Writing Soundtracks, Pt. 1

I stated in my first post that oftentimes, music is the impetus for possible story ideas for me. When music is not the grand inspiration, the story usually begins with a line that I can't get out of my head or an image so pervasive that it must be described immediately. In these latter instances, my process changes.

I've always been very into music. It's been a part of who I am since an early age when I played the violin and later, the bass guitar for 15 years. Then as a dj, my tastes opened up and expanded, allowed the old classics in and influenced me even more. So before every writing session, I take a step back and think about the project as a whole.

What kind of emotion am I trying to convey with this piece? Is it happy, sad, or terrifying? Whatever the answer is, I try to find its musical equivalent. I'll spend several hours putting together a playlist of instrumental music that directly influences these emotions so that my state of mind while writing stays emotionally true. I use only instrumental music (whether it be rock or hip hop or whatever) because I don't want someone else's lyrics influencing the words I put down on the page. Not to mention, listening to singing while trying to write is pretty distracting in general.

My magical realism book with the South American setting has a playlist of more latin sounds and rhythms so that the feelings evoked spill out through my fingers onto the page. My current thesis, a novel about art theft and lost loves, contains a lot of old jazz. Miles, Kenny Burrell, Ornette Coleman, etc. Rather than utilize the more upbeat and happy tunes, I've chosen the bluesier, more somber pieces from the artists. The book is not a happy one, so the music should reflect that.

What I've done here is post up some albums that fall into my playlists almost consistently. They are all instrumental and they are all, for me, emotionally provocative. I would encourage you to check them all out, even if it's just on youtube. The Cinematic Orchestra, I swear to God, lives up to its name in the greatest of ways.

Dj Cam - "Mad Blunted Jazz" 

This is one of those albums that has, from my very first listen, reminded me of what a sky full of angels sounds like during the most beautiful of sunsets. It is French hip hop, but pulls from so much of the old jazz records. With few vocals and a lot of incredible samples, Cam blew me away with this production. I recommend this album to everyone I meet.

Miles Davis - "Nefertiti" & "Bitches Brew"

Even if you haven't listened to jazz long (or at all), it's easy to hear a Miles Davis lick. He might use the same horns and plugs as every other jazz trumpeter on the planet, but he plays it in a very Miles Davis way that's distinct and gut-wrenching. "Nefertiti" is the more "accessible" of the two albums for those just getting into jazz ("Bitches Brew" is more fusion/experimental and without as much formalized structure as "Nefertiti"). Of all the tracks on both albums, "Pinnochio" and "Fall" are the two that hit the hardest for me, primarily because they are two of the earliest Davis songs I ever heard and have some pretty great memories attached to them.

The Cinematic Orchestra - "Motion" 

This was one of the first LPs I bought when I first bought my turntables back in 1999. I had no idea who they were or what they sounded like, but with a name like The Cinematic Orchestra, it had to be good. It was one of the best buys I ever made and the album absolutely lives up to its name. Sweeping strings and horns over hushed vocals and lush syrupy hip hop beats, this is another album that I recommend to almost everyone who enjoys their music a little on the more downtempo side.

Explosions In the Sky - "The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place"

If you had just lost the love of your life and found yourself stranded in the desert on a mild night with the stars lighting your way across the sandy landscape...this would be the soundtrack the moon would play for you in the hopes that it would cheer you up and steel your resolve.

Godspeed You, Black Emperor! - "Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to the Sky"

Clocking in at almost two hours long, these four songs run the sonic and emotional gamut; from silence to chaos, from lovely to loud. If there are rapidly vacillating emotions and actions in a piece that I'm working on, this instrumental rock album is not only phenomenal, but quickly rising as one of my favorite albums.

Dj Shadow - "Endtroducing"

The debut album released by this HipHop/Trip Hop legend. Besides racking up acclaim in almost every music magazine across the globe, Shadow's productions layer sample upon sample. Most of the tracks are 5+ minutes long, but never feel as if they go on too long. The album feels more like Shadow is letting the songs wind their way around the listener before being completely inhaled rather than choking the listener with repetitive rhythms.