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alexcaldownapier · 1 year

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Film Project - Post Production Sound

Sound design - my first love and the one I’ll always go home to.

I didn’t realise how much I’d missed her - it was only one trimester without her, but one too many. This is a definite step up from the last narrative sound design I did on the course, back in second year for Girl and the Game. Zoe’s sound classes have helped so much in understanding the whole process from start to finish and in streamlining work and organising my session. I had colour coded routing folders with attached submixes, a master fader (seems simple, just something I never used to do), lots of automation; I listened to bounces on lots of different speakers to see what was coming through; I did ADR and foley passes (not in the booth, but still). I’m really happy with this work on a technical level and look forward to getting into my project with Zoe at some point soon to see where it can be improved.

Sound design is an area where I feel I can be intuitive and creative in a very different way from doing cinematography. Not that I necessarily enjoy one more than the other, they’re just very different. I love being able to experiment on the job and not have it be entirely make or break, like shooting on set. The clock ticking effect and the score both went through a few versions - being built on then being stripped back then being built on some more. The final score (at the pitch sequence) is made up of some location recordings I did when filming, just me smacking a big pole cos it had a great reverberation to it. I had a bunch of recordings, some rhythmic, some just single hits and some with as much reverb as possible. I layered up a rhythmic drumming section of the recording with one of the reverb that I put in reverse and a bass tone I found in a sound library. I think it really helps to accentuate the panicked emotion of the scene and the lingering dread afterwards. I also used the location recordings to add to the music that Eva had put in in her edit, Lobo Loco’s Funeral Procession, emphasising every odd beat and adding some reversed reverb to drive us into the next scene.

A lot of the sound design was inspired by Eva’s work in the edit, with the score at the hill being from the picture lock and also the gas leak/phone call sound at the start coming from Eva and Adam. Bringing it back at the end really helped to tie the narrative together. While the film is intimate and patient, Eva’s created a strong momentum underneath it which really helped the film to always be doing something. This meant I had a lot to work with and wasn’t fighting the image too much with my narrative choices.

Another aspect I really enjoy is the sound sweetening. There were a few recordings that just weren’t quite right and taking the time to play around with the Equalizer was really rewarding. For example, the footsteps of young Natalia walking up the spiral hill, although recorded in the space, didn’t feel like they matched the image. It was a very cold night, so the grass was frosty, resulting in a very crunchy footstep, which didn’t come across in the visuals. So taking out the high end of these recordings made them sound more appropriate. Natalia also wanted the sound of the phone ringing on the bridge to be quite grating so I played about with distortion to make it sound cracklier, more agitating.

The stereo recordings from set worked well as a bed of sound, a good basis for the sound design. Being able to pick out small sections with a variety of different textures really helped to subtly move the audience into the right headspace. One of the moments I’m happiest with (even though I worry that it is subtle to the point of impactless) is the phone call scene on the bridge. I wanted to create the idea that the phone call is a possible escape from the environment and when it doesn’t reach anyone, we feel Natalia’s isolation and loneliness. So, to try and achieve this, I automated the panning of my stereo tracks, bringing them centre and took out a bit from the top and bottom ends of the sound slowly as the phone call goes on, so the environment feels more “manageable”, before bringing it all back once she’s all alone again. I think it creates the desired subconscious psychological effect and works well with the image as we go from the close-ups to the wides, but hey, no one I showed it to noticed it and I still have no clue if it works at all.

This is one of the first times that I’ve done more recording past the point of starting a sound design and it helped a lot. I asked Connor (the voice of the gasman) if he could rerecord his lines outside, as, in the picture lock where we had recording from inside, the voice didn’t feel right in the space, no matter how much I fucked with it. It felt too much like a voice-over, rather than something the character has experienced. This rerecording helped a lot in order to communicate what was necessary. I also did some breathing passes with Natalia (from a note from Jenny, great advice) which helps to elevate the pitch sequence and make us feel more present with young Natalia throughout. One key sound element was missing when we went into the final sound design and that was the boys walking past when she’s playing with the dog. I am a little annoyed with this section as I had left it too late. I rounded up all the people at Screen Academy who were from Glasgow and recorded them walking round the corner, had them kick a can and laugh a lot. It kind of works, this sequence, I just wish the individual elements were stronger. We’ve got the location recording of young Natalia picking up the dog and hiding, we’ve got the dog whines I added in, the score, the breathing and the boys walking past, getting in a car and driving off. Together, there’s almost enough there to work with, but I think a clearer recording, in the correct space would help a lot, as I was trying to match different elements together to create one action. I added in all the car sounds which were from a sound library and an extra shout and then had to match the quality of the sound to the ones that I had recorded. But yeah, I think the final effect is missing proper cohesion between all the elements.

The wild tracks I recorded on set were very useful for creating presence. I had to add in clearer recordings of footsteps, coat sounds, dog sounds and rain because the sync sound was getting too much from the environment and therefore lacked a bit of clarity. But the wild tracks (once synced to the image) really helped to bring us closer to our subject. The rain recording was of rain on the umbrellas we used on set, but reads well as the rain hitting Natalia’s coat. The footsteps were accurate for each location as I had done a number of recordings and the dog sounds (although an absolute pain to match up with the image) also really helped to add a bit more presence to the sound design.

Finally, the mix. I was wanting to (for the most part) create quite a naturalistic soundscape, so I kept the atmosphere sounds quite low in the mix and relied on the sparse spot effects and foley to push the narrative forward. The three main points where the sound design is more overtly expressionistic is in the opening, the pitch scene and the scored section. For these moments, we wanted to slide a little more into a subjective experience of what happened, and go more into the head of the character. So, the pitch scene had to be more overwhelming, the spiral hill scene more surreal and the opening more dread-inducing. I think the mix works well to build tension and keep us invested in the world. We’re able to hear what we need to hear and feel what we need to feel.

So yeah, I’m really quite happy with my work on this project and while, as said at the crit, it’s quite confusing, I think, as a film, it is interesting enough to get away with the elements that don’t work (namely the casting, which was a logistical necessity to be fair). But more on this in my crit reflection. In terms of my work, I think I am becoming more technically competent and experienced, I’m more aware of what I need in terms of location recording in order to make a good piece of work and I’m more able to experiment with different expressionistic techniques.

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hazelsbilmflog · 1 year

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Premixing and creating Submixes - 25/04/23

After sending various drafts to Krisztian and Ivan, and acting on their feedback, I was very happy with the project. Although I had done some initial mixing as I added things in, of course there was still a LOT of work to be done. Thus, the last stage of sound design I had to complete was mixing! First, this involves doing pre-mixes :)

Pre-mixing is mixing tracks in relation to others within their specific group, e.g. dialogue, SFX, Foley etc. I like to mix around dialogue, so I always start by boosting my main voice to a good level, then mixing all other dialogue in relation to this. Once I had all my dialogue at a good level, I began to do the same for my other groups.

The next step after this was to create auxiliary tracks. For example, I created a dialogue aux and routed all dialogue tracks here. After this, you should have the same amount of faders to mix with as you have groups. I am still yet to do the final mix in the dubbing suite with Zoe, so I’ll post another update after this. I exported after the pre-mixing stage, and gave the final wav (before the crit) to John (editor). I saved as 25.04.23_LIFELINE_PREMIXING. Thanks for reading!!

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zrtranscripts · 5 years

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Radio Abel, Season Six

Part 3 of 6

The following section takes place after S6M6, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”

PHIL CHEESEMAN: And that's it for us, citizens.

ZOE CRICK: Not "it" it, but it for a while.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Yes. In a show of comradeship with our close allies, Fort Canton, we'll be -

ZOE CRICK: Comradeship? Don't tell me Amelia didn't bribe someone to get this to happen.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Uh, there was an offer to second some of Canton's best runners to Abel long-term, yes. But that's just the sort of mutually beneficial -

ZOE CRICK: Like I said, bribery.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Anyway, we're going to be off the air for a little while to free up this frequency for Fort Canton's very own Bernard, the voice from the township that's going to be tearing up the airwaves in our absence.

ZOE CRICK: That was terrible! I mean, even graded on a curve of your terrible wordplays, that was bad.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Well, sometimes I'm just not feeling it. But we'll be back before you know it. This is Radio Name Pending, signing off. For now.

BERNARD PRIOR: Ahoy-hoy to you, fair listeners! Bernard Prior here. Welcome to my very first broadcast out on jolly old airwaves with the thrilling premiere edition of New Canton Today! I'll be keeping you up to date with all the movers and shakers in the shark-infested waters of our local political scene! [laughs] As it were.

But before that, I'm going to play you some sounds! Spinning the vinyl. [laughs] Good gracious, old Bernard is a disc jockey! So here we go. Kicking off with a special favorite of mine.

BERNARD PRIOR: Welcome back to you, dear listeners. So, I'm sure you're asking yourselves, if you have even an ounce of [?], what is that old fool doing on my wireless? What is this New Canton Today malarkey? Well, let me tell you, listeners, this is rather momentous for me, because I'm going to be talking politics.

Funnily enough, I considered going into the old politics, or perhaps the Foreign Office. You know, back in the day, when I was a young sapling. But it was not to be for your erstwhile Bernard Jr. However, our bountiful Lady Fortune has smiled upon me now, because the world is in a state of political turmoil. And the hub of that turmoil? Why, our very own New Canton.

So I welcome you now to a radio show about our modern world politic. I welcome you, friends, to New Canton Today!

BERNARD PRIOR: That was an appropriately dramatic track for our purposes. But now, tally-ho. Onwards, friends! Lickety-split, for there is more. New Canton Today is not merely an in-depth guide for you, faithful listeners, to the current state of our brave new world. It is going to be filtered through the enlightening lens of fair Lady History!

I studied a smidgen of history as a whippersnapper, and of course the old politics, philosophy, economics, and such like, and I am here to tell you all about how the ancient ideas of our forefathers are still at work in the fiefdoms and city states we see emerging today. Gripping stuff, what? Stay tuned, my friends! Stay tuned.

BERNARD PRIOR: Ahoy-hoy once more, and welcome back to New Canton Today, with me, your humble host, Bernard Prior. Now, let me present my thesis. I have heard our current times described as uprecedented, and while I don't dispute that we don't have a great deal of precedent for zombies running around all over the bally place, that aside, I have a humble theory, which is to say that these times are very much precedented.

If you will allow me to demonstrate, let me cover first the rudiments of Plato's Republic, a work of genius that outline principles we still use even today.

AMELIA SPENS: Plato? Oh, give me strength. This is meant to be a fast-paced topical show, not ancient bloody history.

BERNARD PRIOR: Why ever not? I'm explaining the origins of democracy, Amelia. What could be more topical?

AMELIA SPENS: Good grief, your listeners must be tuning out in droves. The ones who are still awake. Stop droning on and play a tune to liven things up.

BERNARD PRIOR: I don't quite know why you're here, Miss Spens. This is meant to be my show. You said division of labor. You said you run New Canton, and I, as your deputy, get to have a radio show.

AMELIA SPENS: You do! This is that radio show. Look at all this... radio... stuff.

BERNARD PRIOR: I know. But I thought it would be all mine.

AMELIA SPENS: It is! Sort of.

BERNARD PRIOR: Stop moving that fader, you'll bring up the next – oh! Too late.

BERNARD PRIOR: I just didn't expect you to be copresenting with me, Miss Spens. It's always a pleasure to be in your fragrant company, of course, but New Canton Today is very much my pièce de résistance. My magnum opus. I see myself as the auteur, the driving force, the big cheese -

AMELIA SPENS: Big ego, more like. Now stop being so silly. I can bring a lot to your show. Who knows more about local politics than me?

BERNARD PRIOR: True. But don't you have more work to do, in doing... whatever it is you do?

AMELIA SPENS: Maybe I like spending time with you, Bernie! Now, here's the stuff for your next bulletin. Make sure you read it all out on air. It's riveting stuff.

MAXINE MYERS: Welcome back to Ask Dr. Maxine. Today's question is from someone writing under the name It Pays To Be Prepared. Prepared asks, "Can I self-amputate to remove a limb with a zombie bite and prevent the infection from spreading?"

Well, Prepared, it's remotely possible that if a torniquet is applied immediately after a bite to an extremity, and the surgery performed without delay, an emergency amputation or cauterization might prevent the infection from spreading. I don't know of any experimental data to suggest success, however.

PAULA COHEN: You know, given the alternative, it might be worth a try, with the subject's consent. However, I'd recommend keeping them restrained and under observation for at least 72 hours afterword. And to be prepared to carry out more extreme containment measures if they do, then, go gray. Sorry. Take care of yourselves.

BERNARD PRIOR: Welcome back to New Canton Today! The latest news is that a new security allegiance has been formed between the First New Nation of New Freedom, and the Wombles. Oh, how jolly! Do you think they're the actual Wombles?

AMELIA SPENS: No, Bernard, I think they're a group of unwashed hippies who happen to live on Wimbledon Common and think they're being adorable. If they picked up litter, it would be a bleeding miracle. Personally, I think they actually count as litter themselves.

BERNARD PRIOR: Oh. That is disappointing. I was hoping for a bit of childish wonder, there.

AMELIA SPENS: You were hoping for the real Wombles?

BERNARD PRIOR: It is possible, with mutations and such like, perhaps?

AMELIA SPENS: You're ridiculous.

BERNARD PRIOR: Thank you, Miss Spens.

BERNARD PRIOR: Oh, listeners, that was what I call a banging tune! When that beat dropped, well, I tapped my feet, let me tell ya! This is New Canton Today with Bernard Prior, comin' atcha like Cleopatra! [laughs] Quick aside, listeners, Cleo was actually my first crush. What ho? Heavens, Bernie, I didn't know you were that old! [laughs] You cheeky blighters! I merely had a much-loved copy of A Boy's Illustrated Shakespeare. I have a thing for kohl to this day. Now, shall we have another? Oh, I jolly well think so. Boom! As they say.

BERNARD PRIOR: Now, Amelia has gone to conduct some nefarious machinations, allowing your humble anchor man to finally get back to the point.

[clears throat] The first thing to recognize about our current political climate and the constantly changing political geography, our endless redrawn maps, is that this is not a new situation. Not at all! In fact, this ramshackle collection of townships and dukedoms, city states and smallholdings, is how mankind has often chosen to live. In ancient times, in the stem duchies of medieval Germany, the clans of bonnie Scotland, the homesteads of the American frontier. Oh, all over the blinking shop. This is not, dear friends, a calamitous sea change. Rather, on the grand stage of world history, this is a return to normality! I will concede, normality plus zombies.

MAXINE MYERS: Paula stepped out for a moment, but our current question is from Pulling Your Leg, and it, uh... oh, it's a greeting card with a puppy on the front. This didn't come by email. "Dear Dr. Maxine, I'm sorry about the Infected in Essex question. I wanted to give you a headstart before other letters started rolling in, but it seems like you're going fine on your own. All love, HRH Jamie I, by the grace of God, King of England."

Oh! Thanks, Your Majesty! It was a kind thought. It's good to know that my instincts aren't all bad. Just so you know, though, if anybody involved in this gets a necrotic wound, maggot debridement is the first line of treatment from now on.

AMELIA SPENS: You know, Bernie, your last broadcast was actually quite fascinating.

BERNARD PRIOR: Thanks for sounding so surprised, dear heart.

AMELIA SPENS: Oh, you are quite impossible to compliment. I don't know why I bother, sometimes.

BERNARD PRIOR: I was not aware that you ever bothered. Now if I could just go on to explain the Balkanization of the Ottoman Empire -

AMELIA SPENS: Oh, do. But first, what is a stem duchy?

BERNARD PRIOR: It's a kind of biscuit.

AMELIA SPENS: If you're going to be like – wait. Is it?

BERNARD PRIOR: No. But if you do have a biscuit, I am rather peckish.

AMELIA SPENS: I do, actually. Shall I play a track while you put the kettle on?

BERNARD PRIOR: You know, Millie, pleasant as this is, tucked away in a warm studio, imparting wisdom to the unwashed masses, the afternoon sun dappling the grass through the window, there is one thing missing.

AMELIA SPENS: I know. It's a finalization of Radial Territory's import-export pact. Perhaps I shouldn't vent like this on the airwaves with my status, but ugh! Those people! You'd think they'd never had a basic trade deal explained to them. Sad.

BERNARD PRIOR: No, that is actually not what I'm referring to. I can live without you being able to offload a surplus of cable knit pullovers. It's these biscuits. These biscuits, as I'm sure you are aware, are deeply inferior to the great prince of biscuits. The king, duke, nay, the God of the cookie kind! I'm talking about Jaffa Cakes, my dear lady. Have you noticed it's been a while since we last saw one?

AMELIA SPENS: Jaffa Cakes? Are you being serious?

BERNARD PRIOR: I am, as the young people say, as serious as cancer. Where are my goddamn Jaffa Cakes?

BERNARD PRIOR: I've considered asking that nice Sam Yao from Abel about the critical Jaffa Cakes situation. You know the chap.

AMELIA SPENS: Of course I do.

BERNARD PRIOR: Lovely man. So polite. And energetic! Excellent qualities in a young person. You know, if I was 20 years younger -

AMELIA SPENS: 20? More like 40 years younger. Wait. What? If you were 20 years younger, you'd what, exactly?

BERNARD PRIOR: Why, I'd challenge the lad to a game of one-on-one cricket. No point these days, though, sadly. He'd trounce me, with my knee.

AMELIA SPENS: I see.

BERNARD PRIOR: What did you think I meant?

AMELIA SPENS: Nothing! Nothing.

BERNARD PRIOR: I never really knew you were so interested in politics.

AMELIA SPENS: I'm interested in power, Bernie. All forms of power. Knowing who's allied with who, what could be more fascinating? I am surprised not everyone keeps up with it.

BERNARD PRIOR: Perhaps because it's so complicated. Even an aficionado such as I has trouble. Who are the First New Nation of New Freedom?

AMELIA SPENS: They're a group of ex-security guards. Basically, three vans full of bad tempers and cricket bats.

BERNARD PRIOR: Cricket bats? How jolly. Do they play?

AMELIA SPENS: They play at threatening to hit people with cricket bats.

BERNARD PRIOR: Oh. More disappointment.

BERNARD PRIOR: Still no Jaffa Cakes, I notice.

AMELIA SPENS: Hmm?

BERNARD PRIOR: I've been investigating the bickie drought. It's quite mysterious. No one has seen hide nor hair of a smashing orangey bit for months now!

AMELIA SPENS: They've probably run out.

BERNARD PRIOR: Unless there's more to it than that.

AMELIA SPENS: Oh, really? Like what?

BERNARD PRIOR: Like a conspiracy!

AMELIA SPENS: I doubt it. Look, we have Hobnobs.

BERNARD PRIOR: Hobnobs, pah! Hobnobs, Miss Spens, are not fit to kiss the booted toe of Lady Jaffa Cake! But I ask you this – why should we have a glut of Hobnobs and yet not a whisper of the Jaffa Cake? Hobnobs have their fans, misguided as they might be, and yet one biscuit vanishes while the other persists. It grows rummer and rummer, if you ask me. Listeners, fear not. I will get to the bottom of this travesty.

BERNARD PRIOR: This is Bernard Prior, and you're listening to New Canton Today! Keep it locked! Oh yes, [laughs] I'm really getting the hang of this. This is Bernie P. on the airwaves, bringing you education, chat, and tunes every afternoon on New Canton Today! This is Bernard Prior, bringing you teatime tunes and biscuit bangers! [laughs] Nice.

BERNARD PRIOR: I've been tracking the movements of the last known shipments of Jaffa Cakes. Guess where they were last tracked?

AMELIA SPENS: Your tea tray?

BERNARD PRIOR: Radial Territory.

AMELIA SPENS: No!

BERNARD PRIOR: Ah, now she's interested, listeners! Now she's interested. The game is afoot, if I might make so bold.

MAXINE MYERS: Today's question is from On Everyone's Mind, who asks, "Dear Dr. Maxine, who's working on the cure? Is there a cure? I am not sure how much longer I can keep doing this without some kind of hope."

[sighs] Well, Everyone, there is no cure. Yet! But a lot of people in various locations, including myself and Paula, are working on treatments and preventatives, and I am hopeful that before too long, that we will have something in trials. I – I wish I could tell you something more definite, but I just can't, right now. Look um, let's uh... let's just go to a song now, shall we?

BERNARD PRIOR: Ahoy-hoy, dear listeners. And that blistering track leads me very nicely into today's politcal section. Yes, that's right. Amelia Spens, my occasional cohost and head girl, is off flexing her considerable deal-making muscles, leaving old Bernie free to delve into the murky depths of political history. How about time for some jolly old Marx on this gray afternoon? Das Kapital, what what?

AMELIA SPENS: Give me strength.

BERNARD PRIOR: Amelia? You've sneaked in again. I thought I'd locked the door, as we're on air.

AMELIA SPENS: I know. I've had a master key made. Opens every door in New Canton. It's just a little more convenient. For me. And it means I can get in here in case of urgent news, or if I don't want you to know I'm coming.

BERNARD PRIOR: I see. How typically resourceful. And is there any urgent news?

AMELIA SPENS: Nah. Actually, things are pretty quiet. But I thought I'd stop by and make sure your program wasn't veering into the murky jungles of the deadly dull again. This is meant to be a fast-paced, modern, topical show. Have you considered doing some humorous skits?

BERNARD PRIOR: Not really. So no Marx?

AMELIA SPENS: No Marx, Bernie! Play a song, and if you must do this educational thing, find something a little more dynamic for your poor listeners.

BERNARD PRIOR: Change of plan, listeners. Today, I would love to talk about the very appropriate, upbeat, and dynamic Signor Niccolò Machiavelli and his seminal work, The Prince.

AMELIA SPENS: Oh, much better! This might even be interesting.

BERNARD PRIOR: Indeed, it will. And we'll be right back with that after this.

BERNARD PRIOR: Now, ever patient and radiant listeners, I did say I would love to tell you about Machiavelli's The Prince, a work which, from memory, contains a wealth of advice and guidance to the stripling ruler of a fiefdom in how to make allies and subvert enemies. The incisive thinker Machiavelli invites the prince to put his own interests at the heart of his policies, for are not his interests those of the nation?

Now, listeners, I would love to read you some favorite passages, if I had a copy of the book. Sadly, I don't. And as you're probably aware, Amelia, the British Library is on the other side of the wall.

AMELIA SPENS: Is it?

BERNARD PRIOR: It is. And most of the smaller libraries have been raided for fuel.

AMELIA SPENS: Oh yes! I did a roaring trade in book bundles a while back. "Roaring" trade, get it?

BERNARD PRIOR: You sold books for burning?

AMELIA SPENS: Of course. People were cold, Bernie.

BERNARD PRIOR: But Amelia, books! The knowledge of humankind. Would you set light to the Library of Alexandria because you got a bit chilly?

AMELIA SPENS: People weren't chilly, B. They had hypothermia. You think a person freezing to death shouldn't burn a book to stay warm?

BERNARD PRIOR: It's the principle!

AMELIA SPENS: Really? They ought to freeze?

BERNARD PRIOR: Perhaps not. It's an interesting quandary. I know to you, it made a tidy profit.

AMELIA SPENS: I had overheads.

BERNARD PRIOR: Listeners, I think that is as good a lesson on the politics of self-interest as I could have taught with a book in my hand. Until next time, try not to burn any books unless it's a matter of life or death.

AMELIA SPENS: Or profit margins.

BERNARD PRIOR: Welcome to New Canton Today. A new trading bloc was formed yesterday afternoon between Radial, Pop Max and Kix after talks between Kix and our own New Canton broke down late last week under mysterious circumstances.

AMELIA SPENS: Damn them, damn them all! Let me tell you, I will crush them!

BERNARD PRIOR: She doesn't mean that, listeners.

AMELIA SPENS: I do! I promised Kix wheelie trainers. How could they betray me like this?

BERNARD PRIOR: I think I'll play a track, let our glorious municipal leader rant in peace. And stay tuned. Remember, we have that exclusive interview with the Minister coming up soon! Send me your burning questions.

BERNARD PRIOR: And now on New Canton Today, dearest hearts, some jolly thrilling news! Coming up very soon, a series of live interviews with our new world leaders. First up, a real coup! Although one hopes not a literal coup. [laughs] The Minister herself has agreed to participate in a brief interview with the aim of "bringing the loyal people of Fort Canton to their senses."

So, shall we have sense or nonsense? What say you, listeners? With what questions would you like to probe, provoke, and perhaps preempt the woman who calls herself the ruler of the United Kingdom? Send me your questions for the Minister, Sigrid Hakkinen, as soon as you can. And don't go anywhere. Stay, as they say, tuned.

BERNARD PRIOR: Millie, do sit down.

AMELIA SPENS: I can't believe you've asked me to be on your program.

BERNARD PRIOR: Think of yourself as a special guest. Perhaps not that special, given how regularly you appear unscheduled. But this time, I want your input on the most pressing matter covered by New Canton Today.

AMELIA SPENS: If it's another discussion of Nietzsche, I'm pulling the plug. Literally, I'll pull this one. [boing sound effect]

BERNARD PRIOR: Please don't touch that. [laughs] It's my comic sound effects panel. You wanted more humor.

AMELIA SPENS: Oh, Bernard. I really shouldn't leave you alone in here.

BERNARD PRIOR: Let's move on. Our subject for discussion. It is, [imitates fanfare] Jaffa Cakes!

AMELIA SPENS: Oh, really? Any more news about Radial?

BERNARD PRIOR: All the most recently tracked shipments of Jaffa Cakes end up there. I have a few chaps working on it.

AMELIA SPENS: So Radial's goons like bickies. Interesting!

BERNARD PRIOR: It's not that. There are too many shipments. Radial's population couldn't have eaten that many Jaffa Cakes if they'd had them for supper every night!

AMELIA SPENS: Then what?

BERNARD PRIOR: Stockpiling.

AMELIA SPENS: But why?

BERNARD PRIOR: Millie, what happened to me when I couldn't get my Jaffa Cakes anymore?

AMELIA SPENS: You did get a bit desperate. To be honest, you weren't the only person who mentioned it to me. The British love their Jaffa Cake – oh, those devious - !

BERNARD PRIOR: - cads! I'm sure you were about to say cads. Remember, we're on the air. But yes, I do believe someone is trying to create scarcity value of the world's most delicious teatime treat.

BERNARD PRIOR: What a jolly tune. And how appropriate for our guest. Live via comms broadcast, I am quite thrilled to welcome to New Canton Today, Sigrid Hakkinen! Welcome.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: [static]

BERNARD PRIOR: Wonderful. Now my technician is in my ear telling me that the listeners can't hear you due to a technical - ?

SIGRID HAKKINEN: [static]

BERNARD PRIOR: I see. Ah, I see.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: [static]

BERNARD PRIOR: Deliberate, you say?

SIGRID HAKKINEN: [static]

BERNARD PRIOR: Did you really?

SIGRID HAKKINEN: [static]

BERNARD PRIOR: Listeners, it appears the Minister's actual words won't be audible due to a new security directive? I'm not sure whose security directive. Possibly one of the several settlements between us and London is refusing to relay transmissions. But apparently I can pass your questions on to the Minister.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: [static]

BERNARD PRIOR: Right. Righty-ho. [laughs] Listeners, I need to also inform you that the Minister will not be answering any of your actual questions due to... danger of infiltration by factions? So perhaps if I may ask a question of my own devising, Minister? Will you be putting in place any measures for free passage of books across the wall?

SIGRID HAKKINEN: [ringing static]

BERNARD PRIOR: I see. Apparently, listeners, the answer is no, and also, that is already all we have time for. So thank you, Minister. [laughs] I hope you all enjoyed that illuminating interview! Here's a tune that I'm sure will prove appropriate.

BERNARD PRIOR: Ahoy-hoy, listeners! Welcome to my first ever broadcast of late night New Canton Today. The adult New Canton Tonight, if you will. And let's kick off with a terrific song that always reminds me of my first love, Margot. This is for you, Margot, wherever you are. I still think about you.

BERNARD PRIOR: Now listeners, the second in our series of interviews with today's modern leaders. Welcome down the line Radial's leader, Phantasma Ooley. Hello there, Phantasma! May I call you Phanny?

PHANTASMA OOLEY: Please don't.

BERNARD PRIOR: I knew a boy at school whose nanny was called Fanny. Oh, how we howled! But enough digression. Phantasma, first, congratulations on your new trade allegiance with Pop Max and Kix. Can I ask – Radial are known for their lack of resources. However did you lure such big players?

PHANTASMA OOLEY: Kix are a great faction, a truly wonderful faction. Everyone knows they came with us because they are smart people.

BERNARD PRIOR: And you didn't, by any chance, lure them with a scarce commodity that has become more and more desirable in recent months?

PHANTASMA OOLEY: I beg your pardon?

BERNARD PRIOR: The Jaffa Cakes, Phantasma. I'm talking about the Jaffa Cakes.

PHANTASMA OOLEY: And this is completely off the record?

BERNARD PRIOR: Absolutely. The mic is off, I assure you.

PHANTASMA OOLEY: And you want a crate?

BERNARD PRIOR: I do! I really do.

PHANTASMA OOLEY: And what can you offer us in return?

BERNARD PRIOR: Oh, my dear. I only have access to Amelia Spens.

PHANTASMA OOLEY: I see. [laughs] I think we can do business.

BERNARD PRIOR: Marvelous. Marvelous. However, I will be requiring a sample of the goods up front.

PHANTASMA OOLEY: That's - ! ... We don't do that.

BERNARD PRIOR: Those are my terms, Phanny.

BERNARD PRIOR: See? I'm right about Radial. Do I need to play you the recording again?

AMELIA SPENS: No, I heard. I also heard it when you mistakenly broadcast it.

BERNARD PRIOR: I could have sworn the light was off.

AMELIA SPENS: Never mind. It was on your misguided late night show, so no one was listening. Did they send you a sample of their wares?

BERNARD PRIOR: They did!

AMELIA SPENS: Let's see it, then.

BERNARD PRIOR: Sadly, I no longer have them.

AMELIA SPENS: Bernard! That was your evidence that they're stockpiling.

BERNARD PRIOR: I know, but I couldn't resist! They only sent four. Who can stop at four Jaffa Cakes?

AMELIA SPENS: Someone who's only been sent four by a rogue faction who are stockpiling them?

BERNARD PRIOR: Quite, my dear. Quite.

BERNARD PRIOR: Listeners, this is a very exciting special edition of New Canton Today, for you join us as we relay live information on a raiding party heading into Radial Territory to liberate a quantity of Jaffa Cakes estimated to be 700 packets, or even more! And reports are coming that – yes, we have boots on the ground, and I believe, a haul of – goodness gracious. Over a thousand packets! A cool grand! Oh, happy days, listeners! And, if I may call you friends, old Bernard has it all!

BERNARD PRIOR: What do you mean, we're not distributing them?

AMELIA SPENS: Radial's idea was quite a good one. We just need to hold them for another month or two.

BERNARD PRIOR: That's terrible!

AMELIA SPENS: Oh, come on! I've got them, and I will distribute them in time. I might make a huge profit, but you know, I have overheads.

BERNARD PRIOR: But I broadcast the liberation of the Jaffa Cakes live! Everyone knows you've got them!

AMELIA SPENS: So much the better.

BERNARD PRIOR: You want people to know you're stockpiling all the Jaffa Cakes in Britain?

AMELIA SPENS: Oh, yes. Now it is known I have the Jaffa Cakes, Kix is very keen to do a trade deal for an early cut. It turns out, as you suspected, that was the incentive Radial offered them.

BERNARD PRIOR: You're incredible.

AMELIA SPENS: Thanks very much.

BERNARD PRIOR: Ahoy-hoy, listeners. I think I'm going to enjoy being a radio star. Now friends, how can we apply the writings of old Karly Marx to our current situation? "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need." Of course, I'm talking about the smashing orangey bit. Pip pip. Mm.

BERNARD PRIOR: Time for a listener's letter! Let me just put on my spectacles. "Dear Bernie." Oh. Rather familiar. "I want you to know how much I enjoy your show. Your warm voice fills my ears every afternoon, and my heart. I would love to meet you in person sometime, Bernard. Sincerely, your old friend Margot." Oh. Goodness gracious.

#zombies run #zrs6 #s6 radio #s6 radio part 3 #zr transcript

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amcnh · 6 years

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Cub Sport

If their story was a film, it would forever be my favorite. It has all my ideal elements: slow burn romance, music, travel and gay leads. Tim Nelson and Sam “Bolan” Netterfield met at school. Bolan’s mother recalls her son coming home one day and telling her he met a boy who played the piano really well and that he wanted to learn to play like him. Tim and Bolan became fast friends. They started spending more and more time together and eventually playing music together. The group – since 2013, called Cub Sport – took off. Buzzy EPs turned into hit singles turned into a highly anticipated debut album. Cub Sport, made up of, yes, Tim and Bolan but also bassist Zoe Davis and drummer Dan Puusaari, was officially a successful project. The band was together a lot, recording and touring and promoting, and Tim and Bolan were spending pretty much all their time together. Both admit now that, at the level they could have clocked or allowed it, they realized quite early on in their friendship that they were in love with each other, but, both raised in super religious environments, were not willing or ready to address that let alone their gayness. While on tour in America during 2016, however, things unsaid finally were spoken. They describe it all much better, and it makes me swoon, so here are some quotes:

Tim to OUT Magazine:

“I went on a writing trip in the middle of 2015 for about a month and I missed Bolan (Sam) so much. I started to recognise that I was in love with him, but I had a lot of fear and denial to work through. In the middle of 2016, we went on a two-month overseas tour. Being away from the reminders and restrictions of normal life back home was really instrumental in us feeling like we had the freedom to explore and pursue what had been building between us.

The Orlando attack happened while we were on tour in the U.S. and it was not only a reminder of how fleeting our time on earth can be, but a big wakeup call that if we just embraced who we really were we could also try to help inspire and encourage young queer people facing the same internal battles we were both experiencing. We went to Pride festival in Denver around the same time and the atmosphere was really supportive and beautiful.”

Bolan to The Guardian, discussing the impact Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life had on his relationship with Tim:

“I think I had buried so deeply within me what I really wanted that it took me seeing it play out in fiction to actually have the clarity and perspective to look at my own situation and give me strength to realise that life is too short not to follow… I think I realised early in the book I was drawing direct correlation with those characters and with myself, then seeing one character die really shook me. I was suddenly hit with the notion that if Tim was to die, how could I have not said something. I realised I had to put everything on the line and I was willing to potentially jeopardise and lose our friendship to get everything that I suddenly realised I wanted and needed.”

On the final night of their American tour in that summer of 2016, after a long night of partying and celebrating, Bolan, as told to The Guardian, finally addressed his feelings to Tim. He recalled saying, “’I don’t want this to ruin our friendship but I want to be with you, I love you and I want to be with you forever,’ and then Tim started to cry and said, ‘So do I.’” It’s adorable and happy and lovely. Bolan, in an interview with triple j about their relationship, said, “We fell in love over the course of about eight years.” That’s some fucking cinematic shit.

They’ve been so generous in sharing the personal details of their story. It influences their sophomore record BATS that they self-released this year (we’re getting to that), but it also is a generous, helpful decision to be so open. This year in Australia’s clusterfuck of a marriage equality “debate,” a lot of queer kids were left confused and isolated and scared. To see Bolan and Tim happy and proud, as they’ve said, meant a lot to their young fans. Beyond the adorable story of it all, it’s been for good.

Now, the record. BATS, sonically, is a shift from Cub Sport’s previous work. Tim, the lyricist and vocalist for the group, cites A Seat At The Table and Blonde as huge inspiration for the project. Content wise, the record documents their romance. To Notion, Tim said, “It more-or-less follows my personal journey from the moment I admitted to myself that I was gay, to coming to terms with being in love with my best friend/bandmate Bolan (Sam), finally acknowledging the situation a year later and to then coming out and getting together.” He further told Music-News, “Bolan’s and my story rolls out over this list of songs, more-or-less in this order – ‘Chasin’,’ ‘Look After Me’, ‘Crush,’ ‘Solo III,’ ‘Bats,’ ‘Give It To Me (Like You Mean It),’ ‘O Lord’ and ‘Banyo Blue.’” And if you read the lyrics to those tracks, the details – starkly honest and evocative – are all there.

“Chasin’” was the song Tim wrote after returning from his trips to Los Angeles and London to write, when he realized his feelings for Bolan. He said he wrote it without fully understanding what it was saying at the time. Now, it’s clear. It’s a song about fear and confusion. “I’m trying to be honest and live deliberately. Is it delusional to think that I can do this? Time always makes me doubt what’s coming out me.” To Notion, Tim said, “Sam had heard ‘Chasin’’ in its original demo form for about nine months before we actually had the conversation. He said he already knew what it was about so I guess that helped inform him that what he was feeling was reciprocated, even though I hadn’t had the courage to say it out loud in words.”

On “Look After Me,” Tim is sensing something. “There’s something in the way you look at me like I’ve never done wrong.” It’s visceral – that, “I think maybe he feels this way because I see this look in his eyes, but am I just seeing things because I want to see things or am I seeing the truth?” It’s a rhythmic, interior processing.

“Crush” sees that post-tour, mid-celebration conversation when they first opened up to each other. “And you whisper to me 'Why are you crying?’ I think it's from the years of trying to try and push you from me. I didn't know who I was meant to be. Did I crush you with the things I wouldn't say? Did I hurt you on the way? How am I so lucky that you waited for me.” We’re there, hearing and seeing this moment. It’s a lot.

“Solo III” is, indeed, inspired by Frank Ocean’s songs on Blonde. “We keep blazin', playing ‘Solo,’ and now we've got our song. And I believe in me and you. We make each other strong. And here it is, my first love song. It didn't even take that long. Now I'm not laying solo.” This marks a first – them, honest and together, celebrating their love and its newness. To Junkee, Tim shared the importance Blonde and “Solo” played in their relationship: “That album came out pretty soon after [we got together] and for the first few times, every time we got to ‘Solo’ I would cry. I was like, ‘I can’t believe I get to have what we’ve got.’ It immediately became our song, but the lyrics didn’t match up with our situation at all, and so I wanted to take from that and make it out own. And I think the melody’s just different enough that we could get away with using it.” Tim asks, “Oh, what did I do, do I deserve you?” This line’s a reminder that, yeah, we’re getting the timeline of their relationship, but Tim is writing these songs. We’re getting his feelings on what’s going on here – the disbelief, the joy.

“Bats,” if you’re a fan of the pair’s Snapchats, makes total sense. For the unacquainted, Tim clarified to Music-News: “The house we were living in when I recorded BATS was just up the hill from a creek that had a huge colony of bats living along its banks. Bolan and I would walk our dogs down there each evening and watch the bats fill the sky (usually soundtracked by Frank Ocean – ‘White Ferrari’ playing off my phone). I’d often put it on my Snapchat story and one day someone from Texas replied and said that they’d see the same thing there. It inspired the opening lyrics of the song ‘Bats.’ ‘Bats in the sky, it looks like Texas. I like this time because it reminds us we can be anywhere, that doesn’t change us, nothing can change us now.’ ‘Bats’ the song felt like it really represented the vibe/story of the album which is why we decided to make it the title track. There was always something exciting and emotive about seeing thousands of bats fill the sky and I wanted that visual to represent the collection of songs.” The lyrics refer to “Solo” and Tim’s overseas writing trips again, saying, “I've been on flights. I've seen some sights, but I didn't feel it. Just there to write. If I fly again, it won't be solo 'cause that got me so low.” “Bats” is a quiet, peaceful celebration of their togetherness and inseparability. He says, “You’re the reason that I keep on tryin.”

The next song on their timeline is the record’s most chilled track. Co-written and featuring vocals from Sarah Blasko (an eternal favorite of mine), “Give It To Me (Like You Mean It)” is a flat-out love song. An adoration song, even. “I like that light on your face. You are my favourite place.” “I could just watch you move. Everything you do just makes me…” It could be cringe, but, fuck, it isn’t. It’s really rather beautiful.

“O Lord” is the first single they chose to bring out ahead of BATS. It was a brave choice seeing as the first thirty-seven seconds are Tim and Bolan harmonizing without any instruments, but it was also a way of announcing, “Hey, things are a bit different now.” The visuals for the track are as stunning as the song, showing Tim and Bolan embracing in some muted neony, pastelish colors. This is their “radical softness.” This is the Solange influence. Tim told The FADER, “This video challenges everything I grew up believing about masculinity, beauty and homosexuality — it's super liberating to create this video and feel free from judgment, both internally and externally.” Lyrically, this marks a step away from the portrayal of the new, intense love. Tim says, “I was free to be my true self, I was finally in a relationship with the love of my life and I had full love and support from my friends and family, but what I didn’t expect was the realisation that when you get everything you’ve ever wanted you suddenly have everything to lose. This song ended up being my way of grappling with those feelings.” To the world, as a return, as an inviting in, as a reinvention of sound and style, “O Lord” really fucking works.

“Banyo Blue,” the final track on the standard version of BATS, leaves us with the most updated glimpse into their relationship. This is them settled. This is, “Yeah, the world is really intense and not wonderful, but, here, with each other and choosing each other, we’re gonna be good.” Tim asks, “Can we be a story throughout the ages?” He says, “I write about you. I could go on for pages,” and “I just kind of feel like I have found my light. The rest’s not perfect, but it’s fine when you’re tight.” Here, this love that they have so damn graciously shared with us and painstakingly and beautifully documented for us, is good. It’s ongoing and it’s committed. The confusion and shame of the past is gone, and shit’s still bad elsewhere, but in this honesty and in this sharing, they’re gonna be okay. (Since the recording of BATS, Tim and Bolan got engaged and are getting married next year, a thing they can now legally do because Australia just legalized marriage equality [s/o to queer Australians dragged through that dehumanizing process, btw]) I’m emotional.

Now, I gush. The details of Tim and Bolan’s story make the record a living, immersive, gripping experience. It’s truly the shit great films and novels are made of. If you don’t know what every song’s about, it’s still a moving work. In an essay he penned for The Line Of Best Fit, Tim said, “For me, getting to a place where I could really connect with myself and write, unguarded, from the heart has been a journey that has taken me over a decade.” I truly love their past material. Their first full-length album This Is Our Vice is a record I still listen to every week, without skipping a song. The songwriting is clever and the lyrics are insightful. But, here with BATS and (again) the brave decision to share their story and illuminate the details of each song, there’s something else happening. It’s, as they dubbed, truly some “radical softness.” Tim said, “BATS is a product of queer love and I hope it can be a comfort and encouragement for the LGBTQI community and our allies during this time.” It is.

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hetmusic · 8 years

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Women in Music: A Year in Action | HumanHuman

Here we go again! One year on from our article ‘Women in the Music Industry’ and the overwhelmingly supportive response that followed we’re ready to take a retrospective look at what’s been happening in the world of music since then. We’ve brought together a collective of new commentators, including musicians, writers, PRs, event organisers, managers and a radio producer, to give their spin on what it’s currently like for women in the music business.

This time around I asked each of our contributors the same three questions; since last year’s International Women’s Day, what has been your highlight for women in music? what are your thoughts on the visible representation of women in the music industry? moving forward, what changes still need to happen? The answers are a window in a community who are extremely passionate about this topic, and whilst it’s essential that we shed light on the serious issues, the overriding message is one of celebration and positivity.

“I've definitely noticed a more tight-knit community between women in music, which we need to only continue and strengthen.”— Missy Scheinberg, Lunatic Entertainment

Last year one of the hot topics surrounding gender inequality in music was the lack of female representation at the majority of music festivals. Most notable was Reading and Leeds Festival, as highlighted by Crack in the Road editor Josh Dalton with his viral editing of the line-up, which revealed a paltry ten female and mixed acts. The unapologetic response from Festival Republic boss Melvin Brenn, who rather naively stated that “gone are the days where a band was four guys” (via Gigwise), further emphasised how deeply ingrained ignorance of this issue is. While Festival Republic still appears unable to provide a single female headliner - 2016’s choices are an unimaginative selection of Biffy Clyro, Fall Out Boy, Foals, Disclosure and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers - other events are making moves to correct this imbalance. In an interview with Noisey, Glastonbury Festival organiser Emily Eavis states that “we are strong on women this year” and her enthusiastic mention of female MCs like Little Simz and Lady Leshurr is encouraging.

Some have taken it even further by offering female-only line ups at their events, such as Burger Records’ festival Burger A Go Go. Not only is this an excellent name, but their no-dudes rule made room for awesome headliners Best Coast and Dum Dum Girls in 2015, as well as instantly recognisable names like Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon and Cat Power and Kathleen Hanna (in new project The Julie Ruin.) Speaking to Broadly., co-organiser Lee Rickard explains that the festival is “more of a fun statement than a feminist statement. We're not overtly political, but obviously it does reverberate. I think it makes a statement without having to make a statement; that we can easily put together a bill of this caliber. Hopefully it will make other festivals think twice.” One of our own contributors Erika Alvarez is also hoping to interrupt the pattern with her non-profit event A Great Escape Festival, and she has her own view on why there’s a favourable bias towards male musicians at festivals: “When a band’s demographic is mostly female, they are automatically deemed as unworthy of respect, but if their demographic is mostly male the words “legendary” and “influential” are the first to come to mind.” Being judged primarily on their gender or that of their fans is also a concern for mixed alt-rock band Wyldest, whose female members Zoe Mead and Holly Mullineaux cringe at the idea of their fans liking them simply because of they are women. With this in mind, they give a nod to Savages as a band who aren’t evaluated by their gender but by their music. Mullineaux even paraphrases a statement from Savages’ Jehnny Beth in an interview with Broadly., "Being a woman in music is like being a woman eating a sandwich." Basically, these females musicians don’t consider that they’re doing anything outside the realms of normality, they’re just being themselves.

“It’s incredible to meet both male and female musicians at shows, but when I’m playing within a female dominated line-up, I really have this sense of affirmation with the other female musicians.”— Zoe Mead, Wyldest

This view of music festivals as a world of extremes - either as a blatant machoism or feminist statement - is one that we’ve become rather used to, but hopefully not for long. One event that has already achieved the ideal of equal gender representation is Wavelength Festival, which this year welcomed a mixed bag of headliners (including Duchess Says, Foxes in Fiction and Foxtrott) and more than 50 percent of the stage slots were filled by female musicians. The real achievement lies in the fact that this fair representation of artists regardless of their gender is actually unintentional, as outlined by Artistic Director and co-founder Jonathan Bunce: “It's happened three years in a row, so this theme has just sort of emerged. It wasn't like we sat down and said, 'We have to have a female headliner every night.' There was no grand design. There are just so many talented women making music right now and I think that us, as programmers, are just responding to that” (via Noisey). Missy Scheinberg, who works at Lunatic Entertainment, also urges talent-buyers to take note of these mixed line-ups, especially Australia’s Laneway Festival, which this year has topped their bill with Chvrches, Grimes, Beach House, and Purity Ring. This emphasis on deserved recognition as opposed to the more forced positive discrimination is definitely the way forward for everyone involved in the music industry.

One area of the music industry that still leaves a lot to be desired in terms of the attitude towards women is music videos. These visual aids are an incredibly powerful tool that has flourished throughout the MTV years and onto a generation of YouTubers. Considering this, it’s quite extraordinary that amongst all of the beautiful, artistic, groundbreaking, politically and culturally charged videos out there that the majority of our focus lands on those with the most skin on show. From Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” to Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” to Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” to Iggy Azalea and Jennifer Lopez’s “Booty”, these controversial and highly confusing examples of female objectification are well within the view of the public. As Daily Telegraph journalist Justin Coulson questions, “They might be masquerading as empowered femininity, but what are they selling?” accompanied by a natural concern for what his daughters will come to know as normal behaviour. This power struggle is brought further into the light by Louise O’Neil at The Irish Examiner in her piece ‘Are music videos too sexual or do they represent power in women?’, which details that in recent years two camps have emerged in the world of music videos. On one hand, there are those who “have decided to either completely reject the pressure to perform in a sexually suggestive manner”, and on the other, there are those who “have claimed ownership of their sexuality and their bodies.” What’s important here is that artists should have the choice to use their public visibility to explore all forms of identity, rather than one that is forced upon them by society’s warped expectations. As music journalist Christal Yuen quite rightly states:

“There's a lot of misplaced eroticism in painting women as direct projections of their songs.”— Christal Yuen, writer for HumanHuman and Sodwee

There are plenty of current musicians who use their artistry and physicality to embark on new ways of defying gender stereotypes. Examples such as FKA twigs who lines up portrayals of femininity like dominoes in her “MSLL155X” video and Rosie Lowe whose dual metaphor for strength and vulnerability is seen in the undressed frankness of her single “Woman”. Another example is Grimes, who is well known for her array of performance personas and in The FADER’s ‘Art Angel’ documentary, Claire Boucher explains that “Grimes as one person cannot represent more than a couple of ideas. That’s why I started developing some of the other characters - like, really abstract from who I am or how I am [...] Not everything has to fully reflect you.” This willingness to explore how an artist can portray themselves, female or otherwise, has the power to directly influence others in the industry. Our contributor Tsar B, an emerging artist known for her dark and multi-cultural sounding pop, finds Grimes extremely inspiring, especially “the way she emphasises her autonomy and strength, as well as her unacceptance of parochialism.” As we see in the documentary, it’s not only her stage presence that Grimes has under complete artistic control, but the production aspect of her music is also her sole responsibility.

“Sometimes women in the music industry are perceived as an attractive medium between a bunch of guys that make the music and the general public, while actually people fail to realize that they are the foundation of the whole story.”— Tsar B

One artist who has been determined in sharing her whole story is Lorely Rodriguez AKA Empress Of, who released her debut self-produced record Me in September last year. Contributor Alliz Espi, who runs Songololo Music, picks up this album as her personal highlight: “her work as a producer (beat-making included) of her own record, has been one of the first on the scene which was instantly celebrated, rather than being a question - ‘did she really do that?’” Empress Of’s evolution into producer and sound engineer is testament to what can happen when musicians are forthcoming about what they want. Rodriguez recalls the result of being team up with another producer where “It just ended up sounding like that person's music. I thought, ‘this is my first record, I need it to sound like it's coming from me’” (Beggars Music). After that epiphany, she was able to discover herself as a recorder, producer, artist and most importantly as a person. However, it’s not always the case that production credits are placed with the right person. A recent example would be Björk and her Vulnicura LP, in which it was initially misreported that Arca produced the album, rather than the truth which is a co-production between Björk and Arca. In an interview with Pitchfork, Björk talks about the courage it took the put the world right, “I didn’t want to talk about that kind of thing for 10 years, but then I thought, “You’re a coward if you don’t stand up. Not for you, but for women. Say something.”” It’s important for these prominent women to speak up, but it’s equally essential that men within the business lend their voice, such as Björk associates the Haxan Cloak and Matmos who insistently correct the media on their secondary role in the production of these records.

“We have evolved away from a history of music-engineering being male dominated, we've ditched the lab coats and clipboards (literally). But it still is a numbers game.”— Alliz Espi, Songololo Music

As Alliz Espi suggests, it is still numbers game, but the books are finally starting to balance, as reflected in the increased recognition of females at certain awards shows. Keeping on the production theme, the contribution from Women Produce Music (a social media community that promotes female producers, engineers and musicians) highlights this year’s Music Producers Guild Awards, in which Olga Fitzroy received a gong for Recording Engineer of the Year, Catherine Marks was recognised as Breakthrough Producer of the Year, and FKA twigs won UK Single for “Pendulum” and UK Album of the Year for LP1 - both of which she co-produced. It wasn’t only the MPGs where we saw a truer reflection of the arts industry, as Regina Valdameri points out, “At this year's Grammys in the Best Rock Performance category, for example, Foo Fighters were the only all-male band, with Alabama Shakes, Florence + the Machine, Wolf Alice and Elle King filling up the remaining nominations.” The Fives Ws Of editor also remarks that seven of the fifteen artists who made the BBC’s Sound of 2016 longlist were women, including runners-up Alessia Cara and Nao. This is certainly a start for greater equality amongst musicians, but the scene isn’t so rosy everywhere.

Another opinion maker Katerina Koumourou (ANASA PR, JD Management and Cozy Mag) draws our attention to Billboard’s Power 100 from this year, which was critiqued by Suzanne Harrington in The Independent for being made up of 127 men and only 14 women. This same article also discusses the unavoidable topic of current music media, that is the recent Kesha case in which her allegations of sexual assault against producer Dr Luke and request to exit the contract with him were dismissed by a New York Supreme Court Judge on the grounds that it’s “commercially reasonable” for Kesha to remain in the contract. This outcome reveals just where the priorities lie for those at the top of the industry food-chain, and for many it’s sickening to think money comes before an individual’s safety and artistic freedom. However, there is a positive side to this story and that’s female solidarity, with Kesha’s peers publicly expressing their support for her, such as Adele when accepting her awards at the BRITS, Taylor Swift with her $250,000 donation and Lady Gaga’s stand of solidarity at the Oscar’s to name a few.

“Females standing together for their voice to be heard is empowering and I guess it's comforting that she is not standing completely alone with this.”— Katerina Koumourou, ANASA PR, JD Management and Cozy Mag

We might still have a way to go, but it’s a fact that women are stronger than ever before in the music industry, as publicly displayed by Kesha’s celebrity supporters, but also by the growing number of successful women in the business. Whether that’s a music PR like Charmfactory’s Director of Communications Lorraine Long, who has never experienced prejudice on the basis of her gender and strongly believes that “Your sex should be irrelevant, it should come down to being the best person for the job and if you're doing a good job you should be rewarded fairly and equally.” Or a radio producer like Elise Cobain, who works on BBC Radio 1 and 1xtra and is especially enthusiastic about the progression of women in her business sector. Cobain provides a roll call of prominent BBC radio presenters: Annie Mac, Clara Amfo, A Dot and Jamz Supernova, and the list goes on once you step into radio production territory. It’s not only the traditional airwaves that are now transmitting a more representative voice, but online radio is also a bastion of equality. The Electronic Beats listing in ‘Meet the women who are killing it in online radio’ praises significant producers, hosts and managers of digital radio stations. A standout comment made for the article by Tabitha Thorlu-Bangura, a key figure of NTS Radio, asserts the need for greater variety within the industry. As Thorlu-Bangura states “it’s really crucial to work with people from a diverse range of backgrounds in order to have a wide range of perspectives on music and life in general.”

“I'm seeing more and more that women who work hard are being rewarded with brilliant jobs and career progression seemingly regardless of their gender. This change in attitude is something to be celebrated.”— Elise Cobain, BBC Radio 1/1xta Producer

That need for a more diverse demographic across the board is one that is echoed throughout all of our contributions. Katerina Koumourou asks “Is there enough diversity (regarding gender AND race) within these corporations to encourage the changes needed?” and at this moment in time the answer is probably no, at least not yet. This questioning attitude is shared by Tracy Dempsey, a Music Psychologist and creator of Sofa Sessions, which is a music-art showcase hosted at various venues throughout Belfast. This event offers a regular roster of mixed gender artists, but Dempsey believes that she should open up the diversity even further by “showcasing people from various minority groups who might be struggling for visibility, not for tokenistic reasons, but to break a self-perpetuating cycle of invisibility leading to more invisibility.” That’s probably the most important message for International Women’s Day, to break the cycle of invisibility, and where the music industry is concerned we’ve already taken considerable steps to do so, particularly in the online world. As Christal Yuen points out “the digital world of music allows for these artists to release music and be judged on their skill rather than their appearance.” There’s a reason that so many musicians release music virtually and why journalists now live on laptops rather than in newspapers; the internet can be a megaphone for the marginalised.

“The democratisation of the internet, allowing anyone to share their story, be heard, and have that story amplified by others joining in, is hugely powerful.”— Tracy Dempsey, creator of Sofa Sessions and Soulambition

For my last question to the opinion-makers, I asked them “Moving forward, what changes still need to happen?”, and the general consensus is that we should continue to celebrate women in the music industry, we should keep asking questions, and we shouldn’t settle for anything less than equality amongst all genders. Like Songololo Music’s Alliz Espi puts it “the more it’s celebrated now, the more female musicians may dare to take that journey.” Therefore, it’s our responsibility as current commentators and members of the music community to transmit a message of positivity and change, not only for ourselves, but for future generations. No one puts this intention more candidly than music blogger Regina Valdameri, who believes “The ultimate goal is that we won't be surprised anymore when a woman has success in the music industry, or in any industry really, because it will have become the norm.” If we continue down this path of positive visibility and mutual support (all genders included), then one day seeing a woman in the music industry will be as surprising as seeing a woman eat a sandwich.

https://humanhuman.com/articles/women-in-music-a-year-in-action

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