Coeur

"Coeur" - Heart in French - by Zeldaru is a duet of sorts built around a violin and a bassoon, joined by a distorted synthesizer and - deep in the low register - a bass guitar buried in the mix. The synthesizer is a constant threading the song throughout as the two leading instruments trade off continually until they join together briefly at the end. Coeur, inspired by the heart, moves at a pace slower than the standard tempo of 120 BPM and features bass and synthesizer to musically represent the heart.

Bucket Honey

"Honey Bucket" by the Melvins is a short but sweet song; it features drastic start-stop melodies and creates a tension through the maintenance of its sound. Vocals do not enter until around 2 minutes in, which creates a very nice effect as tension is almost broken. The song can be best described as "fun."

"Blue Bell Knoll" and "Gwyn, Lord of Cinder"

"Blue Bell Knoll" by Cocteau Twins fits into the category of "dream pop" quite easily with its psychedelic yet ethereal sound. At the same time, its harpsichord introduction is a very unusual beginning; it sets up a neat framework for the song to operate in. Like their other material this song is beautiful yet still unique, developing at a steady rate throughout the song, rather than transforming in blocks.

"Gwyn, Lord of Cinder" is an elegant piano piece, undisturbed by atonal or disturbing notes; it is marked by tonality that makes it pleasing and beautiful without any reconciliation of opinions of what is pleasing to the ears. At the same time the flow is smooth and without abrupt transitions, much like the baroque music of Bach's era. Dark notes are introduced softly and in an undertone to add to the piece's sound. "Gwyn" is certainly reminiscent of "Aria" by Bach, but this piece definitely holds its own.

"City" by Martin Stig Andersen

"City " is an ambient composition by Martin Stig Andersen; it comes from the video game Limbo, known for its monochromatic and even morbid forest setting. The piece varies the sustained drones of synthesizers and creates a fitting ominous feel, though perhaps the standard noir City theme would be built off a saxophone. "City" perambulates slowly but never trips or drags, creating a steady sound.

Sufi Music and Ambient Music

Compared to the previous post’s style – which is the same regardless of whether this post goes up on Nighttrail or my sister’s blog first – I will write fairly colloquially. Note that the previous post is quite pertinent to the topic of this post.

            I was inspired to write this post by a conversation with my grandfather. Earlier this week I showed him music – this music can be best described as having atmosphere or “ambient.” Among these songs were a few that I had created. Interestingly enough he likened the music to Sufi religious music. (Sufis are essentially mystics of the Islamic faith.) The difference in instrumentation is noticeable but I quickly realized that they were not necessarily that different.

            My grandfather went into greater detail about what he heard as Sufi music. The use of sustained keyboards in particular was reminiscent of this style; keyboards dominate many ambient songs, so the connection became quite clear as I showed him more music. Interestingly enough unfamiliar instruments gave him that impression, not folk instrumentation. One of my songs, “Coeur” or Heart in French, featured a violin and a bassoon, both unfamiliar to my grandfather, composed in an ambient style. These instruments prompted the comment that the unfamiliar sounds still reminded him greatly of mystic music. The observations made by him coincided with those of a friend who likened another one of my songs to meditative music.

Ultimately I suppose ambient music is quite reminiscent of and similar to Sufi music in principle, not in instrumentation. Sufis are mystics and transfer this aspect of their culture into their music. Mystical religious music reaches out to the deities – Allah in the case of Sufi devotional music – and therefore has a sound that transcends the performer as well as the listener. Ambient music in a sense is beyond the performer as well; this style creates atmosphere and space, rather than focusing on the strong sense of melody that dominates mainstream music. Both styles reach out past the surface and into something deeper, at least from what I’ve noticed. In this regard they are quite similar. Owing to their similarity their pairing works quite well; for an example check out Peter Gabriel’s collaboration with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on the Last Temptation of Christ soundtrack (the Scorsese movie).

Coeur’s composition made it essentially ambient – as does a lot of my music – and created an atmospheric sound through the use of digital effects and sustained notes. The song aims below the surface as does Sufi music and speaks from a deeper place than the mouth or the hand; that was the ultimate purpose as the song itself is about the heart in some regards. I believe that the song resonated with my grandfather to a degree. On the other hand, I cannot say why he was reminded of Sufi music. Perhaps he is familiar with the music to the point of seeing many similarities even when presented with something “unrelated.” Ultimately both types have the similar goal of extending beyond the human, the tangible, and the known. Sufi performers sing from the heart and in some ways so did the music that I showed my grandfather.

To listen to ”Coeur” go here: http://soundcloud.com/zru/coeur

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: Human Embodiment of Music?

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is known as one of the greatest singers ever, possessing an astounding 6 octave range. He is also known as an incredible Qawwali singer, a style that is apparently quite difficult to master. Qawwali is the devotional music of Sufis who are essentially Muslim mystics. He recorded extensively, and is known as the most prolific Qawwali singer.

            Nusrat was born October 13, 1948 in the Punjab region in Pakistan, which had become a country only the previous year. Nusrat’s father, a Qawwali singer himself, died when Nusrat was 16. Days after his father’s death he dreamt of his father touching his throat; he woke up singing. Forty days later Nusrat gave his first public performance at his father’s funeral. Afterwards he became the official leader of his family’s Qawwali party, thus beginning many years of singing and collaboration. Nusrat also contributed many songs to film soundtracks. Nusrat died on August 16, 1997 to a heart attack. 

            Ali Khan is well known for bring this traditional music to Pakistanis and non-Pakistanis alike. The singer also carries a legacy of collaborating extensively; he worked with guitarists and other musicians over the course of his recorded music. For example, Mustt Mustt, released in 1990, features Michael Brook, a guitarist and a friend of Peter Gabriel. Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ featured Gabriel as the composer; Nusrat contributed vocals to a couple tracks on the soundtrack. The singer also carries a legacy of extensively collaborating with guitarists and other performers.

According to Bilal Qureshi, the writer of the NPR article on Ali Khan, “Nusrat’s greatest legacy may have been to shatter the idea of what it means to be a traditional Muslim singer.” His death in 1997 sparked a nationwide mourning in Pakistan. In the meantime he left behind hundreds of recordings and a vast legacy. His influence extends beyond cultural borders. Notable alternative rock musician Jeff Buckley was a huge fan of Nusrat and bears musical influence from him in songs like “Mojo Pin” and “Dream Brother.” The NPR article also notes that Nusrat’s inclusion as a great singer was essentially unanimous, thus highlighting his influence.

            “Mustt Mustt” is a pretty well known Nusrat song. The song features prominently on Mustt Mustt, Nusrat’s collaboration with guitarist Michael Brook. The album, much like the song, mixed guitar with Pakistani folk music. “Mustt Mustt” features Punjabi music, driving bass, and melodic guitar. The result is quite cohesive.

            This song was remixed by the British trip hop collective Massive Attack in 1990; this remix garnered a lot of recognition for the album. At the time this remix was the only single sung in Urdu to chart in the U.K.

“Mustt Mustt”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGS--kKQXH4

“Mustt Mustt (Remix)”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR67nIhLaBg

            Ali Khan also worked with Eddie Vedder, lead singer of Pearl Jam; they collaborated on the 1996 film Dead Man Walking’s soundtrack, which yielded two songs. “The Long Road” mixes folk and Pakistani folk music as well as the singing styles of Vedder and Ali Khan. “The Face of Love” off the same soundtrack is more upbeat but very much in the same vein.

“The Long Road”:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x_ZNwjoWHs
“The Face of Love”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igxKrNEvFv4

            Another good film example, “Passion” from the Scorsese film features the collaboration of Nusrat and Peter Gabriel. Here ambient music meets world music and the result is quite entertaining.

“Passion”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5_FtHnpmNw

Nusrat Ali Fateh Khan has great range both in terms of his vocal range and the collaborations he participates in. His influence is understandable because he is both a greater singer and a musician curious in different styles. He may be dead but he has a vast legacy behind him and continues to influence music. His voice works in Punjabi music, folk fusion, rock fusion, and even ambient music, as demonstrated by the following songs.

Works Cited

1.      Biography For Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.” IMDb. Web. 18 Jul 2012.

<http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002163/bio>

2.       “Mustt Mustt (1990).” Michael Brook. Web. 18 Jul 2012. 

<http://michaelbrookmusic.com/mustt-mustt>

3.      Buckley, Jeff. “Nusrat.” Liquid Gnome. Web. 18 Jul 2012.

< http://www.liquidgnome.com/JeffBuckley/nusrat.html>

4.      Qureshi, Bilal. “Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: The Voice of Pakistan.” NPR Music. 

22 Feb 2010. Web. 18 Jul 2012. 

<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1239735>

Nighttrail: An Introduction

Hello everyone. This is Zeldaru - yes I do write for the Ribbon Room - and this is a solo blog. Here I will focus on various art mediums, in particular the written and music. The Ribbon Room will remain a more analytical and philosophical blog; there I will explore more esoteric matters. To summarize my relationship to art: I play video games; compose, record, and produce music; listen to music; read books; in addition to a myriad of other activities.

"Nighttrail" is the name of a remix that I made last year for a friend. In this remix I mostly messed with compression to make the song sound different from the original. I also utilized reverb which is admittedly a favorite effect of mine. "Twilight Trail," if you would like to hear the original. 

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy future posts on this blog since I do actually have a few already written up. On a side note, I intend to be for the most part professional in my writing for this blog. First person will not be outlawed but I still try to make use of third person when the situation calls for it.