WIP: Nov 23
Will there be an Album #3?
For most composers/artists/writers etc, I guess we never stop making. Of course, there are periods of time when we are doing more than other moments, or focusing on specific projects before moving on to something else.
2023 has been an amazing year, full of more live shows than ever before, which was really necessary after the preceding few years. Moving forward, though, I know I need to get a better balance of being more intentional about making time to create new work, especially where the focus is not simply on certain task or for a specific reason or project, but remembering to be actively and purposefully creative, as it is often in those moments when good things arrive, rather than when we try to force it.
A disclaimer - there will be no Album #3 in 2024. Sorry.
The advent of streaming has led to many good things, but one difficult aspect is the way it has increased pressure on artists to push out significant bodies of work in even quicker time than ever; to feed the algorithm; to arrive in listeners’ Release Radar playlists. It can, at times, feel like a mechanical, throwing-mud-at-the-wall-to-see-what-sticks situation, and that is not why I make music.
However, there will be LOTS of new music throughout 2024 - loads of it, in fact - with some really fun and quite different stuff included in that, and I’m so looking forward to sharing it with you; whilst quietly, in the background (but not background music!), I’ll be slowly continuing to shape the musical and stylistic ideas I’m thinking about for the next THING.
Anyway…here’s something new for you to mull over. The piece on the video above is a WIP that I’ve been playing around with for a while (working title: ‘Sift’). Rather than do a big explainer on what I think I’m trying to do with this, I’d love to hear what you think about the above:
Where does it take you?
Is this a solo piece, or can you hear something else becoming involved with it?
What’s behind the working title of ‘Sift’? How does it relate to the music for you?
(was it cold whilst filming this? Yes, it was!)
Please do jump on down to the comments and drop your thoughts in there. I am genuinely curious and keen to hear what you think, and also how this more open, less secretive approach to sharing new ideas and developing a community around my music and creative practice can lead to meaningful interactions and ongoing creative development.
Hey Sim,
I think I really like where this WIP is headed! I can definitely imagine imagine strings. I must admit I can't connect with the title, but perhaps that's a similar thing to what I experienced with your last album (i.e. once it had been explained it made so much sense, but I couldn't piece together the meaning from the titles on their own)
I was recently listening to a podcast interview with a pedagogical composer I really admire, Wendy Stevens, and she talked about what she called the different "seasons" of being a composer. Like spring, summer, autumn and winter, we have a composition phase (spring), a phase where we nurture what we've grown into something presentable to the public (summer), a presentation phase (harvest/autumn) and we also need a rest phase (winter). I really subscribe to this idea! I think you'd share my admiration for her: she's enormously prolific, independent, writes interesting music in her genre, is very kind, and above all she believes that a composer's job is a service to the community. I mention it because I think sometimes we composers need to be reminded of the importance of resting. Those are when the best ideas happen!
Hi. Glad the thoughts resonate. Really enjoyed the Brudenell show. Looking forward to the show in May. And thanks for the Ryuichi Sakamoto recommendation, I hadn't got that one.