Play It Forward.
A daisy chain concept of making music. Get involved!
I’ve been toying a while as to how to get you - yes, I mean you loyal readership - involved in something. Something different. Something like a creative collab which was ‘low friction’ as wanky people (me) like to say.
So here’s the idea. Here’s Play It Forward.
We upload a sound - maybe a sample, loop, field recording, chord progression, spoken word, or ambient snippet. You guys and other creatives build on it, twist it, warp it, reply with their version, or even better pass it to someone else entirely. Each version becomes part of a living, creative daisy chain.
Once we’ve got some interesting responses, I’ll put them up here, and who knows if it’s super successful, we’ll do a full Metalabel release where everyone who contributes gets a cut? I’m getting ahead of myself there…this is only a starter. A beta.
To kick us off, I’ve come up with this 45 second loop. Main file below. I’ve split these into stems and popped them on a DropBox link. The whole thing is at 87bpm, and those with DAWs will be able to pop them right in at that time sig.
The loop:
And the files:
This is all free to use. Go mad. Rap on it, warp it, read some poetry over the top. But, the best thing you could do is do a little something with it, and Play It Forward to someone new - that way we get something a bit special and creative!
All this being said, I thought it would be good to have some sort of initial framework or guidelines to keep things tight, so…
(Rough) Rules of Engagement
In theory:
Each participant gets ONLY the previous version, and should, if possible, try to add 1 new instruction (e.g. “slow it down,” “make it tactile,” “add spoken word”) as you pass it on.
Try to add only add 2 layers or use 2 instruments.
No context. Just intuition.
Each file has a number - so in this case it’s 0001. Please keep adding sequentially for file tracking, so 0001_02 etc.
Feel free to use the Logic DAW file I’ve uploaded if you like.
Creative Roles
Not just musicians. Why not loop in:
Visual artists (interpret the audio as visual work).
Writers (add narrative or poetic interpretation).
Dancers or animators (respond through motion).
Coders (build interactive versions or visuals from waveforms).
Return to Sender
After 5 layers, the original artist gets their baby back, completely transformed. They can:
Finish it and release it as a remix or work of art.
Kill it and write a eulogy.
BUT, any creator who wants to take their version forward is more than welcome!
Obviously, I’m expecting most of this to get ignored as we all hate rules. But, in the meantime, let the creative chaos begin! I look forward to hearing some interesting responses…
Email me your work: graeme@ambientsoulmusicclub.com
Graeme