Crear espacio
Lesson time: (6min 12sec)
Sister Bliss explica por qué Faithless despojó canciones como 'I Want More' para el escenario: recortando partes y usando pads espaciosos para dar aire a los temas en directo.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Del estudio al escenario: cómo Faithless creó su sonido en directo
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Creating Space in Live Music
So it was really important to create space in the songs.
Variations in Live Performance
In certain songs in particular, they were just a really different animal when they were being played live. For example, there's a song called I Want More. It had a really beautiful, gentle acoustic guitar riff in it, but it was completely lost when we started rehearsing it.
- It didn't feel like it had the heaviness that the song needed to match the lyrics.
- So, we stripped it all out, completely changed the beat, and changed the parts that were in it.
- We took out the guitar entirely and just had pads that were spaced out in a particular way.
- This allowed the vocals to hang over the piece of music, which was what you could really hear.
Importance of Clear Lyrics
It's super important with a band, well, any band really. The lyrics are often what people are listening out for; they have to be really clear.
- People need to hear what the band is saying.
- If you can't hear the lyrics, you're kind of losing half the experience, especially with a band that uses a rapper and rap music and spoken word.
Sensory Overload and Audience Engagement
For us, it was really important to make sure the songs had space in them so that the audience could almost catch up. It was such a sensory overload with the sound, the lights, and the show experience.
- I like to run the songs like a DJ set. There was no break between many of the songs.
- The first half of a show would have every song segue into the next, and the segue sections were as important as the songs.
Combining Different Music Styles
This was a really exciting part of the show: how to knit together slightly disparate music, which included:
- Banging and clubby
- More hip-hop
- Funky
- Almost ambient
We had sounds that would recur through the show. We would have pads that created links between one song and the next. But the space within the songs was really important.
Transforming Mass Destruction
There's a song called Mass Destruction, which was a very different beast on record.
- Live, it became like a punk anthem.
- We sped it up but tried to keep it groovy.
- There was a big discussion about whether to keep this guitar riff running through it.
It was much more dynamic to have it chopped up. We worked on a section to allow the chorus to breathe, allowing the guitar to play simple notes whereas the recorded version created a dirge.
The Reality of Live Sound
However, you never know until you get into a venue just how these elements will work.
- "Whether Halliburton, Enron, or anyone, greed is a weapon of mass destruction."
- We need to find courage.
- "Overcoming action is a weapon of mass destruction."
Listening Back for Improvement
In rehearsals, a key element was listening back. This is crucial for improving as a band.
- Recording yourself can provide a useful reference point.
- It shows how far you've come from the beginning of rehearsals to the end.
Sound checks were also incredibly important to see if things worked in a cavernous arena.
Challenges with Different Venues
Every venue has its own reverb and sound qualities. For example, we got booked to do a show in South Africa in a sugar silo.
- The shape of it created a 20-second delay when the sound hit the back wall and then came back to us.
- Ultimately, we had to cancel the gig; it was impossible to play, leading to a confused maelstrom of sound.
Outdoor Festival Challenges
Having played at many festivals, I can say the weather makes a massive difference.
- Sometimes, the wind can blow the sound away from the speakers, making it difficult for the audience to hear.
- This can affect how you play on stage, as you're not receiving the right vibe from the audience.
Key Takeaways for Your Prep
Be aware of all these different factors when preparing for a show:
- Simplifying things
- Keeping parts tight
- Ensuring clarity of sound
These are all really important when you're in rehearsal.
About the instructor
'Sister Bliss nunca dejó de escribir música. Es una consumada compositora para cine y televisión, DJ de club y defensora de las industrias creativas'. Billboard Una de las artistas de música dance británicas de más éxito de los últimos 25 años, Ayalah Bentovim, alias Sister Bliss, es la fuerza musical que hay detrás de Faithless. Junto al icónico cantante Maxi Jazz y el productor Rollo Armstrong, formó Faithless: uno de los proyectos electrónicos de mayor éxito de su generación, con una trayectoria de más de dos décadas que incluyó 8 álbumes (3 de ellos número 1) y seis singles entre los diez primeros. Hasta la fecha, Faithless ha vendido más de 15 millones de discos en todo el mundo y ha actuado en directo ante millones de personas por todo el planeta, encabezando festivales, estadios y pabellones. La banda ha colaborado con artistas como Jazzie B, Boy George, Cat Power y Dido, sin conformarse nunca y moviéndose con soltura por una ecléctica variedad de géneros. A lo largo de una carrera de 25 años que la llevó de la escena underground de los clubes británicos a conciertos con todas las entradas agotadas en pabellones y actuaciones como cabeza de cartel en festivales de todo el mundo, Sister Bliss se ha convertido en una de las artistas electrónicas femeninas con más trayectoria e influencia de la música dance británica. Llega tras publicar el primer álbum de estudio de Faithless en diez años, el muy esperado 'All Blessed', la carta de amor de Faithless a la música electrónica que los muestra en su mejor momento. El álbum alcanzó el número 6 en las listas y los singles, junto con sus remixes de estreno, obtuvieron un amplio apoyo en BBC Radio 1, Radio 2 y BBC 6, así como en Kiss FM y Capital. Multiinstrumentista de formación clásica, también ha compuesto la banda sonora de numerosas producciones de televisión, cine y teatro. Entre sus créditos figuran la película Knife Fight de 2012, protagonizada por Rob Lowe y dirigida por el dos veces ganador del Óscar Bill Guttentag, encargos para Sex & The City 2, Chasing Amy, The Beach de Danny Boyle, A Life Less Ordinary, la aclamada película británica The Hide, Crossing The Line y los dramas televisivos ganadores del BAFTA Life Begins (ITV) y The Poison Tree (ITV). Para el teatro, Bliss ha compuesto música para The Black Album y The Emperor Jones en el National Theatre de Londres, además de componer una pieza original para la London Sinfonietta, que se interpretó en el Fuse Festival del Reino Unido. Recientemente tuvo un papel protagonista en el gran programa de máxima audiencia de BBC1 'This is My Song', asesorando a los participantes y produciendo sus grabaciones finales. En 2019 publicó un nuevo álbum en colaboración con Rollo y Dido bajo el nombre 'R PLUS' - 'The Last Summer', tras un verano repleto de actuaciones como cabeza de cartel en sesiones de DJ en festivales de todo el mundo, incluidas actuaciones en Bestival, Exit Festival, Glastonbury, Creamfields, Ibiza y más allá. Su exitosísimo programa de radio y pódcast semanal 'Sister Bliss in Session' se distribuye a más de 100 emisoras y 43 países de todo el mundo. Recientemente presentó como invitada el aclamado programa de Gilles Peterson en BBC 6 Music y sustituye con regularidad a Ana Matronic en el programa Dance Devotion de BBC Radio 2. También ha presentado una serie de 5 partes en la emisora Scala Radio de Bauer Media, tendiendo puentes entre la música clásica y la electrónica, que ganó el premio Bronce en los New York Festival Radio Awards, compitiendo contra 30 países. Actualmente imparte clases en el máster MA de Tileyard Studios, con módulos sobre composición, producción y escritura por encargo comercial, y tutoriza a estudiantes de máster de forma individual: el mismo conocimiento práctico que comparte en Studio to Stage, donde desglosa exactamente cómo Faithless convirtió sus discos en un espectáculo en directo capaz de llenar estadios. read more