Personally, I’m deeply drawn to minimalism and space in the music I listen to. But when I sit down at my battle station, most of what comes out is a wall of 80’s poly synth sounds. Here’s an eloquent two-minute perspective on minimalism from Caterina Barbieri, from a Loop event hosted by Ableton.
Category: Inspiration
Mike Dean Walks Into a Moog Factory
Mike Dean is an amazing hip-hop producer who’s produced music for Kanye West, 2Pac, Scarface, Travis Scott, 2 Chainz, Jay-Z, Desiigner, Drake, and The Weeknd. One of my favorite synth-centric albums is his live, improvisational album 4:20. Rough around the edges, and glorious.
Dynamic, Grooving Atmospheric Pads
This is a chill, improvisational, synth-forward track. What struck me was the way it incorporates atmospheric pads, occasionally slightly distorted / overdriven (which I love), in a way that is extremely dynamic. They’ll soar briefly before falling back, and they bob and groove with the beat. It happens all over; it’s quite noticeable between 5:20… Continue reading Dynamic, Grooving Atmospheric Pads
Alternative Time Signatures – Beyond 4/4
I am a sucker for 6/8, 3/4, and, if I’m feeling adventurous, 5/4 (looking at you, Radiohead).Starting this post as a collection of inspiring work that uses other time signatures. 15 Step by Radiohead I like to think this song gets its name because that’s the length of the sequence on their drum machine, but… Continue reading Alternative Time Signatures – Beyond 4/4