Composer Julia Holter deconstructs her 2013 song 'Horns Surrounding Me' from the album Loud City Song, explaining how she blends acoustic, electronic sounds, field recordings, and background noise to evoke fear and introspection. She discusses manipulating her vocals for added texture and character, creating a haunting and evocative musical experience.
Julia Holter combines acoustic and electronic elements with ambient field recordings to evoke fear in 'Horns Surrounding Me'.
Holter changes her voice to portray a scared man's perspective, inspired by a vision of a marching band chasing someone.
Deep dives
Deconstructing 'Horns Surrounding Me'
Julia Holter discusses her song 'Horns Surrounding Me' where she combines acoustic and electronic elements with ambient field recordings, creating a feeling of fear. She explains her approach to invoking this emotion, changing her voice to portray a scared man's perspective, inspired by a vision of a marching band chasing someone. Holter elaborates on her use of field recordings and the intricate arrangements she made, including blending noise and playing chords to create a haunting atmosphere.
Exploring Artistic Process and Performance
Julia Holter delves into her artistic journey, mentioning her experimentation with field recordings to find her distinct voice amidst compositional challenges. She discusses the difference in her singing styles during live performances versus recordings, highlighting the creative opportunities in the studio. Holter reflects on the process of creating 'Horns Surrounding Me' and the use of both acoustic and electronic elements in the song's production, emphasizing the importance of atmosphere and cinematic moments in her music.
Julia Holter studied composition, and in the song Horns Surrounding Me, she arranges not only acoustic and electronic instruments, but also layers of ambient field recordings and background noise. The song was released in 2013 on her acclaimed album Loud City Song. In this episode, Julia deconstructs the recording, and talks about what she did to evoke a feeling of fear in both the music and the way she sang, changing her voice on different parts of the song to create character and texture.
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