Fractal
NOTES ON "FRACTAL"
In collaboration with ECHO GARAGE
"Brownian Motion" version on SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/user-596493783/fractalbrownian-motion
"Grainy" version on SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/user-596493783/fractalgrainyExtended Play (including two versions) on SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/user-596493783/sets/fractal
"Brownian Motion" version on YouTube (notation video):
https://youtu.be/MQNXrZhqABs
Track Data
Composition tool: MuseScore, Studio One 4 ProfessionalRecording tool (DAW): Studio One 4 Professional
Number of tracks: 91
Sound source: Presence XT, Impact XT, Mai-Tai, (All built-in sound sources of Studio One), TAL-NoiseMaker, and equipment owned by Echo Garage (detailed as below)
Composition and recording period: 8 January 2020 - 25 January 2020
The Concept: Tonal and Self-Similar
Just after the “Ruins” series, which has very complex structures, we wanted to make a track structured simply (at a glance). There were 4 or 5 ideas for it and the one picked up is this:
“Tonal music, which we haven’t made for long. Structured in self similarity of a chordal pattern like I, IV, II minor and V, for instance, C, F, Dm, and G. After this pattern based on C, the next base is F: F, Bb, Gm and C, etc, etc, which is self similarity.” TM wrote.
While actualising this pattern, we turned it into I, V minor, II minor and VI (eg, C, Gm, Dm and A). The quarter-note part plays this pattern by quarter note and the half note part plays the same by half note, while the whole note part plays the same by whole note. Then it goes to the G, D and finally A bases afterwards. It takes 64 bars.
After that it starts changes as you will hear. Only the order of the chords is altered like Dm, A, C, Gm. If you change just the order you will hear a minor key, like the old theories tell us. Next, it goes to a set of Am, E, G, Dm on the key of A, and then Cm, G, Bb, Am on the key of C, and so forth.
In the last section it goes back to the original pattern of C, Gm, Dm and A with a lot of tensions on them (which is C with M7th and 9th, Gm with 6th and 9th, Dm with 4th and 7th, and A with M7th and 9th, etc).
What is “Fractal”?
The title “Fractal” is a mathematical term referring to the structure of self similarity.
“In mathematics, a fractal is a subset of a Euclidean space for which the fractal dimension strictly exceeds the topological dimension. Fractals appear the same at different levels, as illustrated in successive magnifications of the Mandelbrot set;[1][2][3][4] because of this, fractals are encountered ubiquitously in nature. Fractals exhibit similar patterns at increasingly small scales called self similarity, ...”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal
Some decades ago, Haruomi Hosono proposed “Fractal Music,” which we loved much. The track we have released this time is more obviously fractal-structured. It could be a good idea to hold a workshop where we perform this live with explanation like Steve Reich… maybe some time.
TI says, “On the other day, I saw something like the process of a snowflake being made, which is exactly the same as that of creating this track. When a core becomes a part, it becomes more and more self-similar (units with the same structure) and creates various shapes.”
It seems to be like fractal Brownian motion, which is to make noise self-similar in octaves and superimpose (or to clouds and snow). It's not a single chord progression.
Take snow for example. If its self-similarization progresses neatly, it will be a very beautiful hexagon (like a snow mark), but it comes in various shapes due to climatic conditions and collision with other snow crystals.
Really, we wanted to put "distortion" (irregular, asynchronous movement or change). There is one in terms of the rhythms, which we explain a little bit more later. We wanted to do it with sound as well and thought live instruments such as guitars would play a critical role.
Guest musician, Echo Garage
Two of us, FMT, are very pleased to have Echo Garage as a guest musician, who has created a lot of wonderful experimental works. We asked him for his guitar and other instruments that he would feel are needed. He has great producer’s points of view as well.
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/echo-garage
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Echo-Garage-323934118152433/
He added three parts, which gave it brilliant accents: the guitar, sixteenth notes hi-hats, and Clavinet emulation.
Echo Garage commented,
“I always think of the track as a whole, take the vibe and feeling (and in this case the intention, too) and create something that fits in.
“And if I'm pleased with the sound then just because it fits. That doesn't exclude contrary ideas or sounds if they add something that's good for the song or track, but it has to make some kind of sense for me.
“When I created the guitar track, I wanted to emphasize the point of fluidity, just like the shape of clouds changes in a very "fluid" way.
“The hihat track was created to bring in some more dynamic.
“And with the 3rd track I wanted to add some kind of harmony that on the one hand ‘breathes’ the vibe and intention of the track and on the other hand works like a hook for the one who's linstening, something that remains in his or her mind. I'm always working with hooks.”
Back when we started to use SoundCloud, he listened to and commented on our music from the very beginning and the exchange through the direct message also started then.
We also listened to his music and felt the elements in common with our music. And the sound he created, especially the guitar, (which we can’t play,) was fascinating.
His sounds seem to be different from ordinary guitarists (rock, jazz, fusion, etc.) in how he perceives the guitar as an instrument.
TI recalls, “I feel that the guitar is not only an instrument but also a sound source. So, isn't it very compatible with our music? I wanted to offer it someday, and I was able to do it this time.
“What I asked him about this track is that I handed two mixes of the almost completed song with just a brief explanation of the song's structure (namely, basic chord progression and development) and its concept, and it's just ‘Please put in any inspiration.’ Nothing else is specified.”
While we were waiting for his track, we were very excited with what kind of sound he brings in. It's not necessarily a guitar. (It must have been difficult to deal with only a small amount of information we provided, though.)
As a result his three tracks were even more fabulous than expected. We got more inspiration from his phrases and we were able to further develop the music.
Echo Garage reported the details,
“I used my main guitar (Epiphone Les Paul 1960 Tribute Plus) for the guitar track, and since Reason 10 is my DAW of choice, I created the other two tracks within it.
“The hihat is a 808 hihat running in Reason's own "Redrum" drum machine.
“For the melody track, it's the "Clavinet" by Waves. For fx/processing of all 3 tracks I used plug-ins by Klanghelm, Soundtoys, Waves, Audiority, Tokyo Dawn Labs, AAS, Toneboosters and Valhalla DSP.”
The Eight Beat
As for the rhythm, almost all of this track consists of the eighth notes only with a few exceptions (ie, hihats and arpeggio etc). We considered a grooveless 8 beat to be fit with such a “fractal structure”, taking so-called Motorik Beat into account, for which Neu! is famous.
Our first intention was to highlight the bass sounds of synthesizers and drum machine, but the sixteenth-notes hihats were added later for more dynamic, as Echo Garage said above.
The drums suddenly disappear and appear again many times. It’s partly the motorik beat, but sometimes the bass drum was omitted. Also, We intended to make the sounds as tinily dynamic as living creatures are moving around, while it might sound monotonous to some extent as a whole. Such an irregular and asynchronous beat is the “distortion” in the rhythm, which we liked to put in.
Sound Making and Mixing
This track does not contain any new sounds and has a strong 80's atmosphere (which we love). (However, the complex effects and sound images in this piece can only be created in the present era, interestingly.)
The essence of this track is not in sound but in structure. There is something that leads to the Fractal structure as described earlier.
Although this track has a core phrase, it does not play a unique role in the track, and each phrase has no fixed role such as a bass part, melody, backing, etc. The phrases change places and instrumental parts and spread out in various places.
It is the same as having a center in a snow crystal, not up, down, left or right. It starts with a sine wave and overtones over it. After that, there are various sound changes in each part, but the number of sounds used is not that large.
Other than the basic drum kit (2 types), only 5 types are used.
In addition, only the guitar, Cravi and hi-hat are played by Echo Garage. These sounds are changed only by harmonic changes (or effects) and delays (or, in other words, multiplication in a self-similar form).
Echo Garage's phrases will also be self-similar, and will be scattered more and more.
In addition, the sine wave at the beginning sounds continually until the end, but it changes the overtones over time to change to various sounds.
We hope this text will let you have more fun to listen to Fractal.
Thanks!