brettworks

thinking through music

May 2013

May 29, 2013

On Musical Systems And Four Tet’s Good Musical Sense

“I don’t want to sound like anybody else.” – Kieran Hebden I have written previously on this blog about the music of Kieran Hebden (aka Four Tet). Hebden not only has good musical taste but also a thoughtful and unique approach to using technology to create his work. In this video from Red Bull Music… Continue reading

creative strategies, Electronic music, performance

creative path, electronic gear, four tet, midi controllers, red bull music academy
May 23, 2013

From Faucet-Playing To Prepared Drumsets: On The Musicking Of Glenn Kotche

I recently watched an entertaining commercial for, of all things, Delta Faucet, that features percussionist Glenn Kotche playing faucets in a musical way. As he turns on the taps one by one, water streams out of them and strikes inverted pots, pans, and colanders to produce sustained pitches. With the help of a few overdubs,… Continue reading

cover songs, drumming, world music influences

delta faucet, monkey chant
May 17, 2013

On Music As Overlay

Here we are, me among them, sitting on the subway, sharing a physical space but each of us somewhere else. We each listen to a different music, and each of our musics acts as a cultural overlay that separates and distinguishes us from one another. Headphones on, we ensconce ourselves in protective bubbles of sound.… Continue reading

listening, musings

music, social technology
May 16, 2013

On Another Kind Of Wonder (part II)

Here is an excerpt from “Beama”, Track 2 from my recent recording Another Kind Of Wonder: You can purchase the full 2-hour recording here. Continue reading

Electronic music

excerpt from
May 15, 2013

Notes On Magnus Nilsson’s “Faviken”

In Bill Buford’s insightful essay that introduces Magnus Nilsson’s Faviken cookbook (Phaidon), Nilsson speaks of feeling, touch, and vibration when explaining the transcendent quality of French chef Michel Bras‘ cooking: “I don’t think I can describe it. Or not in technical terms, because it has nothing to do with technique (…) It’s in an extra… Continue reading

analogies, culinary arts, synesthesia, vibration

cooking, food
May 9, 2013

On Music For Ringtones

Here are three brief audio files I made for use as ringtones. They are 100 percent organic and locally sourced. Enjoy! Continue reading

Uncategorized

ringtones
May 3, 2013

Borrowed Thoughts: Haruki Murakami On Mundane Actions

“No matter how mundane some action might appear, keep at it long enough and it becomes a contemplative, even meditative act.” – Haruki Murakami Continue reading

analogies, borrowed thoughts

haruki murakami
May 2, 2013

On How The Shape Of A Sound Shapes Us

I noticed a simple thing the other day while working on some music. The sounds I was working with were long tones with slow attacks and long decays. (Can you guess the instrument?) What I noticed was how instantaneously the shape of the sounds shaped me. The sounds literally slowed me down–making me feel as… Continue reading

drone, listening, mindfulness, perception, resonance, vibration, wonder

mental-health

Thomas Brett is a musician and writer who holds a PhD in ethnomusicology from New York University. He is the author of Principles of Electronic Music Production and The Creative Electronic Music Producer, a book described by Sound On Sound magazine as “a deep philosophical analysis of the various creative inspirations, ideas and processes involved in producing electronic music.” His essays have appeared in the journals Popular Music and Popular Music and Society, as well as edited collections by Routledge, Oxford, and Cambridge University presses. Thomas has played percussion on Broadway since 1997 and writes about music at brettworks.com.