Disquiet Junto 0206 Three Switches



The Disquiet Junto this week brought to mind number 101, where switches were recorded and manipulated. I considered finding those samples but another idea took hold.

The idea of switching between parts suggested a kind of call and response melody. Or a kind of call and response and response melody in this case.

I settled on the idea of recording a vocal, a bass and percussion, then I went back and re-read the Junto and realised I'd read it wrong. However, this was the idea I ended up recording.

The idea of writing a lyric appealed to me. I've been writing haiku all week. One thing I like about haiku is the 17-syllable limit because it forces me to think how to phrase ideas to fit. It's a fruitful creative constraint for me but, yeah, the idea to use a haiku for the Junto was a bum steer.

I quickly recorded the melody on the bass and asked my partner to sing the lyric and then spent hours wondering how I was going to make it work. In the end I left the track in frustration and went back to one that I'd been putting together earlier on Friday.

The vocal needed to be stretched and re-pitched but it sorta worked as a house remix with the three-quarter bassline I'd written. I love the way the shorter loops on the bass give the track an evolving quality. It's one trick I've used a lot since I heard Dave Graham recommend it.

The result is a song that switches between a heavily effected screen door, voice and bass guitar against a 909 drumbeat and another bassline. I don't think it works but the project led me to produce a remix that I like, and I like it when a Junto inspires new material because it's usually something different.