INTRODUCTION
When I came to university, most of the music i listened to and made was electronic, mostly performed and then tampered with rather than programmed, my parents had always hated electronic music so finding it felt like a naughty new world. At the conservatoire, i was aware i only had access to the brilliant community of musicians and access to studio resources for 4 years so did not want to waste any time doing music by myself on my laptop, so I began producing other people’s work, although often finding I was implementing techniques I had learnt from making live dance music; side-chaining, recording in potentiometer changes on outboard gear and trying to insert a synth bass wherever possible.
Two Pieces from 2023 that I was somewhat emulating the style of for this assignment
Although I tried a few approaches to this assignment utilising collaboration with other musicians (Free improvisation with Shakahutchi, Moog Matriarch and Double Bass / John Garner, Annie Carter. Rehearsal and composition with Flute, Drum Kit, Guitar and 4 Korg Synthesizers) With this assignment I really wanted to see if i still enjoyed my old methods of making music, I had three goals; use only electronic sound sources, not plan out a typical structure with drops, breakdowns, intro’s and outro’s, and try to have as much fun as possible. I Achieved all these goals and have definitely come to realise that i want to keep making electronic music for as long as possible.
My compositional sensibilities come from mostly, ambient, modal jazz, dub and techno. Most of my approach to writing, workflow and sound design comes from Acid and Brain dance.
DUB
In the 1960s, from Reggae music came the beginning of sound-system culture, large groups would gather to listen to DJ’s, Reggae artists and producers play Reggae music on huge speakers to help the music travel across large areas. Pressure to have their music travel as far as possible, Reggae began to be produced with an emphasis on the low end bass as the waveforms are longer so travel further. (Partridge, Christopher 2010)
“In 1968, Kingston, Jamaica, sound system operator Rudolph ‘Reddy’ Redwood went to Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle studio to cut a one-off dub Plate of the Paragons hit “On The Beach”. Engineer Byron Smith left the vocal track out by accident, but Redwood kept the result and played it at his next dance with his deejay Wassy ‘Toasting’ (MC’s Rapping or singing in a monotone way) over the rhythm.”
(Dacks, David. 2018)
Other Musicians and producers heard this and saw the excitement from the crowds, kickstarting dub music. Producers began mixing multitrack tape recordings onto ‘dub-plates’ as ‘versions’ using the mixing desk as an instrument and the studio as a performance space.
Audio Effects at the time were limited to basic chorus, distortions, spring and plate reverb, and tape echoes. As all of these effects only use basic electronics and physics, producers and engineers were able to build their own effects to send audio to and would want to show off their creations and new sounds.
“Rather than applying reverb as a constant bed underneath the mix, dub engineers used it intermittently and aggressively, throwing channels into the spring for a beat and pulling them back out, leaving the listener with a gut-punch of space where a sound used to be. That absence is the whole point. The decay of a spring reverb doesn’t just describe a room; it describes the shape of silence that follows.”
(Matix, Dub 2026)
I used these techniques extensively in my composition, with most channels sent to a ‘tape echo’ delay or ‘spring’ reverb. Most of the momentum and build of the track is used using the onboard digital delay and reverb sends on the Elektron Model Samples and the delay on the Minilogue, which is analogue so adds noise to delays and comes with a filter to use pre or post the dry sound, creating an effect similar to that of an old analogue tape delay. I also love the sparsity often found in the percussive elements of dub, it lets the sounds breathe and gives them time to be appreciated, I tried to implement this where possible.
ACID
In the early 1970s, early Drum machine technologies and innovations were well underway, with a vision to help solo musicians have an accompaniment. The clear next step was a ‘bass player’ synth. In 1981, the Roland TB-303 was released with no english manual, costing the equivalent of £1,062.18 Today (Webster, Ian 2026). The combination of a drum machine and 303 created acid house, resonant squelches and a constantly changing timbre has been scratching an itch for dancers since the 80s
duck://player/PJJ5FxpVGUY Acid Tracks – Phuture
Detroit Techno and House Pioneers like Jeff Mills, Frankie Knuckles and the members of Phuture had found these ‘commercially failed’ machines and fell in love with the sound, often combining them with vinyl records at DJ sets to create new, improvised or semi-improvised performances, using the parameters of the machines to shape the structures across songs and samples, creating a new, broader brushstroke of dance music.
Jeff Mills’ live setup for tomorrow comes the harvest
watch here: duck://player/KEd4vrFqrJY
To me, this result seems similar to the result of dub culture. For dancing crowds, a larger scope creates subtlety in the feelings evoked. There is lots of crossover of fanbases between these two genres and so some dance musicians have begun to combine the two, such as Om Unit who has made a name for themselves creating ‘Acid Dub Studies’. This was a major influence on my composition.
duck://player/O_nYn9-Y5aA Acid Dub Studies – Om Unit
On the other side of the world, in India in 1982 (Previous to the birth of acid house in America, a year after the 303 had been released), Charanjit Singh used this machine extensively to create his album: ‘Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat’, Indian classical ragas played on synthesisers and drum machines, technically creating the first Acid album ever with presumably little knowledge of the techno scene in Detroit.
This year at San Remo Music Competition in Italy, Ditonellapiaga’s Acid tune ‘Che Fastidio’ came 3rd in the competition, showing that still today, acid is loved worldwide. (Eurovision, 2026)
I find it incredibly interesting that for so many people from all walks of life, the sound of a Roland 303 or at least a resonant filter envelope excites. I tried to Implement Acid Techniques into my synth playing, with heavy use of the resonance, envelope and a very melodically repetitive sequence. Aphex Twin highlights the similarity between this sound and a didgeridoo, indigenous Australians are definitely on to something.
BRAIN DANCE/IDM
With these complex technologies, musicians across the world began to push the boundaries of their use and the sounds that could come from electronic music, such as ‘Yellow Magic Orchestra member Ryuichi Sakamoto’, an artist who’s second album ‘B-2 Unit’ prophesied the coming of sit-down, complex, experimental electronic music in 1980. (Broughton, Frank, 2007)
duck://player/xJQApJT5CCw Riot In Lagos – Ryuichi Sakamoto
In the early 90s, electronic dance music was booming, coincidentally at the same time as drugs like MDMA, resulting in Illegal ‘Raves’ and pirate radio stations being organised across the UK; Makina music in Northumberland, Bleep Techno in Sheffield, Industrial Techno in Birmingham, Hardcore and breakbeat in Essex and the surrounding south, Jungle in Bristol.(ACM News-team 2024) In these spaces, the only way for promoters to make more money was to gain a reputation as having the coolest, newest, hardest music. This pushed the artists to be more creative and experiment further afield. (Passie, Torsten. 2023)
Around this time, laptops were becoming commercially available and somewhat affordable to the general public, meaning music could be made anywhere and to sound like almost anything. In this melting pot of drugs, innovation and sweaty teenagers, a 17 year old boy appeared with synthesisers and drum machines rewired and cobbled together from ‘old junk’, creating sounds arranged in ways no one had heard previously. His Debut Release as Aphex Twin: ‘Analogue Bubblebath’ was found by KISS FM, a radio station in london, exposing Richard James to the world.
Aphex Twin has always been at the forefront of innovation in electronic and dance music, his works reach beyond dance, into music concrete, trance, techno, classical piano, hardcore breakbeat and maybe even jazz. This makes him one of the few musicians ever to create music appreciated by people of all ages, financial backgrounds and lifestyles, there truly is something for everyone with an open mind. (Turenne, Martin. 2003)
In 1992, Sheffield record label ‘Warp’ released ‘Artificial Intelligence’ a compilation album featuring Richard D James as ‘The Dice Man’, Autechre and more was released. This Album and its mailing list (the IDM List) perhaps began use of the term IDM or ‘Intelligent Dance Music’ to describe ‘electronic music defined by idiosyncratic experimentation’ (Butler, M.J. 2006)
Today, new noises seem harder to find in mainstream clubs. But in manchester in 2016, Four swampy dance artists armed with modular synths, Ableton and a love of dub and frogs came together to start Bakk Heia. A record label and dance night founded by Bitzer Maloney, Jorg Kuning, Schuttle & Herc Morse. They have been putting on nights at The White Hotel and now across the country for the last 10 years, with anyone who has attended raving to anyone who will listen about the foggy, froggy vibes at White Hotel.
The name Bakk Heia is a reference to the Roman god of merrymaking and an instruction to return to the roots of dance music, smoky rooms, sweaty people, silliness and smiles all around. They feel as a collective that the dance scene in the UK has been focused for too long on how the experience looks on instagram videos rather than the vibe in the room. Jorg Kuning (George Cunning) Uses Ableton Live for most harmonic elements, modular synth setup for rhythmic elements and a mixer to combine the two and add effects. (Cunning, George, 2024)
Artists and labels like Jorg Kuning and Bakk Heia are dancing proof that Braindance, Dub and Acid all have a place in today’s dance music scene, hiding sound design innovation in mainstream minimal house formats. Clearly Young people still yearn for new sounds.
duck://player/nh9JwH28VXo Jorg Kuning Live Performance
I have discovered this year that i think my music taste is focused on sound. Rather than melody, harmony and rhythm, i find texture, tone and timbre much more inticing. This is why Braindance has been such an inspiration for me on this project, It seems to reach further into what’s possible with music.
Personal composition goal
To enjoy creating a composition of 6 minutes using sound design and performance techniques inspired by the music and performances of Aphex Twin, Jorg Kuning, King Tubby and Jeff Mills.
TECHNIQUE AND PROCESS
Model Samples
I have titled this piece ‘A Caustic Treament’ as my initial inspiration task was to begin with the Elektron Model samples, with every track modified to be as difficult to use as possible (reversed, looping, sent 100% to reverb and delay returns, decay-0, sample length-0, volume-0 and chance-0). I would then ‘treat’ every track to grow into its final version, hopefully creating momentum as the originally uncontrollable sounds are brought back to be recognised as typical.
“Findings suggest that the use of extra-musical stimuli is a helpful strategy for encouraging creative composition”
(Mastrolonardo, Isabel. 2022)
For the first track i ‘treat’ you can see me increasing decay, volume and then chance so that some sound is heard. Then increasing reverb and delay return times so that the sparse sounds can fill the space between each other. At 1:07, i am controlling the reverb and delay sends to allow room for the other tracks to be played. I then use the track button to affect all channels, Increasing sample length and delay time so that all instruments begin to sound. I keep chance and cutoff low to leave a sparse texture, continually muting and unmuting channels.
Around 2:00 i begin using the pitch knob, resonant filter and delay time to achieve more rhythmic ‘ear candy’ effects. I have pre-prepared channel 2 to have a S&H or random wave LFO targeted at the filter, which has been given about 50% resonance, this creates a rhythmic, drip-dropping effect once I unmute it and move the cutoff frequency at around 2:22.
Minilogue Bass Riff
With this part I approached with a similar idea of treating a patch from broken to healed, resulting in the 303 inspired continuous bass riff throughout the song
Throughout the track i use the delay function extensively to arrive closer to a dub sound, I also utilise an LFO to reference a ‘dub siren’.
Combining this with use of the filter envelope and resonance, i was aiming for a tom like sound to begin with, hiding the sequenced melody.
I continue to adapt the envelope, delay settings, octave, filter, unison and oscillator shape settings to build momentum throughout the track, pitching the riff down in the final section to transform it from lead melody to bassline.
Minilogue Pad
The pad is a very simple sequenced set of chords to create broader gestures across the track, I am mostly utilising the voice mode function to change the inversion of the chord throughout, as well as gentle resonant filter sweeps for momentum, this part was very inspired by 90s textures such as liquid jungle and ambient.
INFLUENCE ON MY MUSIC AND PRACTICE
Overall, I found the process of composing this piece fascinating due to me using old composition methods informed by newer ones to create it. Writing the piece with the context and methods of my most influential genres in mind allowed me to be more intentional with the parameters I was changing and general structure of the piece where usually I would have a more experimental/trial and error approach.
If i were to complete this task again, I would perhaps run instruments through a mixing desk with tape delay and spring reverb sends so as to perform the piece in a more authentic dub fashion, I found myself recreating the sounds through other methods. I would also like to experiment with outboard effects, pedals or midi controllers+Ableton to achieve a broader scope of sound design capabilities. I think i also did miss changes in melodic variation, i definitely struggled to keep the piece feeling consistent when i did try to incorporate more melodic ideas so opted to keep it simple but believe it would have benefited from a little more tonal information.
I also found it difficult to represent what was happening on the equipment in the video as the writing on the controls is quite illegible and my hands are often covering them. A better approach would’ve been to take a midi out from the equipment and use it to map a graphic of each of the parameters, giving a clear demonstration of what is going on and how it is affecting the sound that the listener can hear.
The successes of this piece to me are in the use of sound design as a compositional tool, where there would usually be sections and section transitions demonstrated by a change in melody and harmony, I feel I was able to use effects throws and the repetition of parameter changes to direct the listener around the structure of the piece.
This composition has encouraged me to return to using electronics in my work, taking notice of the shaping of timbre and texture and how that can affect the structure of the piece. I have found that the tactile nature of the electronics allows for a smaller gap between creative decision and its sonokinesis. It has also helped me be more aware of this often missing in my playing and composition with acoustic instruments and I hope one day to feel the same seamless trust as I have found in electronics.
I achieved all my goals and have definitely come to realise that i want to keep making electronic music for as long as possible.
REFERENCES
Partridge, Christopher. 2010
Ward, Paul. 2018. Sound system culture: Place, space and identity in the United Kingdom 1960-1989
Dacks, David. 2007. Dub Voyage
Matix, Dub. 2026.
https://bassculture.substack.com/p/springs-throws-and-space-how-dub
Webster, Ian. 2026
https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1981?amount=395
Eurovision, 2026
https://eurovisionworld.com/national/italy/sanremo-2026/ditonellapiaga-che-fastidio
Broughton, Frank. 2007
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1GMxP6mpRdgC&pg=PA121&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
ACM News Team 2024
Passie, Torsten. 2023
https://academic.oup.com/book/46625/chapter-abstract/410053703?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false
Turenne, Martin. 2003
https://exclaim.ca/music/article/aphex_twin-contrarian
Butler M.J. 2006
Unlocking the Groove: Rhythm, Meter, and Musical Design in Electronic Dance Music, Indiana University Press, 2006, (p. 80)
(Cunning, George, 2024)
Street Interview in smoking area after Jorg Kuning Live Concert at ‘The Wire’ Leeds
Mastrolonardo, Isabel. 2022
Encouraging creative composition through use of extra-musical stimuli: A critical evaluation of a Year 7 class making programmatic music on GarageBand (pg 1)
