lessons from kshmr
December 31, 2019•905 words
Chasing a dream
Be irresponsible. Be a bum. Bums don't owe anybody any thing. Responsibilities suck the energy out of you. The more responsibilities, the lesser energy. Which is why chasing a dream right from when you are young is a great thing. Chasing dreams requires huge amounts of energy.
Use people
Pay them, give them credit. Be nice to people, then use them, then be nice to them.
See the gifts within others, then utilize them.
If you cant be used, you're useless.
Be 0 or a 100.
No one wants to hear about an idea you are half sure about. If you don't believe in it, why should someone else?
Often smart people end up not achieving much while idiots end up doing great things. The reason is simple, the smart person mulls over the 50 possibilities and best course of action while the idiot just flings himself at it. The smart idiot however improvises as he goes along.
Work with people
If you dont, you'll sit there all by yourself thinking how blessed and awesome you are while never finishing things you've started working on.
Sometimes, being first is better than being the best
Simply because, people remember the first.
Having a unique idea trumps technical skill
Many people out there have technical skill, not so many have ideas that hit.
Your work doesn't necessarily need to relate to people
People are boring. Often times they hate themselves. They look for something different, something new. Your shit can be that thing. Take that which uniquely describes you, bottle it up and present it to others.
If you could take you, extract that which is uniquely and distinctively you, some 3 or 5 features, package it into this new medium and preset it to others, that. That is something there would surely be takers for. Think Billie Eylish. Are you Billy? Was your upbringing even remotely similar? Don't lie to yourself. The answer is NO. Still, you love her music. I know I do. It is something different, unique.
Following your tune
There is probably a following for something you believe in. You'll never know till you follow it.
Differences and overlaps
It is often the pessimists who point out the differences while its the realists and smart people who point out the similarities and over laps.
Visualize your creations. Even if its an audio project. Try to imagine how it would make the consumer feel.
Build in open, share your work
Often times it is your mistake that makes you a million by a fluke. There needs to be other people in the room who will listen to your work then tell you "hey that sounds really cool, dont change it".
Just keep making shit
There is no master formula to make success. If there is one truth, then that is to just keep moving. Just keep making shit.
from noise to signal
Seek to better communicate yourself through your medium. It is not about become a success or becoming famous. Just try to realise yourself through your work.
Collaboration is key
The vocals will take your work to the next level. They are also a great sounding board. and most importantly, they put this friendly pressure on you to get shit done.
A universe in a song
Making a song is like building a universe. Since you are making it you've heard it a million times back and forth. But to a person who is listening to it for the first time (everyone). It is like entering a new universe. There are highs, lows, mids, tempo and what have you. Do not expose everything in the start itself. Much like good porn that builds on a plot, good music tells an aural story with mountains and valleys (build ups and drops).
Everything is relative
A kick by itself may be massive but if you put it adjacent to a snare of similar density it suddenly seems lack luster. Aim for contrast and harmony.
No prefect sound
Sounds are like words. They dont feel amazing until a human comes along and turns words into poetry. Just make one sound that sends one message. That offers one part of you. that's it. Dont try for it to do 10 things.
Tricking your brain into finishing things
As you continue to work on something it turns complex and devolves into this multi layer project with hundred of sub-parts and many more combinations. You no more like working on it and hence never end up finishing it. Simply because the project went from being something fun to being an exercise of solving a rubix cube. You stop being creative and kick into 'organization' mode.
At such times trick your brain.
Simply the project. Bunch similar things together. Take out the shit. The unimportant bits that you think you will not need, Take them out right in the start (you can always add them up later if you feel the need).
You have got 3 hours. The first 3 hours that you take a project in your hands. Dish out as much creativity. Figure out the perfection bit later.
Make bounces
Make it easy for you to access things you have worked on in the past. This, so that it isn't a drag connecting with your reservoir of work. Something that didn't make a hit back then may just be ripe for the present.