Writing for Music for Writing
posted by on May 24 at 11:34 AM
I’ve got a problem, and I’m turning to you, citizens of the Slog, to help me solve it: I need more music to write to.
By “music to write to,” I mean instrumental (or primarily instrumental) music that creates a reasonably smooth aural backdrop without dying of stasis or general gauzy sentiment (i.e. no Windham Hill or anything Enya-flavored.) By “smooth,” I don’t mean soft—two of my long-standing writing-music faves are those noisy pillars of ’90s audio art, My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless and DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing…. (However, Shadow’s The Private Press is too jumpy and MVB’s Isn’t Anything too wordy to work properly for writing.)
After playing Loveless and Endtroducing.. into the ground (where I still love each of them mightily), I started venturing off into the world of jazz, eventually finding a handful of records that I’ve since played as relentlessly as the My Bloody Valentine and DJ Shadow: Miles Davis’ In a Silent Way and Jack Johnson (only the second half’s good for writing), Duke Ellington & John Coltrane, about six different Thelonious Monk records (including but not limited to Criss Cross, Monk’s Dream, Underground, and that newly discovered live-with-Coltrane-at-Carnegie-Hall disc). But for every one jazz record that fits my writing-music criteria, I find eight that don’t (but that I still love in my non-writing life): Ornette Coleman is too demanding, and all the early stuff—Charlie Parker and Louis Armstrong and young Duke Ellington—is too diverting.
Most recently, I found the wonderful world of Steve Reich, via Music for 18 Musicians and a career-spanning mix made for me by Stranger tech lord/acclaimed techno DJ Brian G. This shit is perfect for writing, and it’s what got me thinking about all the rest of the great music-for-writing out there I’ve never heard of.
So help me out. Boss me around. Clearly, techno is the great unexplored world, but it’s iffy as far as writing goes. The scant bit of techno I’ve paid attention to has either been too spazzy and frantic (Spring Heel Jack), or too entrancing and cinematic (Charles Mudede’s beloved Burial) to allow me to focus on work.
Those who have ideas of stuff for me to check out, let me know below.
Music for writing:
Andrew Bird (Mysterious Production of Eggs and Weather Systems) and, really, anything by M. Ward work for me. But I have high tolerance for diverting lyrical content . . . if you're looking for something all the way over on the other extreme, to pure ambient, I recommend the Environments series from Syntonic Research: Dawn and Dusk at New Hope, Pennsylvania, Sounds of the Okefenokee Swamp, Winter Snowstorm, etc. Can be difficult to find, but well worth it, if only for liner notes.
Anything on the Chain Reaction label: especially Maurizio, Porter Ricks, Monolake. These may be hard to find, however. But all Monolake CDs (most of them issued on his own Monolkae/imbalance computer label and easier to obtain than the CR discs) are great for writing to.
Murcof's neo-classical-influenced electronica on the Leaf label could be the ticket, too. (He used to be part of the Nortec Collective; the Murcof stuff isn't much like that material.)
More ideas to come, as time permits.
Have you thought of Ride? Voyager One? Helio Sequence?
Those might be too constructed for you, but lemme think...
Some stuff I've been getting into lately, good for work:
Jaga Jazzist: The Stix - unobtrusive and pleasant, but the substance is there when you stop to listen
Autechre: EP7 - though you have to be careful with this group, they get kind of spastic on some of their records
Iannis Xenakis: Pleiades - This composer, known for his ear-shredding stochastic music, later in life actually did some pleasant marimba-type stuff ala Reich, only more interesting in my opinion
Nobukazu Takemura: Sign - Kind of bubbly, but surprisingly gritty beneath the cartoon veneer
Last.fm - I guess you probably already know about the best internet radio ever, but in case you don't...
most of them issued on his own Monolkae/imbalance computer label
That's Monolake, obv.
Another idea: Seattle guitarist/keyboardist Eluvium. Start with Lambent Material and Talk Amongst the Trees.
Also: Fennesz's Endless Summer might be up your alley.
Hurrah, this is great, please keep 'em coming.
Re: Rride, Voyager One, Helio Sequence (and maybe Kinski?): A mix of their songs without lyrics could be dreamy, but wordless they must be, unfortunately.
Great exception to the wordless mandate: D'Angelo's Voodoo, where the lyrics are almost completely subsumed by the funk...Voodoo's been on perma-repeat during my Last Days-writing stints for the past six weeks, and I fear it'll be played out soon...
First, try entering some of your favorite writing music into http://www.pandora.com - might get some good 'uns that way.
Also: Local droney guitar guy Mark Schlipper ( http://www.markschlipper.com ); Earth; Neu; Harmonia; David Sylvian . . .
ugh! i got moderated for too many links. i had just hooked you up but can't go back now.
ok. here's a recap without the detail explanations, just trust me on this:
ulrich schnauss - far away trains passing by
four tet - pause
broker/dealer - initial public offering
burger/ink - las vegas
bola - fyuit or soup (both are great)
Oh yeah, two more locals: Sleepy Eyes of Death and Tableland. Both on myspace.
I really enjoy writing to some nice, sparse instrumentals. Give Labradford and maybe Friends of Dead Martinez a shot. Also have been digging the last Japancakes record as well.
As for jazz, they might be too busy, but some of the works by Medeski Martin and Wood and Bill Frisell have worked for me, as well as some Charlie Hunter Trio records.
I too am a journalist of sorts and can't write without music. As deadline approaches, the music speeds up and becomes a bit more hard-core. So we'll use a 2 p.m. deadline and work up to that:
8 a.m. Something mellow, slow hip hop, maybe some cheese trance even, depending on my mood.
10 a.m. Time to up the tempo a bit. Maybe some punk, No Use for a Name, NoFX, I may dip into some crazy jazz (Miles Davis Doo Wop album comes to mind or this mix CD I have called Jazz and Hip Hop)
Noon I have broken into the Sepultura or Fear Factory by this point. Also, to keep it slow, some nice guitar antics by Steve Vai, joe Satriani or Eric Johnson are called for. NRG and hard trance are suitable options for me as well.
1:30 p.m. Fast and heavy actually helps me to focus. Soulfly, Slayer, Pantera etc... Also, for some reason, I will go back to underground hip hop at this point (swollen members, Heiroglyphics, People Under The Stairs etc...) Or, itunes radio and click around all you want...
Brian Eno: Ambient 4, and Apollo. There are others in the series if you like those.
A bit harder to find: Tetsu Inoue: World Receiver.
Have you tried any modern classical composers, like Morton Feldman, Stephen Scott, or Louis Andriessen's "De Tijd"?
I'll second the Four Tet recommendation.
You might try some Low.
And why not classical? I love writing to Debussy's first book of Preludes. The Paul Jacobs recording is pretty good.
The My Bloody Valentine EPs are also worth looking into.
Maybe Ratatat. William Basinski's Disintegration Loops. Oh, and Tortoise -- TNT is perfect for writing.
Re: Eno: I've got the holy trinity (Warm Jets, Tiger Mountain, Another Green World) but I should definitely check out the explicitly ambient stuff.
Re: modern composers: I'm completely in the dark. Thank you for giving me some starting points.
loop based modern composers you should check:
- Guerdjeff & de Hartmann
- Arvo Pärt
- Gorecki
- Erik Satie
I like to write to Buscemi / Camino Real and Royksopp / Melody a.m. -- also, since Icelandic vocals may as well be instrumental tracks, Sigur Ros works for me.
How do you feel about symphonic? -- Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade suite gets a lot of play when I'm at my desk.
I love this topic! Personally, I like listening to Mogwai's Rock Action when it's time to write... and for some reason old school Madonna, though not instrumental, also works well. I'll happily loan you The Immaculate Collection if you don't already have it.
"Cherish! Cherish!"
This is a good question. I'm a writer too, writing grant applications and such things for a local non-profit.
I'm with you- instrumental music with a beat is just what the doctor ordered. I have half-a-dozen Fela Kuti records which I've played into the ground. Another all time favorite is 'Eastern Sounds' by Yusef Lateef. Omar Sosa is remarkable, and his new 'Mulatos' and 'Mulatos remix' are excellent, though really you can't go wrong with any of his records. I also can't say enough about Charles Mingus, although if you find Dunk Ellington distracting, you may find Mingus even more so.
If you're an Eno fan, Try the Eno-David Byrne collaboration, 'My Life in the Bush of Ghosts,' and the first David Byrne solo record 'The Catherine Wheel.'
Gurldoggie, the Fela suggestion is a good one. I've tried using the bit of 'world music' I have and love (Papa Wemba, King Sunny Ade, Franco) but found that lyrics in languages other than my own are almost as distracting as English lyrics.
Megan: Thank you for bringing up Madonna and The Immaculate Collection. It won't work for actual writing, but is perfect for non-compositional computer time (research, light Slogging, etc). I've actually been having a bit of a Madonna renaissance lately (Madonnaissance?), courtesy of my homemade, tweaked version of The Immaculate Collection, which features everything from the original except for "La Isla Bonita," "Crazy for You," and whatever that last "new track!" is, along with some key additions: "Burnin' Up," "Dress You Up," "Bad Girl," "Waiting," and the best of that second greatest-hits set ("Music," "Beautiful Stranger," "Deeper & Deeper," "Don't Tell Me," "Ray of Light.")
Fucking Madonna--is there a conversation she can't hijack?
he isn't without lyrics, but damien rice really does the trick for me.
this seems to be the inspiration that helped a lot of avante garde creators in music
http://www.moviegrooves.com/
Click on the multitudes records in this site(instrumental and jazz and psychadelic) the albums have previews and can help in your search with titles and ideas for writing
limewire or other downloader search.
Everything from old to new. movies and tv shows of old had alot of writers for them that explored new creativity
from acoustic to electronica. very insperational site. Don't worry about paying. just preview if you want. Its a blast from the past.
two of my favs for writing:
65daysofstatic - the fall of math
explosions in the sky - how strange, innocence
godspeed! you black emperor.
two lone swordsmen.
ms. john soda.
Sounds like Mùm and Sigur Rós might do the trick for you.
I listen to Joe Satriani's new album, Super Colossal, while working. It's completely instrumental..although, with some of his wicked guitar work, it might be a little too fast and not quite soft enough. Either way, it gets me through work.
I love Mogwai (and their show last night was great) but sometimes their stuff can be a little intense and demand more attention than I want to give when writing.
other stuff:
Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase
William Orbit/Torch Song - any of em
High Art - Soundtrack
St. Germain - Boulevard
Filla Brazilla - many to choose from
I also like stuff from Quango, Naked Music and Ninja Tune labels.
A couple of years ago I downloaded some fun dancey mixes from a local DJ, Brandy Westmore, that I still play frequently when stuck or just bored. Sadly, her web site seems to be down but I can hook ya up.
right now, in the Tuesday arrivals at Everyday Music they have an amazing 2CD compilation from the Morr Music label titled Putting The Morr Back In Morrissey for 6bucks. Nothing at all to do with Morrisssy but both discs of the compilation are gorgeous and for 6 bucks you're getting a great deal.
Hooray, someone said Erik Satie. Try Icarus-"I tweet the bird electric," also ... the Plants.
OK this might be too pansy for you, since it's not hip african and not hip electronica....I love writing to Pat Metheney's and Charlie Haden's "Beyond the Missouri Sky"...
If you like Reich, try Terry Riley's A Rainbow in Curved Air and In C. And anything by Morton Subotnick.
The Andrew Bird suggestion is ace -- anything on Vespertine and Son Records would work, but I like Bird better than Montgolfier Bros. Some very nice chunky acoustical guitar workouts in a not-jazz, not-classical, not-pop non-genre of his own.
For something completely off the wall, but fun, try "racist" Stephin Merritt's playlist of 30 different versions of "Zip-a-Dee-Dah": http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/19014
Vocal, but breezy enough it might not bother you.
I see that you have so many great suggestions already, but I had to add two more:
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Vol 1 & 2. I'm partial to the second volume myself. Very mellow but amazing nonetheless.
I suggest trying Mono's new album "You Are There." Like Mogwai or Pelican but without most of the heavy riffing.
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