Enigma a person or a thing that is mysterious or difficult to understand. That very definition sums up this song perfectly. Enigma was going to be the title of the EP as my original narrative was based around material that was highlighting the complexities of people on the spectrum and societies marginalization. Now through the course of this project at stages I have revalued the overall narrative. Sure, Enigma is still on the EP, but the material direction has changed. This is less about me with relation to the subject matter and more focused on the music. With all the songs there are elements of film scoring combined with Hip Hop and Funk with exception to this track that has a smoother Jazz narrative. There are two main melodic parts the first introduced in a twelve bar intro a haunting piano layered with a hypnotic double bass I felt that this really resonated mystery which metaphorically defines Enigma. Although by accident the chord progression and sound of the piano reminded me of the theme tune to ‘Rain man’. Which was ironic as the original narrative of the material was based on upon the struggles of someone on the spectrum.
I may even reference the movie in my first proposal. The second melody which makes up part of the sixteen-bar verse is a slightly brighter piano. Which I thought brought a nice contrast but complemented the more melancholic sound with some much-added energy. Once again, I layered this all with a hypnotic double bass in fact two sets of double bass. Which both complemented each other nicely within the mix. Next were the drums the pattern was inspired by West Coast Hip Hop Producer Alchemist.
It’s a subtle rhythm added to the hypnotized sound but still packed a bit of punch.
As you can see from the screenshot above some of the kicks and the hi hats are acting like ghost notes with the velocity set quite low. Not to subtle that you cannot pick up their little nuisances. The kicks also vary in note length and just like the hi hats some are programmed off beat or off grid if you like adding an interesting swing to the overall groove. The pattern is a two-bar beat. I also added some layered percussion elements including a crash symbol to create a dramatic drop for the sixteen- bar verse. There is also an interesting drum fill added to the percussion elements I thought this added to the dynamics and really complemented the main beat with a stutter effect helping to steer the listeners direction. Finishing it all off with my signature crash cymbal in the outro. Also, worth mentioning that Enigma was the only song I didn’t layer with breaks as such. I truly believe that the music elements and subject narrative along with the arrangement including the twelve- bar intro and unusual layered melody really depicts the song title when defining mysterious. Hence Enigma..
Biblography
[Online] Available at: [https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/380343131013006605/] [Accessed 12th December 2019]
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