During the workshop, we produced a piece in the style of Moor Mother using digital production techniques. We used MIDI instruments to represent an electric piano, a trumpet, and a Reese bass, and layered over this an electronic drum beat. The focus of the task was vocal production, where we manipulated various clips from a speech to create something akin to a narrative over the course of the piece. We also used samples; a loop of protestors shouting at a rally was given binaural directional mixing to ensure it was in the background creating a subtle tension and atmosphere. This was complemented by found samples of crying/wailing which had the same effect. Further, we used the protest sample in more clarity in the ‘outro’ of the piece, layered over another sample of Crossroad by Robert Johnson. My group member and I would switch between roles; i.e, I initially layered the MIDI drums and electric piano, while they worked on the trumpet and vocal production. Working collaboratively ensured that each element was given focus at one point of time, contributing to the resulting quality of the overall piece.
The final production is sombre and melancholic, as the introductory electric piano is supported by distant cries of protest and wailing. The piano itself plays diminished chords in a seemingly disharmonic fashion to create an atmosphere of unease. The vocals that persist on top of this section have distortion, a short delay, and a series of formants, which allows for them to become the focus of the piece. The MIDI trumpet that is a part of the instrumental is also, in places, disharmonic and feels like an improvisation. This was in an effort to replicate Moor Mother’s own production, where she tends to favour quick-attack and random brass lines. The trumpet creates a sensation of movement as it pulses through the repetitive piano and bassline, and, in my opinion, is able to replicate a sense of performance. This is important in the context of a Moor Mother production, which often uses elements of live performance to cement a tense atmosphere. Panning is also an important tool in the production, as the electronic drums pan between left and right each half-note. I think this lends to the atmosphere in two ways – firstly, the juxtaposition of the quantized and automated electronic drums with the improvisational trumpet is worth addressing. It is able to create an unpredictability which adds to the existing tension. Secondly, the panning also is able to simulate a live performance, in my mind, of a band on different parts of a stage. This is also supported by the fact that the trumpet is panned favourably to the left, and creates an angular field within which the piece can be heard.
The differences between my usual style of production and this method of working can be surmised into:
- Melodic Intention
Oftentimes in my own production I have a loop-based melodic intention – this is to say that I hero repetition in chord progressions, riffs, and vocals. This process allows for a detachment from the idea of looping melodically, and offers a producer a chance to create a piece that is ever-changing and thus arguably ever-engaging.
- Intertextual Intention
Generally speaking, I sample what sounds appealing to me, oftentimes regardless of the context of the piece within a cultural/historical lens. Moor Mother’s work, being political, is careful with sample selection – thus offering a producer the opportunity to create a meaningful library of samples within a track that are able to add to the message of the piece.
In conclusion, the experience helped me experiment with ridding myself of melodic intention while trying to develop intertextual intention, and was a great insight into Moor Mother’s process.