Thoughts on choosing direction?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 6:14 pm
from an old Mala & Loefah interview.
found it interesting.
do you all take something like this into consideration when writing beats? personally I think if something sounds good TO YOU then you should use it. forget what other people are doing. but Loefah's point is interesting. I guess that's why Loefah is Loefah
found it interesting.
B: Mala, your music writing always seems very natural and organic [more heart than head, say]. Do you ever go against that natural flow, say to yourself “I’m not going in that direction” and make yourself go the other way?
M: Not looking at other people’s music doesn’t make me think I am or aren’t going to do that [musical direction], but listening to music I’ve finished or half finished, I think ‘nah, that’s not what I’m on.’
L: Now I do consciously do what you said. Not always but I have done this year. I’ve been writing beats, put an element in and then thought ‘nah it’s not about that.’ I’ve limited myself – ‘I can’t use this, I can’t use that’ – until I’m down to an 808 kit and a sub. Yeah, it’s a mad one. As soon as I heard someone else’s dubstep track with an element that I had in a loop, if someone came with that track before me I’d be like ‘fuck, I can’t do anything like that, ever again.’ For examples arpeggiated sequences [a Skream trademark since “Request Line”]. My synth in the studio I can make the sickest arpeggiated sequences ever, they sound amazing. But I can never have them in my beats, ever.
do you all take something like this into consideration when writing beats? personally I think if something sounds good TO YOU then you should use it. forget what other people are doing. but Loefah's point is interesting. I guess that's why Loefah is Loefah