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Personal Contract for the Composition of Music
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There's a great article over at pitchfork link that makes some pretty good points about the current state of electronic music, and asks various producers what their personal contract for the composition of music would say. This was inspired by Mathew Herbert's manifesto
link
1. The use of sounds that exist already is not allowed. Subject to article 2. In particular:
* No drum machines.
* All keyboard sounds must be edited in some way: no factory presets or pre-programmed patches are allowed.
2. Only sounds that are generated at the start of the compositional process or taken from the artist's own previously unused archive are available for sampling.
3. The sampling of other people's music is strictly forbidden.
4. No replication of traditional acoustic instruments is allowed where the financial and physical possibility of using the real ones exists.
5. The inclusion, development, propagation, existence, replication, acknowledgement, rights, patterns and beauty of what are commonly known as accidents, is encouraged. Furthermore, they have equal rights within the composition as deliberate, conscious, or premeditated compositional actions or decisions.
6. The mixing desk is not to be reset before the start of a new track in order to apply a random eq and fx setting across the new sounds. Once the ordering and recording of the music has begun, the desk may be used as normal.
7. All fx settings must be edited: no factory preset or pre-programmed patches are allowed.
8. Samples themselves are not to be truncated from the rear. Revealing parts of the recording are invariably stored there.
9. A notation of sounds used to be taken and made public.
10. A list of technical equipment used to be made public.
11. optional: Remixes should be completed using only the sounds provided by the original artist including any packaging the media was provided in.
Some of my favorite from the article:
Make a full EP or LP completely sober and with no one else in the studio with you-- no exceptions. Struggle and search on your own; it makes you grow
Live acts just using a laptop should be called "semi-live." That's already common in Holland.
Whenever, as a producer, you feel yourself flinching a bit from using an idea or a sound or an effect, hesitating on the grounds that it's maybe a wee bit cheesy, then I would say just to push right past that feeling and go for it. Do it twice over, even. There can never be enough monster riffs or cheap tricks in dance music; there can definitely be a surfeit of just-so subtleties.
Challenge yourself. If it seems too easy, it is questionable at best.
Treat every track as you would a loved one; support and encourage its individuality, and never misguide or manipulate it for popularity purposes.
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There are many that I don't agree with, but it's illuminating to read them anyway.
What would yours be? | |
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07/24/08
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papergoose
For me,
Have Fun. Let yourself enjoy the process.
Don't be lazy. If something will sound better by doing it in a more difficult way, do not cut corners.
That said, don't get bogged down in over-producing. Let the song flow out as it needs to and wants to. Worry about the mix later.
Finish the ones that deserve it. No exceptions.
Find that balance between mindless flow and mindful focus when playing. Surf that balance.
07/24/08
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astroid
each ep or project has to start a different genre
purposely set limits in order to explore other things more fully
dont worry if it takes ten years to form a genre
my current things:
ALGOS
must be realized in one take
must be able to realize the sound that I, the composer, would create manually
must also be able to create a set of other sounds which i would not be able to manually create
must be able to improvise with other musicians
POLYFOLK
simple polymeters
guitar, voice, some electronics
must write each seed in my head without use of instrument, paper, or computer
07/24/08
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bla
dont follow a set of rules you invented to make things easier by avoiding having to make decisions- anything should be allowed- just because you think it should be a particular note doesnt mean thats the best note it could be etc
do a bit of work on it every day- even if the idea of switching it on depresses the shit out of you- it doesnt matter- make yourself do it anyway
change stuff youve already done if it will make it better- the time you spent setting it the first way hasnt been wasted because it was a learning experience
ummmmm- do stuff
07/24/08
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monkvolcano
mine would prolly be pretty simple like:
when an impulse comes into my brain... follow it til it's end. let other impulses go until that one is realized (or realized that it won't work). then follow the next impulse.
continue doing that until genuinely satisfied.
don't get hung up on remembering ideas you had. focus on what's springing forward in my consciousness atm.
i think taht would do it for now. everything else is details. i kind of feel like getting wholly absorbed in the music while i'm creating is the most important things. Concepts and what not are secondary and not actually part of the music making process imo. only indirectly i reckon.
07/24/08
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daswesen
i like this one:
Every preset you use is an idea less that you could develop on your own.
07/24/08
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KidQuaalude
(Bobby)
What you gonna play now?
(James Brown)
Bobby, I dont know but whats it ever I play
Its got to be funky!
(Bobby)
Yeah!
07/24/08
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fichu
i don't have actual rules.. but i tend to use some keywords before i start out with a track, since i often have an idea in my head and as soon as i start working it disappears magically. so i write down the essence of the idea in some words which may sound really stupid to others, but it helps me to grab a hold of the atmosphere i want for the track.
for example:
- accidental loops (layering various repetitions)
- voice samples only
- walking slowly
- no drums
- haze
- hide in resonant filters
- soft hiss
- sand
etc, works nice for me.
07/24/08
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Fredo
I only have one rule... must wear plastic fangs when conceiving melodic ideas. I don't know why, but the collected saliva and slurping sound really inspires me.
07/24/08
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delete
cowbell
07/24/08
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seanh
rule 1: break every one of mathew herbert's rules.
rule 2: kenny loggins.
07/24/08
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Zanf
Before commencing making music, one must have a nice cup of tea and a sit down.
During the process of making music, one must be in the proper attire: comfortable slippers or similar footwear, underpants and an overwhelming smug sense of "Im not leaving the house today so I dont give a fuck, especially if anyone knocks on the door".
No matter how painful it may be, you must continue to microedit a sample and cannot go to the toilet until you reach the point where you almost explode and piss on the bathroom floor, as you are running to it. This process must be exacerbated by continually drinking tea.
07/24/08
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Jetsom
Zanf said: "Before commencing making music, one must have a nice cup of tea and a sit down.
During the process of making music, one must be in the proper attire: comfortable slippers or similar footwear, underpants and an overwhelming smug sense of "Im not leaving the house today so I dont give a fuck, especially if anyone knocks on the door".
No matter how painful it may be, you must continue to microedit a sample and cannot go to the toilet until you reach the point where you almost explode and piss on the bathroom floor, as you are running to it. This process must be exacerbated by continually drinking tea."
lol
07/24/08
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j_chot
My rule is
Don't make up any silly pompus/condecending rules that can inhibit my music making.
07/24/08
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j_chot
seanh said: "rule 1: break every one of mathew herbert's rules.
rule 2: kenny loggins."
I FUCKING LOVE YOU.
ESPECIALLY RULE 2
07/24/08
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cbit
In echo of seanh and jchot's rules:
rule 1: Remember why you decided to use a set of rules in the first place: to make better music. Scrap your rules if it's not working out.
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