Coursework & Project Context (MPR6C001R~001) FAW23084571

Project Proposal

Production Project Files (80%)

Please upload your production project audio files to the file block below. If you are submitting a video for your production project, this must be uploaded to Panopto and embedded in this Show page. You must also submit a separate audio file of your project along with the video.

1 – One Step Closer Download

2 – Acid Breathe Download

3 – Train Ride Download

4 – Needle Toucher Download

5 – Bass is Pumping Download

6 – Room 2 Download

7 – R&R Download

8 – Realisation Download

Progress and Management Records (20%)

My project is a 25-minute EP that conceptually explores an entire night out to a rave from start to finish. It situates itself across multiple genres all connected by the theme of 1990s underground electronic music with a modern take. The genres featured within the album are ambient electronic, acid house, electro house, big beat/breakbeat, techno/trance and jungle/footwork. I have previously delved into all the genres whether it be through listening or producing and chosen them based on their connection to the 90s – “a remarkably creative period for electronic and dance music” (shfl, N/A).

My goals for this project were:

Enhance my production skills

Create a concept album

Idea of a journey through a night out: Feeling lost going to pre-drinks, the rave, afterparty and finally a walk home

Cyclical change of emotions from angry loneliness to accepting loneliness

The initial ideas I worked with all focused on this concept of a merging of 90s dance music with modern day production techniques but without this storytelling feel. I knew I wanted to explore multiple genres to reflect how genres “collided, splintered and redefined themselves” (Brevant, 2025) during this period. However, my initial production focus was on utilizing my background in classical music (playing both the violin and cello) to heavily home in on my recording technique and featuring on every track. This idea collapsed after intial demos proved difficult within the composition area, so I decided to move my focus elsewhere. The chosen focus on production came in the form of sound design, synthesis, and ambience. As 90s dance music was “defined” (Jones, 2019) by synths, I chose that my focus should be on replicating these sounds whilst also adding modern twists. This alongside my recording focus of location ambience became my production focus within this project.

I then set forth creating a timeline for this project – showcased in a Gantt Chart.

Alongside making this timeline, I set out the plan for the production of the project – including choice of DAW and influences on the project. I chose to produce the entire album on FL Studios due to its “concrete part in” the dance music scene alongside my proficiency from years of using it for my own music. The influences for my production and sound in this project are featured in the Reference playlist with the likes of Utah Saints and Josh Wink.

Weekly meetings with my tutor were essential to the project’s development. These sessions provided feedback on structure, sound selection, and cohesion. For example, early feedback on my demos highlighted inconsistencies in track quality, leading me to remove weaker ideas and focus on refining the stronger material. I was also introduced to useful references and sample packs, which significantly improved the quality of my sound.

Although communication was occasionally affected by personal circumstances, it remained a valuable part of my workflow. In hindsight, I could have engaged more to improve the outcome.

Upon reflection, my time management was inconsistent. Although my initial plan scheduled recording completion by December, production extended into February, creating pressure during later stages. This delay was largely due to a shift in creative direction from string-focused composition to sound design.

This highlights a weakness in my initial planning, particularly a lack of effective contingency strategies. However, I adapted by restructuring my timeline and prioritising key tasks. One strength of my planning was allocating enough time for mixing and mastering, which helped maintain overall project quality despite earlier delays.

My initial ideas for the project featured a lot of synth string mockups in preparation for the actual recordings. A lot of these tracks are either unused completely or very loosely used on the final project. Early development focused on set 90s genres such as house, garage and techno with influences from tracks like Set Me Free by N-Trance. These were then progressed around the string ideas for each track. This is when I started to realize that the string focus wasn’t working as I was struggling to get the sound I wanted.

From here, I decided on the move to a concept album using similar musical influences but also the inclusion of ambient works inspired by Fred Again’s collaborations with Brian Eno. This “dynamic shift” (Beaumont-Thomas, 2023) really inspired me with this idea and allowed me to push through with it.

Work progressed with all eight tracks at the same time, dependent on my mood and vibe whilst producing but kept consistent sounds throughout. Here is a breakdown of the recording, production and mixing of each track:

1 – One Step Closer

This track is an ambient electronic track telling the start of the story of a guy on his way to a pre-rave party whilst ringing his friend he misses as he is lonely. Emotion is showcased through the sound design with synths representing his lostness contrasted to the aggressive base and drum machine highlighting his unknowing feelings. I used the zone H5 recorder to record “high quality” (Andertons, 2026) ambient and live sound throughout the album, and this is shown in this track with the sniffing sound emulating drug use. I also used my phone to record the phone call to get the raw feelings and emotions.

2 – Acid Breathe

This track is mainly focused around a drum machine layered with sliced up samples to create a big 90s feel alongside acid soundscapes to really get this rave feel. It represents simpler music at the pre-party prior to the rave.

3 – Train Ride

With this piece, I started by emulating the work of Egyptian Lover and his use of the 808 drum machine. From this I emulated bass’, leads and pads like his sound whilst adding my own flare through acid and 303-like sounds.

4 – Needle Toucher

Fatboy Slim is the dominant influence on this track with his work in Big Beat. A formation of “funky breakbeats” ”rapping from hip-hop and guitar solos from punk” (Palladev, 2022) brought together by some synths and acid basslines really forms this genre. This track helped me work on my sample slicing and manipulation through all the mentioned aspects of the work. It is also meant to emulate the start and arrival at the rave through a shift to more danceable music.

5 – Bass is Pumping

The pinnacle of the rave is achieved here with this trance-esque track. The main samples are the two chopped up vocals featured throughout the entire track – really showcasing the peak of the album. Other notable features of this track include the drum programming, the sound design (i.e basses, main piano and synths) and the simple string recording done by myself using the PreSonus M7 microphone.

6 – Room 2

The title is self-explanatory as it presents a different feeling to the previous music. Drum sampling alongside sound design features heavily in this track alongside the Zoom H5 recordings of live samples like bird noises are included.

7 – R&R

A trip hop esque track for the after party feel. An almost comedown feel with the live recording sounds of people smoking adding to the vibe alongside similar sound designs previously mentioned. Massive Attack were my main influence here with their mixture of “acid-jazz, post-punk, reggae and electronica” (Potter, 2022)

8 – Realisation

A cyclical feel is meant to be held here with a return to ambience but in a less agressive, more accepting way of the main characters loneliness. Similar approaches are taken to the first track here with the sound design and recordings.

For the mixing, I used standard procedures learnt through my degree including the drum processing buses, automation, sidechaining and general mixing skills. Predominantly I utilized FL stock plugins as I have become very proficient with them over time.

My mastering technique is something developed myself from taught modules however it could do with improvement in the future.

Looking at what worked through the tracks, I am extremely proud of the sound design achieved as that was a main aim of the project. I was able to work with synths to create the sounds I wanted to a high level that fit well within the tracks. Alongside this, I am also proud of my ability to work within genres that I have never investigated before such as trip-hop and electro. At times you can notice this naivety in the works, but I think the general vibes of these tracks overlook those aspects. My most proud moments come in the form of the finished album as upon final listening it really feels like a cohesive project.

The main part of my project that is weak is often the repetitiveness of the work. Certain tracks – particularly Acid Breathe – create a downfall with the repeating melodies and less development than other tracks. Aswell as this I feel like my mixing skills aren’t up to the standards I would like them to be – present in tracks like Needle Toucher. The overall problem that caused these issues was the time constraints I created for myself when I fell behind with the project. I view all these problems as learning curves for the future, showing what I need to work on as well as what not to do.

If I was to re-do the project, I would focus on more live recording aspects rather than just using the Zoom H5 and the Presonus M7. This could come in the form of collaborating with vocalists or more varied artists. I would also like to improve my mastering skills to make the project even more cohesive.

Overall, I am very proud of this project despite the problems I have pointed out. I have made progress in my overall production skills while creating a project I love.

References

Reference list

Andertons (2026). Andertons Music Co. [online] Andertons Music Co. Available at: https://www.andertons.co.uk/zoom-h5-studio-handy-recorder/ [Accessed 6 May 2026].

Beaumont-Thomas, B. (2023). Fred again.. and Brian Eno: Secret Life review – dull ambient set reveals both men’s weaknesses. The Guardian. [online] 5 May. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/05/fred-again-and-brian-eno-secret-life-review-ambient.

Isla Brevant (2025). 90s Music Genres That Set the Stage for the New Millennium. [online] HowStuffWorks. Available at: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/90s-music.htm.

Jones, A. (2019). 10 synths that defined dance music. [online] MusicTech. Available at: https://musictech.com/guides/essential-guide/synths-that-defined-dance-music/.

Palladev, G. (2022). A brief history of Big Beat. [online] Best blog about electronic music. Available at: https://blog.12edit.com/big-beat/ [Accessed 6 May 2026].

Potter, J. (2022). What is trip-hop and where did it originate? [online] faroutmagazine.co.uk. Available at: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/what-is-trip-hop-where-did-it-originate/.

shfl (n.d.). 1990s UK Dance Music. [online] Shfl. Available at: https://theshfl.com/guide/1990s-UK-Dance-Music.