Have you ever noticed that when you sing by yourself you are never singing alone? We were created with adaptation in mind and we adapt effortlessly. There is no need for coercion... There is no need for instruction...
My best friend and I noticed it during my Junior year in undergraduate school. Things that we take for granted in our everyday thought work cyclically and mindlessly. Unless something in our surroundings are defunct our thoughts continue to weave from one point to the next.
The tinkling of a cat's bell; The heartbeat of an old clock; The hum of a refrigerator; The long sigh of the air conditioning; sometimes the drip from a leaky faucet... All of these sounds surround us and unless a sound is missing it goes unnoticed. We react to them as our natural environment and when we hum or sing along without instruments our environment provides the key, the rhythm and the harmony.
I know, because we are music nerds, that the refrigerator in my old dorm hummed solidly in the key of E. We began to make a conscious effort to hear these tones and rhythms around us. I have long loved experimental, technological, and instrumental music with a passion. I enjoy creative and colorful lyrics as well and these two things are a perfect marriage. It is always inspiring to see how people interact and invent with the environment and words around them.
A few of my all-time favorite composers focus on these concepts to enhance their music and explore new directions. Nobuo Uematsu-former Final Fantasy Series composer, self-taught instrumental and rock musician who has created some of the most memorable moments in Soundtrack music history. He has sold out audiences worldwide with music that is completely instrumental...His music is some of the most popular instrumental music outside of the Classical and House genres. His original inspirations were all written into 8-bit audio back in the 80s...Now they are played by a symphonic orchestra and in piano solo formats; all over the world and on iTunes. My favorite collection from Composer Uematsu is the Final Fantasy IX Piano Solo Collection. I would love to have the opportunity to see the Symphony perform Distant Worlds.
Speaking of the House genre another composer who is finally getting the recognition he deserves is putting out some of the most beautiful electronic pieces I have ever experienced. He has contributed to movie and video game scores, he has performed internationally as one of the best DJs in the world, responsible for the trance genre, he was enthusiastic about the circuit bending community, classical music, instrumental, rock, hydroponic hip-hop, and house. Brian Transeau, BT, is the creator of the Laptop Symphony. He blends natural sounds like rain, cicadas, a baby's coo, vocals, an acoustic guitar, with the stutter, pads, echoes, and distortions of house music. (almost every element recorded or created from scratch!) The man is responsible for a great many musicians tracks, and can create just about anything musical. I feel like his most fun work was on his Album Emotional Technology. His most impressive and memorable work has been on his This Binary Universe and If the Stars are Eternal so are You and I albums. I think among mainstream American musicians I would most like to compose with BT.
I have a lot of favorite musicians and each has a charm that has drawn me to them. I would love to share about more groups in the future like Florence & the Machine, Jon Foreman, or any number of the Japanese and other foreign artists that I listen to. I would love to write (lyrics) with Jon Foreman, but that is another venture for another day. <3
I have chosen these two musicians because if there is nothing else to listen to I can always count on them. These two men always design music that is memorable, timeless, technical, and inventive. Anyone who can combine all of these elements so perfectly will always be musicians who will inspire me.
-Love-
www.btmusic.com
www.ffdistantworlds.com/
na.square-enix.com/uematsu/
Nobuo Uematsu is going to be in attendance at the CELEBRATION 25th anniversary show in Chicago this December.
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