Category: production blog

Having been obsessed with the 90s for the majority of my life thought it was only fair to choose a track from that decade. I have decided to go with the track ‘Drain You’ by Nirvana. Nirvana was the band that got me into music, and more importantly, into playing guitar which is another reason I thought it was a fitting choice.

When asked what his favourite composition he had written was, Cobain cited ‘Drain You’ as one of his favourites, telling David Fricke in a 1993 Rolling Stone interview that he thought it was as good, if not better than “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” “I love the lyrics, and I never get tired of playing it,” he said. “Maybe if it was as big as ‘Teen Spirit’, I wouldn’t like it as much.” (Fricke Kurt Cobain, the Rolling Stone interview: Success doesn’t suck 1993) I would have to agree with this statement as I have always regarded it as one of the most underrated and unique songs in their catalogue.

The song kicks off with Kurt strumming his clean jangly guitar unaccompanied while singing, “One baby to another says I’m lucky to have met you.” After the song’s opening vocal line, there is a significant volume increase with the arrival of loud distorted guitars alongside a powerful combination of drums and bass. The huge guitar tone heard throughout the majority of the song can be attributed to the sound direction of Butch Vig pushing Kurt to do several dozen overdubs.

According to Vig ”Drain You probably has the record for most guitar overdubs on nevermind”. He wasn’t happy with the original cut of the track so he made Kurt go back and overdub an additional 5 tracks of the rhythm guitar (for a total of 11), two tracks of the mesa boogie, two of the fender bassman and one additional track Butch described as the ‘super grunge’ track which was a pedal into the bassman (on top of clean tracks recorded with a vox ac30). Vig also stated that the guitar tracks are not always equal in volume but at points in the song they come up and are blended/panned to give it what he describes as an ‘orchestral sound’. (Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind 2005)

When micing Kurt’s guitar amps in the studio, Butch used an SM57, an AKG 414, a Neumann U87 and sometimes the Sennheiser 421. Usually multiple microphones at once placed at different angles and positions to capture a wide variety of tones. This allowed him to blend these different microphone signals during the mixing process. (Staff MacProVideo.com 2023)

Structurally, ‘Drain You’ adheres to a conventional verse-chorus pattern but deviates with its unique pre-chorus build-ups and psychedelia inspired breakdown. When recording the vocals on the record Butch and Kurt had different ideas with the way they wanted the vocals to sound, Kurt wanting a more raw approach without any overdubs. Butch has been quoted saying ‘there’s a problem with the track it didn’t record properly or that its out of tune’ to trick Kurt into recording more vocal takes. (Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind 2005)

Like with most Nirvana songs, the lyrics are generally left up to interpretation by the listener. In the biography ‘Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana’, the author Michael Azerrad described ‘Drain You’ as “a love song, or rather a song about love,” in which the babies in the lyrics “represent two people reduced to a state of perfect innocence by their love”. Kurt told the author that the lyrics made him think of “two brat kids who are in the same hospital bed”. (Azerrad Come as you are: The story of Nirvana 1993) The visual elements within the song foreshadowed the medical imagery that would appear prominently on Nirvana’s next album In Utero.

During the middle section, a sort of Sonic Youth esque ‘freeform freakout’ as described by Butch (Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind 2005). Kurt brought in a bunch of squeaky toys to accompany the section along with using his voice to make sound effects that sound like steam. The sound engineer Andy Wallace ran them through some delay and reverb units to create a seriously ‘trippy’ environment. This section of the song sets it apart from most Nirvana tracks, being a pivotal moment in the song the section introduces a shift in dynamics and tone, adding depth and complexity to the overall composition.

The breakdown begins with a sudden decrease in volume and intensity. The drums adopt a more subdued rhythm, emphasising restraint riding on the toms, accompanied by modulated guitar strums and trippy foley effects. Compared to the preceding high-energy chorus this is a drastic switch-up in tone overall. As the song continues, there’s a buildup of feedback and distortion, adding an eerie dissonant texture to the sound before a lead chromatic riff comes in as Kurt lets out a haunting screech and the song comes full circle back to the verses.

This scream is a staple of the live performances, best exemplified in their Paris 94′ show on the french tv program ‘Nulle Part Ailleurs’. During the performance, Kurt’s guitar suddenly cuts out in the middle of the breakdown leading him to angrily throw his guitar onto the floor before letting out a blood-curdling scream as the band comes back in. This is by far my favourite performance of the song.

When compared with some of Nirvana’s more mainstream hits like ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ or ‘Come As You Are’. ‘Drain You’ embraces a much darker, more experimental side of the band. The way the song was recorded with its intricate layers of guitars and experimental middle (trippy) section, really captures Nirvana’s boldness and Butch Vig’s skillful touch. During the ’90s grunge scene, ‘Drain You is a shining example on how the band weren’t afraid to take risks and try new things. Its complex sound and deep themes make sure it’s remembered as a key piece of music history and as a shining example of the band’s creativity and an unforgettable part of their music collection.

Azerrad, Michael. Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Broadway Books, 2001.

Cross R., Charles; Berkenstadt, Jim (February 22, 2012). Classic Rock Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind. New York City: Schirmer Trade Books. ISBN 978-0-85712-768-6.

Fricke, David. “Drain You.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Nov. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drain_You#:~:text=Cobain%20cited%20%22Drain%20You%22%20as,playing%20it%2C%22%20he%20said.

Fricke, David. “Kurt Cobain, the Rolling Stone Interview: Success Doesn’t Suck.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2023, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/kurt-cobain-the-rolling-stone-interview-success-doesnt-suck-97194/.

Vig, Butch. “Nirvana – Butch Vig – Nevermind Mixes.” YouTube, YouTube, 17 Apr. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGPrN3854MM.

“Butch Vig Shares the Guitar Recording Secrets of Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters and More.” Guitar.Com | All Things Guitar, guitar.com/features/interviews/butch-vig-guitar-recording-secrets-nirvana-the-smashing-pumpkins-foo-fighters/. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.

Terry Shand and Geoff Kempin,. Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind. Eagle Vision, 2005.

Staff, MPV. MacProVideo.Com, macprovideo.com/article/audio-hardware/nirvana-s-gear-in-the-nevermind-era. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Over the past 9 weeks of friday classes, I have learnt plenty. By being placed in a new uncomfortable environment I have been able to study completely new music genres and production techniques. On top of this, I have had to pay special attention to tracks and artists I am already familiar with, analysing them on a deeper level that I would likely not have done on my own without being pushed to do so.

Within our first week, we were tasked with answering the question that was: What is music production? This was a heavily intriguing start to the course and gave me a brief glimpse into the classes for the future while also preparing me for the blogs I was going to write in the coming weeks.

During week two we delved into analysing songs for the first time. With my choice to analyse ‘Blue Hawaiian’ by Pavement, i gained a newfound love for the track. When discussing other tracks I had analysed such as ‘Orange Peeler’ and ‘Bloom’ I realised there were multiple released versions of each, including demos and re-recordings that I would’ve unlikely known about if I wasn’t tasked with actively listening and analysing each.

Later on we looked into the African record label ‘Hakuna Kulala’, exploring culture and how it can relate to the music in different areas of the world. I was able to relate to my classmate Orlando when we both chose to research the artist ‘Adomaa’ for our weekly blog. Admiring her wilful combination of her gospel background fusion with her jazz and r&b influences to create some songs that I genuinely enjoyed.

As the course has progressed i have looked into more obscure niche genres that I hadn’t really even heard of before such as breakcore, industrial and noise. This exposed me to a wider spectrum of music, expanding my appreciation for music and my knowledge on the subject. By researching them I discovered unique sounds, innovative techniques, and unconventional approaches to music production that could possibly inspire my own work.

For example when Brian Eno utilised tape loops extensively in his early ambient works like “Music For Airports.” He would record segments of music on tape loops, allowing them to play and overlap, creating layered and evolving sounds and textures. Although not physically possible for me to do, I can recreate such effects on ableton for my electronic music production project.

Throughout these past weeks, writing the blog posts has made me a lot more confident in myself and my ability to write creatively and reference my work, perhaps even some ideas and certainly some techniques for music production for my other assignments.

In our second to last week of class we started by listening to more electronic genres. This time our focus was on a genre called breakcore. Breakcore music typically features rapid-fire beats, with tempos often exceeding 200 beats per minute. The genre is known for its heavy use of breakbeats, drum patterns sampled from funk, soul, and hip-hop tracks, which are then distorted and chopped up to create a frenetic, chaotic sound.

We listened to a number of artists including Clipping, Sophie, AJA Ireland and Igorrr. Following on from our intellectual discussions on the artists we delved into watching a documentary one the subject of breakcore. The documentary went heavily in depth showcasing a number of artists and their inspirations towards their sound, including how they achieved the tone they were looking for.

After our breakcore sessions we looked into another niche genre called industrial noise listening to Pharmakon and Haus Arafna. Although this music isn’t really my thing I can understand how the music can relate to the listener, really engaging with them on an emotional level. David Toop, the author of the Ocean of Sound book describes it like this:

Their nature was unprecedented – their intensity, volume, texture and shape – and so musical history should come to an end. The slow evolution of musical language had suffered a massive stroke, to be replaced by a vigorously healthy art of noises.

As part of our blog post we have been tasked with analysing a topic discussed during the class that sparked our interest. I have chosen to delve into the underground noise artist ‘House Arafna’.

Haus Arafna are an influential entity in the noise music scene. They are recognised for their unconventional and raw approach to their sound. Their compositions often go into dark, industrial themes, utilising distorted beats, eerie atmospheres, and haunting vocals to create a unique sonic landscape.

Their music utilises a sense of intensity and raw emotion that draws the listeners into a realm that feels both mesmerising and uncomfortable. They explore themes that resonate with the darker aspects of human existence, often evoking a sense of uneasiness and curiosity.

Their work challenges the traditional musical norms, crafting an experience that is both experimental and thought-provoking while heavily appealing to those with an interest in exploring unconventional music.

When listening to Haus Arafna I was reminded of an artist we had researched during a previous class called ‘Throbbing Gristle’. They share a similarity for pushing their sonic boundaries and exploring the dark side of sound. Both Haus Arafna and Throbbing Gristle incorporate unconventional techniques and themes into their music, contributing to the industrial scene.

Toop, David. “The Art of Noise – Tate Etc.” Tate, www.tate.org.uk/tate-etc/issue-3-spring-2005/art-noise. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.

Within our class this week we delved heavily into the mind of the composer and musician ‘Brian Eno’ and his genre of expertise called ‘ambient music’. For our research as a class, we watched the short 1989 documentary called ‘Imaginary Landscapes in which Brian discusses and shares in great detail his creative process on how he writes songs and composes his music.

We looked at a number of other ambient artists before we were given our blog task for this week. We have each been assigned a chapter of the book entitled ‘Ocean Of Sound’ which talks about the ambient music scene and its major inspirations.

I have been given chapter two, ‘if you find earth boring…’. In this chapter we focus on the ambient jazz artist ‘Sun Ra’, detailing his overall life and musical journey. Sun Ra is a musician known for his unique and imaginative style. In the chapter it shows how he saw music differently, focusing on spacial vibes and breaking the rules of music at the time. Sun Ra was all about making music that was beyond what people were used to, diving into cosmic themes and pushing the limits of what music could be.

Although difficult to comprehend at first, the author’s way of writing mixes stories, detailed descriptions, scenic metaphors and personal thoughts, giving us a full picture of how Sun Ra made his music differently. He talks about gigs and moments in Sun Ra’s life.

In the second page of the chapter he describes Sun Ra’s first UK gig as ”one of the most spectacular concerts ever held in this country” and compares his performance to ”A man who had chosen to discard all the possibilities of a normal life, even a normal jazz life, in favour of an unremitting alien identity”.

He vividly describes Sun Ra’s expert musical experimentation, describing how he blurred musical boundaries by combining diverse elements like “percussion tornadoes” and “haunting saxophone riffs.”

Sun Ra feels a little out of place to me in this book as even though he definitely has an influence coming from the ambient space in his discography he mainly comes across as more of a jazz artist with light experimental tendencies although after reading through the chapter it does make sense as to why the author included him, with his heavy discussion into experimentation with what he calls ‘space vibrations’. His experimental tendencies resonated with the essence of ambient music, creating sonic spaces unusual to the average music listener.

After listening to a few of Sun Ra’s albums his music has really connected with me, in particular the tune ”Round Midnight’ from his very recent album entitled ‘The Space Age Is Here To Stay’. This song proves to us that even after 50-plus years he still has the creative ideas and musical capabilities to make something that really resonates with the listener, showcasing his enduring creativity even after decades in the industry.

Toop, D. (1996) ‘if you find earth boring…’, in Ocean of sound. Virgin, pp. 23–32. 

In this week of class, we started off by listening to multiple experimental and industrial electronic artists that our tutor showed us. This included Muslimgauze, Throbbing Gristle, Cedrik Fermont and Einstürzende Neubauten.

We were directed to engage in conversation and discuss their unique aesthetics and how the context of the music engaged with us as a listener. We have been tasked with discussing a song of our own choice with a similar vibe to the tracks we listened to.

have decided to go with the song ‘Bloom’ off the controversial Radiohead album ‘The King Of Limbs’. Bloom is a statement track. It was the first song of the first release after they revolutionised the music industry with In Rainbows. With it being the most accessible album of their career, they needed to make another “turn” in a career of turns.

Bloom is quite simply jazz. It is loops and loops with three or four different melodic ideas happening at the same time and then Thom’s voice takes it to another level, Is it my favorite Radiohead song? Probably not. But I think it has to be one of the band’s favourites since it has made its way onto many set lists despite the fact that it must be challenging to perform live. 

You can clearly see this evidence in their exceptional ‘From The Basement’ performance in 2011 in which they’ve employed three different drummers (one of which is their lead guitarist Jonny Greenwood) to replicate the numerous loops and samples heard on the studio recording and to create this wide open free-form aesthetic encapsulating the entire stereo field.

The song was heavily inspired by the natural history documentary series ‘Blue Planet’ created by the BBC in 2001. Thom Yorke spoke about this in a BBC interview saying “It was me lying on the sofa trying to go to sleep after being up too late with my young son and it was just coming in and out of my subconscious”.

Several years later Radiohead came together with Hans Zimmer (the original composer of the tv show) to remix and record a highly orchestral version of the track for the sequel to the acclaimed ‘Blue Planet’ series. The updated re-release was recorded alongside the BBC Concert Orchestra. Thom Yorke stated in a follow-up interview: “Bloom was inspired by the original Blue Planet series so it’s great to be able to come full circle with the song and re-imagine it for this incredible landmark’s sequel.”

What I absolutely love about this version is the technique they utilised with the orchestra, called ‘tidal orchestra’ which is used to create “a whole musical environment that’s built out of a single note”, with each player in the orchestra taking turns playing it creates a large ambient aesthetic that almost sounds like waves which reflects back heavily with the inspiration that Thom Yorke was getting when he first wrote the track years before. You can hear them discussing this technique in the excellent video linked below.

https://www.songfacts.com/facts/radiohead/bloom

 Bloom by Radiohead – Songfacts Available at: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/radiohead/bloom (Accessed: 10 November 2023). 

During this week of class we were tasked with analysing music from a record label out of Uganda called Hakuna Kulala. We listened to a couple songs from a few artists on the label in class and then discussed them, including MC Yallah and Auntie Rayzor.

Following on from this we were tasked with gathering information about Hakuna Kuala, their music, and their unique fusion of electronic and African influences. Our main task is to choose one of the artists under the Hakuna Kuala label and analyse one of their tracks.

I have decided to go with ‘Smoke & Mirrors’ off the most recent album ‘ Becoming Adomaa’ by the artist ‘Adomaa’. I chose this song and this artist in particular because of the stark contrast it had in tone and instrumentation overall. I wasn’t a huge fan of the more electronic vibes the other artists pursued so when I came across Adomaa, the jazzy vibes fused with the traditional African beats and soul influences really spoke to me, combining gospel choir-esque vocals and harmonies.

The song starts off with a bossanova style fingerpicked acoustic guitar playing chordal arpeggios accompanied by Adomaa’s very breathy falsetto vocals. Production-wise, the guitar is the only instrument used, and it creates a rich, full-bodied sound that is accentuated by the wet reverb giving it a wide open space to reflect all around your head. Additionally, the use of the melodic minor scale and bass note rundowns further add to this jazzy bossanova style which is quite uncommon in traditional African music.

With the lead vocals they are right at the forefront of the song and are almost entirely accompanied with additional harmonies and double-tracked stereo-panned leads. With the low and high harmonies of the main vocal there are also additional heavily saturated breathy background vocals that become almost the main instrument during the chorus sections with the sheer number of overdubs and cathedral esque reverb plugins used.

The subtle ambience from these layers greatly helps to fill out the gaps left by the lack of instrumentation as without it it could sound a little narrow but as the song progresses these vocal layers gradually build up giving the songs tone a great dynamic shift before everything cuts out at the end and we are left with just Adomaa and a small amount of harmonies singing.

With the vocal outro we get the first glimpse at Adomaa speaking in her native tongue emphasising her african heritage and roots. As Adomaa grew up in Nigeria and Ghana she was heavily influenced by her father who worked as a preacher in the local church, leading her to join the church choir. The influence of her choir experience is clearly evident in this track, authentically reflecting her formative years in west africa.

In this week of class we were each put into groups and given an individual artist to research and examine. The options were as follows – Nazar, Burial, KMRU and Elianne Radigue. Our task was to create an 8-10 minute presentation on our chosen artist (which was KMRU) and present it to the class.

Our blog task this week is to analyse how artists utilise synthesis and samples in music production, how they compose these compostions and bring them to life. First I am going to talk about sampling, I have gone with the track ‘Jazz (We’ve Got) by the east coast hip hop group a Tribe Called Quest.

The song is a celebration of jazz culture and its influence on the east-coast hip-hop scene. Prominently featured throughout the song are samples that embody the spirit of jazz, both in instrumentation and rhythm. One of the central elements is the sample of Don’t Change Your Love” by Five Stairsteps which provides the backbone of the track. The catchy drum loop and the jazz-infused rhythm from the song set the groove for “Jazz (We’ve Got)” and give it a laid-back feel.

The production techniques employed in manipulating these samples highlight the group’s creativity and their knack for creating a unique sonic landscape.

When talking about synthesis in music I have chosen the song ‘Chamber Of Reflection’ by Mac DeMarco. The main focus of this song is the reverb heavy synthesizer and its catchy chord progression, which is interpolated from Japanese artist Shigeo Sekito’s song “The Word II.” The iconic opening riff which plays throughout the song is a re-recorded looped sample picked from this.

The synths play a huge role in establishing the song’s overall mood. They create a lush ambient backdrop for Mac’s vocals to casually glide over, sending goosebumps down your arms. The song features several elements to create this desired effect, including pads drenched in reverd and delay, arpeggiated melody lines, and modulated textures. Subtle pitch bends and filter sweeps combined with echoes work to add intrigue and depth to the music.

His use of synths are integral to creating an emotional peice and captivating the listener to stay around until the track ends.

When asked about the synths on his latest single he responded ”As for the synths, when you play guitar for six or seven years you get kind of bored, so it’s a way to mix things up. I don’t really know what I’m doing anyway, so it’s all just fun for me”.

Giles, S.C., Robin (2014). On the Record: ‘Passing Out Pieces’ with Mac DeMarco. [online] The Georgetown Voice. Available at: https://georgetownvoice.com/2014/03/06/record-passing-pieces-mac-demarco/ [Accessed 27 Oct. 2023].

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In this week of class we delved into the technology of music production and how studio recordings became more and more hi-tech and gained quality as the equipment used advanced throughout the years. In particular we looked at the progression of analogue to digital recording and the beginning of full stereo sound.

One of the earliest techniques for studio recording was the use of wax cylinders. In the studio, performers would gather around a microphone or horn as a phonograph engraved their sounds onto rotating wax.These cylinders allowed immediate playback for review or duplication, but their fragile nature and limited sound quality posed challenges.

Some of these challenges included being unable to mix or modify post-recording and being fully mono. The inability to mix the track after recording meant the performers had to rely on their instincts to position themselves in the live room so they were heard, and to move around when there was a solo for example. You can see this in the photo above.

With the invention and introduction of tape recording into recording studios the ability to record additional tracks and overdub instruments gave producers and artists alike much more creative freedom in the production process. On top of this tape recordings were much easier to store and contained quite a lot more audio data.

One of our main points of talking was Pink Floyd’s ”The Dark SIde Of The Moon”. This concept album pushed the boundaries of studio recording in several ways. The album’s production set a new standard for creative studio work, showcasing the potential of sound engineering as an art form in itself with the tape editing, samples and dozens of layered guitar riffs and vocals.

In our third friday class of the term, we looked into how songs can drastically change from their demos to the fully fledged studio recording. We looked at a select few tracks and were asked to discuss their sound, instrumentation and overall audio spectrum. For our blog this week we were tasked with choosing any song of our choice and completing an analysis.

I have decided to go with the song ‘Orange Peeler’ by the American slowcore band Horse Jumper Of Love, who I recently saw in concert. I chose this song because even though it only has 3 main instruments, the sound that is created is absolutely massive.

The song starts out with this heavy reverb drenched chord progression from the guitar player that sounds almost synth like before the laid back vocals come in as if he is telling us a story, quoting a girl in his lyrics singing “She said ‘Baby, don’t be so down on yourself. At least not tonight please”. Following on from the first verse the instrumentation stays the exact came but the tone is completely changed. Instead of this reverb heavy synth guitar we are instead greeted with a very overdriven sound before the instrumental outro of the track.

What I adore about this song is the switch up tone wise hits you right in the face and brings the energy of the song way up. Comparing this with the demo version which does not have this, you can really hear the difference in what it accomplishes for the song.

With the over 2 and a half minute outro to this song, they ramp up the distortion with multiple overdubbed guitars all playing the same thing creating this wall of noise that sounds like it’s coming at you from all angles. Accompanied with the post-punk esque drums and low rumbling bass line it really makes you feel like you are in a room right next to them.

I have linked each version of the track, including an epic nine minute live version (linked below) with some crazy sample loops and even fatter sounding fuzzed out guitars than the original studio recording. What I love most about this version is Dimitri’s use of his pog 2 octave pedal in combination with a roland space echo creating these huge soundscapes that encompass all of your ears hearing frequencies.

During the second Friday class of the term, we were assigned the task of delving into a selection of popular mainstream songs and dissecting them to figure out the overall structure within each track. Following on from this we were asked to choose any song we liked and write about it in our blog. I have gone with the song ‘Blue Hawaiian’ by the American Indie Rock band ‘Pavement’.

The tune opens with a mellow keyboard riff before the hypnotic drum groove comes in followed by the lazy monotone vocals which give the song a heavy slacker vibe, accompanied by the catchy driving bass line that sticks in your head on repeat. The first verse is quite laid back instruments wise, with the jangly open tuned guitar not even coming into the song until the pre-chorus around 40 seconds in. The gradual buildup from the first verse to the pre-chorus and the introduction of the guitar adds an element of anticipation and engagement for the listener.

Following on from the pre-chorus the energy amps up for the first chorus, bringing in some distorted lead melody riffs and ending with almost opposite feeling transition back into another grooving short instrumental before returning to the verse section. The next pre-chorus section comes in with different lyrics and a louder vibe including samples and lead guitar to add a sense of progression.

After the final chorus comes the solo / instrumental outro. What I love about the solo in this song is that it is almost completely atonal and even out of tune at certain points. This emphasises the lo-fi slacker rock vibe of the tune, as if it sounds bad on purpose. And with that the song fades out with the same verse groove we are used to.