zac's blog

Author: Zac

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Introduction to Sound Arts

Week 2: Nutshell

The words that probably best describe my work ethos when it comes to sound arts are: “novelty”, “integrity”, and “perfectionism”. The concept of Sound Arts encompasses a broad range of ways in which an artist working with sound can manifest, with no consensus among practitioners on how this art should be created or what it should mean. To me, music is a sound art, and the three chosen words are reflective of my musicianship.

First, I believe that seeking novelty is probably the most important aspect of an artist’s craft. I think that trying to imitate an artistic movement is a big mistake that many people who create are prone to. For example, one may try to make grunge music, but the context in which we live in now is substantially different than the one in which 90s people lived. Technology used to record and make sounds has evolved, and collective concerns have changed, along with people’s preferences in music. I personally take huge inspiration from the grunge movement, but I think that trying to sound just like it is impossible due to the mentioned factors. I also see no point in (re)creating something that has already been done, as there is an infinite amount of possible songs or art pieces that can be created.

Second, artistic and personal integrity are extremely important to me. As a person with strong opinions and values, I will not accept any contractor or record label to dictate how and what music I should write. I will also, under no circumstance, tone down my speech to please anyone. A good example of being a sell-out is Ed Sheeran, who accepted to drop Macklemore from his tour after pressure from an indoctrinated billionaire with influence in the live music industry. Fortunately, most musicians involved with the tour have backed off, showing that not sticking to principles can and will backfire at some point.

Nonetheless, perfectionism – although a double-edged sword that can stop one from ever publishing their work – is necessary in order to improve as an artist, but also to have a finished art piece that stays true to the vision. The beauty when it comes to perfection is that we can strive for it, but never truly achieve it. Perfection is just an idealistic construct.

To conclude, reflecting on my own work ethic has proved to be beneficial, as I reminded myself once again how important it is to stick to my values.

Categories
Audio Fundamentals

#2: Come As You Are

When I was 11 years old, I discovered the band called ‘Nirvana’ and subsequently, I got interested in grunge music. But digging into it, I realized it was more than a subgenre of rock, it was a cultural movement. I fell in love with the heavy sound textures, their distinct chord progressions, their lyrics’ emancipatory message, and the experimental visuals of the music videos. Watching interviews from the ‘90s, I found that artists of that era were inspired by social movements, classic literature or urban folk tales (like ‘Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle’ by Nirvana). This made me realize how social struggles translate onto pop culture, but also how art spread from the working-class suburbs to the mainstream. By the time I was 12 years old, I convinced my parents to buy me the cheapest classical guitar found in a music store.

Growing up, I also started to incorporate certain elements from different genres. As a guitarist, I try to incorporate the “wall of sound” from shoegaze and the catchy rhythmic aspect of stoner rock. As a singer… well, do the Smashing Pumpkins count as grunge? Oh, I almost forgot about nu-metal (lyrics not included!). Elliott Smith’s way of adding multiple vocal layers has also inspired me when I was making one of my tracks – “additive”. But when talking about my influences in production, maybe Nine Inch Nails is a great example of someone building a bridge between alt-rock and electronic music. GothBoiClique’s emo-trap production is also something I’m trying to learn from, even though I am still learning my ways with DAWs.

My biggest wish as an artist, is to make a living as a musician, going on tour and having creative freedom. But because we don’t live in a perfect world tailored to our hopes and dreams, having a plan B, and maybe C, could be a great idea. Since I am a huge film nerd, I would love to do sound for film with a focus on spatial audio and have people tripping on my work. Other career options include becoming a guitar technician, or pursuing an MA in Film. Or as an ex-dropout I might play the “uno reverse” card and join academia.

“Come As You Are” said Kurt (Cobain), so here I am.

Categories
Audio Fundamentals

#1: Elevator Pitch

Text: Hi, this is Zac. I am a singer, songwriter, and guitar player. I started my musical journey 14 years ago and now I’m in my first year of studying a BA course in Sound Arts. I mostly make alternative rock, focused on creating a wall of sound. In the past, I also had the chance to perform with George Michael’s ex-live band, and Bob Marley’s trumpet player.

Categories
Introduction to Sound Arts

Week 1: London Calling (in stereo)

People say I am a talkative person, always looking for a chance to express my often-bold opinions on matters regarding social structures or culture. Whether it is about the importance of intersectionality in the feminist movement, culture critique (cheers to Adorno), or simply taste, the waterfall of thoughts in my head just won’t stop. But now, it is time to write. This moment reminds me of Hank Moody, the rock star-like fictional writer from “Californication”, who started blogging for Hell-A Magazine (a reference to LA). Trying to avoid clichés, maybe I should seek inspiration in Anthony Bourdain’s insightful, yet comedic approach to this matter. Both Hank and Tony loved grunge, my favourite musical movement… and music is art, so here is my take on what sound art is, or what it can be!

Firstly, when talking about sound arts, music is probably the first thing to come in one’s mind. Music itself can take many forms: DJs spending hours upon hours through their vinyl collection curating their next set; someone using a looper or their laptop and a DAW to put samples on grid creating techno; or some teenagers gazing at their shoes while stomping on pedals and playing heavy guitar riffs through blasting amps.

Secondly, films, which in my opinion are the most complex form of art, (besides their script, acting elements, or cinematography) wouldn’t be the same without audio. Sound, if crafted by a passionate sound designer, can further immerse a viewer through its dynamic surround aspect (5.1 or Dolby Atmos/DTS X). An example of this is Stanley Kubrick’s cult classic “A Clockwork Orange” (1971), whose notes and some of the props somehow ended up in LCC’s archive just a few days ago. With the help of Phil Coy, who just released his new book called “Stereo Pair”, students can now see and touch the famous watch from the film, which ironically represents a metaphor of my academic journey. Picked up by Coy in 2019 (the year I started “uni” for the first time) from the rubbles of a demolished building at Brunel University (where a scene from the movie was shot, and where I studied International Business for 1 year), the defunct watch ended up between the walls of LCC the same year I started university again.

Pictures taken by me (Laurentiu Dumitru) at LCC’s Stanley Kubrick archive.

Nonetheless, “Stereo Pair”, whose launching event I attended, documents the creation process of the eponymous sound art installation placed at Brunel University, which also contains parts of cement used in the now-gone building. Consisting of two gramophone shaped concrete pieces (representing the L and R channels), this form of acoustic architecture explores resonant phenomena, by reacting to the sounds around it.

To conclude, it’s good to be back! As the Clash said… “London (is) calling” again, but this time in stereo, or maybe in surround.

One of the two speakers of which “Stereo Pair” (2021) consists. Source: Phil Coy’s artist website.