#70

Based on the Garbarek, I believe you would like the (edit: gorgeous) music of Tomas Nordmark, a fellow Lines member who goes by @1234.

1 Like
#71

Hey there @1234, nice to meet you. Thanks for the heads up, this has been wonderful listening this morning, thanks so much for the suggestion. Working on more music today, so white outside, we had a big snow last night. Was out recording some of the snow sounds, intricate little details in them all…:mountain:

3 Likes
#72

Chiming in that my approach is very similar to @n-So’s. I feel like the niche of people who like this sort of music (roughly speaking: less-beat-focused experimental electronic / electroacoustic / textural / etc. music) is relatively small but passionate, informed, and often eager to seek out new stuff and listen with an open mind. And because of this, it’s more likely that people making compelling things in this space will tend to run into each other and connections will be made once you put your music out there and then likewise engage with what others are up to. I also tend towards the “make a couple of posts about a new thing I released but mostly stay quiet and not spam people” approach, less because I think it’s effective as a marketplace strategy (it’s probably not) and more because I do look at the sort of people who respond to my music as friends, equals, even potential collaborators or sources of wisdom / inspiration (they’re often musicians / writers / artists themselves), and in my experience none of my friends or other musicians I know in this vein really respond to ‘the hard sell’ or even ‘the sell’ period and prefer more natural and less transactive relationships with anyone they’re dealing with, and I’m the same.

But also in my early-to-mid-20s I was much more focused on and anguished over things like ‘how do I get my music in front of the right influential people / publications / labels so that lots of people check it out and I become a known quantity’, and now that I’m approaching 40 I’m much more chilled out and even indifferent about that sort of stuff, and would rather develop small relationships with other people and engage in a dialogue with music I like and add something new to the conversation if I can, and if anything else comes out of it that’s great but I no longer feel any of the sorts of validation-heavy motivations that I used to feel when I was younger, which might be a sign of growth? maturity? or less charitably an acknowledgment on some level that if I were going to be a known quantity on a larger scale, it probably would’ve happened already and the stress/frustration of that continued focus isn’t particularly worth it.

By the way, this track you shared is absolutely lovely and you’ve gained at least one interested listener here.

9 Likes
#73

Hey there @naxuu, thanks for responding, really thoughtful description of the kind of hopes I have. I absolutely resonant with the sentiment of certain efforts being not worth it. I often think of Phillip Glass and his journey and some what more importantly, his music. To care what people think about you, or for you to care about your own ideas of success maybe is to overlook your music and your work?

I am looking for a genuine, simple forum in which to move on from worrying about how to begin, what to do etc. and instead just quietly put out the simple things I make, take time to let more complex things mature and along the way learn from others, think about different equipment and it’s uses (although I am not much of a gear head generally) but mostly to interact with music and new ideas.

I love the intersection of this forum. People have been very kindly about my little track which is really nice. What do you find is important to now in the music you make? :mountain:

5 Likes
#74

I think meeting people face to face has more value than anything that happens online. u might eventually meet someone from online but then the magic is in the meeting. it’s tough with covid, like really tough, so it’s almost like talking about two worlds at the moment, pre and post.

for me, my most amazing life experiences happened by travel. that’s the life of the musician, movement and doing shows in different countries, meeting people along the way, exploring the new.

people are everywhere, so you have to go to them. but there are certain epicentres in the world - go to them, when u can. I think people that live in epicentres feel less of a need to travel, potentially, because the activity is all around them. so they probably wind up somewhere remote to escape it.

if u have some money, you can just decide to go on tour. book some venues and make a nice poster. I’ve found that artists are attracted to activity. the minute you start doing things, they attract to you. it’s weird. I’m personally not like that, I don’t feel like my creative friend needs to be doing shows before I give them a phone call. but I noticed it a lot in the scene, start doing things, and acquaintances start to emerge

7 Likes
#75

Hey there @mattleaf, thanks for your kind spirited and thoughtful comments. The idea of a scene is always interesting although not hugely attractive personally. I have been lucky to travel a bit and there definitely seems to be places in the world where things happen and continue to happen. Personally, I’m fascinated by the human dynamics surrounding people like Sibelius, Laurie Spiegel, Arvo Part, Kaija Saariaho. That weaving of education, isolation, reflection, repetition etc. I live pretty remotely and have become more reliant on myself, my partner, my friends and family and nature for inspiration and thoughtfulness.

This is so consistently true, the “where-state” of the activity maybe is less important for example in the way that ideas can move and grow. I think also artists nearly always at some point in their process observe, without any particular orthodoxy: to consider one’s own work, the natural world, the output of others, politics, science. I knew someone once who used to say “thank goodness for other musicians, we would have got no where without each other”. Have a great week :mountain:

2 Likes
#76

Thanks @visitjunes for starting the thread

I feel you on this. In my 20s did a little touring, a lot of gigging, etc., moved away and as my interests in music and art broadened greatly I found myself not pursuing being in a band and more just absorbing things, then a while later dove into modular and synths. Now (at 40), I’ve recorded a full track for the first time in about 10 years (whoa) with my partner and am wondering… do I post this somewhere? what am I doing? haha.

Not into the whole social media thing, and have typically had a hard time reaching out to others though being a little older realize the importance of this as @mattleaf points out

In the meantime, the act of just making has been rewarding enough but I do struggle with the nagging thought that I should be putting myself out there. Love hearing people’s thoughts on this.

4 Likes
#77

Hi @addamm, I totally agree, you simply have to make things as best you can. Can be tricky though too.

Especially if your music isn’t so much a demonstration of ability but say something with an abstract intent or artistic intention. The pursuit of virtuosity gives some musicians a simple clarity to be able to grapple with, know thy enemy, am I the best etc.

Beyond that of course is such a rich world of music and experimentation. Even if it is a little tricky to plot your course, put things out etc. I think it’s clearly a richer path to pursue uncharted territory and to seek to create something compelling from your travels, no matter what medium, platform, streaming service you decide on etc. Thanks again :mountain:

7 Likes
#78

I can relate to much of this as I am going through something similar. I’ve been making electronic music on my own for close to twenty years, but have yet to “release” anything. Tracks were made and even mastered, but they just sat on tape or hard drives. I have decided recently that I want to put out an album. However, I don’t know what that means. Do I just put it on bandcamp and be done with it? Do I attempt to promote it through social media (where I have no presence), do I reach out to labels? Is there a physical release? Spotify/Apple Music/Tidal? I’m also struggling with whether I should record all new stuff for this project or mine the archives, but that is a whole different question.

Also, beautiful track visitjunes.

4 Likes
#79

Thanks @eblomquist I’m not sure my music is worthy that comparision but am nevertheless very happy and humbled for your kind words. New music is on the way btw.

2 Likes
#80

You are most welcome.

All I know is that my inner ancestral Scandinavian resonates with the music in a way that I find deeply moving :pray:t2:

I look forward to hearing the latest when you release it!

1 Like
#81

Hey there @tehfizzle, hope you are safe and well during this strange time…

This is really relatable, having come from a music background where the process of putting out albums was fairly stressful, high investment, corporate etc. the idea of “putting out an album” is a bit distracting. I feel that the archive root is cool because maybe it doesn’t matter in the same way. I really relate to how composers work, that delayed judgement of work I think is really important. Thanks so much for chiming in and glad you liked my little track :mountain:

1 Like
#82

Hey there @1234, hope you are well, look forward to new music and really glad to have found a spot where people like yourself are making beautiful, compelling music, stay safe :mountain:

2 Likes
#83

Hey y’all, just made an account to share that I also feel this very much. I’ve been learning how to make music in the past two years or so, and my main struggle has been finding people that share the same interests that I do. I’m not that concerned with having a social media presence, but having people to talk about more experimental music is hard to find, especially as most communities these days are about networking, which tends to push experimental stuff out of those spaces.

I’m new to the Lines community so I’m still checking the topics, the Process tag in particular (modular equipment is way too expensive here in South America for me to even think about dabbling in it). This seems like one of the spaces I’ve been looking for!

@visitjunes I loved your song, the strings are lovely.

8 Likes
#84

Welcome!

You will find a wide range of gear users here, we’re not all modular heads by any means.

3 Likes
#85

I’ve just recently started participating here and in my limited experience it is exactly what you are describing. Also, there are plenty of ways to achieve the modular spirit on a budget. There’s free software or diy physical modules etc. Or it could just be a new way of thinking about tools you already have.

Cheers.

2 Likes
#86

every time I sit down to a musical instrument, I feel it is a game I play, with the instrument, with myself, and sometimes other players. I win the game if I enjoy it and the more I play, the better I understand the rules and tactics and the better and more subjectively artistic my play becomes. sometimes, like a video game posted to Twitch, my play becomes something I want to share with others who enjoy that sort of entertainment and go looking for it in the places you find it. it doesn’t seem to improve my playing if others see it, however, and I forget that and get a giant portion of my ego wrapped up in whether other people liked the way I played. but the feeling before anybody else knows, when only you know how well the game went, that is true satisfaction.

4 Likes
#87

Hey there @fourhoarder, although I am not a gamer or anything I totally understand, I have often had this feeling when I was younger learning to play different instruments, there is such a joy in those break throughs and you often can’t share them with many people. They still count though and carry forward onto to the next bit of burst of joy and progress :mountain:

1 Like
#88

Hi @celofanes, hope you are safe and well out there.

I totally agree with what you have said and love that Lines is about something different, thanks for your comment about my little track, Workington more just now, try and do a little better every time, stay safe :mountain:

1 Like
#89

the act of just making has been rewarding enough but I do struggle with the nagging thought that I should be putting myself out there.

Hi @addamm, i’ve been mulling over similar thoughts recently, and trying to work out why the need to be ‘seen’ is important in this. I’d like to think it was related to something morally virtuous, i.e.,. perhaps the sounds I make will create a positive dynamic in someone else’s life, similar to my experiences with music… but deep down I think it’s just validation I’m after (which feels like a bad thing in and of itself, but is it?)

please let me know if you sus out any answers to this one!

2 Likes