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Notes On A Nils Frahm Concert
In mid-March I went to hear Nils Frahm perform at The Knockdown Center, an open barn-like space in the middle of nowhere in an industrial neighborhood of Maspeth, Queens. There were about three thousand of us, drawn by curiosity about how Frahm might perform his part-neo-classical, part-electronic, part-almost-pop yet always experimental instrumental music. I walked… Continue reading
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Lessons From Dilla 4: Use Pulsating Sounds
Use pulsating sounds. Continue reading
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From The Archives: Notes On John Berger’s “Portraits”
“The given is a prison.” – John Berger, Portraits, p. 37. Notes on John Berger’s “Portraits” Continue reading
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Playing Along
When I’m composing I’m almost always playing along with something that’s already sounding. Pop musicians often begin with a groove, but since I don’t make beat music (at the moment) I often begin with free improvisation at the keyboard. I’m searching for something—a chord, a bit of melody—that I haven’t exactly heard before. I’m searching… Continue reading
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Lessons From Dilla 3: The Bass Can Walk Or Wander
The bass can walk or wander from the drum rhythm. Continue reading
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Freestyle: Music Aphorisms 4
There’s musical repetition that creates a groove, and repetition that stands in for having new ideas. In some musics these two functions co-exist. Electronic music instructional videos would be more inspiring if they showed emotional composing/improvising/performing in addition to problem-solving. Electronic music compensates for the lack of physicality in its production through an excess of… Continue reading
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On Click Tracks And Going Off The Grid
If you record your music using digital audio workstation (DAW) software such Apple Logic, Garageband, Ableton Live, or Digital Performer, you’ll notice that every time you go to hit Record a metronome click synced to your file’s tempo automatically clicks into action. The default tempo is 120 bpm (the optimal electronic dance music tempo) and… Continue reading
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