Tag: Synthesis

A Soundtrack for Spiritual Awakening

Posted on by David

Jon Hopkins makes gentle music with hidden depths.

Celebrated music writer Kelefa Sanneh reviews Jon Hopkins new album Singularity for the New Yorker. Mr. Hopkins was the first artist we collaborated on bringing to Boston five years ago.

[Singularity] is both the gentlest and the most epic of Hopkins’s career. — Kelefa Sanneh

Sanneh talks about Hopkins‘ early on being “seduced by the Roland TB-303,” how Singularity signaled his transition from Logic into Ableton, and which Spotify playlists he comes up on.

As an inspiration for our school, and for many of our students, Hopkins’ release is something to celebrate to be sure. After the 6 years and 7 months (!!) since we brought the acclaimed producer to Great Scott, we’re happy to see him remain

“one of the most celebrated musicians of his generation“

and be

“one of music’s great minds operating in peak form.

Start your musical journey today: polina@mmmmaven.com.

Legends of Synthesis: J Dilla and the MPC

Posted on by David

When it comes to music synthesis, one of the most recent to stand out as a giant of innovation is Detroit hip-hop producer J Dilla. James Dewitt Yancey. Dilla produced music for Erykah Badu, The Roots, Common, De La Soul, and many more. He was also a part of Slum Village, who made what some consider one of the greatest hip-hop records — Fantastic Vol. 2:

So when Red Bull Music Academy shared this video (“He used the MPC like Jimi Hendrix used the guitar”) via the folks at @voxdotcom, it sort of broke the internet.

As the first comment puts it: “Imagine what Dilla could have done with Ableton and a Push 2.” Indeed.

Music:)ally Talks to Roli Boss Roland Lamb about Blocks

Posted on by David

“If the Seaboard is an evolution of the piano, let Blocks be an evolution of the drum.”

Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?

British music-hardware startup ROLI has just launched its latest product, Seaboard Block, which the company hopes will help it attract more customers who are mainstream, amateur musicians rather than just professionals.

The new device, a £280 ‘super powered keyboard’, is effectively a hybrid of ROLI’s existing products: the Seaboard keyboard which first launched in early 2014, and the Blocks modular music-making devices that debuted in late 2016.

Interested? We sure are! Click right here and head to Music:)ally for the fascinating interview with Roli inventor Roland Lamb.

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The Roli Seaboard RISE

Posted on by David

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Inside the lab, we host numerous advances in music technology, including the amazing Seaboard RISE. Here’s a demo of this remarkable keyboard.

In our latest story about how real-life artists are using the Seaboard RISE we feature Adriano Clemente, the Brooklyn-based sound designer and DJ known for his genre-bending sets of techno, ambient, and synthwave music. Adriano is obsessed with sounds — and even more so with the technology that helps him create new ones. He’s using three of the Seaboard RISE’s dimensions of touch — Press, Slide, and Glide — to add depth and color to his music.

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This multidimensional sound control is changing the way he makes music, whether he’s performing at an underground club in Brooklyn or crafting sonic textures in his studio.

Read the full story at Roli’s website.

Want to know more about the DJ Program at MMMMAVEN? Drop us a line below and get a free introductory DJ lesson.