How The Creation of My Latest Album Began
The first seeds were planted after I made the soundtrack for our Order Materia ‘Journey to the Source’ film. It was a very freeing process that I think was enhanced by the specifications or the lack of ‘rules’. It’s over 9 minutes and has several chapters, open to bpm changes and multiple genre switches. Around this time I watched this video, Hans Zimmer’s talking about his work on Dune, which aligned with these thoughts - an exploration of sound, very much grounded in human input. We’re talking techniques of compressing individual vowels, whole houses set up as instruments… and it looks like he’s having fun.
My friend Big Chocolate mentioned the book ‘Deep Work’ to me, which I listened to on a long drive. It was pretty intense to listen to it all in one sitting, I left with one main image and thought in mind. The idea of pure focus. A great novelist retreating to the woods for months to write his next great work, to then return to humanity and share it. Would this make the work ‘pure’? Would the lack of reading others’ words allow them to write THEIR story? …. How much of what I was making was me? Obviously, it’s hard to exist without influence and what makes ‘me’ and my thoughts ‘mine’ is questionable, but we understand that. This is building on from who I am right now.
I pledged to make my next ‘great work’. I reduced my intake of all media, not just social. I wanted to be in control of my ‘influence’ diet, reduce the noise and let myself speak. I kept a visual & written journal which is the backbone of the whole album and the genesis of the visual aspects of this work (which I will share more of as they progress). All these tracks are rooted in an open attitude to the playing of sound, the attitude of - I’m playing the guitar, or I’m hitting it. Iced with a freedom to push these sounds until they were unrecognisable as instruments …but you can still hear my hand. Here’s a short clip of the first single that I recently shared on my Instagram
Depending on when you joined my musical journey, you may have heard my earlier sounds. I began making Dubstep & Dnb, onto Garage and found my soul connection in House music. My open attitude when making this album brought me full circle. It’s house, tech house, techno, RnB, hip hop, flamenco, baile funk, funk, soul, jazz, soundtracks, field recordings and garage. I am going to follow up this post over the next few weeks with some individual tracks that have played a part in my sound. Sign up to my mailing list below to be notified
Jackson
