Lewie JPD


PROJECT 1 -SUITE OF SONGS

Raquel (MM).wav

I worked in SESSION view in Ableton to compose this piece. I wanted it to sound kind of nostalgic - with a contemporary beat. As well, a strong and simple bass line to underpin things lest they get too mushy. An unusual synth top line and some CELLO to snake through the middle section, adding emotion and gravitas.

I used a beta version of AI image making for this cover image.

Raquel is a song inspired by a chance meeting with a wonderfully sweet and authentic Spanish girl I met in Bondi in January. There was a slow burning connection between us that suddenly became apparent to us both. But neither of us knew what to do with it. As well, circumstances of reality restricted it from proceeding into something enduring. Alas. Such is life. I wrote this song - a little melancholy, a touch romantic, solemn with a swirl of joy for her. Raquel.

ABLETON session for

'Mixing In My Head"






I made some mock up EP cover art for some of my Suite of Songs and Song of The Week submissions.

Music Video for 'Mixing In My Head'

On impulse, I threw some cuts together for the first version of this song in order to have some visual accompaniment. When I showed it in class, the response was good, so I decided to spend some time and effort and do a more involved video - still keeping with the same theme and approach of randomness and keeping the Asian girl band vibe - while adding some dancers, fireworks, cave exploring, a cat and some of my visual artwork to keep it interesting. Something about the music and visual interaction that takes both elements of sound and visual to another level - each inpiring the other.

Mixing In My Head (M).mov

WATCH THE FINISHED VIDEO FOR 'MIXING IN MY HEAD"





PROJECT 2 - LIVE PERFORMANCE

Flashing Faces.gif

Guerilla Marketing Campaign

It was a three tier campaign with the goal of creating a sense of mystery and interest. I first made a GIF (with jpeg companion) that teased viewers with just glimpses of our heads. Who TF are Floating Heads?

Next was a full A3 poster to adorn the halls and doors of campus announcing our performance.


This is my set up for rehearsals (and eventually the performance).

PERFORMANCE HARDWARE

As can be seen in the top photo - my set up consists of

1.) NOVATION LAUNCH CONTROL XL
2.) NOVATION LAUNCH MINI
3.) ABLETON PUSH 2

4.) MAC LOADED W ABLETON LIVE 11



PREPARATION AND PRACTICE

Room 19 is where we mostly set up. We have had to pull it all down, pack up and re-set many times. But has actually been a good thing because it has imprinted the system into our consciousness and made it comforatable. In this pic Bengee works on the far right, Ethan beside him (with the didge), me manning the iMac and Push2 and Alice with her new keyboard and the APC controller. We have been in here (or the alternative rm 16) all day and many nights for the the last month.

Song Performance Sequence.pdf

We spent considerable time and thought working out the song sequence. Starting with Euphoria which is low key and kind of brooding. Into A Superb Moment which lifts things. Then a musical voyage with Ethan's Song, followed by the quirky Webby's Sister. Next is Splice Song, EDM, which has beats and vocal samples. And finally Bengee's dynamic, uplifting trio to finish the set off on a high note.

One of the tracks I am presenting in our live performance, called "Webby's Sister".

It is 174bpm a hybrid mix of LIQUID DnB and GLITCH HOP, mixed in with some TRIP HOP and a dash of je ne sais quoi.

IMG_2401.MOV

A casual video featuring a snippet of one of our performance sessions.

CUTTING TOGETHER A VIDEO

We wanted to have some images projected onto the screen behind us to bring an additional element of engagement to the performance.

Bengee worked with his editor to produce a 4 minute montage which then inspired me to expand upon it and create an extended version with a variety of mix and match and mismatched effect laden imagery sourced from exotic sources on the dark web. (Which in this case is the normal web - with the lights off.)

TECH RUN

We did the Tech Run in the Lecture Theatre with just two days to go until the final performance. Set up began at 11am and we did the sound checks from about 11:30 until almost 2pm with a break for lunch - finishing up around 4pm.