talent and a computer to express it.
So what is the price of YOUR soul?
I could probably have fallen deeper than to get hooked on the dubstep-revolution. I mean have you heard scooter? :P The thing that puzzles me with this branch of the electronica genera is the attention to detail and progressive style. You can't get recognized by playing 4,5 minutes of the same drum track with some synth leads on top just repeating every bar with a variation added every 8 bars :P So am I really giving away that much of myself by doing it this way? I mean, it's not like there are bands figting over me, and getting my own band to get as passionate about music as I am, seems a task greater than what I care to spend my time on. I guess some people are happy doing the occasional local gig for free, but I want to go up and beyond. Touring the world and having crowds of thousands gathering to hear what I have made.
The thought makes me shiver. I can't help thinking I was born for this. So then why does it come so hard? I guess contacts and network means more today than talent. Getting yourself out there on your own is hard, VERY hard. But then what is life without challenges. I love to achieve great stuff on my own, cause I feel like the result is that much more satisfying when you see that you alone managed what others needed a lot of money or a big team to do.
So we wait and see. Maybe this is my big break, or maybe I fail hard at making this kind of music :P time will tell, as I search through my soul, enjoying the contrasts in anticipation of what I'll emerge as when I come out on the other side.
http://facebook.com/k2music
torsdag 27. oktober 2011
søndag 28. august 2011
My journey
When I grew up, music was a part of my life just as much as drinking water or even breathing. My family has always been of musical and everyone of my siblings does or have either played an instrument or been practicing vocals. We would always have music handy and I can still recall hours of going trough my fathers LP collection. With the 70s headset clamped onto my way too small head, I would listen to the tunes of Chet Atkins, Mark Knopfler and more. I remember singing at the independence day celebration when I was about 5. Nervous as I was, singing the verse of the song that we as a family had just sung. That was the first and only time I can remember having any real stage-fright, because the idea of being on a stage quickly grew on me to the point where I didn't even think about it. Later I've been on stage in front of hundreds of people Playing an instrument or singing, either with a band or by myself. At a young age, aching to follow in my fathers brilliant footsteps and mastering the art of guitar, I started taking guitar lessons. But it seemed I lacked a lot of patience, so I soon lost interest in the guitar, and used it only for the sake of playing something. My dream had always been, since I was a little toddler destroying my moms pots and tupperware with my drumming, having my own set. However, I didn't grow up in wealth and a whole drum set doesn't sell cheap. So I kept playing guitar and bass, as well as singing. When I turned 15, I bought a computer, and even tho games was fun, I soon realized it gave me a new oportunity to produce music. I downloaded a music program called magicx music maker, and started playing around. Trying to learn the subtle art of manipulating soundwaves, VST instruments and such, were completely strange terms to me. So I started trying to either mix precomposed music together in mashup remixes, or record raw soundwaves from instruments. I still find that those years gave me a lot of insight and lessons in how to go about making music, because I was forced to use my imagination and study the way songs were made just by listening. I developed a selective hearing, something I think is essential when it comes to analyzing music. This way I could separate out single instruments and focus entirely on them to learn patterns and how they are balanced out.
During that time, I also learned how to play the drums. A local church was nice enough to let me borrow their drum set as noone was using it. I couldn't get enough of playing. I played while listening to music, slowly gaining momentum and getting better. I also tried forming a band with some friends, but we never really went for it a 100%. From I was about 14 and forward, I started developing my own taste of music, and definitely went off my fathers classical guitar-style unto more hard music. Artists like Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit was my gateway from the rap music the young skater in me took interest in, to the more heavy genere of music. As i turned 16, I found the finnish band Nightwish. Their music was different from anything I've heard so far. They had this Symphony-instpired metal with a opera-like vocalist named Tarja that grabbed a strong hold of me. I had found the drums of other contemporary artists to be way too simple, and the drums of LP and Limp Bizkit to be a little too sampled and "fake". So this was an appreciated change of pace. I started loving the fast double bass drums and trying to replicate this with my very limited drum set. My parents must have been going crazy. But I turned 16 and moved out. In the years to come, I was echonomically independent and on a raging riot against my parents, so everything I had of money went straight into my budget for cigarettes. I was having way too much fun and way too little money to focus on music. I was free and saw this as an opportunity to do anything but produce music. Tho my love for music never went away, and I would consume large ammounts of new artists and all the way taking pleasure in hearing new, harder songs.
During this time, I had 1 major principle: Electronical music was not music! The idea of some kid sitting in a basement pressing buttons to create something called music, and in a dull rythm that didn't change for the entire song. Not for me. The progressive metal artists I were listening to, created masterpieces that took you on a journey though incredible changes of riffs, tempo and rythm. I could not understand how people could listen to techno.
In the last few years, I have been working on identifying myself as an artist or producer, and this is very much an ongoing process where I have done R&B beats and full rap songs, Metal compositions and even movie soundtracks. The latest developement have been my discovery of the UK underground genere DubStep. It is widely mainstream now, and has been called the punk movement of our time. At first, I didn't pay much attention to it, but the wobble bass and deep sub sounds combined with ripping synths in untraditional changes of oscilations soon captured me to the point where I started to see what this was all about. I had already been open to listening to a few select electronical artists like Infected Mushroom (israel) and the more known Pendulum and The Prodigy. I have in the last weeks been studying Dubstep more in depth and learning about making this kind of music by following the "rules" of DS.
From my several attempts on forming bands, working with others and trying to get things off the ground, the idea of being a lone artist, making beats on a computer appeals more than ever. But I must say my dream is and will always be, standing on a stage with a band, tearing the roof off, not by prerecorded tracks, but with pure artistical performance and live skill. So who knows what the future brings, and what may come. I am very much looking forward to seing how things turn out.
Thank you :)
- André
During that time, I also learned how to play the drums. A local church was nice enough to let me borrow their drum set as noone was using it. I couldn't get enough of playing. I played while listening to music, slowly gaining momentum and getting better. I also tried forming a band with some friends, but we never really went for it a 100%. From I was about 14 and forward, I started developing my own taste of music, and definitely went off my fathers classical guitar-style unto more hard music. Artists like Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit was my gateway from the rap music the young skater in me took interest in, to the more heavy genere of music. As i turned 16, I found the finnish band Nightwish. Their music was different from anything I've heard so far. They had this Symphony-instpired metal with a opera-like vocalist named Tarja that grabbed a strong hold of me. I had found the drums of other contemporary artists to be way too simple, and the drums of LP and Limp Bizkit to be a little too sampled and "fake". So this was an appreciated change of pace. I started loving the fast double bass drums and trying to replicate this with my very limited drum set. My parents must have been going crazy. But I turned 16 and moved out. In the years to come, I was echonomically independent and on a raging riot against my parents, so everything I had of money went straight into my budget for cigarettes. I was having way too much fun and way too little money to focus on music. I was free and saw this as an opportunity to do anything but produce music. Tho my love for music never went away, and I would consume large ammounts of new artists and all the way taking pleasure in hearing new, harder songs.
During this time, I had 1 major principle: Electronical music was not music! The idea of some kid sitting in a basement pressing buttons to create something called music, and in a dull rythm that didn't change for the entire song. Not for me. The progressive metal artists I were listening to, created masterpieces that took you on a journey though incredible changes of riffs, tempo and rythm. I could not understand how people could listen to techno.
In the last few years, I have been working on identifying myself as an artist or producer, and this is very much an ongoing process where I have done R&B beats and full rap songs, Metal compositions and even movie soundtracks. The latest developement have been my discovery of the UK underground genere DubStep. It is widely mainstream now, and has been called the punk movement of our time. At first, I didn't pay much attention to it, but the wobble bass and deep sub sounds combined with ripping synths in untraditional changes of oscilations soon captured me to the point where I started to see what this was all about. I had already been open to listening to a few select electronical artists like Infected Mushroom (israel) and the more known Pendulum and The Prodigy. I have in the last weeks been studying Dubstep more in depth and learning about making this kind of music by following the "rules" of DS.
From my several attempts on forming bands, working with others and trying to get things off the ground, the idea of being a lone artist, making beats on a computer appeals more than ever. But I must say my dream is and will always be, standing on a stage with a band, tearing the roof off, not by prerecorded tracks, but with pure artistical performance and live skill. So who knows what the future brings, and what may come. I am very much looking forward to seing how things turn out.
Thank you :)
- André
lørdag 21. mai 2011
The Message
So the thought that strikes me as I am sitting here with my iPod, listening to the lyrics of avenged sevenfold - fiction is: All music delivers a message. This statement is one that I find extremely easy. But at the same time it starts a really complex chain of thoughts. When listening to music, as I have mentioned before, you will automatically feel something to some degree. Wether you get a strong reaction because something in a piece of music speaks to you or you hardly feel anything, the reaction is there.
Now, is it the lyrics?
Is it the instrumental lineup and arranging?
Is it perhaps the dynamic or the presentation of the individual instrument?
It might even be the subtle difference in the vocalists voice (from what you would normally hear from that artist) that tells you the mood that he or she is trying to project.
Of course in most cases it is a combination of all theese and more. But what you are focusing on when you feel something from a piece of music, might be the key to your success when it comes to producing something that speaks to people. I often find myself challenged with the task of trying to bring the message across in the best possible way. But I believe an open mind and a constant focus on identifying your own reaction to what you like in music will get you far.
It is of course debatable if all music is supposed to deliver a message, and you can't escape the fact that contemporary music often have a really superficial point of view and lyrics that would make the great poets cry in shame over this generation. A great example would be the point that were made in "get him to the greek" - where the boss of the label showed his employees what he called a "gamechanger" - a completely obscene rap-song called "f*** your sh**". The lyrics are as degrading and offensive as they could get away with even in a parody.
But lets examine some of the female artists. Like ke$ha...
allow me to quote the chorus of her song "your love is my drug"
"Because your love, your love, your love is my drug.
Your love, your love, your love.
I said your love, your love, your love is my drug.
Your love, your love,your love"
Now you might say that the message in contemporary music is shallow and shows a complete lack of effort. But it is still a message. I am shooting myself in the leg a little for saying this seing as I am a part of this generation as well. The shallow and quick solution- lyrics and musical tracks that we see on MTV reflects our general mentality. We are in my opinion more or less a generation of semi existent cyborgs. Each of us spending more time investigating other people's lives on facebook or twitter than actually living our own. Our personal computer is more an extention of our body than a useful household accessory.
But there are certainly those who with great persistence demands content in music, and their calls are being heard. Some artists and bands, producers and musicians are reinventing music over and over again with masterpieces that speak to the soul of the listener. More than what you can say about "your love is my drug"
This brings me to the subject of how the image supports the message. In order to know what kind of musician you want to be and how you want to reach an audience with your message, you need to be clear on what that message is. And as our previous example kesha proves, image is everything. She has a ass-kicking personality that says "who cares, it's only life" and her controversial moral standing is appealing to those who are missing a constant in their lives. So much, that she can get away with prepostorous lies about what the only drug in her life is, because basicly noone listens to the lyrics when there is a cool video that accompanies the repetative hook.
But in my personal opinion the need of a flashy and "screaming" image goes down as the effort in writing meaningful musical pieces is increased. There are of course some exeptions. Especially in the rock and metal genere, the bands have a very specific and out of the ordinary appearance on stage. My chemical romance delivered a musical journey in their 2010 album "danger days" that practically blew the critics away. But they still have a rather 'strange' image. This, however supports their position and the message that they are trying to get across.
So the challenge is finding yourself as an artist by knowing what you want the world to remember you by. What kind of message do you want to leave behind. One of mayhem and sticking it to the man, one of compassion and love, or perhaps just that 'bitches be acting crazy'. The choises are unlimited, and only you can tell what the answer to the question is.
But i find the same philosophy to be true when it comes to releasing music, that goes for getting a tattoo. This is something that will stick to you for the rest of your life, make sure that the message is something you can stand for. Always
Now, is it the lyrics?
Is it the instrumental lineup and arranging?
Is it perhaps the dynamic or the presentation of the individual instrument?
It might even be the subtle difference in the vocalists voice (from what you would normally hear from that artist) that tells you the mood that he or she is trying to project.
Of course in most cases it is a combination of all theese and more. But what you are focusing on when you feel something from a piece of music, might be the key to your success when it comes to producing something that speaks to people. I often find myself challenged with the task of trying to bring the message across in the best possible way. But I believe an open mind and a constant focus on identifying your own reaction to what you like in music will get you far.
It is of course debatable if all music is supposed to deliver a message, and you can't escape the fact that contemporary music often have a really superficial point of view and lyrics that would make the great poets cry in shame over this generation. A great example would be the point that were made in "get him to the greek" - where the boss of the label showed his employees what he called a "gamechanger" - a completely obscene rap-song called "f*** your sh**". The lyrics are as degrading and offensive as they could get away with even in a parody.
But lets examine some of the female artists. Like ke$ha...
allow me to quote the chorus of her song "your love is my drug"
"Because your love, your love, your love is my drug.
Your love, your love, your love.
I said your love, your love, your love is my drug.
Your love, your love,your love"
Now you might say that the message in contemporary music is shallow and shows a complete lack of effort. But it is still a message. I am shooting myself in the leg a little for saying this seing as I am a part of this generation as well. The shallow and quick solution- lyrics and musical tracks that we see on MTV reflects our general mentality. We are in my opinion more or less a generation of semi existent cyborgs. Each of us spending more time investigating other people's lives on facebook or twitter than actually living our own. Our personal computer is more an extention of our body than a useful household accessory.
But there are certainly those who with great persistence demands content in music, and their calls are being heard. Some artists and bands, producers and musicians are reinventing music over and over again with masterpieces that speak to the soul of the listener. More than what you can say about "your love is my drug"
This brings me to the subject of how the image supports the message. In order to know what kind of musician you want to be and how you want to reach an audience with your message, you need to be clear on what that message is. And as our previous example kesha proves, image is everything. She has a ass-kicking personality that says "who cares, it's only life" and her controversial moral standing is appealing to those who are missing a constant in their lives. So much, that she can get away with prepostorous lies about what the only drug in her life is, because basicly noone listens to the lyrics when there is a cool video that accompanies the repetative hook.
But in my personal opinion the need of a flashy and "screaming" image goes down as the effort in writing meaningful musical pieces is increased. There are of course some exeptions. Especially in the rock and metal genere, the bands have a very specific and out of the ordinary appearance on stage. My chemical romance delivered a musical journey in their 2010 album "danger days" that practically blew the critics away. But they still have a rather 'strange' image. This, however supports their position and the message that they are trying to get across.
So the challenge is finding yourself as an artist by knowing what you want the world to remember you by. What kind of message do you want to leave behind. One of mayhem and sticking it to the man, one of compassion and love, or perhaps just that 'bitches be acting crazy'. The choises are unlimited, and only you can tell what the answer to the question is.
But i find the same philosophy to be true when it comes to releasing music, that goes for getting a tattoo. This is something that will stick to you for the rest of your life, make sure that the message is something you can stand for. Always
torsdag 3. februar 2011
In the name of Music!
So, just to start off, I would like to go into a few thoughts on what it is about music that is so compelling. Why has music always been so important to us? Why does it affect us so much, and how can it make us feel in a certain way?
Since the dawn of time, we have had music. Wether it was the cavemen gathering around the fire, banging bones together or on a streched mammoth skin, or tibetian munks forming amazing sounds with their vocal chords. Music is and has always been something that we have tried our best to develop this field and to develop our talent in our own performance. As our understanding of sound has developed, and our technological journey at the same time accelerated at an even faster pace, the tools for making spectacular sounds have been made available for anyone that wish to. If we go back not more than a hundred years, we were at the beginning of the era where sound recording became a bigger part of the industry. Before that the art of making music was more dominated by the "live performance" where a person creating music would have to use his own musical performance in the distribution of the music. Back then, people were in a bigger way, forced to use their own or their closest friends or families music talents in order to have every-day music or song. But as the technology has made distribution and consuming of music internationally available in the blink of an eye, the need for every person to use his ability to create music in order to have access, is gone.
Now, I am not saying that music has become a smaller part of peoples lives, quite the oposite. People consume music at stunning rate. You will see people constantly with their ipod's on, when traveling, reading, working out or by the computer. Many people have made music a big part of their lives, and without actually thinking about it, finding the answers through their emotional needs through music. This brings me to the part about the feelings that we can get from music. Most musicians should know the difference between major and minor notes. Even if you don't know that you know, you do :) (waow, that was a hardcore sentence. Even I had to read it twice) To say it in the hard way for anyone that doesn't play the piano, if you are in the C-scale, the minor keys would be the black ones. Lets say that you are listening to a song, and you hear that the notes themselves sounds "sad" as many people would say, not the dynamic of the sound, but the notes themselves. A chord is being used that contains a note that is in the minor scale, transforming the chord to minor and making the feel of the note, even if it has 2 out of 3 keys in the same spot as you would with the major chord, sad. Well, sad is not the right word, but some people would put it that way. However, what happens, when you hear this; lets say in a movie - you will automaticly assume that something sad or bad is going to happen. The sound itself has put an emotion in you, or changed the way you look at things. The same thing also goes when you are hearing songs or music outside of the movie realm. You are walking to the store, and you have your iPod on. Chances are that what you are listening to is selected by you, weather you thought about it or if it was subconcious: Because you want to animate a feeling trough it.
Noone in their right mind would wake up with a hangover and start blasting speed-metal on 90 dB on their speakers. That's a bit random to say, because the reason for that would be that it's ... loud.. but there is a point in there: If you don't want to get psyched you would put on something less intense. You want to endulge your own feelings with the music. If you are sad you put on some sobby alanis morisette. When you are happy and had too much Red Bull, you put on some happydance song that makes it bubble inside of you.
So Music may definitely change or enhance feelings, and it is important to take a second to analyze how you are affected by different music. How we react is partially subjective due to personal preference in music, but chances are that someone else is feeling the same way about things. You can and should definitely use this to your advantage when it comes to making music.
Since the dawn of time, we have had music. Wether it was the cavemen gathering around the fire, banging bones together or on a streched mammoth skin, or tibetian munks forming amazing sounds with their vocal chords. Music is and has always been something that we have tried our best to develop this field and to develop our talent in our own performance. As our understanding of sound has developed, and our technological journey at the same time accelerated at an even faster pace, the tools for making spectacular sounds have been made available for anyone that wish to. If we go back not more than a hundred years, we were at the beginning of the era where sound recording became a bigger part of the industry. Before that the art of making music was more dominated by the "live performance" where a person creating music would have to use his own musical performance in the distribution of the music. Back then, people were in a bigger way, forced to use their own or their closest friends or families music talents in order to have every-day music or song. But as the technology has made distribution and consuming of music internationally available in the blink of an eye, the need for every person to use his ability to create music in order to have access, is gone.
Now, I am not saying that music has become a smaller part of peoples lives, quite the oposite. People consume music at stunning rate. You will see people constantly with their ipod's on, when traveling, reading, working out or by the computer. Many people have made music a big part of their lives, and without actually thinking about it, finding the answers through their emotional needs through music. This brings me to the part about the feelings that we can get from music. Most musicians should know the difference between major and minor notes. Even if you don't know that you know, you do :) (waow, that was a hardcore sentence. Even I had to read it twice) To say it in the hard way for anyone that doesn't play the piano, if you are in the C-scale, the minor keys would be the black ones. Lets say that you are listening to a song, and you hear that the notes themselves sounds "sad" as many people would say, not the dynamic of the sound, but the notes themselves. A chord is being used that contains a note that is in the minor scale, transforming the chord to minor and making the feel of the note, even if it has 2 out of 3 keys in the same spot as you would with the major chord, sad. Well, sad is not the right word, but some people would put it that way. However, what happens, when you hear this; lets say in a movie - you will automaticly assume that something sad or bad is going to happen. The sound itself has put an emotion in you, or changed the way you look at things. The same thing also goes when you are hearing songs or music outside of the movie realm. You are walking to the store, and you have your iPod on. Chances are that what you are listening to is selected by you, weather you thought about it or if it was subconcious: Because you want to animate a feeling trough it.
Noone in their right mind would wake up with a hangover and start blasting speed-metal on 90 dB on their speakers. That's a bit random to say, because the reason for that would be that it's ... loud.. but there is a point in there: If you don't want to get psyched you would put on something less intense. You want to endulge your own feelings with the music. If you are sad you put on some sobby alanis morisette. When you are happy and had too much Red Bull, you put on some happydance song that makes it bubble inside of you.
So Music may definitely change or enhance feelings, and it is important to take a second to analyze how you are affected by different music. How we react is partially subjective due to personal preference in music, but chances are that someone else is feeling the same way about things. You can and should definitely use this to your advantage when it comes to making music.
Introduction to the music maker dedicated blog
Welcome to The Music Maker. This is a blog about making music, or any of the aspects of this lifestyle. It may be live events, recording, or just playing around with midi mouseclicking in FL studio in order to make music. Some great things have been done using the simplest of tools, and it has been seen again and again that the art of making music is all about the feelings that you are trying to express trough it, not how much money you have for equipment or access to great talents in your friend base. Creating pieces of art through forming sounds and making them fit together will give you the satisfaction of accomplishment and to quote some great musicians that I don't personally favor, but who has a great point:
"make your own kind of music, even if nobody else sing along."
"make your own kind of music, even if nobody else sing along."
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