“Artistry” became a hot topic when, at the most recent Grammys, Kanye West said Beck needed to “respect artistry” and give up his award to Beyoncé.
As you might’ve seen, there was a lot of backlash on Kanye’s use of the term “artistry” — most of which stemmed from Beck’s album involving “real instruments” and Beyoncé using a team of producers and engineers who used “computer sounds” to craft her album.
Well, here’s how I see it: There might actually have been more “artistry” involved in Beyoncé’s album. Her album involved many more creative minds in the process of making it, which shouldn’t be taken lightly. Some notable names on Beyoncé’s album include Boots, Hit-Boy and Majid Jordan. They are up-and-coming talents who have contributed to some of the most innovative sounds hip-hop has seen in the past few years.
The producers “on their computers” who “do not play an actual instrument” deserve much more credit than they get — have you ever tried making a song on your computer? It’s not easy.
To clarify, I’m NOT discounting instrumental talent. I’ve played guitar (and other instruments) since I was 11. By the time I was in high school, I had a collection of tab books from The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, and I played them obsessively. In college, I brought my guitar with me and played in coffeehouses monthly and jammed with my friends in dorms. But at some point in the past few years, I became interested in producing sounds on a computer. So I got Ableton Live.
Ableton Live, for those who don’t know, is one of the premier computer applications producers and other creative minds use to make music. It comes with a big package of sounds you can screw around with in many, many different ways.
Once I learned how to do things like sequence sounds and add sidechaining effects, I realized electronic music is much, much more than just “pushing buttons onstage.” as many would discount it as.
I spent a winter break trying to come up with a track that would satisfy my standards, and I failed miserably. Why? Because, as I said, it goes beyond just “pushing buttons” — to produce music in Ableton you have to arrange notes and manipulate the sounds fastidiously.
Do a some digging and you will find many talented electronic musicians that will blow your mind with the sound that they produce. It can be warm, it can be cold, it can be soft, and it can be stark as hell. With electronic music and what musicians can do with computers, the sonic palette is INFINITE. Any single sound, whether conventionally musical or not, can be introduced as an instrument.
These musicians do NOT include a lot of the “turnup” EDM artists such as Skrillex or deadmau5. Yes, they do deal with the complexities of computer softwares, but their music does not vary much and they use defined structures; an intro, a first drop, usually a breakdown and then a second drop before the song ends.
Some producers think outside the box and use their computer to blow our minds. You’ve probably heard “Money Trees” by Kendrick Lamar, produced by DJ Dahi. Any idea how he made the beat? He sampled a portion of the song “Silver Soul” by Beach House and played it in reverse — and added some kicks in it. Watch them recreate it here, it’s really cool.
Believe me, playing real instruments has huge merits. I grew up playing guitar, piano, clarinet, alto saxophone and harmonica. But if you decidedly avoid “computer music” because it doesn’t seem like “real music,” then you’re missing out. You don’t even need lyrics to evoke emotions. The fact that a track like “Come Down To Us” by Burial can give me goosebumps (and occasionally make me misty-eyed) without any lyrics is amazing and compelling.
