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brettworks

thinking through music


  • January 3, 2019

    Brett’s Sound Picks: P. Adrix’s “Estação de Queluz” (2018)

    Continue reading

    Brett’s Sound Picks, rhythm programming, Uncategorized
  • December 31, 2018

    Timbrebuilding

    “The power of art objects stems from the technical processes they objectively embody: the technology of enchantment is founded on the enchantment of technology. The enchantment of technology is the power that technical processes have of casting a spell over us so that we see the real world in an enchanted form.” -Alfred Gell, “The… Continue reading

    music production, Uncategorized, working knowledge
    timbrebuilding
  • December 21, 2018

    Resonant Thoughts: Tristan Garcia’s “The Life Intense” (2018)

    “I hear a piece of music, and out of nowhere I’m surprised by an unexpected change of tuning, key, or rhythm. This variation might shake my ear out of its unfeeling slumber, a numbness brought on by what were all-too-predictable changes in the music at hand. Now I get the feeling that the piece is… Continue reading

    Resonant Thoughts, Uncategorized
  • December 20, 2018

    On Being Fluid And Deliberate

    A fair many years ago at one of my music lessons my teacher, Russell, suggested that I make my body movements more fluid, more deliberate. I was playing a multi-percussion piece for marimba and some tom-toms, moving from one instrument group to another, probably rather abruptly. Russell suggested making the tempo of my gestures match the… Continue reading

    gesture, percussion, performance notes, Uncategorized, working knowledge
  • December 19, 2018

    Brett’s Sound Picks: Kid Koala’s “Allotropic” (2018)

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    Brett’s Sound Picks, Uncategorized
  • December 17, 2018

    Prototyping And Bias Towards Action, Windows Of Freedom And Unexplored Possibilities

    Just as I finish a project and send it off for mastering I start wondering what do next. I have a number of partly- and mostly-finished projects in the cue (usually about four), but this is a moment I could be working on new music—music whose trajectory is still completely uncertain because I haven’t begun.… Continue reading

    prototype building, Uncategorized
  • December 13, 2018

    Curating The Week: Informal Language, Artistry and Asceticism, Blogs

    • An article about writing. “Informal language is the athletic clothing of ideas.” • An article about artistry and asceticism. “If it is fact that a kind of excess often accompanies the making of art, then there’s another kind of excess — less cinematic, for sure — that seems closer to the point: Artists, even… Continue reading

    Curating The Week, Uncategorized
  • December 12, 2018

    Brett’s Sound Picks: Space Afrika’s “Uwëm/Creātiōn” (2018)

    Follow Brett’s Sound Picks here. Continue reading

    Brett’s Sound Picks, Uncategorized
  • December 11, 2018

    Art About Music: Cornelis Saftleven’s “The Duet” (c. 1635)

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    art about music, Uncategorized
  • December 10, 2018

    On Creative Strategies And Controlling Time 

    “I think that controlling time is what leads you to success.” -Rafael Nadal I often think about how to work better, which means how to do more with less, and how to stretch my attentional dollar. Working better comes down to using time with more focus by having a creative objective for the moment. But… Continue reading

    creative strategies, time, Uncategorized
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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.

Recent Posts

  • Database: Laura Cannell On The Mechanics Of Acoustic Instruments, Improvising, And Simple Motifs
  • Omni 128 bpm
  • Brett’s Sound Picks: Laura Cannell’s “The Water Had Carried Her” (2026)
  • Curating The Week: AI and Human Touch, AI and Writing, AI and Taste
  • Marimbafied 35

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