OUANEM by Glia

[glia]

@rbxbx

wow. it’s definitely a glia release as the dna and fingerprints of your prior body of work are sonically all over it, but it feels like an evolution of the form (not necessarily in the linear or “better” sense, maybe a parallel?). You wear the semi-ensemble approach very well

there are many reasons why this makes me happy so thank you sharing the thought

art can become almost a branding exercise where you know an audience expects one thing from you and you tick off boxes to ensure they know it’s “you”…also even when the intent is to reveal different facets of your artistry it can be difficult to follow-through and maintain authenticity and sincerity while displaying those facets

the more i’ve thought of this, showing different sides of myself has become a key artistic motivator and a core part of my spirituality…it was very important for me to try to let people see this part of me, which really has always been there

@rbxbx

I feel like there’s a trope of predominantly electronic composers going on to work with other players and live/acoustic instrumentation that doesn’t always sit well with me. While I’m sure it’s not the intent, it can feel like a grab for legitimization/validation amongst the “institution”/old guard (“see, i’m a real musician too!”), and this release to me completely avoids feeling that way. Kudos.

I really love this, thanks for continuing to share your work with us

Again
I’m quite touched by this comment and understand exactly what you mean

I’m in the somewhat awkward position: i consider myself a drummer 1st but shifted almost all my creativity toward electronic music over time. So my yearning to include acoustic drums and other stuff is natural (since i played those first) but terrifying (since i know i’m not very skilled as a drummer).

I don’t know if my initial desire to play all the drums on Ouanem live in a single take was a misguided attempt to gain validation or a legitimate let’s-see-what-i’m-really-capable-of kind of leap. The reality is I simply couldn’t do it with my current skills and abandoned the goal to go ahead with what you hear now.

There are still many parts played by hand on bells and my small kit but i did not pressure myself to play the rhythms as one drummer would, leaving the beat intact.

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Also, I wanna use this as a springboard to continue answering @aeoner about how Ouanem was made…

I’m very keen to blend contemporary tech, new synthesis techniques, and freeform experimentation within the context of jazz and hip hop. As genres they are both built on an exploratory/experimental spirit but practitioners often stagnate in order to honor past traditions

I knew i couldn’t outplay some of my peers in the jazz world but took opportunities to imagine how modern sampling and non-standard synthesis (not simply a keyboard) could be used to create new textures and rhythms.

i encourage everyone to compare these two versions of the same composition:

it’s my favorite song from ouanem and the one which, for me, has no flaws…by blending a complex modern sampler (nisp for norns) with acoustic drums, flute, and feedback mixing, i really felt like i pushed myself forward in a new direction