First post. Long-time lurker and appreciator of simplicity. Truthfully what has led me here is the monome aesthetic. Function alone can be so boring - if an interface isn’t refined - then the thing can become a chore. Monome seem to embody this refinement - and as my interest grew, flicking through the forum I have been so impressed by the nature of LINES as a thoughtful, interesting and compelling place. To this end I wanted to say hello, and be-so-bold as to ask for some guidance.
In recent memory I’ve switched up my act from guitarvintage synthssamplingeurorack. My entry into eurorack was initially a burst of productivity, as I got my head around the fundamentals of synthesis. Also expensive, as I quickly switched things in and out of the system. Also liberating, I tried a lot, and naturally warmed towards modules optimised for chaos and unpredictability, making music that was hypnotic, dissonant and cacophonous. These themes were also mirrored my personal circumstances at the time, traversing through a period of deep-baked unsettlement, shifting faith. It’s interesting to me that the music I was making at the time, subconsciously took me into some of the pain I was suppressing. I thought I was exploring modules, but it seems they were exploring me.
I find myself at the back-end of those circumstances and into a way of being that leaves me more settled. I also find myself three quarters through a long-play record, seemingly now unable to finish my work. The tools I’ve been using previously are now unproductive, silent even - and the energy I have towards completing the project waning… in-tact in theory, but in practice - drained. I have a few pre-release demos up on a soundcloud, but the above descriptors are most neatly summed up by this track: https://soundcloud.com/ravelsound/mysteron
It seems to me that there could be a psychological aspect in play. Revisiting the uncompleted material to finish it off feels awkward, as the menace I notice within my tracks, has melted within me. Resultantly I don’t simply want to make a monument to the past, nor do I want to move on without wrapping this up. I have no release schedule, not outside deadline, at this moment in time, no label. I’ve named the project Ravel, as it seems for me, this has not just been an unravelling, but a ravelling - a reconstruction. I would like the last quarter of the record to include this sentiment, so have considered introducing something contrastingly different to the existing unfinished tracks, perhaps ambient, or to engage with a different set of tools perhaps.
On this note, I am considering vastly simplifying my system, maybe reducing it by as much as half - perhaps this would spark some new momentum. If I could, I would simply buy an “-ism’s” straight off the bat… from a form factor and functionality perspective it looks to be brilliant. As does Arc. But I think i have missed the boat with both.
So, to my question. Do any of you have experience in moving strongly in a direction, only to second-think or bypass the music’s natural trajectory? What were the results and how did you best enable?
Warmth.
