The Sonic Storytelling of Song ‘L’ecriture Feminine’
Divine Affliction: Perception Through A Feminine Lens Part 8
Divine Affliction: Perception Through a Feminine Lens Blog Series presents an expansive view behind the music production of album Divine Affliction. An expression of the feminine aesthetics in music. A sonic portrayal of the duality of divinity and affliction, a journey through the female experience. The album is a shorter album consisting of seven songs and would be defined as experimental electronica with raw, introspective, brooding, emotive music. This album presents an aural representation of the female processes and application to music production. The musical compositions are inspired by my own experience of the intersectionality of gender and music production along with the preliminary research uncovered in the 1st four theoretical blogs of this series. This blog dissects my creative process, with visceral accounts on the sonic storytelling of song — ‘L’ecriture Feminine’, narrating my music-making process. By highlighting how I implement the song concepts into the musical composition, audio processing, and lyrics, you observe the creative experience through the lens of a female producer.
‘L’ecriture Feminine’ Sonic Storytale
The Song Concept
‘L’ecriture Feminine’ is the term used to describe the feminist aesthetic style of writing, meaning to compose from the embodied female. This style is found in contemporary French feminism, particularly in works from Luce Irigaray and Helene Cixous (Macarthur, 2002, p. 1). In the case of Irigaray, feminine writing is intrinsically related to women’s bodies: “Women must allow their bodies to speak through those spaces”; women must write their bodies (Macarthur, 2002, p. 21). Macarthur compares Irigaray’s notion of writing from the embodied feminine with Cox’s belief. “That the continuity and openness of feminine writing also reflect women’s sexual experiences [as] indefinite, cyclic, without set beginnings and endings”(Macarthur, 2002, p. 113). Macarthur then compares these theories with music and McLary’s analysis of a female composer's piece. “As constructing a female metaphor for birth and feminine sexuality through the sonic image of a clockwork, associated as it is with cyclicity” (Macarthur. 2002, p. 113). The cyclicity in feminine compositions, either musical or written, not only signifies the cyclic nature of female's sexual experiences. But also the cycles of birth and death, signifying females are the creator of life.
Music has been represented throughout history as a feminine realm, by correlation with the body in dance, singing, vocality, and sensuous pleasure. Greek myths reveal stories of the two mouths of the female body, the vocal and the sexual. To the left is an image of the vocal chord, it resembles a vagina. Providing evidence of the two mouths of the female body, the vocal and the sexual, affirming the connection between music and the feminine. Due to fear of feminine expression the church placed the systematic control over both of the female mouths, vocally and sexually (Canakis, Kantsa, & Yannakopoulous, N.d, p. 208–209). This has been a cause of the widespread historical social suppression of women. Canakis, Kantsa, & Yannakopoulous provide an example of this connection with vocality and the females’ two mouths, referencing and analyzing medieval hymns of the 12th-century female composer Hildegard. Describing her composition’s as the flesh of the voice, constituting a female openness delivered in both the metaphysical musical message and the earthly expression, “Hildegard gave flesh to the voice and voice to the flesh not for aesthetic gratifications but for the affirmation of femininity” (Canakis et al., N.d, p. 212–213). Again we see the female in music as a life bringer, “giving flesh to voice” (Canakis et al., N.d, p. 212–213).
The special unique trait of the female is that she brings life into creation. Yet she also endures historical sociopolitical suppression. “The female being has been chosen by the creator to be a portal between the spiritual realm and this physical realm. The only force on earth powerful enough to navigate unborn spirits onto this planet. So tell me, why do we not treat her as such?” (Townsend, N.d). With all this in mind, I wrote the song ‘L’ecriture Feminine’. The intro starts with a female deep inside, asleep in her dripping cave. Like a womb, it keeps her safe. She is awoken by a sound, like chanting. As the intro builds, she is drawn her from her dark cave into the light of the chorus/drop section. Just like a child being born and opening its eyes in awe, she is awakening to all that she is, and is seeking redemption for the suppression bestowed upon her. She is understanding her power. She is the bringer of life. She is female…Following is how I depicted this concept into musical form.
The Musical Composition and Audio Production
The song, ‘L’ecriture Feminine’ is a mid-tempo song with a 4/4 tempo at 126BPM. I composed it in the key of C#minor, choosing a minor key as theories on aesthetics in music correspond the feminine with minor scales. Stoltzfus explains that “musical expression can provide orientation for the entirety of the inner life” including the characteristics of gender, heard in the metaphors of the masculine and feminine in the major and minor keys (Stoltzfus, 2006, p. 81). This was explained further in earlier blog https://medium.com/orthentix/the-sonic-storytale-of-song-the-phenomenological-ecriture-of-motherhood-5768d9e10346 Hobbs describes in blog Musical key characteristics & emotions that the key of C#minor is,
“A passionate expression of sorrow and deep grief. Full of penance and self-punishment. An intimate conversation with God about the recognition of wrongdoing and atonement” (Hobbs, 2018).
Therefore I thought that this key would be perfect for the concept of this song. Though she is having her conversation with God, asking for atonement and recognition of wrongdoings committed to the female gender. Stewart and Winter describe the suppression of the female gender, “as the interlocking complex of lower status and limited opportunities for women as compared with men, in the spheres of law, education, the economy, and social power” (Stewart & Winter, 1977).
As females have been the creator since the dawn of time, I wanted to give this song an ancient and mystical feel. Reminiscent of pagan times with hand drum rhythms and medieval instrumentation. This song was written in a pentatonic scale to depict this ancient and exotic feel. Brett Vollert describes the pentatonic scale as the common chorus of humanity. With completely isolated ancient cultures sharing this common scale, heard in the chants of ancient Greece and in the Asian Pacific. He explains that this is due to the mechanics of “the human ear only being able to hear a spectrum of tones. The most audible of these tones fit within the pentatonic scale” (Vollert, 2013). Justifying why this scale is the core to humanity. He explains further that this scale has been a part of our journey as humans. “These tones would have been carried by the tongues of men and women through our evolutionary history. Our ears might have shaped these tone’s range but at the same time, these notes have shaped our cultures, our language, and our communication” (Vollert, 2013). A pentatonic scale has a pattern of five notes per octave. ‘L’ecriture Feminine’ is written in the C# minor scale, with the notes of C# E F# G# B.
The Arrangement
The intro uses the staggered introduction method, starting simply with a dripping cavernous water sample, to depict the female asleep in her cave. At bar 3 the pads are introduced, then some percussion at the 4th bar, to signify her awakening. The percussion consists of a delayed rim shot along with a woodblock and a rim shot layered with a click with heaps of reverb. The pads have a chanting, watery Icelandic sonic quality, reminiscent of the sounds heard in pagan rituals. A grinding drone dulcimer sounding bass instrument comes in on the 15th bar then a cello on the 17th bar, drawing her out of her hiding. In the 28th bar, the percussion speeds up leading into the bass, introduced at bar 33. This progression continues for a further 8 bars of the intro with no percussion. The song then leads into an 8 bar breakdown section, depicting the awakening to the understanding of the cause of the suppression of females is due to their sexuality. Though it is from this sexuality that life is created. This section introduces the marimba melody along with the harp and violin harmonies, with a sound FX building into the chorus/drop section. The 16 bar chorus is where she realizes her power. This section is more dynamic than the breakdown section and comes in with the full instrumentation. This includes; full drums, percussion, sound FX, a second bassline, a pipe synth line, and a second marimba melody line. Building instrumentation further at the end with a wobbling bassline, leading back into the breakdown section, though only for 6 bars. I then have a brief breath with a quarter bar silence, before dropping into the chorus/drop section again for 16 bars. Then leads into a 2 and a half bar intense build with sound FX as instrumentation, dropping into the final 16 bar chorus/drop section. This final chorus/drop section has the wobbling bass playing continuously and some flute motifs to build up for the outro and add variation. The outro is the 8 bar breakdown cycle, though it continues to finish on the first note of the 9th bar, fading out with the cave water drops. Overstepping the final bar to give a feminine ending. Musicologist McLary references Apel’s definition of feminine endings “that refuses the hegemonic control of the bar line” (McLary, 1991, p. 11). Signifying her back home in her cave, and the cycle ending as the song ends. This outro section has no drums or percussion.
The simple cyclic arrangement of the intro — breakdown — chorus — breakdown — chorus — build — chorus — breakdown/outro was used to represent the cyclic nature of feminine writing. Here is an instrumental version of the song ‘L’ecriture Feminine’ to for an aural representation of the discussed arrangement.
Here is an image of the arrangement from the Logic Pro X project ‘L’ecriture Feminine’. Notice the build and dynamics of the song as it progresses and the cycles of the chorus — breakdown — chorus.
The musical compositions and production of the album Divine Affliction were undertaken in my home studio with; Logic Pro X Digital Audio Workstation; UAD Apollo Duo Audio Interface; Native Instruments Komplete Package and Serum digital musical instruments and synths; along with my host of third-party plug-ins including suites from Universal Audio, Fab Filter and Valhalla. I compose the lyrics, though I collaborate with my creative community to record other vocalists, this is known as a session vocalist, though I do vocalize some of the lyrical material. I use the method of completing the sound design on instruments as I’m composing the song, which is like semi-mixing and helps in the final stage of the mixdown. This blog is written to follow this same process that I use in my creative practice. I started this composition with the drums and sound FX, then led into the bass lines and melodies.
Drums and FX
The drum sounds created are reminiscent of pagan ritual or war drums. The drums have a mid-tempo rhythm of 126BPM, though the main kicks and woodblock rhythm is composed at a half-time rhythm of 63BPM. It is the percussion layer that gives the drums the mid-tempo feel. The kicks are made from two-layered kicks, equalized uniquely. I then layered some tuned 808s over these two kicks to give different tones and melody to the kicks. The 808 kick melody for the chorus section is as follows with each segment resembling 4 bars of the 16 bar chorus:
C# B G# E — F# C# E F# G# — C# C# B G # E — F# C# E F.
The kicks and woodblock are the constant timekeepers in the drum group in the chorus section. The snares have a constant beat on the 2nd beat of every bar and are made from rim shot, click and clave to sound like a woodblock. Halfway through the chorus, these woodblocks are arpeggiated to lead into the 9th bar of the chorus for variation. The hand drum rhythm is made from three uniquely tuned toms, these are composed to the mid-tempo faster pace to add to the ritualistic feel. The hi-hats are 1/8th notes with two notes playing on every beat to give an arpeggiation to the hi-hats. These are in stereo and panned full left and right. There are other percussion accents with bells, metal scrape and delayed rim shots here and there throughout the chorus section. Four cymbal crashes end the chorus section. In the breakdown section, there are only the woodblocks. Following is an image of the drums pattern in the arrange view in Logic X, for a visual representation of the above discussion.
The drums are processed with equilisation, compression, reverb, and pitch-shifted to be tuned with the key of the song. The reverb processing gives air and space to the drums and adds to the ritualistic feel. Most of the drums were sent to a drum group for further parallel compression. This was not including the 808 kicks, hi-hats, bells or cymbals. To do parallel compression, the drums are sent to a stereo bus as a group. This stereo bus is processed with compression, equilisation, and saturation and then mixed in with the dry drums. Following is an image of drum processing in the mix view in Logic X, for a visual representation of this discussion.
The FX were simple and used to add accents or build at ends of sections or to bring in sections. The instruments used were a reverse bell, a reverse cymbal, a crash, and an eerie crystal sound. These were processed with EQ and reverb. White noise is used as a constant underlying FX, though this is further discussed below in the mixdown section of the blog. There were also audio samples of cave water drops in the intro and outro sections. Following is an image of FX in the arrange view in Logic X, for a visual representation of this discussion.
Following is a video of the drums and FX of song ‘L’ecriture Feminine’ for a sonic representation of the above explanation. With footage and audio of the breakdown — chorus — build — breakdown/outro sections.
Bass
The basslines of the song are made with a variety of bass instruments to get an array of timbres to the bass section. These are composed of a half-time rhythm like the kick and woodblock. The Braincells Bass is made with a frequency modulation synthesizer from Native Instruments called FM8. This instrument plays in the intro and chorus sections, with a constant drone tone on the root note of C#. This instrument gives a pagan feel, reminiscent of a hammered dulcimer. The Blown Bass is the main bass of the song coming in during the intro and plays during the breakdowns, chorus and outro sections. This instrument was created with Native Instruments synthesizer Absynth and plays the melody of, with each segment resembling 4 bars:
C# E C# B — G# E — F# B C# E — F# E G#
The first note of each bar plays a longer note, with the bar ending with shorter notes (remember the bass is written in halftime measure). The Bamboo Bass plays this same bass melody, though only plays through the chorus section for a more dynamic feel. It is also created with Native Instruments synthesizer Absynth. The Wobble Bass is used as an accent at the end of the chorus section and through the 3rd chorus. It was made with Serum wavetable synthesizer. The Wobble Bass plays the same bass melody as the Blown and Bamboo basses though with an LFO triggered by 1/8notes, playing the longer notes and an LFO triggered by 1/2 notes, playing the shorter notes. Following is an image of the bass instruments in the arrange view in Logic X, for a visual representation of this discussion.
The audio processing on the bass instruments is depicted below and further discussed as follows.
The bass instruments were heavily processed with EQ, so the different bass instruments could be heard while all playing together. As these mostly played the same melody at the same time, without EQ the bass end would sound muddy with possible comb filtering. The wobble bass also had saturation processing. The Fab Filter Saturn was used for this with a warm tape emulation setting. The Bamboo Bass was processed with a transient plugin, making the transient softer so it doesn’t interfere with the kick. The blown bass was processed with saturation and compression side-chained to the kick. The Fab Filter Saturn was used for the saturation with old tape emulation. The Braincells Bass had the most processing, though some of this was sound design. The sound design incorporated a reverb and a phaser to create the dulcimer sound. Further processing of compression and saturation was added. The Fab Filter Saturn was used for saturation with old tape emulation and Logic native Space Designer reverb was used with a valley forest emulation.
Below is a video of the basses of the song ‘L’ecriture Feminine’ for a sonic representation of the above explanation. With footage and audio of the breakdown — chorus — build — breakdown/outro sections.
Melodies
The melody compositions give counterpoint to the bass lines. The main Marimba melody, in the breakdown section over 8 bars, plays the notes:
C# B C# E G# — G# F# — C# B G# F# — B G#
This is repeated in the chorus section though in the second half of the chorus section it has a variation to the melody, leaving out the last two notes for anticipation leading into the breakdown section again, with the notes:
C# B C# E G# — G# F# — C# B G# F#
This main Marimba was created with Logic native synth Sculpture with a nylon/wood setting. This main Melody marimba is duplicated with an arpeggiation MIDI effect. The arpeggiation settings are set to 1/8 notes with a rhythmic wave grid. The main Marimba was panned left and the arpeggiated one right at 30 degrees so they could be heard separately when playing together.
The LD Magic Pipe synth melody plays the same 16 bar melody as the bass:
C# E C# B — G# E — F# B C# E — F# E G#
The synth only plays in the chorus section with a brief one-note stab at the end of the breakdown, leading into the choruses. The pipe synth was made with Serum wavetable synthesizer. Like the Wobble bass, it has different LFO settings to give a different wobble to the synth line. The three different LFO’s were triggered by 1/4 note, 1/2 note, and 1/8 note settings.
There was a second Marimba instrument playing a rising and falling scale melody, also duplicated with an arpeggiated one. The arpeggiator MIDI effect settings were set to an echoed cycle at 1/16 notes. This Rising Marimba was created with Logic native synth Sculpture with a nylon/wood setting. These marimbas play the following melody during the chorus section only:
C# E F# G# E B C# — C# E F# G# E C# B — C# E F# G# E B C# — C# E F# G# E C# B
These were also panned left and right at 15 degrees. There is also a Marimba melody accent in the chorus section playing the repeated cycle of:
C# E B — C# E B — C# E B — C# E B
This is panned to the center. These marimbas were used to give counterpoint to the melody lines. These melody instruments are depicted in the following image with the main melody in purple, the Rising Marimba in lavender and the synth lines in aqua.
The audio processing on the melodic instruments is depicted below and further discussed as follows.
The marimba instruments all had a long plate reverb of 5.1 seconds. The reverb plugin used was Logic native plugin Space Designer. These five marimba instruments were all EQ’ueduniquely so they could all be heard separately. As they all sit in a similar frequency band, they would sound muddy without this EQ processing. The different pan settings also aid in this separation. The synth was processed with compression and saturation. Once again I used the Fab Filter Saturn saturation with warm tape emulation. Once producers find a plugin they like, it usually gets a lot of use.
Harmonies
The harmonies were made up of three different instruments and play during the chorus, breakdown, and outro sections. The Violin was made with the Logic native EXS24 software instrument, panned left. This had silence on the first bar every 4 bars, playing the notes:
— B G# — E F# — E F#
The Acoustic Harp instrument was made with Logic native synth Sculpture and plays the same notes as the Violin. This was panned to the right. The Unraveling Harp instrument was made with the Native Instruments synth, Absynth, and was panned to the left. In the breakdown section, this plays the 8 bar main melody line of:
C# B C# E G# — G# F# — C# B G# F# — B G#
This is repeated in the chorus section though in the second half of the chorus section it has a variation to the melody, leaving out the last two notes for tension leading into the breakdown section again, with the notes:
C# B C# E G# — G# F# — C# B G# F# —
This instrument plays the main melody line but in a different octave to harmonize with the melody. These harmony instruments are depicted in the following image for a visual representation of this discussion.
The audio processing on the harmony instruments is depicted below and further discussed as follows.
The harmonies were all processed with EQ and reverb. The reverbs were done on the Logic native reverb Space Designer. The Violins had a 1.5-second string chamber reverb, the Unraveling Harp had a 1.8 -second large bright reverb, and the Acoustic Harp had a 2-second strings room reverb. The Acoustic Harp had further processing with saturation and a tremolo effect. Though once again this tremolo effect was more used as a sound design application, suiting the ritualistic pagan vibe of the song.
Pads & Cello
The Cello was made with the Logic native EXS24 software instrument. It plays a constant cycle of C# G# F# coming in during the intro and continuing through the entire song. The cello had heavy audio processing with an EQ, saturation, tremolo, echo, and reverb. This time-based processing worked as a sound design application, creating a grinding drone sound. The pads instruments were made from four different sounding pads synths all layered together playing the same notes of C# G# F# — C# G# F# C#. These played the entirety of the song as an underlying ethereal chant. The four-layered synthesizers used for the pads were the; Native instruments Absynth Water Pad and Icelandic Pad, Native Instruments FM8 Devine Square Pad, and Serum’s PD Emotional More. The Water Pad and Devine Square Pad were panned left and right to give stereo width to the pads. The pads were individually processed with equalization, compression, saturation, and reverb. These cello and pad instruments are depicted in the following image for a visual representation of this discussion.
Motifs and Sound FX
There were two small motifs in the song. The first was made with a Medieval Lute layered with a Celtic Hammered Dulcimer. These were made on the Logic native EXS24 software instrument and played C# E C# — C# E C# in the first breakdown section. These were processed with equalization and saturation and panned left and right for separation. Reverb, echo and tremolo effects were used to design the sound. The second motif was a flute motif at the end of the 3rd chorus. These played the melody C# B C# — C# B C# and were made with a Native American Flute on the Logic native EXS24 software instrument and the Mountain Flute, made with the Logic native Sculpture synthesizer. The flute motifs were processed with equalization and reverb. Each flute had a different reverb setting on the Logic native Space Designer reverb. The Mountain Flute had a 0.7-second clear vocal reverb and the Native American Flute had a 1.1-second cello room reverb. These motif instruments are depicted in the following image for a visual representation of this discussion.
There were three different sound FX instruments used in the song. The sinister exaggerator was used in the chorus and build sections. This played the root note of C# and was made on Native Instruments Absynth. The Sinister Exaggerator was processed with compression, equalization, and saturation. Epic Movements synth was used in the second breakdown, build and outro sections. This played the notes C# and G# simultaneously. Epic Movements synth was made on Native Instruments FM8 synthesizer with compression and equalization processing. PD Emotional More synth was used in the second breakdown, build and outro sections. This played the G# C# and was made with Serum wavetable synthesizer, processed with compression and saturation. These sound FX instruments are depicted in the following image for a visual representation of this discussion.
Following is a video of the melody, harmony, motif, pads and sound FX instruments of song ‘L’ecriture Feminine’ for a sonic representation of the above explanation. With footage and audio of the breakdown — chorus — build — breakdown/outro sections.
Vocals
The vocals were recorded with an AKG P420 condenser microphone, with a sound reflector and pop filter. These were recorded through the TC Helicon Voice Play Live and the UAD Apollo twin interphase. I used a pop filter to capture the plosives like P’s and B’s and reflection filter to encapsulate the sound acting as a vocal booth. The chorus was recorded with a nice chorus setting on the TC Helicon and the backing vocals (B vox) were recorded with a plate reverb with a double effect. Using the two different settings on the vocal recordings of the chorus and backing vocal gives a unique sound the different parts, adding variation. The images of these settings are as follows.
With the backing vocals, I used the close mic technique for an intimate quality to the vocals. I went for this type of sound for the B vox to represent the feminine. I wanted to capture the breaths and softness in the recording, making it sound whispery and gentle. I processed the vocals with EQ and compression, and sent them to a reverb chain, with a shorter reverb sent into a medium plate reverb. I made the B vox reverb quite wet in this song as I wanted that airy whispering quality. I also doubled the backing vocals in sections and pitch-shifted one of these up 4 semitones. I used a delay and echo processing on the B vox to add a feminine quality and variation to the vocals. The main vocals had less reverb processing, harsher compression, and saturation to give them a stronger feel, depicting her strength and power. The compressor was side-chained to the toms to groove with the song. The main vocals were panned to the center while the backing vocals were panned left and right. The vocals had automation on the volume to control certain sections and delay sends at the end of certain words, phrases, and parts to enhance the groove of the vocals.
Mixdown
The final mixdown is the stereo mix that you listen to out of your speakers, this is mixed to level with peaks no higher than -3Db, ready to be sent off for mastering. It is essential to ensure that you are 100% happy with this mix as it is the final version. Listening to the whole mix with nothing on solo, I adjust the volume, panning, then dynamic processing, time-based processing, until I am satisfied with how it sounds. I also mute some elements in the intro’s or where they are brought in to adjust the arrangement to flow and suite the taste I am wanting. As I use the process of working on the sound design and semi mixing as I proceed the mixdown is usually straightforward. There was minimal automation used on this song in the mixdown due to this processing of the instruments during the composition. The instruments were heavily processed with equalization and compression so they all fitted in the mix really well. They were also heavily processed with time-based FX so any further time-based automation would make the mix cloudy. The rims shots and clicks had some reverb send automation at the end of the intro and outro sections, depicted in the following image.
I have been getting into the habit of bouncing a lot of my MIDI to audio for the mixdown and final arrangement. I find this frees up space on my computer and locks the composition into place so I can focus on the mixdown and finalize the song, without unnecessary fiddling with MIDI notation. I also find it visually easier to mix as you end up with fewer tracks bouncing layers together. The instrument frequency can sometimes be easier to balance with stem mixing due to fewer elements to balance. Here is further information on bouncing MIDI to audio for the mixdown/final arrangement from Resound.
As discussed earlier white noise was used during the whole song. White noise is a random signal that has the same amplitude across the entire frequency spectrum. This is a technique used to give an underlying uplifting feel to the song, usually used in a breakdown section. It is a familiar sound that our ears are used to hearing. Jaclyn Kendall explains “Radio static is a great example”, of the familiarity of the sound of white noise (Kendall, 2018).
“White noise is probably the most common type of noise used in music, especially electronic music. Because white noise has equal strength across frequencies, it can add texture and depth to your mix and interact with your instruments in interesting ways. Not all mixes will need the white noise layer, but tracks that feature elements like wall-of-sound guitars, slowly decaying pads, or brilliant synth leads can all react very well to the addition of a white noise layer” (Kendall, 2018).
Jaclyn Kendall discusses this further in LANDR blog ‘How to Turn Nasty Noise Into a Creative Mixing Tool’.
The Lyrics
The lyrics to this song are cyclic as a display of womans’ sexuality, written like a chant envisioned by the repetitiveness of chants or pagan rituals. This song communicates the female waking up liberated from the historical suppression to her sexuality, realizing her sexuality has the divine power of creating life and continuation of the human race.
L’ecriture Feminine — Lyrics
Female sexuality far from sin…
Enslaved to the binded chains, I purge and release the strains
Realize the power within, Female sexuality far from sin…
With it comes the cycle of life, The reason humanity survives
I embrace the power in me, And set my afflictions free…
Enslaved to the binded chains, I purge and release the strains
Realize the power within…
Far from sin, Femininity, Femininity, Far from sin,
Femininity, Femininity, Far from sin
Far from sin, Femininity, Femininity
Female sexuality far from sin…
Enslaved to the binded chains, I purge and release the strains
Realize the power within, Female sexuality far from sin, Far from sin
With it comes the cycle of life, The reason humanity survives
I embrace the power in me, And set my afflictions free…
Femininity, Femininity, Far from sin
Realize the power within, Female sexuality far from sin (Orthentix, 2018).
Here is ‘L’ecrtiure Feminine’ with the lyrics and vocals to gain an understanding of the above discussion and all the elements of the song.
A Female Music Producer in Her Realm: Reflection on My Creative Practice of Music Production
The following reflection is on the feminine aesthetics of my creative practice, music production. This leads to an understanding of how my gender affects my practice. I found it quite difficult to compose and produce this song. Facing writers’ block often during the process. Repeatedly deleting and restarting certain elements and sections. This song’s concept is expressing a musical composition from the embodied feminine. Other than the cavernous water drops, the key signature, and the choice of instrumentation, there were no signifiers to help tell the story. What was blocking me from composing this song? It was fear. Due to the subject of the song I was worried that no one would like it or possibly understand it. I asked myself why am I writing this song? Even questioning why I am doing this project and why I am pursuing the male-dominated field of music production? Irigaray, a French feminist writer may have also had these blockages and afflictions with the intersection of her gender and creative practice.
“I am a woman. I write with who I am. Why wouldn’t that be valid, unless out of contempt the value of women or from a denial of a culture in which the sexual is a significant subjective and objective dimension? But how could I on the one hand be a woman, and on the other, a writer? Only those who are still in a state of verbal automatism or who mimic already existing meaning can maintain such a scission or split between she who is a woman and she who writes….Not to contribute to making language and its writings sexed is to perpetuate the pseudo-neutrality of those laws and traditions that privilege masculine genealogies and their codes of logic— Luce Irigaray” (Macarthur, 2002, p. 21).
Like me, Irigaray notices that she is the alter gender in her field and questions why she participates in a masculine domain, “she who is a woman and she who writes” (Macarthur, 2002, p. 21). Realizing it is not only her passion but also her duty as a female to write from the feminine. And through this writing, she is addressing the perpetuated norm of masculine produced texts. These l’ecriture feminine writers, like me, pursued their creative practice to compose something different to the norm and challenge the masculine domination in the field of writing. Macarthur highlights two issues that are prevalent by writings from early feminist musicology and the arts, “that women’s art and music are different from men’s and thus judged unfairly against the value system of patriarchy, and that access to an equal education was an impossibility for women” (Macarthur, 2002, p. 112). She comments that access to an equal education became an important theme in the majority of feminist literature. “Many feminists have been deeply committed to eliminating the sexist barriers that have prevented their entry into the public domain of the social world” (Macarthur, 2002, p. 112). Like these early feminists, my intent with this project is deconstructing my creative practice as a source of education to music production that females can access. Elizabeth Grosz's approach to creating change is to “analyze the institutional structures that act as barriers to women and to set about dismantling these structures” (Macarthur, 2002, p. 112). It was apparent that women’s oppression, though constituted within economic, political, and social structures, was due to the social constructions embedded in representational binaries. Feminist theorists turned their attention to the notion of difference (Macarthur, 2002, p. 112), with feminine aesthetics.
Feminist aesthetics refers to the cultural artifacts created by women and how these are created as a means of articulating a different voice within the fields of literature, art, and music. This different voice is not just relating to the female body being different. But also to how the female’s body functions physically and socially, along with how they are expected to function socially. If a woman’s body is different from a man’s, then it follows that her textual practices will also be different (Macarthur, 2002, p. 15). If women are shaped, disciplined, and produced differently in their social contexts then women’s textual practices will be shaped, disciplined, and produced differently. Macarthur comments on the usefulness of identifying how the practices of writing and music “are deeply embedded in ideological frameworks and social institutions since this inevitably leads to an understanding of how sexual difference comes to be shaped at the level of the text itself” (Macarthur, 2002, p. 114–115). This makes me think back to an interview I did with a fellow female producer Ania Grzesik. Grzesik says stereotypically males may have an aggressive approach to production and their studio processing, whereas “women may have a lighter touch” when it comes to this. “Then how much of this has to do with the fact that men can get away with more.” She gives the example of times when she has gone out on a limb and taken chances with being more aggressive with her processing and “guys have been like yea I don’t think this works here.” She says, “Who knows if a guy tried this same thing he could have gotten away with it.” This makes her think that it has less to do with our gendered natures and more to do with potentially our timidity as female producers. Therefore feminine texts have been shaped differently due to the sexual difference and the fact that practices of music and writing are deeply embedded in ideological frameworks and social institutions, formed by males. We have a subordinate position in the field and studio environment, which impacts our creativity due to “wanting to fit in, be hired again and please people” (Grzesik, 2019, personal communication). This subordinate position shapes the feminine aesthetic in our works, giving the music a restricted aesthetic. Macarthur uses Rieger’s example to explain a restricted aesthetic.
“Although women have composed in all forms and genres, their social status in the 19th century meant that they were largely confined to writing parlor music. As Rieger says, they became skilled in writing music that could be easily performed — songs, and piano and chamber music predominate — and were less experienced in writing music for its own sake. Rieger suggests that this has meant that women have had a tradition in making the most out of limited circumstances. In turn, this gives rise to what she describes as a restricted aesthetic in the music itself” (Macarthur, 2002, p. 12–13).
To dismantle these structures Tara Rodgers believes we have to “construct music histories differently and consider how sounds themselves are reproductive” (Rodgers, 2010, p. 15). Her approach is to go “against the grain of cultural ideologies that have aligned women with normative modes of heterosexual and capitalist reproduction” (Rodgers, 2010, p. 15). Reproductive sounds are produced by bodies, technologies, environments, and their accompanying histories. Reproductive sounds are reproduced in reflections off surfaces and in recorded media. They are reproducible within our memory, online through streaming and in storage on devices for future playback. Reproductive sounds are productive by developing multiple meanings in disparate contexts (Rodgers, 2010, p. 15). Women are also capable of reproducing, we reproduce life. Rodgers states “To account for reproductive sounds in all their temporal depth is to challenge the patrilineal lines of descent and the universalizing male claims to creation that have thus far characterized dominant discourses in music” (Rodgers, 2010, p. 15). Reproductive sounds or any sound for that matter represent a cycle with soundwaves. As does woman, she represents the cycle of life. And with all this in mind, I became appreciative of my feminine difference and composed this song, dismantling the patriarchal structures by taking ownership of my reproduction of sounds. I put on my headphones and composed from who I am, woman. I expressed my feminine sexuality through the cyclic melodies and rhythms in the song. Through the lyrics, I proclaimed the social sufferings of women and our power, the unique trait of reproducing life.
I reached this point of understanding through research, theory, and reflection. I had to go back to my research and reset my perception to remove the blockage to my creativity. I had to re-assess why I was doing this. Why I was writing this song. Why I was doing this project and why I was producing music. I came to the conclusion that writing music is my passion. I love music and I love this form of creative expression. With completing this project I am breaking down the patrilineal masculine culture dominating music production by creating a source of access to music production for females and representing feminine aesthetics in music production from a feminine vernacular as a role model for other women. I am composing this song as an expression of the feminine aesthetics in music production, composing from my embodied feminine. Through this process, I have liberated myself from the creative blockage and gained fuel for further creativity.
“A feminine text cannot be more than subversive: if it writes itself it is in volcanic heaving of the old ‘real’ property crust. In ceaseless displacement. She must write herself because, when the time comes for her liberation, it is the invention of a new, insurgent writing that will allow her to put the breaks and indispensable changes into effect in her history— Helene Cixous” (Macarthur, 2002, p. 21).
To analyze the feminine aesthetic in my music production, I observe the feminine performativity in my music production. Recently during an interview with another female music producer, I was speaking about feminine performativity in music production and the way females think about production. I mention that “I start with the drums and I think that these are like the bones of the song” (Thompson, 2019). The way I speak about music production with the use of a feminine vernacular shows feminine performativity. To define the feminine vernacular Mills explains. “ Woolf and the French feminists, state that female writing is radically different from male writing in terms of linguistic structure and content” (Mills. 1995, p, 38.). Female poem producer agf. deconstructs the normal social construct of gender, using her feminine performativity in her poetic vocal performances blending rational masculine computer code with feminine poetics of desire. Rodgers explains she does this “out of frustration with the limitations of familiar language and a desire to be free from meaning” (Rodgers, 2010, p. 201). Producer agf. shows a feminine vernacular and performativity with her use of content and linguistic structure in her musical performances. Kelley inhabits hybrid animal/alien cyborg characters in her musical projects, combining the female body and machine, or the synthetic and natural. Rodgers states “the interfacing of bodies and machines in electronic music facilitates play with the sonic materiality of language, the embodied production of knowledge, and expectations about gender in musical performance” (Rodgers, 2010, p. 202). Producer’s agf. and Kelly both use their feminine performativity to break down gender expectations with blending the masculinity of technology with their divine femininity. Another example of feminine performativity is my music production is the use of a staggard introduction, building the song fluidly. This was apparent in this song ‘L’ecriture Feminine’. Female producers that I have interviewed also have this fluid performativity in their approach to their productions. Ania Grzesik has a similar approach to her works’ with “no sharp edges” in her mixes and a “fluid” nature (Grzesik, 2019, personal communication). Van Den Hurk likes when sounds have a fluid sonic quality. She likes it when things “stay organic and not so clearly defined” (Hurk, 2019, personal communication). Once again these females also relate their digitalized sound to the natural or organic. The female signifiers I used in this composition with the cavernous water sample, the choice of key, and instrumentation are also representations of feminine performativity in music production. The lyrics are also a demonstration of feminine performativity in music production, as they resemble the cyclic nature of all feminine texts, like the cycles of the female organism. The lyrics are a performance of a female story, expressing the afflictions I have with being the alter gender in music production. Along with the message of empowerment from historical suppression of the female gender, as we are the creator of life, the very reason humanity survives, a divine being. “The woman is the only transport to get to earth. We are divine portals. Honor the female in you” (Wohali, N.d).
To further analyze the feminine aesthetic in my music production, I observe the feminine modalities in my practice. The way that I think about music production is an example of female modalities of music production. I think about producing a song like birthing it into being, and the drums “are like the bones of the song” (Thompson, 2019). The use of metaphors to connect music, which is a digital reproduction, to the human or natural form illustrates a feminine modality to music production. Rodgers explains that female producer Jessica Rylan’s practice is designing and building synthesizers. She prefers to use analog circuits because they follow simple, natural laws. They push and are pushed into that pattern because it’s the path of least resistance, in the same way, that water flows. For her, nature and artificiality align with a distinction between the analog/natural and the digital/artificial (Rodgers, 2010, p. 106). Producer Jessica Rylan also has this feminine modality in her practice of music production.
Analyzing my practice further, It has become apparent that I often composed Asian inspired melodies and pentatonic scales, eminent in this song along with my previous album. Macarthur analyses Anne Boyd’s use of Asian melodies in the work ‘Cycle of Love’. She explains that oriental prose and music is different, seen as feminine, compared to western music and prose, which is designated as masculine. “The East is positioned as other to the West, which is, arguably, to designate femaleness or femininity” (Macarthur, 2002, p. 119). This creates a female culture where “females have inscribed their own layers of meanings onto the texts that they have produced as gendered and sexed female bodies” (Macarthur, 2002, p. 119). With the use of this feminine modality of music production and the approach to producing Asian inspired melodies that are different from western melodies, heard in the pentatonic scale of this song. Women, including myself, are dismantling the institutional structures in music production that act as a barrier to women by use of unconventional methods. This blog furthers this dismantling with the representation of female experience in music production, aligning with Olszanowski’s perspective. “Experiential sites of production and consumption must be re-articulated and shown as sites for and of female experience, but without obscuring that they are predominantly masculine” (Olszanowski, 2011, p. 9).
Conclusion
This blog on the sonic storytelling of song ‘L’ecriture Feminine’ presented an informative view into a feminine realm of music production, delivering a comprehensive understanding of the female approach and process to music production. Please comment below if you have any questions or would like to further discuss the intersection of gender and music production. The following blog will dissect my creative process with visceral accounts on the sonic storytelling of song ‘Virgin or Whore’ — highlighting how I implement the song concepts into the musical composition, audio processing, and lyrics.
Read the previous blog: https://medium.com/orthentix/the-sonic-storytale-of-song-the-phenomenological-ecriture-of-motherhood-5768d9e10346
Read the following blog: https://medium.com/orthentix/the-sonic-storytelling-of-song-virgin-or-whore-2f0b0bf4bfdc
Encore
Divine Affliction, experimental electronica with raw, introspective, brooding, emotive music. A journey through the female experience. A musical expression of the divine feminine and the afflictions she faces…She finds strength in her vulnerability and turns her affliction into a virtue.
The Divine Affliction album will be released — December 2019! There will be a series of video tutorials published on Youtube — early 2020 under the same title Divine Affliction: Perception Through a Feminine Lens with an exoskeletal view into the production of title song ‘Divine Affliction’ from the album. The tutorials will give a breakdown of the music production with each tutorial covering how to produce a certain element of one song from the album, giving a visceral account of how to compose and produce a song from start to finish, with the final tutorial educating how to independently release your own music. Experience her story of music production through a feminine lens, a feminine perception of music production, educating womxn how to make music and embrace the realm of music production. Excited? I am…Stay Tuned via the following Youtube link to my channel!
Reference List:
Canakis, Costas; Kantsa, Venetia; & Yannakopoulous, Kostas. (N.d). The gender of voice: Transgressing the boundaries of bodily sound [Article]. London, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Grzesik, Ania. (2019). Quoted from a personal conversation/interview via zoom.
Hurk, Fieke Van Den. (2019). Quoted from a personal conversation/interview via zoom.
Hobbs, Jared. (November 29, 2018). Ledgernote: Musical key characteristics & emotions [Blog]. Retrieved from https://ledgernote.com/blog/interesting/musical-key-characteristics-emotions/
Kendall, Jaclyn. (April 4, 2018). How to turn nasty noise into a creative mixing tool [Blog]. Retrieved from https://blog.landr.com/how-to-use-noise-mixing/
Macarthur, Sally. (2002). Feminist aesthetics in music. Greenwood Press, CT: USA. ISBN: 0–313–31320–2.
McLary, S. (1991) Feminine endings. London: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978–0- 8166–4189–5.
Olszanowski, Magdalena. (2011). Dancecult: Journal of electronic dance music culture what to ask women composers: Feminist fieldwork in electronic dance music [Article]. Retrieved from http://dj.dancecult.net
Rodgers, T. (2010) Pink noises: Women on electronic music and sound. NC: Durham, NC USA: Duke University22 Press. ISBN: 978–0–8223–4673–9.
Stewart, Abigail J., &, Winter, David G. (1977). Journal of women in culture and society 2 no. 3: The nature and causes of female suppression [Publication]. Retrieved from https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/493386?journalCode=signs
Stoltzfus, Philip. (June 5, 2006). Theology as performance: Music, aesthetics, and god in western thought. New York: TT Clark. p 81 & 101
Thompson, Louise M. (2019). Self quoted from a personal conversation.
Townsend, Jo. (N.d). The female being quote [Social Media Post]. Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/524528687832344540/
Williams, Holly. (May 30, 2017). BBC Culture: The woman who could draw music [Media Press]. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170522-daphne-oram-pioneered-electronic-music
Wohali, Shama. (N.d). The woman is the only transport to earth quote [Social Media Post]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/ShamaWohali/status/1127563694802722816
Vollert, Brett. (July 2nd, 2013). The pentatonic scale: The music of humanity?[Blog]. Retrieved from http://matterundermind.com/the-pentatonic-scale-is-this-the-global-music-of-humanity/
Orthentix. (2019). L’ecriure feminine blog: Basses [Video Link]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/346358235/24fd7a0ee4
Orthentix. (2019). L’ecriure feminine blog: Drums and FX [Video Link]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/346357499/27f9124621
Orthentix. (2019). L’ecriure feminine blog: Melodies, harmonies, motifs and sound FX [Video Link]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/346359013/6db993b152
Orthentix. (2019). L’ecriture Feminine [Audio Link]. Retrieved https://soundcloud.com/orthentix/lecriture-feminine
Orthentix. (2019). L’ecriture Feminine — Instrumental [Audio Link]. Retrieved from https://soundcloud.com/orthentix/lecriture-feminine-instr
List of Figures:
Figure 1. L’ecriture Feminine — Song Offical Promotional Image. Image by House of Pheonix Eleven. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 2. Vocal chord & Vagina. Meme. N.d. Retrieved from https://images.app.goo.gl/ArxJwkJqrwt6ZPXu7
Figure 3. Arrangement of song L’ecriture Feminine — Logic Project File. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 4. Drum arrangement of song L’ecriture Feminine — Logic Project File. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 5. Drum audio processing of song L’ecriture Feminine — Logic Project File. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 6. FX arrangement of song L’ecriture Feminine — Logic Project File. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 7. Bass arrangement of song L’ecriture Feminine — Logic Project File. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 8. Bass processing of song L’ecriture Feminine — Logic Project File. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 9. Melodies arrangement of song L’ecriture Feminine — Logic Project File. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 10. Melodies processing of song L’ecriture Feminine — Logic Project File. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 11. Harmonies arrangement of song L’ecriture Feminine — Logic Project File. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 12. Harmonies processing of song L’ecriture Feminine — Logic Project File. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 13. Pads and cello arrangement of song L’ecriture Feminine — Logic Project File. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 14. Motif arrangement of song L’ecriture Feminine — Logic Project File. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 15. Sound FX arrangement of song L’ecriture Feminine — Logic Project File. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 16. Vocal processing of chorus section of L’ecriture Feminine — Logic Project File. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 17. Vocal processing of backing vocal section of L’ecriture Feminine — Logic Project File. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 18. Automation of song L’ecriture Feminine — Logic Project File. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
Figure 19. L’ecriture Feminine 2 — Song Promotional Image. Image by House of Pheonix Eleven. Copyright Orthentix 2019.
