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brettworks

thinking through music


  • February 20, 2023

    Every Track Is A One-Off

    One day, while struggling to get a track going, I thought about what I call the one-off concept in music production. A one-off is something made only once, something unique. When making music it’s not uncommon for producers to rely on trusted, play-this-then-play-that workflows to get a familiar something going. The image of a band comes to mind: some… Continue reading

    one-offs
  • February 17, 2023

    These Realms

    Spotify, Apple Music Continue reading

    who cares if you listen?
  • February 16, 2023

    Pianofied

    Continue reading

    Uncategorized
  • February 15, 2023

    Many Returns (Player Piano version)

    (Video by Ivan Samkov) Continue reading

    player piano music
  • February 14, 2023

    Piano Grey

    Continue reading

    minimum force
  • February 13, 2023

    Arrows Of Attention: 20 Production Prompts

    Make a beat with a generic-sounding kit then add effects until it sounds enchanting. Make an effects rack that turns any tuned sound into ambience. Truncate percussive sounds until they are tiny slivers, all attack. Make a huge template with every instrument you enjoy using. Design/finesse the sound to the point where it’s irresistibly playable.… Continue reading

    arrows of attention
  • February 10, 2023

    Notes On Fred Again..’s Artistry

    Once in a while a musician moves to the foreground of the electronic music production landscape with many musical assets in play. Such musicians have a fully formed sound—a world unto itself that feels like discovering an overlooked way of listening that was available to you the whole time. Fred Gibson, aka Fred Again.., is… Continue reading

  • February 9, 2023

    13 Production Concepts

    Beat Fatigue Chords To Nowhere Frequency Fights Harmony Shortcomings Higher Register Copy Incremental Editing Instrumental Ambiguity Iterative Improvising Modular Arrangement Obvious Structure Post-Composing Shaping Simultaneous Variation Energies Texture Blur Continue reading

    concepts
  • February 8, 2023

    Database Update

    The Music Production Concepts Database is updated and now has almost 100 entries. Continue reading

    database., decision-making
  • February 7, 2023

    B 13

    Continue reading

    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

  • Art About Music: Google’s Lyria 3 (2026)
  • Studio Observations: Listening To Improvisation
  • Database: Shane Parish on Revoicing and the Game Of Subtraction
  • Jup-8000, No. 1
  • Curating The Week: Blogging, Music and Truth-Telling, Memory

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