How my Music Taste has Changed
Growing up I have always listened to pop music that you would hear in the charts and the radio. I also particularly enjoyed listening to Busted, and when my friend bought me The Hoosiers album for my Birthday I realised I really liked them too. The music I was listening to was not hard to find, it was simply everywhere – I could not really avoid it. I was passively listening and enjoying the same music most people listened to and enjoy and did not think much further than that. I did not think to search for my own individual music style until later on in my life.
I was first introduced to electronic dance music (EDM), by my eldest brother in 2011, – when I was aged thirteen. My brother and I are close and we both used to like Oasis growing up so when he showed me Avicii’s song Levels, - the song that sent Tim Bergling into the spotlight, reaching number one in the UK Dance chart and number four in the UK Singles chart - I fell in love with it. After hearing this song I felt I had to look up Avicii's other songs. I found songs such as: Bromance, My Feelings For You, Penguin, his remix of Rapture by Nadia Ali, and many more. From listening to all of these songs there was one that stood out to me; one song that was life changing for me - Avicii’s remix of Drowning by Armin Van Buuren. The chords fading in over the repeated arpeggio made me instantly fall in love with this song. The chord sequence and melody accompanied by the beautiful vocals by Laura V continued to melt me. The subtle, but effective, filter sweep build that leads into the drop increases the energy of the song and made me feel uplifted and euphoric. During the drop more layers are added, each adding more energy and light, happy emotions until there is another subtle filter sweep leading into the breakdown where the cut-off, slightly distant chords are heard again with the vocals.
Before being introduced to house music I knew that, when I grew up, I wanted to do something creative in music, but when listening to this song I knew that I wanted to be a music producer, to make music like this song. I remember thinking, 'where has this music been my whole life?' I was so happy to have discovered this genre of music. Since discovering this song I have aspired to creating one as uplifting as this one – although this is a very difficult goal to set.
When I started listening to house music, realising that I wanted to be a music producer one day, I began to listen to the music slightly differently. I analysed the sound of the synths used and how the artist achieved different elements within the songs they produced. This is quite a significant change as I used to simply listen to music that I enjoyed and did not think much about how it was made and put together. I feel that since my musical taste has changed I have been able to create a deeper connection to the music I listen to and I am able to understand what is happening more so than before.
Before I discovered EDM I simply listened to music that was right in front of me, where as now I do not do this. Instead I have to search for the music that I want to listen to, which in itself shows a different and improved relationship with the music I listen to.
In popular music it is often about making music that will sell to the majority and make people want to dance and feel happy. I have found that electronic dance music is more focused on the emotion it inflicts up people, and within EDM there is a vaster range of styles than in pop. As my musical taste within EDM has developed I have found that I really enjoy tropical house and chill out music such as, 'Mutations (Adi Carter Remix)' by Small Colin, and 'The Worlds We Discovered' by Twilight Meadow. The main elements of the music that effect me, personally, are the harmony and musical language. These two songs are both of a slower tempo and inflict a calm, relaxed feel making them very easy to listen to. Both of these songs come across to me as very dreamy, which draw me in as I like this kind of sound and I consider myself as quite a dreamy person. The song 'The Worlds We Discovered' talk about discovering new worlds and builds quite an imaginary, mysterious mood that is also appealing to me.
Music, for me, has always been about the emotional impact, but since my musical taste has changed and developed I have been able to understand why certain chord progressions within songs make me feel the way they do. Other than playing the piano and flute I also study music theory – and have done since before I was thirteen years old – so this has allowed me to understand the musical language and harmony used in many songs.
Another way I have been able to understand how certain parts of songs – in the electronic dance music genre – come together has been from watching YouTube tutorials and videos. Following these tutorials I have been able to mimic these elements and develop my music producing ability.
An example of a technique that I have learnt from watching YouTube tutorials is the filter sweep. I mentioned this technique earlier in my favourite song; 'Drowning (Avicii's Remix)' by Armin Van Buuren, showing that it is a common and effective technique to use in EDM. To achieve a filter sweep you must first choose the set of instruments you wish to be included, then create a bus track and send all your tracks to this bus. On the bus track open the EQ window and click on the High Pass/Low Cut filter, to activate it.
Next you must press 'A' to open the automation and change, where it will automatically say 'Volume', to 'Low Cut Frequency', under 'Channel EQ'.
Next you should draw in your automation something like this:
You can make a curve instead of a straight line if you wish; it just depends on the sound you are going for.
In my social, friendship group my friends do not particularly enjoy or listen to house music so for me to be branching out to this style of music has made me become more independent. Although since my musical style has changed I have found a few people who like EDM, I have not found many who understand it like I do. I have not found many people how want to produce electronic dance music as a career. Although this is the case, my friends have always been supportive so my musical knowledge and style has only been able to evolve and flourish. As my brother introduced me to Avicii's song 'Levels', he continues today to introduce new songs to me and asks if I can share songs with him also. This sharing of songs has been beneficial to me, as it has allowed me to widen the range of music that I listen to and has extended my library of songs.
