Realized that I've been relying a little too much on the Nonagon Facebook page for release announcements. Part one of my effort to remedy this gross oversight: a one hour mix of original tunes and edits of other's work that I put together for the German podcast Trust in Bass.
The only requirement expressed by the TiB crew was that I focus on "bass music." I really enjoyed exploring the edges of that classification and pushing for a more musical angle on a genre that's so often associated only with the frattier fringes of dubstep. Allowing myself to include favorite tracks by other artists was a nice change of pace, and opened up a lot of emotional directions for the overall flow that wouldn't have been as available were I limited to just my own music.
I highly encourage you to download the mix (click the little downward-pointing arrow on the embedded Soundcloud player) instead of streaming it, as you'll get a significantly improved sonic experience.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
The More Things Change...
"We are as gods and might as well get good at it. So far, remotely done power and glory—as via government, big business, formal education, church—has succeeded to the point where gross defects obscure actual gains. In response to this dilemma and to these gains a realm of intimate, personal power is developing—power of the individual to conduct his own education, find his own inspiration, shape his own environment, and share his adventure with whoever is interested. Tools that aid this process are sought and promoted by the WHOLE EARTH CATALOG." -- Stewart Brand, 1968
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Brian Eno - Sound Opinions Interview
We're treated to his thoughts on the evolution of "music" since the introduction of multi-track recording (with a particularly apt comparison to the parallel development of theater and film after the invention of the motion picture camera); the recording studio as musical instrument; the power of self-imposed boundaries on the creative process; and the role of collaboration in the ever-more-isolating world of electronic music production. All this is presented against a supporting description of his life and personal artistic development, from an English kid discovering "black music" by way of nearby US military bases, to his experiences as a member of Roxy Music, to producing his own music and eventually some of the most seminal work from David Bowie, The Talking Heads, U2, and others. This is an interview well worth fifty minutes of your time.
[ Stream ] [ Download MP3 ]
There are noteworthy quotes galore in there, but one that I found particularly resonant:
"I think that was really the thing that made it possible for us to work together so successfully- the Talking Heads and him [David Byrne] in particular all those years ago, because they had come to what they were doing, a lot of it had to do with sort of 1970's funk, and people like Hamilton Bohannon and Al Green that they'd be listening to- soul and funk.
I'd come from listening to African music, particularly Fela Kuti -- West African music -- and we kind of met… we realized that there was possible a kind of music that was somewhere in the middle of those things, and yet still felt like something we were adding- you know, the sort of geeky white people on top could still make a contribution to that. And if I don't get something like that feeling from music I don't think it's working. If it's just clever or loud or has all the right software or something, I'm not that interested. What I want... I'm looking always for soul, even in a record like Music for Airports, which you wouldn't think of as a soul record. But if I'm not moved at that level, if I'm not feeling at some point that it's possible that this could move me to tears, or to dancing, or to something where I've slightly surrendered to it, if that doesn't happen, it just stays on the shelf- it's an experiment until then."
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Herbie Hancock & Quincy Jones on the Fairlight CMI
"These instruments were designed for people to use… for PEOPLE to use. It's just a tool, another tool, the way an axe can be a tool to cut wood to build a house, or it can be a tool to slaughter your neighbor."
Monday, May 14, 2012
The Nutcracker Unbound - Spanish Dance
Late last year I was approach by my friend Tommy Evan Lee -- a Los Angeles-based choreographer -- about writing the score for a reinterpretation of Tchaikovsky's "Spanish Dance." The piece was to be performed as part of the LA Unbound dance company's December production "The Nutcracker Unbound," a retelling of the famous ballet using all new music and choreography. Having collaborated with Tommy before (my 2009 track "Forever and Never Again" was the musical backdrop for one of his works a couple of years ago) I was excited to take part.
The foundational constraints for my reinterpretation were the meter, tempo, and cues of Tommy's choreography. The form and length of the lead-in and lead-out sections were also specifically requested, but otherwise I was given only two requirements for the final product:
1. The piece had to include some recognizable elements of the original score.
2. The dynamics of the music needed to reinforce but not overwhelm the sounds of the dancers' fans, a central feature of the choreography.
My primary challenge as composer was to create a piece that was recognizably related to (and in fact contained some sound from) the original 3/4 score, but in the 4/4 time signature of the new choreography. I chose to use a filtered orchestral sample from the original version as a transitional "bridge" between sections, which allowed for some nice syncopation while evoking Tchaikovsky's work; you can hear this element around 0:56 in my version:
I also wanted to include some recognizable instrumentation from the original version to further tie the two together in listeners' minds. I introduced a castanet rhythm in the second half (starting at 1:34) which nicely evokes the original piece, and used string and woodwind lines to balance out the strictly-electronic elements. Of course, I couldn't help but throw in a few very low 808-style bass notes to accent the chord changes and keep things from getting too organic =).
Overall I'm quite pleased with the outcome of this project. I think the music satisfied all of Tommy's requirements while still being pretty nice to listen to, too. Looking forward to the next one!
The foundational constraints for my reinterpretation were the meter, tempo, and cues of Tommy's choreography. The form and length of the lead-in and lead-out sections were also specifically requested, but otherwise I was given only two requirements for the final product:
1. The piece had to include some recognizable elements of the original score.
2. The dynamics of the music needed to reinforce but not overwhelm the sounds of the dancers' fans, a central feature of the choreography.
My primary challenge as composer was to create a piece that was recognizably related to (and in fact contained some sound from) the original 3/4 score, but in the 4/4 time signature of the new choreography. I chose to use a filtered orchestral sample from the original version as a transitional "bridge" between sections, which allowed for some nice syncopation while evoking Tchaikovsky's work; you can hear this element around 0:56 in my version:
I also wanted to include some recognizable instrumentation from the original version to further tie the two together in listeners' minds. I introduced a castanet rhythm in the second half (starting at 1:34) which nicely evokes the original piece, and used string and woodwind lines to balance out the strictly-electronic elements. Of course, I couldn't help but throw in a few very low 808-style bass notes to accent the chord changes and keep things from getting too organic =).
Overall I'm quite pleased with the outcome of this project. I think the music satisfied all of Tommy's requirements while still being pretty nice to listen to, too. Looking forward to the next one!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Laurie Spiegel on Electronic Music
Though this previously unreleased (and sadly incomplete) footage from a 1985 interview with electronic music pioneer and secret crush Laurie Spiegel only lasts about twelve minutes, it took me at least three times that long to finish it. This wasn't due to any sense of boredom or confusion, but rather that her statements felt so perpetually "right on" that I kept pausing and rewinding the video in an effort to write them down. I'd hoped that a pithy quote from the interview would motivate a few readers enough to make it through the first couple of minutes of non-Laurie footage and into the really good stuff, but I suppose this meta-anecdote will have to do.
Most interesting to me is just how relevant her comments on the role of computers in the music making process are to my experiences more than twenty-five years later. While I feel that the "time saving" aspect of computer-based composition vs. traditional pen and staff paper has had perhaps less expected repercussions (e.g. for a computer, playing the same musical phrase one hundred times is as easy as playing it one time. Thus: house music), her thoughts on the value of creative discovery through interaction with an instrument (electronic or otherwise) vs. using that instrument to realize an already-formed idea perfectly describes a significant component of my compositional process. Not to mention her thoughts on how the new sonic possibilities made available by electronic instruments broaden the scope of what constitutes "music," or the performance possibilities that emerge when one is freed from strict interactions with limbs and notes, or... actually, just watch the interview.
Here's a clip of the performance she mentions in the interview:
Finally, it might interest you to note that the YouTube user that posted these interview videos is... Laurie Spiegel herself.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
John Cleese on Creativity
UPDATE 6/29/12: CoCreate just posted a writeup on a more recent Cleese creativity lecture. It's a nice overview and update to the one presented above, but the video is still well worth watching. Thanks to Deepa for the link!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Erykah Badu - "Southern Gul" (Nonagon remix)
The last couple of months have been marked by a series of transitions in my personal life, among them an aborted move to a new apartment that forced most of my studio gear into storage through April. Thanks to the kindness of friends, though, I've never been for want of a roof over my head, and I've managed to commandeer a corner of a living room table to put together a functional studio lite. Results below:
Erykah Badu - Southern Gul (Nonagon remix) by nonagon
Like all of my hip hop remixes, this is an entirely new instrumental written to the contours of the existing acapella. Unlike most of my remixes, however, major components of the instrumental for this track actually started out in another song, "Shadowless" which I wrote in collaboration with Angie and Adam Donkin a couple of years ago:
Nonagon - Shadowless by LoveTech2011Comp
It was during preparation for a show last year that I discovered that the Erykah Badu acapella worked well with the pads from Shadowless and the beat from another track I was working on. I've been playing versions of this remix live for many months since, so it seemed like a good project to formalize and release while the studio was in survival mode.
For anyone interested in the production side of the coin, here's an overview of the project in Ableton Live:
Special thanks to Exkclamation for the MP3 cover art!
Erykah Badu - Southern Gul (Nonagon remix) by nonagon
Like all of my hip hop remixes, this is an entirely new instrumental written to the contours of the existing acapella. Unlike most of my remixes, however, major components of the instrumental for this track actually started out in another song, "Shadowless" which I wrote in collaboration with Angie and Adam Donkin a couple of years ago:
Nonagon - Shadowless by LoveTech2011Comp
It was during preparation for a show last year that I discovered that the Erykah Badu acapella worked well with the pads from Shadowless and the beat from another track I was working on. I've been playing versions of this remix live for many months since, so it seemed like a good project to formalize and release while the studio was in survival mode.
For anyone interested in the production side of the coin, here's an overview of the project in Ableton Live:
Special thanks to Exkclamation for the MP3 cover art!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Vestax VCI-400: Nonagon Performance Template
As promised I've done a little cleanup on my Vestax VCI-400 performance template, and can finally release a version for your controller hacking enjoyment. Highlights of this template include:
I'm very interested in getting feedback on this initial release, particularly about whether or not all of the embedded Max for Live patches load correctly. I'll do a little more testing on my own, and once I've been able to confirm that no subpatchers or other dependencies got left out, I'll upload everything to controllerism.com.
Documentation and a full description of what I've done here will need to be forthcoming; for now, know that the whole shebang (including all individual Max for Live patches) is being released under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license, which basically means that you're free to download, share, and modify everything here, but you're not allowed to include any of it in a commercial product, and must use equivalent license terms for any derivative works that you choose to release.
Enjoy!
- Clip Choppers (quantized recutting of up to four audio clips with LED feedback)
- Pattern Recorders (four independent record / playback modules for clip chopping)
- Jog Wheel Management (map wheel touch / release to manipulate any rack control; variable wheel motion -> parameter control ratio)
- VU Meter Activation (master channel output level represented by master VU LEDs)
- Visual Metronome (scrolling LEDs reflect 1/4 notes and downbeat during playback)
- Toggleable "Smart" FX (granular distortion, "fade to grey", reverb, LP / BP / HP filters, gate, bitcrusher, etc)
I'm very interested in getting feedback on this initial release, particularly about whether or not all of the embedded Max for Live patches load correctly. I'll do a little more testing on my own, and once I've been able to confirm that no subpatchers or other dependencies got left out, I'll upload everything to controllerism.com.
Documentation and a full description of what I've done here will need to be forthcoming; for now, know that the whole shebang (including all individual Max for Live patches) is being released under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license, which basically means that you're free to download, share, and modify everything here, but you're not allowed to include any of it in a commercial product, and must use equivalent license terms for any derivative works that you choose to release.
Enjoy!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Collaboration: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Electronic music production can be -- and for me usually is -- a solitary endeavor. I've experimented with collaboration over the years, and while there have been successes (a couple ongoing, in fact) I still usually feel most comfortable writing music alone- at my own pace and on my own schedule.
I think it's important to recognize, however, that just because this is the way I'm used to working, it's not necessarily the most efficient, productive or even creative approach for me personally. I've long recognized that pushing boundaries and forcing myself to explore outside of my comfort zone is a valuable habit when it comes to generating creative energy; perhaps I simply have yet to stumble upon the right angle of attack when it comes to writing in synergy with others.
In considering the myriad "ways of being" in an collaboration with other artists, I consider Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' work on "The Social Network" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" soundtracks incredibly compelling case studies in effective musical partnership. Have a look:
I think it's important to recognize, however, that just because this is the way I'm used to working, it's not necessarily the most efficient, productive or even creative approach for me personally. I've long recognized that pushing boundaries and forcing myself to explore outside of my comfort zone is a valuable habit when it comes to generating creative energy; perhaps I simply have yet to stumble upon the right angle of attack when it comes to writing in synergy with others.
In considering the myriad "ways of being" in an collaboration with other artists, I consider Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' work on "The Social Network" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" soundtracks incredibly compelling case studies in effective musical partnership. Have a look:
Monday, December 12, 2011
Finger Drumming Heroes
The performance setup I've been developing for the past couple of years relies heavily on triggering a bunch of audio loops with an APC40, then manipulating them with effects and rearranging them (to an extent) with my 8x8 monome. This has worked well, but as time has passed this fairly abstract approach (relative to playing a traditional instrument, for example) has left me feeling more and more detached from the music that I'm making.
Figuring out how to manage an orchestra's worth of instruments by oneself is something I once dubbed the "Perpetual Performance Problem." It's an issue that pretty much every performing electronic musician has to address- one that underlies everything from DJ culture to traditional bands playing backing tracks, to more recent developments in what's come to be known as Controllerism. One of the oldest approaches -- and in my mind one of the most successful -- is finger drumming.
As I embark on a serious rethinking of the way I perform my music, you'd better believe I'll be carefully evaluating the work of these finger drumming masters.
Jeremy Ellis
Araab Muzik
Edison
Figuring out how to manage an orchestra's worth of instruments by oneself is something I once dubbed the "Perpetual Performance Problem." It's an issue that pretty much every performing electronic musician has to address- one that underlies everything from DJ culture to traditional bands playing backing tracks, to more recent developments in what's come to be known as Controllerism. One of the oldest approaches -- and in my mind one of the most successful -- is finger drumming.
As I embark on a serious rethinking of the way I perform my music, you'd better believe I'll be carefully evaluating the work of these finger drumming masters.
Jeremy Ellis
Araab Muzik
Edison
Friday, December 02, 2011
Vestax VCI-400 Hacking + Demo
I've recently been brought on as a contributor to the live electronic music / instrument hacking blog Controllerism.com. My first contribution to the site (apart from reposts of the interviews I conducted for BenevolentBeats.org) is an in-depth "remap and hack" of the upcoming Vestax VCI-400 controller, a DJ-centric (or is it?) all-in-one MIDI controller and audio interface.
I adapted a number of the Max for Live patches I've developed over the past couple of years to this new controller, and remapped most of the default controls to suit my performance style. Here's the short version of a fourteen minute performance I filmed using the new setup:
Click the leading or trailing links in the video to watch a walkthrough of the setup or to see the full-length performance, and don't forget to check out the full article on Controllerism.com where I'll be posting all the patches and templates I created for these videos very soon.
I adapted a number of the Max for Live patches I've developed over the past couple of years to this new controller, and remapped most of the default controls to suit my performance style. Here's the short version of a fourteen minute performance I filmed using the new setup:
Click the leading or trailing links in the video to watch a walkthrough of the setup or to see the full-length performance, and don't forget to check out the full article on Controllerism.com where I'll be posting all the patches and templates I created for these videos very soon.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
"Ashra" Remix
A remix I created earlier this year for multi-instrumentalist and world-music maestro Goyopod has finally gone live with the release of his debut album. Have a listen, and if your interest is piqued be sure to check out the rest of the album.
Goyopod - Ashra (Nonagon remix) by nonagon
Goyopod - Ashra (Nonagon remix) by nonagon
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Renegade Lights Media's First Release
I'm proud to announce that I --along with a number of my esteemed musical colleagues from San Francisco and Chicago-- will be releasing some brand-spanking-new music on the upcoming Renegade Lights Media artist compilation.
After organizing three incredibly successful live electronic music events under the Renegade Lights banner in the past year, label founder Raja the Resident Alien is taking the next step by soliciting and publishing a collection of exclusive new work by our diverse and talented crew. The compilation will be available as both a digital download AND a double-vinyl LP, both mastered by Oakland, CA's esteemed Shawn Hatfield. Needless to say this is an exciting moment.
As a new label, the available budget for mastering and manufacturing a project of this scope is fairly daunting. To help build momentum and cover a portion of the sunk costs for this release, the label has launched a Kickstarter campaign with a fundraising goal of USD $2,300 by August 9th of this year. If you're interested in supporting this effort, you can pre-purchase the digital version of the comp, the double-vinyl release (which includes the digital version), or packages with additional tasty items at the official campaign page:
 |
| Yours truly at the second Renegade Lights show in San Francisco, March 5th 2011. |
As a new label, the available budget for mastering and manufacturing a project of this scope is fairly daunting. To help build momentum and cover a portion of the sunk costs for this release, the label has launched a Kickstarter campaign with a fundraising goal of USD $2,300 by August 9th of this year. If you're interested in supporting this effort, you can pre-purchase the digital version of the comp, the double-vinyl release (which includes the digital version), or packages with additional tasty items at the official campaign page:
Kickstarter: Renegade Lights Media's First Release
I'm really proud to be sharing a roster with this incredibly talented group of musicians. Can't wait to reveal what we've got in store!Thursday, July 21, 2011
Ruts and Inspiration
I've been feeling a bit baseless these past few weeks. I recently uprooted myself, moving to Oregon for three months to get some perspective and complete a third album, and I'm spending significantly more time working on music than I have in years, but thus far I feel a sense emptiness and indifference to the ideas I've been coming up with.
My response to this problem has so far been to force myself to continue "working" as long as possible before eventually collapsing into some mostly mindless activity (watching a movie, browsing the internet, etc) which I immediately make myself feel guilty about. "I've come all this way, spent all this time and energy to be in this space and write my masterpiece!" You can imagine the internal monologue.
I've been doing this long enough to know that you can't force inspiration and that the vibe will eventually return, but it's a disheartening process nonetheless. Thankfully, I just happened across this short essay:
Chasing Inspiration by Tarakith
In it, the author identifies exactly the experience I'm going through and outlines a few ideas for dealing with it. All of his strategies are good ones, and, despite the fact that pretty much every creative person I've spoken to has gone through a similar rut, it's reassuring to be reminded that I'm indeed not alone in this affliction.
While this essay is oriented towards music makers, many of the ideas apply to the creative process in general. If you've ever felt lost and helpless in the creation of your art, this is a highly recommended read.
My response to this problem has so far been to force myself to continue "working" as long as possible before eventually collapsing into some mostly mindless activity (watching a movie, browsing the internet, etc) which I immediately make myself feel guilty about. "I've come all this way, spent all this time and energy to be in this space and write my masterpiece!" You can imagine the internal monologue.
I've been doing this long enough to know that you can't force inspiration and that the vibe will eventually return, but it's a disheartening process nonetheless. Thankfully, I just happened across this short essay:
Chasing Inspiration by Tarakith
In it, the author identifies exactly the experience I'm going through and outlines a few ideas for dealing with it. All of his strategies are good ones, and, despite the fact that pretty much every creative person I've spoken to has gone through a similar rut, it's reassuring to be reminded that I'm indeed not alone in this affliction.
While this essay is oriented towards music makers, many of the ideas apply to the creative process in general. If you've ever felt lost and helpless in the creation of your art, this is a highly recommended read.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Performing Live: Tim Exile
Tim Exile has been pushing the state-of-the-art in live electronic music performance for years now. His approach- developed and honed over as long a period- relies heavily on looping and manipulating his own voice, a technique that gives him a huge amount of control over tone, timbre, and rhythm in real time, and without any need to muck with synthesis settings. Here he is giving a brief overview of his setup:
If this feels like Beatboxing++, it is. Now just imagine the magic that could result from pairing these tools with the vocal skills of a professional-level mouthist (my brilliant term, btw):
This approach- creating a well-defined workflow and a fixed set of well-practiced tools, then relying almost entirely on improvisation to construct both the structure AND the content of a performance- feels like the holy grail of live electronic music to me. This is the true intersection of virtuosic musicianship and technical acumen. As usual, I can't wait to see what he does next.
If this feels like Beatboxing++, it is. Now just imagine the magic that could result from pairing these tools with the vocal skills of a professional-level mouthist (my brilliant term, btw):
This approach- creating a well-defined workflow and a fixed set of well-practiced tools, then relying almost entirely on improvisation to construct both the structure AND the content of a performance- feels like the holy grail of live electronic music to me. This is the true intersection of virtuosic musicianship and technical acumen. As usual, I can't wait to see what he does next.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sound Design Hero: Diego Stocco
In an era when musicians (electronic and otherwise) have literally thousands of high-quality digital instruments at their disposal, each with tens-to-thousands of immediately accessible preset patches, it's become frighteningly easy to ignore the once crucial art of conceptualizing and executing a "sound idea" from scratch. I've been as guilty as anyone of relying on soft-synth presets as a kicking-off point for my instrument designs, which is why I find the work of artists like Diego Stocco so inspiring.
Here's a glimpse into Diego's process for fabricating the sound of a fairly abstract DTS logo spot:
Beyond his obvious technical proficiency, I'm most impressed by the way he's able to conceptualize the final aural result, then construct the sonic components of that result piece-by-piece. I'd love to know how solid his ideas were pre-recording: did he have a firm idea of what he wanted from the beginning and stick to it, or did his ideas evolve in the process?
Mr. Stocco also works on less-abstract (but no less compelling) sound pieces, including music for soundtracks. Here's a short piece showing the construction and recording of his "Experibass":
Sound design has become a larger and more important part of my compositional process as I've become a more experienced producer, and it's incredibly exciting for me to learn about how others are using non-traditional (or perhaps more-traditional-but-since-forgotten?) sound sources and recording techniques to create truly original music.
For a start on more about Diego Stocco, check out his YouTube channel and his Bandcamp page.
Here's a glimpse into Diego's process for fabricating the sound of a fairly abstract DTS logo spot:
Beyond his obvious technical proficiency, I'm most impressed by the way he's able to conceptualize the final aural result, then construct the sonic components of that result piece-by-piece. I'd love to know how solid his ideas were pre-recording: did he have a firm idea of what he wanted from the beginning and stick to it, or did his ideas evolve in the process?
Mr. Stocco also works on less-abstract (but no less compelling) sound pieces, including music for soundtracks. Here's a short piece showing the construction and recording of his "Experibass":
Sound design has become a larger and more important part of my compositional process as I've become a more experienced producer, and it's incredibly exciting for me to learn about how others are using non-traditional (or perhaps more-traditional-but-since-forgotten?) sound sources and recording techniques to create truly original music.
For a start on more about Diego Stocco, check out his YouTube channel and his Bandcamp page.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Interviews with Clint Mansell
One of my favorite film composers (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, Black Swan) shares his thoughts on the process and the industry.
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