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When working on my sound piece I harshly learn that using the best foundations would enhance your quality of results. Throughout I tried to juggle with unstable software that only caused bigger issues. With crashes that would delete work and save work no opening, it slowed down my creative process. This stumped my creativity in many places and would not allow me to flow as artistically as I wanted to. With delays in opening, it created barriers around the ideas in my head towards the physical process of me creating a new sound. I know that with a more stable foundation I will be able to create stronger work with a more fluid and dynamic sound.

As well as computer issues I believe that using other sonic devices such as field records, instruments, and synths would allow me fewer crashes on my computer. It would initiate more room and storage physically on the computer while allowing me to find new creative techniques for the future.

To conclude despite the financial side I do believe investing in good software allows for a better creative outcome and a long-lined of artistic fluidity.

On reflection, I truly enjoyed creating this piece. I allowed myself to evaluate how I could break barriers of generic clichés while also creating something that I believe is true to self. The ideas I created came across well sonically however I wish that I would include new methods for innovation and creation. Despite trying a synth I stayed with a complete analogue creative process. I would like to expand my knowledge on learning to play synthesisers as I believe it would enhance and widen my knowledge of new sonic sounds. Although I believe I broke stern types I believe by not including other devices to create my piece I have formed self-made barriers around myself. Experimenting with new synths would allow me to unlock ideas artistically that I hadn’t been able to before.

Finally, I hope to use a field recorder within my next creative process. Having used these in the past I felt that it allowed me to create something even more personal. If I went back and recreated my work I would use field recorded sounds and play with their elastic properties. I find that using self-made recordings enables you to get an exact sonic representation of what you wanted while opening up a personal side of the composer to the audience.

When creating my sound piece I wanted veery intention to be focused on the electronic sonic approach. To create a modernised version of a realistic dream I felt was only true due to the advancements around us. As I began this I started by using a Korg Minilogue Polyphonic Analogue Synth. However, I found that I had not yet mastered enough techniques to create exactly what I wanted to produce. Despite this, I found that I was able to make tones that I could easily manipulate and copy through MIDI. The sounds inspired me to create a selection of soft sounds layered over the top of harsher sounds alongside drum beats. This combination indicated the chaos in which personally I feel when inducing a dream. I found that the synthesiser helped me experience juxtaposing sounds which inspired me to later create mixtures of emotive motifs within my piece of work.

Finally, despite the fact I was inspired to create an immersive experience piece; I take a high interest in creating sound for the screen. With this motif in mind, I was intrigued to play certain sound effects of my piece over variations of videos based on dreams that I had found. I stumbled over a video named ‘Liquid Landscapes VHS Visuals Rip’ which I found had a similar rhythm and exaggerations to my sound. Accents with the movie mirrored sound effects I had made. With this in mind, I finally decided to present my piece in collaboration with the movie I had found. Both complimented each other well and it felt only right to show something alongside my sound piece.

My end goal for the piece was to create a realistic perception of how we hear our dreams. It was important to me to represent the juxtaposition between asleep and awake and how the same sounds around us can be heard differently and change depending on what state you are in.

I wanted the piece to be entirely immersive. After researching certain types of immersive sound art I took inspiration from Doron Sadja a sound artist from Berlin. His Colour Field immersion experience inspired me to entail this theme throughout my piece. I want the sound to feel like a physical experience for the listener as well as a sonic one.

By including realistic sound effects and transitions into different sounds I made this seem slow but almost ‘falling like’ experience from one state to another. I hope to present my piece of work one day in a similar way to Doron’s ‘Colour Field’ work where the listeners are blindfolded while certain light projects onto their faces. This way despite their eyes being closed they may see some light which will indicate a dream. Similarly, like Doron, I wanted to include a wide range of suggested modern technology. To break stereotypes of ‘dreamy’ music I hoped to include modernised sounds such as synth sounds and midi instruments. This would suggest new technological aesthetics. I believe that this is a truer perception of what humans hear today with a constant surrounding of technology in our lives giving a more realistic effect.

To create an immersive sonic experience I wanted the listener to believe that they were dipping in and out of consciousness. This meant the piece I was creating had to be as realistic and true to form as possible. To begin this process of realism I began by collecting samples of sounds which I thought would be ‘typical environmental sounds’ when asleep. However, as this process went on I found certain sounds to be rather cliché. Typically when people are sleeping the soundings tend to be silent. This ruined the realistic effect I wanted to create, and it drove the focus away from the state of dreaming. As I reflected on this more I chose to steer away from the simple state of sleeping and create it as if the person had fallen asleep on the sofa. This way it means that the state of sleep was unintentional; meaning their environment would have more sonic sounds happening around them. By doing this I could incorporate certain sounds such as the TV and contrast this from awake to asleep. After I had found certain samples decided to elasticity the properties and add several effects to the various sounds. Stretching the length and gaining it allowed me to alter what was once before my perception of reality. It highlighted typical characteristics of dreaming sonically, and how we hear sounds differently when asleep.

After researching the layers of dreams I came across an article by Eric Meyer (a classical musician) who asked the question “what do dreams sound like”. This grabbed my attention; frequently we ask ourselves what we saw in our dreams not what we heard. This quickly became the stimuli for my piece, so I began to create a selection of sounds that I thought represented what I could hear. 

It intrigued me how environmental sounds that surround us when sleeping can be heard differently in our heads when dreaming compared to when they do awake. To represent this I wanted to include sonic sounds that both suggest a state of sleep and consciousness to provide a juxtaposition between the two. 

When I googled sound pieces based on dreams it felt extremely limited. The options of choice instantly became very classical based primarily using woodwind instruments such as flutes. Despite these floaty melodies certainly sending us humans into a relaxed and tranquil state I did not think that this was a true representation. I wanted to include modern methods such as MIDI, Synthesisers, and certain software to arrange samples into what I believe to be the sonic representation of ‘dreaming’.

I hope to produce a modern piece of sound that truly represents the layers of dreaming and chaos that our brains entail when asleep.

Joseph Kamaru showed us a very interesting lecture despite being a Kenyan musician he spoke a lot about his views on culture and the politics behind protecting this. He urged for the voice of Kenyan music and as a result, has sold half a million records. His inability to embrace his culture and spread this to the westernised world inspired me. I believe this message is so important. Authenticity should be protected in all arts especially sonically.

His message to the world reminded me of a lecture when we talked about authenticity and Disney’s corruption of this.

After watching clips of Disney’s ‘Brother Bear’ we discussed the use of indigenous artists used within the making of the score. With little credit and almost 0 authentic influence from Native American culture, this creates a few controversial issues. 

Despite Brother Bear being a celebrated successful Disney film, the lack of authenticity can not be noticed. In a day and age of ‘cancelling culture,’ we should take the director’s notice of situations like this film. With the use of an African American singer Tina Turner during the main songs, some could argue the irony of this and how once again certain racial groups are singled out and gatekeeped into one. As well as the score being untrue to its story and traditions are shown within the film, it sends little representation of true Native American People. Although theoretically, the score was a huge success I strongly argue that by using authenticity you will only get better results.

A good example of this is Hanz Zimmer’s ‘Mother Africa’ score. Despite the film being Pan- African he blends his artistic twist with a variety of arrangements; using South African choirs alongside multiple traditional south African instruments. 

To me, this speaks volumes of authenticity and paints a better storyline cinematically. However, with Hanz Zimmer being a German writer I don’t believe it is truly authentic without the use of a South African composer.

Makoto Oshiro is a sound artist despite being a sound artist he combines other elements of technology into his performances such as electricity and light. A combination of technology, this showed me advancement in performance in a new exciting and experimental way.

With the development of technology phones are getting smarter every single day: but are we?

People every day stay glued to their phones. Despite most people being aware of how unaware they are of their surroundings when on them, we still stay laminated to the screen. It could be argued that blocking out the world around you will stunt your creative flare. The brain is less inspired and triggered and we are becoming detached from our centrality to the floating rock we live on. 

However, in juxtaposition to this, there are tones of software that may inspire us but just in different ways. Apps such as Spotify and Tim Tok’s algorithms show constant new things. From this, our brains are continuously triggered and taught. Can it be highlighted that this constant rush of life and technological culture is forcing our brains to come up with fresh ideas? We are being shown things we may never have been shown before which can conclude in wider creative thinking. However, developments such as the Metaverse and NFT are early signs of our creativity leaving this world physically and being created somewhere else. This is a dangerous process where our creative results are also ending up pumped into technology. 

Despite technology not entirely stumping creative thinking, I do believe it’s vital that we as humans find a balance; we must be careful that everything we think say or do doesn’t end up entirely engulfed by technology.

Samson Young vs Mark Fisher: cancellation of the future

Samson young showed us some great examples of how he incorporates huge installations to partner with his sonic work; he has an ability to combine political attributes with futuristic ideas blew my mind. His ‘Utopia Trilogy #3: Houses of Tomorrow (feat. Michael Schiefel)’ (2019) show to me a current movement of experimental work.

In juxtaposition to this when reading about Mark Fisher and his ideas on the cancellation of the future I felt the urge to argue examples such as Young and his work.

“The slow cancellation of the future has been accompanied by a deflation of expectations” – Mark Fisher 

Mark Fisher’s theory of cancelled sonic futurism tries to portray a light where music will no longer improve. His arguments comparing The Beatles and other musicians who were seen ‘before their time’ are prominent throughout his interview. It can be said that during the rush of change in 1971, music did take a swerve in advancements; synthesisers being invented, polyphonic sound systems and endless tape loops. However, despite the rush of technology, I believe strongly that this was only relevant to the westernised world. America and England were facing the wave of the Civil Rights movement. The hippy movement was upon them; racial attitudes were beginning to change, and protestors were standing up to war… I believe that although Fisher has a point in his comparisons it has to be noted that socially the Western world was changing causing inevitable developments within pop culture. 

It’s important to argue that Fisher is a white straight male who grew up in this era and geographical location. His arguments stay biased to what he knows. I see his arguments as very one-sided and almost uneducated. Samson Youn is a Chinese citizen who in the modern day is producing work based on the political governing of Hong Kong. With his use of installed materials and sculptures, his creativity is beyond anything in the past. Changes within music have taken place all around the world and still are every single day. Racial groups, different genders, cultures and other sexualities have created new sounds and communities all over the planet. Just because Fisher’s genre has had a halt in differences that does not mean it can be said for the entire world’s sonic movements.

When listening to Far Bradley’s lecture she talked a lot about embracing her environment and surroundings to create experimental music. The way she spoke about using space and public surroundings she inspired me to look into the idea of Sonic Meditation.

I took some time to read up about Pauline Olivero and her sonic inspiration after watching a Vietnam War Protestor kill himself. She began her career as a pioneer for electronic music during the 60s and 70s. After witnessing such a brutal and horrifying turn of events she felt the urge to isolate herself and found no impulses to play music. As humans, this is an instinct to hide and protect one’s self against fear or pain.

After a year of silent retreat in 1971, she published a series of experimental works named ‘Self Meditation’. Her work was heavily based on the centre of her physical being and body movement. She began Thai Chi lessons where she found a love for spatial and body. I found this extremely beautiful as it suggested to me a sense of alertness towards a relationship with one’s soul. Centrality and awareness are important parts of overcoming emotions which we face. By facing and understanding how we feel and move we can overcome and build bonds within ourselves. We will find ways to react to our turmoils however we want. Pauline’s work reflects this to me and shows me a true sense of self-understanding. By projecting her newfound perspective centred around her body she was able to compose what sonically became her meditation and road to self-awareness.

Although not everyone makes music and composes sound, I do believe that sonically we can meditate every single day. Attaching yourself and your body to music or sound that we hear in our daily life; allows a pathway for the brain to understand what pressures we have on our soul. Using and connecting to sounds around us connects our self-being and will aid us in conquering everyday mediation.