In today’s post I want to touch on one important idea that I’ve been thinking about for quite a while. At the same time, I don’t want to claim that nobody else has had a similar thought before or that this approach to music production has not been implemented by anyone. I’d rather say that I don’t see it used often enough, which I think is a serious omission.
As you could have guessed from the title, I am talking about hierarchy-free music arrangements and production. What does it mean, you might say? Well, in the most usual scenario, the vocals and otherwise midrange frequencies can be significantly boosted in the mix, leaving the rest of the instrumentation far behind. In another scenario, a powerful metal guitar can take the lead and push everyone else out of the way.
On the one hand, each time I hear this happening I feel that it is profoundly unfair. On the other, I realize that this approach was largely dictated not only by the band’s dynamics and chemistry among its members but also by technical limitations. The most obvious example is drums, which used to be impossible to record the way they can be recorded and mixed today.
And yet, despite the enormous progress in technology, even today this heavily hierarchical approach persists. Some would say, “If it worked, why change it?” Some engineers might have developed their signature sound and would not want to change it for anything – an approach I find very self-serving. I say – old habits die hard.
Modern tools allow for such a fine way of recording, mixing and mastering that there is absolutely no reason to continue limiting the musicality of a composition to some 20% of its full potential. I also believe that a properly developed composition can be more sustainable as a live act and as such require less reliance on lip-syncing and popular bands pretending they are playing on stage while a full studio-prepared mix is what actually plays through the speakers.
I am not saying this to nag about these widespread music industry practices. I am just trying to make a point that there may be more value in letting every part of the composition cut through the mix, have its own moments of tension and release, and feature lines that are catchy and memorable. And I assure you it is very possible – so much so that it may actually be more work to do it the other way. So, why bother, I say? Democratize your production and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the result.
News
Those of you who read my blog know already that I am interested in both human-made and AI-generated music. Having had enough fun with AI projects, I decided to shift my attention to developing AI content that is not only musical but also has another dimension to it. The most recent project I created is an AI persona that I named The Swift Tailor. He is sharp, witty and absolutely wicked IMHO. By design, he is a musical, humorous, down-to-earth, manly character who has very honest, bold opinions about many things in life. His songs are inspired by the popular creations of his antipode. Every song is a complete and total reversal of those popular tracks, to the point that only the song titles and artist’s name are indications of the inspiration source. I already wrote before about the profound lack of humor in music. And I like to think that this project of mine is filling the gap. Check it out! It is well worth your time.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3jgUGKtryiQ4heY5qxcK5i
Music Picks
By no surprise, my choices below will reflect the hierarchy-free approach to music. I am not going to describe what I like about each song. Instead, I encourage you to listen very carefully to how different instruments are cutting through the mix, appreciate the balance between them and see how much musicality this brings to the table compared to strict hierarchy.
Euterpe by Flumana:
https://open.spotify.com/track/7ysiGppZOZD3Muwk6AkubQ
Emotive Addiction by District 13:
https://open.spotify.com/track/42hNIpvIoRCqrk0aNQR6yl
Lemuria by Echoes of Mu:
https://open.spotify.com/track/5VPAayMjhhs9xnhajEv9pQ
So Long by Jack Moore and Tyler Lyle:
https://open.spotify.com/track/1n4WxezoLyqIXguqitubKX
Ridin’ With The Wind by Dave G:
https://open.spotify.com/track/5wXfuUBsnN93GnqrKVVtAq
Promised Land by Dennis Brown:
https://open.spotify.com/track/3SmlQ9SaXbkmeXrXNF5ojP
Trouble by iNi Kamoze:
https://open.spotify.com/track/0ETcr0mQYPm47oslcGAz3O
I Kook The Beats by ITS Zartan, Red Robot:
https://open.spotify.com/track/2QzyieqDZVUIBwjfrmgueM
The Funky Opera Singer by vinnie naidu:
https://open.spotify.com/track/3KxBV1EQ9CUzTZm2RIIIwv
C C Rider – Live by Markus K.:
https://open.spotify.com/track/4MosjGvozjFAWf9Y1SskpZ
Final Thoughts:
I think I have theorized enough for one post already. The promise I want to leave you with is that I am not planning to do it in every other post. Instead, I’ll use the same tension-release approach that I so appreciate in music. Thus, you can expect something much more relaxing next time. Stay tuned!