A new year, new levels of song writing

2013 has begun with anther smashing Deep Crossing gig in Adelaide at Cuckoo, thanks to everyone who came, it went really well. And thanks also to those who gave feedback, always very useful. Lou and I took a bit of a detour on the way home visiting with friends and family, and upon returning, after about a week on the road, I was itching to get back to my writing.

So I managed to get into it really quickly, I had some ideas for song concepts jotted down in my phone. I put myself in a position where I could come up with ideas, distanced from the T.V., Spotify playing on DJ Krush, I was thrown this divine track, titled "Blank", from Krush's 1995 album Meiso.

"Blank" by Krush from the album Meiso

Gentle, jazz tinged hip hop, unassuming, almost naive in it's freshness, a world away from the compacted mountains of cliche, tradition and convention that infuses so much modern day rap. The pen started to dance, the keyboard developed a rhythm, I cut the track in ACID to start rapping, barely having to change any of it, so logical is the track's form. (and here's more of the gentle master, "Far and Away", sublime in it's simplicity of form)

The ideas on my note pad looked something like this

The strength of the will
How strong is your will?
Gotta be all in or all out
What is it that you really want out of life?
What is it that you want
                       What is it that you need?
I'm obsessed] Catch 22] Damned if I 
write       damned if I don't

These jottings would be the reference point for my concept and theme.

This is the chorus I wrote:

What is the op that you really hunger for? Or

For what reason does your heart really sore? Can’t

Ignore the difference between bein bored and bein enthralled seein it

All through the door but not sure

 And here are the first 8 bars of the first verse, there are three verses in the song, 16 bars, 16 bars, and then 12 bars because I use another four bars for trumpet improvisation.

What is the opportunity you really hunger for

That you wonder for at one-to-four ya slumber is

Pore, your one to endure many-a-set-back but

When the opportunity comes ya want ya zest back

…I’m tryin to be the best Pat efff that

Get-that rhythm and rhyme in time next track

Lets rap for a minute about the things that you’re spinnin

Brimmin with the ideas that define years inject that

A link to the track recording is below to hear the full effect.
 
My car ride with Lou had brought to my attention a few things that I wanted to address in my song writing. Listening to a bit of GURU on the ipod I came to a sudden realisation. For all my attention to getting the raps sounding tighter and more technically daring, I'd forgotten an all more important thing that GURU demonstrates almost every time he raps. That is, make the people understand what you're trying to say, have a simple concept, a simple message, and explain it simply. His rhymes are spaced like this, technical flights of fancy aren't his priority, making us listen and understand what he is saying, is (much more).

Transit Ride from his Jazzmatazz 1 album demonstrates this. The track is simply about, being on a train. His three verses are simply exploring that scenario, that situation, no other implications. Branford Marsalis's sax riff in the chorus adds jazz, smoothness, and fills the need for a rapped chorus. Less is more.

Which brings me to the other thing I thought of about song writing whilst cruising the baking outback with Lou; to try and work some melody into the songs. Lou is like my test candidate for people who don't listen to hip hop, the plain fact is, she doesn't listen to what is being said by the rapper.. she (seems to) need something else to hold onto. Even the hip hop Lou says she likes, she doesn't know any of the rap lyrics, but she remembers the tune's melodic themes, and likes them. So, conveying meaning, and some melody for those who don't listen to the words, those were my goals, sort of. Here's what I recorded, it's a bit rough, it's more of a first draft. Enjoy.

What Is The Op (To Krush's "Blank" from Meiso)