One example of experimentation through sampling is Money by Pink Floyd. In the start of this song, you hear a collection of sounds, such as pennies falling and cash machines being opened, that create a rhythm. This was done by taking these sounds heard from sample libraries and by recording some. The one inch tape which the effects were recorded on were then recorded onto a quarter inch tape, which the band recorded live over. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_(Pink_Floyd_song)#Recording)
Cold Reactor by Everything Everything is a good example of the experimental use of effects, specifically at the end of the song when the solo plays (3:06). This solo consists of few phrases and notes, however what gives it it's interest is the se of the delay pedal in the solo, extending these phrases and notes to create a constant and repetitive solo. Another thing worth nothing about this is that the delay time doesn't sync perfectly with the tempo of the song and drags slightly, which creates this interesting pattern, and mixed with the next notes being played after the sequence and them also being delayed as such, creates a solo which glides in and out of syncopation.
In this video, at the time stamp 6:21, we se a drum kit surrounded by a garden hose, with a SM57 microphone attached to one end. What this does is it simulates a drum room, however the mic picks up less of the highs like the cymbals, meaning you can pick more of a 'boom' from the kick, snare and toms.
The person who discovered this experimental technique was Sylvia Massy. In an article by the abbey road institution, it was stated that her emphasis on nurturing creativity that freed those who worked with her and those inspired by her from the pressure of failure. It would be helpful for me to think outside the box like this, as it could help to give an original sound to my music. (https://abbeyroadinstitute.nl/blog/unlocking-creativity-sylvia-massy/#:~:text=One%20memorable%20moment%20was%20when,harsh%20highs%20from%20overhead%20mics.)
Unusual use of equipment could be traced back to the compositional ethos of musique concrete with the use of found sounds (sounds which are generally classed as unmusical). However, as a different approach to the use of unusual sounds, Arthur dubois has an interesting way of experimentally tempering with sounds of percussion, instruments and non-instruments.
In the video linked above, we see arthur perform this idea, by him using a ukelele, a typically melodic and harmonic instrument, as a percussive intrument. He also in a few of his videos does the opposite of this, turning percussive instruments into melodic ones through experimental techniques, for example, submerging a cymbal in water after the initial hit, changing its pitch. Ideas like this could apply well into my own work, perhaps by pitching percussive parts up and down to accompany the melodic and harmonic parts of the song better.
Another experimental approach, focusing around the recording process, is how you treat sound, and When the Levee Breaks is a good example of how the treatment of sound can change the sound, energy, vibe of the song.
At the start of the song, we hear these really raw and boomy sounding drums, being able to hear a lot of the room they are in when they were recorded. This sound was achieved by placing 2 Beyerdynamic M160 ribbon Microphones at the top of Headley Grange's Three-story stairwell, configuring them for a stereo recording, and recording the drums which were played at the bottom. These were the only mics used on the kit, they managed to get a level sound by amplifying it and compressing it (https://darkhorseinstitute.com/led-zeppelin-when-the-levee-breaks-stairwell-drum-sounds/#:~:text=An%20iconic%20drum%20sound%20to,stairwell%20in%20a%20stereo%20configuration.).
I can start using ideas like this in my own music, using the sound and reflections of the room as a means of musicality, in addition to the original sound, maybe experimenting with multiple room mics to see if i can capture interesting sounds.