Author Archives: Brendan Hamilton

Brendan’s Portfolio

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Music has always had a profound influence on my identity, arguably to a fault. But nonetheless, it will always be the one thing in the universe I’ll cherish for the life of me. This portfolio provides a little personal insight with my attachment to music as well as some of my favorite songs, hopefully after a hectic semester of mountainous deadlines, poor campus community, and mild case of Chronophobia(fear of the future), we can all toast to the end of this semester!

 

Memoir Mixtape copy 2

Infographic

realized the link for the one inside the pdf didn’t work so here is the actual link for 👇🏾

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFQpr9lkBs/pzPgkfOwtV9RUi25AcsZRQ/edit?utm_content=DAFQpr9lkBs&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

Record Club

My music :)

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I know you all asked me to post my EP. So here it is!

sorry for the delay, been a lot with my midterms and final assignments coming up. Anyways, here’s some music for you all to jam while you study!

I suggest listening from track 1 all the way through. The transitions in to each songs are really what me and my friend focused on with this and how sonically they creates it’s own story(similar to chapters in a book)  with it.

I produced tracks 2(Hawaii) 4(Margaritas) 6( Yosemite) 8( New Fazos) , my friend the others.

https://music.apple.com/us/album/blossoms-2/1608703353

https://open.spotify.com/album/6bBsNl90MTZ1kHfIuFUJXs?si=zfgl5eNOSLWyQGPRzC2Hvw

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRhSySd6eT2TtoEv1pARz-VsMgZDe1E1A

 

The Neptunes InfoGraphic

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The GOAT (Greatest of All Time) of Hip-Hop production will always be debated amongst fans of Hip-Hop. DJ Premier, RZA, Dr. Dre, The Neptunes, Kanye West and Timbaland are just some of the names that get thrown into the discussion. But, it is unfair to describe The Neptunes as just Hip-Hop producers. They maneuver in and out of Hip-Hop, R&B, dabbling sometimes in alternative rock; but they do it so well and cohesively. Their sound is so unique and genre defining, that they automatically are considered as one of the greatest producers, regardless of the genre. By the wake of the millennium, Pharrell and Chad had essentially cemented their reputation within the hip-hop world(even creating a new one within it), having produced tracks not just for Diddy, Ma$e, Kelis and Clipse, but also for Ol’ Dirty Bastard and a Q-Tip.  However, it was their work in the 00s that concreted their legacy as not just hip-hop beat-smiths, but maestros of the modern day pop song. The turning point for this transition came when Jay Z, perhaps the largest “household” rap name, enlisted Chad and Pharrell to dial the knobs on “I Just Wanna Love You”. Punctuated by Pharrell’s falsetto outcries of “I just wanna laaaaaaav ya!” and held up by The Neptunes alternately terse and heavy beats, the track scored Jay his first number one on the hip hop/R&B Billboard chart. In a past interview Time magazine, Pharrell explained that “taking somebody from A to B is cool, but when we produce we want to take people from A to D, to challenge their artistic natures, their image, everything.”

Infographic

MNDSGN- Rare Pleasure review

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https://youtu.be/AyQNZ1igBoY

If one is unfamiliar with MNDSGN (sounded Mind Design) they probably enjoy the nescient underpinning of that boulder they happen to call “home.”. While that may have come across as pompous and or representative of the sort gatekeeping attitude other music reviewers and certain fans seem to carriage, I meant that in the “I can’t wait to show you more!”…. Sort of way. Anyways this Los Angels based, Jersey-born producer is no stranger to cheffing together beats incorporating flavors of ’80s funk, classic soul, jazz, and samba as he effortlessly tops off the most intimate elements of these genres to express joyful and vibrant musical synergy. And his influences seem to stem more from interpersonal experiences than anything else—from being raised on gospel music at church, to coming from a culture of b-boying at home, to forming the Klipmode collective with fellow beatmakers such as Knxwledge, before relocating to sunny Los Angeles in 2011.

    Rare Pleasure is Mndsgn’s second proper album (in between the mix of collaborations and mixtapes) since 2016’s Body Wash, which highlighted the producer’s ability to pull at the strings of nostalgia by weaving together ’70s synths and funk sounds. In the song “Hope You’re Doin’ Better,” Mndsgn dreamily follows the title’s wish with the sincere promise in the 1st verse, “You’re not alone / You know you got a friend whenever you need one / Pick up your phone.” Also the woozy neo-ballad titled ‘Masque’, compliments “Hope your doing better” so smoothly it allows one to recall a sort of familiar Frank Ocean, but at his haziest. Elsewhere, ‘Medium Rare’ might be the standout, cut from similar cloth to ‘Masque’ but imbuing the blueprint with jazzy flourishes of piano and saxophone, while holding onto the artistic integrity of  late 70s and 80s sonics.

    Mndsgn began exploring these themes  on his Stones Throw debut Yawn Zen (2014), which he followed up with Body Wash (2016). Raw, mixtape-style records Snax and Snaxx followed in 2018 and 2019. Rare Pleasure’s personal and musical forces bring depth and texture to the album’s tracks. Together, they establish a soundtrack to scenes of vulnerability (romantic intimacy in “Slowdance;” fear in “Colours of the Sunset;” self-care in “Medium Rare)  confided by Mndsgn to the listener through his sensitive instrumental ear and cinematic storytelling approach. Sensitive themes are paired  with recurring musical motifs that echo throughout the record, drawing from library music, and soundtrack music. Whether it is the 1970s Quincy Jones-tinged “Rare Pleasure II,” thicc bump-and-roll of “Rare Pleasure III,” or the bossa nova hustle of “Rare Pleasure IV,” these are storytelling  moments executed to the fullest without the use of language.

    By caring for a loved one’s mental health as well as his own, Mndsgn has transformed his skills as a beatmaker producer into something far more exceptional while bestowing his first slow-burner album of his catalog.

 

 

Record Club: Tyler The Creator ‘Find Your Wings’ (Ft. Roy Ayers, Syd Bennett, Kali Uchis)

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“Find Your Wings” is a very successful evocation of the silky smooth Roy Ayers 1970s style and the whole school of positive, uplifting ’70s Black music as a whole.

Tyler the Creator has emerged as one of the foremost independent Alt-Hip Hop music maestros of today. He’s showcased this with a diverse, comical, cartoonish style  taking full advantage of social media in building his brand and audience. In his approach one can identify 21st Century George Clinton aspects, and his collective has already helped bring major artists like The Internet Band and Frank Ocean(as mentioned in class) to the forefront.  With this song in particular it fits Ann Power’s arugment of “genre mixing” in which Tyler bridges together jazz, soul, and small amounts of gospel to create this hit.

This song was released in 2015 of his 3rd studio album Cherry Bomb. This song was chosen for his beloved use of warm, airy, sometimes delicate chord progressions that are reminiscent as mentioned of the early SoulTrain era- 70s black compositions.  in this instance complement the sort of facile syncopation of the drums. Kali Uchi’s harmony with Tyler in the iconic chorus–“fiiind your wiiinnnngs” ”–adds to the hypnotic and soothing Rhodes piano Tyler is  playing along with Roy Ayers’ xylophone fills in between the grooving synth in the backbeat.

Over the years, his style of production has progressed from gritty and dark in early projects such as Goblin, but soon transitioned to a more jazz-based approach, with the album Cherry Bomb, which Okonma described in 2018 as his favorite album.

Definitions:

A harmony is when multiple tones from multiple sources come together simultaneously, in a pleasing way. When you play all the notes of a chord, you’re creating a type of harmony. The strumming of notes on a guitar can create a harmony; an orchestra of instruments playing together creates a harmony; and two or more voices singing together can create a harmony.

In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice era of Classical music to the 21st century. Chord progressions are the foundation of Western popular music styles (e.g., pop music, rock music), traditional music, as well as genres such as blues and jazz. In these genres, chord progressions are the defining feature on which melody and rhythm are built.

Syncopation: A disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of downbeat rhythm with emphasis on the subdivision or off-beat.

Chorus:  The chorus is intended to be the most memorable part of the song. It is repeated several times so that it sticks in your mind. Several other tricks are used to help it stick.Commonly a chorus:Contrasts with the verse, rhythmically, melodically, lyrically, harmonically and / or dynamically.A chorus is repeated at least once, both musically and lyrically. Usually several times.It is more intense, has more energy. A chorus usually has a greater musical and emotional intensity than the verse.

Find Your Wings (Just song)

Find Your Wings (Music Video) ITS FUNNY