September Core Program Applications Are Open!!

***Expressions of Interest for Hack Sounds Core Program Starting September in Redfern***

We are currently accepting expressions of interest for new members of our core program, which is a 2 term (10 weeks per term) program covering music theory basics, collaboration skills, music technology, improvisation techniques, songwriting and production. It is 6-8pm on Monday evenings at 107 in Redfern, starting in September. It's a free program, but limited to around 12 members per semester, for optimal learning outcomes. We combine some educational components, alongside self-directed learning and hands on with fun and easy to use equipment.

We encourage female members to apply, and welcome people from all cultures, creed, any disability-just let us know of any access needs-or any level of musical skill. Our only requirements are that you are committed to attending every week, and have an active interest in learning about electronic music making. To apply, please email hacksounds@107.org.au, outlining;

- basic background on yourself (age, suburb etc)
- what interests you about Hack Sounds?
- your background with music making-it doesn't matter if it's limited
- have you created music in collaboration with others before? Please let us know about that process.
- your aspirations around music-do you want to produce music? be in a band? do sound in a venue?
- what you'd like to learn from the program
- whether or not you can commit to the two terms fully-we expect regular attendance
- anything else you think is relevant

Once we have received your email, you will get further information about the process for joining the program. As this program is limited capacity not all applicants will be successful, but we will be hosting several open events before the end of the year-so keep an eye out otherwise.

Submissions will close 31 July.

Intro To Electronic Music



Here's the presentation from our first session this term, with the relevant videos below it:

Copy of Hack Sounds by Hacked Sound

Some related videos:
Tracklisting from the video creator (TBH don't totally agree with some of the genres!):
1970 - Kluster - Kluster (Experimental Krautrock)
1971 - Claude Denjean - Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye (Synthpop)
1972 - Hot Butter - Popcorn (Synthpop)
1973 - Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (Progressive Rock)
1974 - Kraftwerk - Autobahn (Krautrock)
1975 - Tangerine Dream - Rubycon (Ambient)
1976 - Michael Rother - Feuerland (Ambient Krautrock)
1977 - Donna Summer - I Feel Love (Hi-NRG Disco)
1978 - Giorgio Moroder - The Chase (Synth Disco)
1979 - Roots - What Are You Doing in Casablanca (Disco)
1980 - Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime (New Wave)
1981 - Patrick Cowley - Menergy (Hi-NRG)
1982 - Steel Mind - Lionel (Italo Disco)
1983 - Tyrone Brunson - The Smurf (Electro Funk)
1984 - Harold Faltermayer - Axel F (Synthpop)
1985 - Serious Intention - You Don't Know (Garage House)
1986 - Marshall Jefferson - Move Your Body (House)
1987 - 49ers - Touch Me (Italo House) (Fact check: Actually released in 1989)
1988 - Jungle Brothers - I'll House You (Hip-House)
1989 - Hit House - Everybody (Acid House)
1990 - Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence (Dance-Pop)
1991 - Dance 2 Trance - We Came in Peace (Trance)
1992 - The Prodigy - Out of Space (Hardcore Jungle)
1993 - P. P. Orange - My Feelings (Breakbeat)
1994 - Raver's Choice - Raver's Choice 3 (Happy Hardcore)
1995 - Faithless - Insomnia (Euro House)
1996 - Chemical Brothers - Electronic Battle Weapon 1 (Big Beat)
1997 - Aphex Twin - Come to Daddy (Drum n Bass, Breakcore)
1998 - Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You (French House)
1999 - Max Coveri - Running in the 90's (Eurobeat)
2000 - Fatboy Slim - Weapon of Choice (Big Beat)
2001 - Modjo - Chillin (French House)
2002 - High Voltage - Bombs Away (Hardstyle)
2003 - Interphace - Dr. Feelgood (Trance, Euro House)
2004 - Alex Neri - Club Element (Progressive House)
2005 - Daft Punk - Human After All (Electronic Rock)
2006 - Basshunter - DotA (Eurodance)
2007 - Justice - DVNO (Nu Disco)
2008 - Deadmau5 - Faxing Berlin (Progressive House)
2009 - Parov Stelar - Catgroove (Electro Swing)
2010 - Duck Sauce - Barbra Streisand (Nu Disco)
2011 - Skrillex - Bangarang (Moombahcore, Dubstep, Brostep)
2012 - Tiësto - We Own the Night (Progressive House)
2013 - Armin van Buuren - This Is What It Feels Like (Progressive House)

Bonus!:

Hack Beats

We've had a few strictly beat-making sessions, and here's some of the resulting tunes, in rough demo form:

AirSticks with Alon

HackSound members were in for a treat tonight with Alon Ilsar coming in to demonstrate the AirSticks! Alon has been a drummer for over 25 years, and has come up with an innovative and intuitive way to perform by triggering sounds (any sound or sample track, not just drums!) through the air using motion-sensing hand controllers.

Many of us were keen to try it as it looks fun and akin to playing a motion-controlled video game.

The AirSticks require you to stand in front of the magnetic sensor and trigger sounds by moving the hand controllers in a striking and slashing fashion. The movement feels quite natural and unrestricted, so you can go for broke and dance too if you like.The buttons on the controllers can also be used to add a sound, such as high hats, or add sound effects. Not only that, you can bring in your feet too by using the Keith McMillen 10 gesture-sensitive foot pad.

For performances, it’s probably a good idea to know what your sound configurations are so that you aren’t lost in virtual space. Each sound is configured and mapped to a trigger point which runs along a vertical line. For instance, you could trigger a sound close to your body and as you move your controllers further out, following the same line, the pitch would increase.

There is a lot you can do with the AirSticks already but future possibilities include using the controllers on it’s side and supporting full body oscillation. Regardless, the AirSticks offer an exciting and new way for music to be more easily accessible to anyone from any background. Cheers to that!

Carmen - Hack Sounds member

Pics and a short clip below:

A post shared by Hack Sounds (@hacksounds) on











Hacksounds x Rick Bull aka Deepchild aka Acharné - 8th May 2017

Having some knowledge in music from 10 years of piano playing and with no experience in Ableton or music production, I plunged into the depths of 107 Projects and attended a production masterclass with Rick Bull aka Deepchild aka Acharné, as part of the Hack Sounds music program.

Here are some nuggets of wisdom I took away:

Start with small steps. Small musical steps. Achievable small steps.

Writing a whole song is daunting but capturing a soundbite is easily achievable.

Make it personal. Start with the sounds from the day to day.

Record it. Whatever it is.

The ambient sound of the local shopping centre. That audio interview. The pop song that's played incessantly on the radio.

Use a dedicated sound recorder or your phone. Just record it.

Start hoarding musical clips.

With the help of Ableton, these musical clips become the building blocks of a track.

The shopping centre audio becomes a loop after effects are applied to it. That's the first layer

The clipped sound of an exhalation in that audio interview could be the sound of a drum's high hat.

Applied rhythmically, judiciously, could be another loop. The second layer down.

The third loop, the slowed down vocals on the pop song becomes another layer.


A post shared by Hack Sounds (@hacksounds) on


There it is, a basic track drawn from the personal experience of the mundane day to day.

More loops can be added of course and there will be more than enough material to work with (remember the hoard of musical clips?).

The end point to finishing a track then becomes an exercise in deselecting, culling and stripping away the unnecessary. 

Take away all the effects, sleep on it and see if the track stands on its own after some time has passed.

Top of the line equipment unnecessary, all it takes is a computer capable of running Ableton. 

There are hundreds of free plug-ins with lots of different sounds and effects out there. 

Technical proficiency not required. 

Experiment.

Rick's enthusiasm for ambient sound was infectious. Creating a track doesn't seem all that daunting now. 

Inspired. 


Annabel - Hack Sounds group member



Hack Sounds x Accessible Arts

Accessible Arts provided the seed funding for the Hack Sounds program, to support an inclusive community music program at 107 Projects. They came along for a couple of sessions and our performance, and had a chat with us about the program as a whole.

Take a look at the video, above, with some lovely shots from the film-maker, Hugh Clark, and some background on our little micro-utopian music program. Something which is not highlighted in video is the fundamental underpinning philosophy of our program-inclusion. Hack Sounds is not a disability music program, it's an inclusive community electronic music program, which includes people with a disability. At Hack Sounds, we're strong believers in inclusive practices, for people with a disability, people from diverse cultural backgrounds, different genders, different skill levels, what-have-you. We are an adult "serious leisure" program which seeks to provide a fun and welcoming place to create music collaboratively, utilising tools that are generally very accessible, and be able to be used by all people.

The music in the video was developed by Hack Sounds members, during Hack Sounds sessions, with a little post-production from Hack Sounds producer, Piri Rutherford, check it out below:
 

Hack Sounds x Roland = Good times

On Monday, David from Roland was kind enough to drop by 107 to show off Roland's epic AIRA range, including freakin awesome synths, drum machines, vocoders, DJ controllers and more... We had a great turn out, and got properly stuck into testing out all of the things. It was pretty noisy, and mildly chaotic, but that's how we roll. In the words of one of our regular group members, "Best Hack Ever!". Here's to many more, and even better Hack Sounds events... Pics below.