My favorite rap song of the moment is Young Thug’s “High,” which prominently samples Elton John’s “Rocket Man.”
https://soundcloud.com/inabundnce/young-thug-rocket-man-remix
Blogging about blogging
I started posting writing online long before I had any academic ambitions. I wrote for self-promotion, self-expression, and because I wasn’t sure what else to do with myself. I did a lot of what I would now call a reflexive and reciprocal process for research into music and related topics. As it turns out, this was a good habit to have when I went to grad school. I have posted most of my masters and doctoral level writing assignments, notes, papers, and research materials on the web. In the process, I have met an incredible lot of people who I would not have met otherwise.
For a while I was only posting about innocuous music and technology-related topics: theory, production, general appreciation. But as I go deeper into the intersection of music education and hip-hop, my posts have been getting more political. This material attracts supporters and allies, which is gratifying, but also heated criticism, and, since the dawn of the Trump era, a growing volume of hate speech. The constructive feedback comes in the form of affirmation, social contacts, corrections, arguments, tips, and directions for further inquiry. Some of these interactions are direct, in the form of comments or replies on social media, but I also get plenty of indirect feedback via my Google alerts. Research and writing are lonely undertakings, and feeling myself connected to a lively conversation at all times has been an invaluable motivator.
Happy Earth, Wind and Fire Day
Today is September 21st, the subject of one of the most joyful recordings ever made, which comes with an all-time-great music video.
The song in turn inspired my favorite work of fan art.
— demi adejuyigbe (@electrolemon) September 22, 2016
Funky Minuet in G major
In my continuing quest to learn the classical canon through remixing with Ableton Live, I’ve taken on Bach’s Minuet in G major. Which is apparently not by Bach at all, but rather by some guy named Christian Petzold. Live and learn.
A minuet is a dance, but in 2018, it’s hard to dance in triple meter. So as usual, I wanted to put the piece in 4/4, and give it a better beat. Here’s the result:
Simple songs
I’m interested in a particular kind of pop song: mainstream-ish tracks that are so minimal in their melodic or lyrical content that they barely qualify as “songs,” yet manage to still be musically compelling. My paradigmatic examples:
“That’s The Way (I Like It)” by KC and the Sunshine Band
“Around The World” by Daft Punk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yca6UsllwYs
“Turn Down For What” by DJ Snake and Lil Jon
“Combination Pizza Hut And Taco Bell” by Das Racist
Calling these songs “simple” is not totally accurate, since the first three in my list feature lavish production. Still, the parts you can sing yourself are simple.
Dissertation update
For the past two years, I’ve been working on a doctorate in music education at NYU. I’ve finished my coursework, and after I do my candidacy exam this fall, I’ll be ABD (All But Dissertation, as the academics say.) (Update: I passed!) I’ve spent the summer laying the groundwork for the dissertation, and thought you guys might like to know how I’m approaching such a monumental task.
So, here are the steps I’m taking. The process has worked well for all my various publications, and I’m feeling confident in it. Maybe you’ll find it useful.
Remixing Satie’s Gymnopédie No 1 with Ableton Live
Following up on Debussy’s “Claire De Lune”, I’ve taken on another of the greatest hits of the classical canon that my ear does not intuitively understand: Erik Satie’s “Gymnopédie No 1“.
Continue reading “Remixing Satie’s Gymnopédie No 1 with Ableton Live”
RIP Aretha Franklin
I don’t have much to add to what everyone else is saying, except that I really love her music, more than just about anything.
How to make drums and synths from literally any sound
This is one of my favorite Andrew Huang videos.
Beyond their jokey aspects, Andrew’s videos make a profound point about just how flexible recorded sound can be. This is useful information if you want to break out of the cliches, if you have bad source material to work with, or if you just enjoy pushing your software to its limits. Every semester, I assign my music tech students to record environmental sounds with their phones and then turn them into music. Phone recordings usually have poor sound quality and are loaded with noise. But if you’re a creative producer, you can make literally anything work.
Continue reading “How to make drums and synths from literally any sound”
Jordan Peterson and Luke Skywalker
Ever since Jordan Peterson’s fans started getting in my face online, I’ve been exploring his work. He’s a fascinating and disturbing character. On the one hand, he’s a respected academic and clinical psychiatrist (or, he was until recently.) He dispenses valuable self-help advice, especially for depressed and anxious young men. This fan video gets across the core of his appeal. “Tell the truth and aim high”–who could argue with that?
On the other hand, Peterson has some ideas about gender politics and politics generally that range from old-fashioned to unhinged. He has a paranoid vision of Western civilization being undermined what he calls “postmodernism,” by which he appears to mean “egalitarianism.” Peterson’s understanding of actual postmodernism is as shallow as a puddle. His main point is that efforts toward social justice will inevitably result in Stalinism. Let’s dive in!