Chris McLay.

Interaction designer and user experience consultant.

A Selection of Tracks

This is the shortlist of tracks I put together when looking for a piece of music to use in the visual music project. After shortlisting I removed them by a process of elimination until I ended up with just one…

Replica, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Cinemage, 4:50
Another orchestral, instrumental track, this time with very distinct layers. This reminds me of an animal march. It can be harsh a grating, but has moments of uplift, and is very rhythmic in places.
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Tracks for another time…

El Mar Mediterrani, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Cinemage, 17:16
An orchestral, instrumental track with very distinct layers and movements. As well as a symphony this track also features a DJ a guitarist and has lots of interesting samples and secret sounds throughout. At times this is a very beautiful moving piece, but at other times is very aggressive, disjointed and arrhythmic. It is very much a roller coaster ride. I would love to do this track, but it’s just too long.
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Ear Parcel, Lamb, Fear Of Fours, 7:54
An electronic drum and bass track with lots of interesting background samples. At times it moves into a more orchestral and ambient space. This track has lots of distinct layers, but is perhaps too dancey. A bit long, with too many real sounds for this one.
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Five, Lamb, Fear Of Fours, 5:48
Ambient drum and bass track, with a really strong forward drive over quite a laid back beat. It has good distinct layers, but does not have much movement, or any real distinct movements. Nice, but a little too smooth for this time round.
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Overture, Björk, Selmasongs, 3:37
Overture, Björk, Vestpertine Live at Royal Opera House, 3:35
This is an instrumental orchestral piece, but much more traditional and European than the Sakamoto tracks. It is a very moving piece, very emotional and positive, yet at the same time tentative and hesitant. It has several distinct movements, and recurring themes. The two versions are slightly different. The album version has a larger symphony orchestra, while the live version has the 54 piece Il Novecento Orchestra. What the later lacks in size it makes up for somehow, and all the live breathing and taps and clicks are quite nice. I think it’s just too slow and simple for this project.
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Chasm, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Chasm, 3:30
An instrumental piece mainly for piano, but heavily sampled and cut up. This track has much simpler layers, which are less distinct and more messy than the orchestral tracks. It is a very fast and rhythmic piece, but also manages to be very eerie. This track is too close together, and too fast passed for an first try at this methodology.
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Seven Samurai – Ending Theme, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Chasm, 5:40
This is a very Asian influenced piece, and is instrumental to me, but has a operatic lead vocal which may or may not be in Japanese. The instrumentation is very distinct (piano, harps, Japanese woodwind, and Japanese strings). It is as very sad and sorrowful piece, that does have an undercurrent of a better future. Just a bit soppy and messy for this round.
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Little Buddha, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Cinemage, 8:48
An orchestral, instrumental piece, with subtle layers throughout. The track starts out sad and contemplative, but towards the end shifts to a powerful and beautiful optimism, before ending on an almost demanding pleading note. Too quiet and slow to go anywhere.
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Unfinished Sympathy (Instrumental), Massive Attack, Singles 90-98, 4:07
Drum and bass with string section and piano. This is a nice track, but does not go anywhere. Boring…
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