3rd
Do you remember? La la la la la, September…
I read an article in the Guardian last Thursday where the sound of Mike Skinner’s new album was likened to Proust’s involuntary memory theory/approach. That’s a bit over-the-top and wankery, but applying the teacup approach to music is actually quite interesting… I’ve been attempting to learn/improve my skills on bass over the last week, and came across a few notes which really reminded me of something. I played around with them and put in other notes, and realised that what I was playing sounded similar to a J Dilla sample I’d heard once. Then I started thinking about J Dilla’s approach of using autobiographical samples which had emotional connections to his upbringing (particularly on Donuts) and how this, despite being a deliberate placement of songs which bring about involuntary memory, also demonstrates a conscious control over the technique and uses this emotional attatchment as part of the renovating process which is involved with the practise of sampling… which is way cool…
Anyway, what was the song? Earth, Wind & Fire’s ‘September’; and as soon as I realised this I started playing and working around other basslines and scales attatched to the song by my own experience of listening to it. So Chic basslines such as ‘Good Times’ and ‘My Forbidden Lover’ followed, and then bizarrely Minutemen’s ‘Maybe Partying Will Help’, which has a really fun funk-bassy feel. Anyway, involuntary memory kind of works as a technique when playing bass (and any other instrument really) because of the limits of notes and scales; as you play them, they will always run into another song/sound and thus, certain movements remind you of a whole selection of songs with which you have emotional connections to… and in reminding you of how/when you listened to them, you realise that you had these same sensations without even realising at the time of the original listening (particularly in the case of when I first listened to Minutemen, which was only a few years ago…). Anyway, just from a few scales, memories of childhood weddings, working at the pub, cheesy dance clubs and my auntie’s garden came up, and it was really nice!
