This list of our 2020 Top 10 favourite independent electronic music producers from Singapore would not be complete without The Analog Girl. After more than a decade of electronic avant-pop, starting from her days as a lo-fi project (before lo-fi was lo-fi) on portable synthesizers and cassette tape (the real stuff, before cassette tape was being emulated in software) through explorations on Tenori-On, Monome and Percussa AudioCubes, and performances around the world, she released VIRTUAL VACATION in 2020 on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, TIDAL.
In this post she shares in detail how she produced the EP and the inspiration behind it.
https://orcd.co/theanaloggirl-VIRTUALVACATION
You can also buy VIRTUAL VACATION on Bandcamp
https://theanaloggirl.bandcamp.com/album/virtual-vacation
What gear did you used to make VIRTUAL VACATION?
I work primarily on my laptop, and using Ableton - stock for most parts.
For drums, I used the Ableton drum kit C78 for both tracks, and I’ve just become aware that it is somewhat of an emulator for Roland’s classic CompuRhythm CR-78. Which makes it extra cool now that I am know of that because the original Roland CR-78 has been an icon to me, both in terms of its looks and sound. Its preset rhythms have been used by many artists in the 80s including Phil Collins and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. I like to start with a basic beat to ground the song, and then add a little variation here and there along the way.
For the track Fascination, I wanted a slightly more contemplative and calming feel, and so I decided to tinker away at electric piano soft synths and soft acid analog synths like Korg’s Mono/Poly (software version).
The main lines in Magic Hour were also written using electric pianos - specifically Ableton’s Mellow Piano preset and EP Faceplant. I had set out to write a track that takes place during the magic hour, during dusk, when the street lights had just started to turn on, and you are on a stroll or commute. To achieve that mood, I wanted to feature a Wurlitzer kind of sound, and using the electric piano to carry both melody and bass lines. For most parts of my career, I write, perform and record using the QWERTY keyboard on my laptop. It was only in the last 2 to 3 years that I decided to return to tradition and write using a 3-octave external MIDI keyboard in order to produce lines and hooks that are different from my past albums.
Magic Hour started out as 2 separate songs, which didn’t quite get fleshed out individually, but I liked them both so I took sections from each song to become one.
Soft synths from the Korg Legacy Collection were also prominently featured. I grew up with a Korg T3 Workstation and so naturally I wanted to revisit its sounds. The strings section in Magic Hour made use of the Old String preset from the M1 soft synth. And in Fascination, the oscillating section uses Pulse Pad from MS-20.
I also like to spice up the presets a little by using stock Ableton effects such as the Ping Pong delay and Large Space Chorus.
What inspired you to make this music?
I was commissioned to write a soundtrack for ALICE@Mediapolis, a smart building, and it was to be played in its public spaces. Prior to this project, I hadn’t really written anything as ambient or instrumental, so it really pushed me to step out of my comfort zone. These 2 tracks were written in the later stages and I decided that since I had enough tracks for ALICE, I would save these 2 for an Analog Girl release. Initially thought I would maybe add some vocal but with Christmas nearing while I was revisiting the tracks, the bells and tinkly synths in them made think of winter and the holiday season. And since I hadn’t release an ambient album before, I thought there is no better time than this. Music takes us places, hence the title “VIRTUAL VACATION”, which seems pretty apt now since we can’t really go on our year-end escapades.
What keeps you making music through this tough year?
Lockdown has actually put me in a space and situation where I could focus on mixing my latest full-length album Awe, since social activities have come to a halt. And after releasing Awe in September, I could even gather enough time and energy to put out VIRTUAL VACATION. There is nothing that makes me feel more happy, more at peace, and accomplished than gearing up for a music release. I have also been really lucky to have been a part of many livestreams throughout lockdown - an experience I truly cherish since I am able to still perform. It is also an endeavour that I love, as we need get a little creative when it comes to either staging a live show at home, or if in a studio, I am so grateful for the help and expertise of live event companies like B Cube who have had to re-invent themselves, adapt to change, and come out stronger from this.
In a nutshell, the community keeps me making music through this tough year, and by community, I mean everyone from the listeners, to my family, and industry friends.
About this blog series
This year, despite (or because?) all of the restrictions to our music scene, Singapore-based electronic musicians produced a LOT of interesting electronic music. This blog series is our non-scientific attempt to showcase some of our favourites from 2020. This list is not exhaustive and we reserve the right to add to it any time we like!
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