Month: June 2021

In Jose’s class we did a live improvised performance using amps, percussion, synths and anything that was available to us to make an interesting, live improvised sound piece, I enjoyed this as it confirmed to me how I wanted to create my second Creative Sound Project. I like the means of using improvisation with a plan to create the basis of a piece for many reasons.

1. It allows you to be present in the moment as a human being. As humans we are often thinking about the past or the future but whilst improvising music & sound live we are truly in the present as all we are thinking about is getting what we have in our head out into the world in a bid to ‘Capture the special moment’
2. It gives you a basis in which to build from in the editing phases in which you may not have stumbled upon if you weren’t improvising.
3. It links back to my roots in Jazz which involves a lot of improv, so it’s where I am comfortable.
4. It allows you to find who you are in that current moment, a feeling of perfect stillness.
5. I like improvisational pieces as instead of taking ages to truly figure out a piece of equipment, or an instrument it forces you to make a good sound out of it in the moment. which is cool.

The sp404…where do I begin with this beautiful machine, I first encountered this machine as a betaking,sampling obsessed young teen after watching artists like Madlib & Flying Lotus reap absolute havoc on this machine on youtube videos. It wasn’t until I saw it live in action when some of my older peers in the London beatmaking scene use it in live sets & the studio. Today, it is a centrepiece of my creative process, I use it to sample audio from all kinds of sources be it, vinyl, my phone, directly onto the SD card, TV shows, whatever…you name it, I’ve probably flipped it. In my studio I also use it as an always-on efx processor which I run sounds and instruments through, in live settings I use it to trigger samples on the fly and manipulate audio coming in through a mixer. In my second creative project the SP will be the centrepiece, triggering samples live on the fly and manipulating sound live through it’s Mfx. I love this machine as it’s tactile no-screen interface makes it incredibly easy to use but due to its proficiency and complexity it allows you to make it yours and find the workflow that works best for you.