05 - Kayesem - These People
Channel: Spirit Level Studios
Date: 2020-08-31

This is track 5 from the album Digital Dust, by Kayesem, which was produced during 2010 & 2011 and released in 2020 via:
Bandcamp - https://spiritlevelstudios.bandcamp.com/album/digital-dust
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfHl2xiS7lvZECAOnl6k6SoWszHeTihYg
Ektoplazm - Release Pending
SoundCloud - N/A

Attribution-ShareAlike  (CC BY-SA 3.0) - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

[Tempo = 130 BPM] I like the vibe of this one. It's chilled, different and has this gradual progression that builds slowly over the course of the track. It's a blend of darkness, some funk and (imo) a little Japanese style. The drop into 4/4 at 8:18 is both subtle effective. Same with the airy snare hit that comes in at 9:36. I love building sounds in a way that guides your attention melodically, but leaves out basic percussion. Then bringing in say a strong, well tuned hi-hat and really dialling in the rhythm and syncopation.

In terms of production, cymbals are always added in only towards the very end of the writing process. I learned pretty quick that you should never rely on them to maintain interest. The aim is to write in such a way that you don't even notice that there aren't any cymbals. To a certain extent, I also prefer to drive the track melodically and play with higher and lower 'levels'. To move the listener through peaks and valleys of harmony, tone, colour and intensity. When done right, it allows for far more restraint when it comes to fills, effects, sweeps, builds, fades etc. It also provides more raw materials to create these effects from, which helps maintain consistency and harmony. 

The voice sample is from The Princess Bride (1987). Great film.

Peace ☺