Welcome
This is the first instalment of the semesterly London Met Music Newsletter, which sings loud and proud about all the work we as a Music Community have produced this last year.
It’s been a strange old year, but there is still plenty to shout about. Music students and staff have been busy both in and away from the University. Much like the Music Industry, we have all adapted to the changes forced upon us by the pandemic and maintained a high output of creative, artistic and innovative works.
I will highlight some of the projects our students have been working on this year at University, all which reflect the industry and its technological, creative and cultural nature. From song writing to mixing and mastering, live streaming to business planning and music reviews.
This newsletter also presents some of the releases and productions our students and staff have completed and released independently over the last year. From albums, singles and podcast to publications and symposium presentations.
I hope you enjoy reading and learning about all the work the London Met music community has created this last year!
Stephen Good
Course Leader
Music Technology and Production
Music book club
In February, we launched Music Book Club on Wednesday evenings as a chance for students and staff to talk about the music they love, away from online classrooms. It fast became a platform for everyone to discuss anything from song writing, music production and working in the industry. Each week a new album was chosen to discuss and introduce, opening up a new world of records and songs beyond everyone’s usual tastes.
We have had deep critical conversations on everything from writer’s block, record labels, streaming and new artists and producers.
On 10 March we were also joined by special guest, singer songwriter and Gorillaz bassist Seye Adelekan. Seye introduced his chosen record and went on to discuss his influences and path into the music industry as well as answering student’s questions on song writing and what it’s like working with Gorillaz.
The 10 instalments of Music Book Club also saw students introducing and reflecting upon their current favourite albums, allowing them to develop their critical thinking and analysis of production, song writing and concepts.
Music Book Club will continue in the new 21/22 academic year, after the summer break.
Level 3, Foundation year
This year our Foundation students have worked remotely on a range of projects aimed to develop their skills in music technology, song writing, sound design and film, as well as the preparatory academic skills, such as critical thinking, reflection and analysis.
Students’ projects this year have included songwriting and production in Studio One, sound design in Adobe, enterprise and business plans, music sector research, case studies and audio-visual projects in collaboration with film students.
Level 4, First year
Our Level 4 students have developed their working practices in a number of areas of Music Technology and Production across their modules. Again, working remotely they have explored the theory and practices of audio, signal processing and mixing & mastering. They have investigated sound design, media for musicians and a range of compositional approaches.
Students have developed their own instruments and digital effects using Cycling 74’ Max, mixed and mastered multi-track recordings in Cubase, and completed Sound Design projects in Adobe.
Additionally, they have studied and examined the wider cultural, technological and social contexts of music, giving them an overview of the industry.
The theory, skills and techniques they have learned this year put them in good stead for the practice-based and research projects they will create in the new academic year as well as the fast evolving Music Industry.
As well as their university work, the Level 4 music students have been hard at work this year producing and releasing their own music, podcasts and videos.
In December, Level 4 student Julia Balingha Okomo launched her own Podcast, Producers Pod UK. The podcast is a great platform for creators like Music Producers, DJ’s and Engineers. It sees interviews with UK Music Producers, sharing their stories, helping others to learn from their journey.
Level 4 student Isaac Firby, also known as artist Smodt, released his new single, Which Way on the 8 May, across all streaming platforms.
Level 5 (second year)
Our Level 5 students this year have begun to make use of their skills and practice in more advanced projects. The work created has been both technically and creatively challenging and they have produced some highly original work.
Projects have included advanced approaches to composition, producing music to licensing briefs, conceiving and developing live performance devices and instruments in Cycling 74’ Max, developing games and sound design in Unity and creating their own Podcasts.
The Podcasts students have created cover themes such as mental health, learning during lockdown, spirituality and individuals pathways into producing music.
Students have also expanded their critical thinking in analysing identity and representation of artists and producers, preparing them for their work at Level 6 and in the wider Music Industry.
Level 5 music students have also been busy this year, producing and releasing their own music, spoken word poetry and Twitch live streams.
Adarsh Pandey, who goes by the moniker Fred Dxxn, has released 3 tracks in the last year, including his track Alter for the music licensing brief and two great singles Cruisin and The Morning. Adarsh has a unique sound blending hip hop, R&B, pop and shoegaze. Give him a listen and follow on Spotify - Fred Dxxn
Rebecca Nicholson, also known as UK Garage singer/producer Colourgirl has been busy producing music, including a stripped down version of her 1999 hit Joyrider, named the (BlueJaZz) edit. You can follow Becks and her music on Instagram and at primez.co.uk.
Our Level 5 Student Rep Chevonesse Smith also known as producer/spoken word artist Kali GLD has been busy writing and recording her poetry over the past year. Her work includes 11:11, which was recorded in the first lockdown as a reminder to breathe and be patient with herself and the world around her. You can check it out on her YouTube channel.
You can also read her poem, Magic Nature, below....
MAGIC NATURE
It takes the same 9 months to bring male and female into being
In fact for several weeks
There is absolutely no difference that can be seen
Surely this means from birth we are equal-
I mean it must be true!
But it seems whilst the genitalia of the male developed
For the female something else grew
Nothing that can be seen
If physical
it might take magic from this mysterious being
There is no evidence of magic- *shhhh*
They say seeing is believing
Women to the layman are appealingly incomprehensible.
The delicate touch of a mother, humbled eyes laid on her very own creation,
To witness such love, unsoiled, without corruption or judgement.
Without greed or dependence, with intentions only of protecting and enhancing,
Oh how lucky is the child, to have a woman to perpetuate it’s smile,
And though the world is often to her, who is made of magic, so unkind,
When she kicks off her shoes and makes time to unwind,
The elegance of her magic is finally allowed to shine.
She opens a window, the wind whistles her mother’s chime,
She is the essence of this life we live, cruelty to her,
Means no peace will the heavens give.
Level 6 (Final year)
This year our graduating Level 6 cohort have produced a range of projects focussing on employability, creativity and representation. Additionally, each student has produced a dissertation which is critically and culturally relevant to their practice.
In the Final Project, our students have each produced a 6 track EP, with some students already releasing singles and gaining BBC radio airplay.
For the Project Development module students have put together release strategies for their EP’s, including social media marketing, websites, branding and artwork. All supported with live stream performances, showcasing their music and talents.
As graduating students, the cohort have also produced portfolio websites showcasing their work and skills, ready for life after University.
We are sad to see them leave, but we are also very proud of all they have achieved in the last 3 years with us and we wish them the best in their futures.
Our Level 6 music students have not stood still either, working hard in promoting their works alongside and as part of their Project Development module. We have seen two of our graduating students get airplay in the same month on BBC’s Introducing radio.
Level 6 student Rep James Brittain, also know as Primez, saw his track “Streets at Night” played on BBC Introducing for West Midlands in December. James wrote Streets at Night at the end of summer as a message to anyone struggling with mental health.
Jamie Holmes also saw recognition for his music, with BBC Introducing Stoke playing his single Green Revolution on the 5th December. This year Jamie has been active on all fronts, releasing singles and videos.
Staff
As well as lecturing, module and course leading, our staff team are also active contributers to their fields. Here is a brief summary of their activities over the past few months.
Stephen Good
meremartyr.com
sgonlinemixing.com
Senior Lecturer and course leader Stephen Good has been productive this year, producing, composing, mixing/mastering and providing sound design on a number of projects.
Stephen writes and produces along with partner Meridyth Dickson in the trip hop group Mere Martyr. Following the release of their debut album Flight for Freedom last summer, they also released the single/video Counter the Dark in December 2020.
Stephen also mixed, mastered and played bass guitar on the album And then the Lights Went Out by singer songwriter James Andrews, he mixed a number of tracks for international drummer Moyano el Buffalo and the track Focus by UK Dubstep/Garage producer Stern.
Stephen also worked on the Sound Design for upcoming neo noir thriller Brighton & Hove by film maker Sheridan Seraphin.
Dan Beck
This year Associate Lecturer Dan began a Techne funded practice based PhD at CRiSAP, which is the sound art research unit at University of the Arts London. His research explores the connection between sound and environment, and in April he presented the first piece of work from his research at the inaugural ‘Remote Sensing’ symposium hosted by UAL Camberwell.
37°N is an online audio-visual installation that uses live sensor data gathered from online community APIs and consisted of a live streamed event that took place between the hours of 2.46pm and 5am Japanese local time on the ten-year anniversary of the Fukushima disaster.
Each interruption to the stream is triggered by a complex patch created in Max MSP, which is an audiovisual programming software that our students on the Music Technology course have the opportunity to learn and use in their projects.
Christina Paine
Associate Lecturer Christina Paine has also been busy and was recently interviewed by incl. a quarterly, inclusive, free digital publication that comprises a selection of articles and stories surrounding the theme of inclusivity. Christina discussed issues surrounding inclusivity, music and education. It is a fascinating interview and worth a watch.
Ian Whitehead
It’s been a funny year for Ian too, who besides being our Music Technician, also works as a live sound engineer. Sadly, due to the pandemic the last show he actually worked on was back in March 2020.
However, Ian has had a fairly busy year. Before the first lockdown he recorded a live show by singer songwriter Wes Finch, consisting of a four piece brass section, two drum kits, double bass, guitars and violins, which he mixed in the summer for an imminent vinyl release.
He has also recently mixed another live performance for the band Charlottefield initially recorded in 2007 on 8 track, again for a release on vinyl.
Additionally, songs from the soundtrack to the independent film The Seventh, which Ian had composed and produced, have recently been released by Anti/Type films.
Ian and partner Sarah also had little baby Nate in August, who has since become a keen participant in Wednesday’s Music Book Club.
Charles Reeves
Associate Lecturer Charles Reeves, as well as covering composition and live sound at London Met, maintains a busy schedule working as a Producer, Composer and Engineer from his own Sublime Recording Studios in North London.
A summary of Charles' works this last year is as follows:
- Producing, recording and mixing on numerous projects, including: Nick Welsh (King Hammond, Bad Manners, The Selector); Broose (US-based artist); Howard Jones; Ghosts of Our Former Selves (London-based band); Claude9 (Austin-based electro-dub artist); Tiny Magnetic Pets (Dublin-based electronic artists); Fred Cassidy (Los Angeles-based artist); Dana Boulé (Paris-based artist
- Guest appearance on the live show and podcast of Sonic Talk
- Composed music for a few video games, including the re-launch of the '80s classic “Moon Patrol”
- Composed music for multimedia project “Western Oriental Gentlemen” (album, film, live performance release due out in 2022)
Thank you...
We hope you have enjoyed reading the first Music Newsletter.
Be sure to look out for more updates and news on upcoming work from our talented music students and staff.
The next Newsletter will be in the new 21/22 Academic Year, so please submit your stories and news to s.good@londonmet.ac.uk.
Additionally, for more information or course related enquiries, please contact course leader, Stephen Good on s.good@londonmet.ac.uk.
Download the Summer 2021 Music Newsletter as a PDF document.