This week’s tracks have a very heavy Swedish influence. In fact, my life recently has had a very heavy Swedish influence. I’ve been working with some lovely clients from Sweden and now it’s time to hear some of their music!
As well as that, I’d like you to think about the bass and low end of quite a few of those tracks this week. There are some lovely examples of how to mix and produce bass and I want you to understand how and why the decisions have been made in each track.
Remember that understanding why we like things and use certain techniques will always beat how. Having that deeper understanding will help you stand out from the crowd.
These tracks have influenced my life, music, career and conversations. You can find out why down below.
If you still want to listen to last week’s tracks, you can see what was included here.
If you like what you hear, then please hit that ‘Follow’ button on Spotify and follow along!
Remember – I’ll also happily include your music, so please send links my way!
Now, without further ado, here’s the breakdown of Stephen’s Selects #7: November 11th – November 17th…
- LDC Soundsystem – ‘Daft Punk Is Playing At My House’
This is an incredibly cool, clever song. The bass guitar is of particular interest to me on this track. There’s a lot to be learned about how to mix bass. The verse parts are left quite understated but the chorus has a lot of distortion and saturation added to help the bass cut through the mix even more. The second half of the chorus also has a “buzzy” bass synth to further accentuate the low end. All in all, it’s a great song. - Justice, Simian – ‘We Are Your Friends – Justice vs Simian’
If you ever think your bass is too loud in the mix, then this track might give you other ideas! Justice create some very lovely music and the vocal treatment in this song is also interesting. There’s an impressive use of space and effects to give the vocals a sense of urgency that would not have worked with panning them straight up the middle. - Caribou – ‘Odessa’
‘Odessa’ does a very good job of creating an uneasy atmosphere. The funky guitar part in this feels so very out of place yet so at home. There’s a lot of very weird, yet effective production in this song. I could never quite put my finger on why this song is so good. It just is. Caribou are also great live and do have many more accessible tracks like ‘Can’t Do Without You’. Check them out! - MGMT – ‘Time To Pretend’
Some of the best synth sounds you’ll ever hear. The entire ‘Oracular Spectacular’ album reminds me of living in Boston in my early 20s. It was a great time! This song is all about the fantasy rock star life and even though it’s pure pop, there’s a really dreamy atmosphere about it. The distortion on the drums also really helps them cut through the mix and “dirty” it all up a bit. - Bonobo – ‘Ibrik’
The word “pristine” always springs to mind when I think of Bonobo’s music. It all just feels so clean and well produced. ‘Ibrik’ has many low end lessons with a beautiful balance of kick and bass. There’s something about all of his tracks that evolve and develop over time to create something wonderful. - Moonlit Sailor – ‘Minutes From Somewhere Else’
I bring you the first of the Swedish artists on display this week. The guitars in this track really struck me from the get go. The reversed sounds, the intro delay, lovely melodies… they all hit home. It’s another slow build with a very odd end to the lead guitar riff that feels unsettling, yet beautiful. I really like how this track is mixed. It still feels very raw and like a band performance. Notice once again how a little distortion goes a long way to help the bass guitar cut through the mix. - Bäcakfall – ‘Springa’
I had already included two Swedish artists in my playlist this week before Samuel Lundh emailed me with some great suggestions… Thanks Samuel! He is one half of Bäckafall and as soon as I heard their music, I had to include it. This is some really lovely Swedish folk music that sounds very similar to a lot of traditional Irish music. So, it caught the attention of my ears and my heart straight away. Amazing work Samuel and thank you for sharing! - AXVY – ‘Den Förste’
This is another track provided by Samuel. This time by the Swedish trio, AXVY. There is some very interesting use of rhythm and ornamentation in this track. It’s something I would never have chosen to listen to because of a lack of education in Swedish folk music. So a big thank you once again to the super talented Samuel Lundh! - Christy Moore – ‘Ride On’
As ‘Springa’ is very heavily influenced by Irish traditional folk music, I wanted to share some Irish folk music with you. While this is not the most traditional of pieces, it is a popular Irish folk song. The guitar work by Declan Sinnott is incredible and Christy Moore’s voice is iconic. Enjoy! - Ludvig Forssell, Jenny Plant – ‘BB’s Theme (from Death Stranding)’
And one more Swedish artist. This time it’s Ludvig Forssell. I had the privilege of working with Ludvig while he was in London working as the Audio Director on ‘Death Stranding’. If you don’t know anything about games, ‘Death Stranding’ is the long-awaited first title by iconic director Hideo Kojima under his own production company. It’s kind of a big deal and Ludvig’s music is impeccable. ‘BB’s Theme’ is an epic, dark lullaby with some really beautiful composition and dark synth sounds. Jenny Plant’s vocals are treated in such a way as to create a haunting, vocal masterclass.Click here to listen to the full playlist on Spotify!
(Please note that the link will send you to the playlist of the current week and might not feature the tracks listed above!)
So, that’s week seven of Stephen’s Selects.
Remember that if you like what you hear, then please hit that ‘Follow’ button on Spotify and follow along!
If you’d like to have your song featured or have any recommendations, drop me a comment below or email. Let’s talk more about the music we’re listening to and share our ideas!
Now, I’d love to know…
What are you listening to this week? What are you working on? Have anything you’d like to share?
Leave a comment below!FREE GUIDE: Learn how to use the one hack that guarantees a unique,
professional sounding mix every time...
Leave a Reply