When music means more.
It’s not uncommon for people to feel a strong connection to music. For Aussie songsmith Aemyn, it’s not just an outlet for creative expression, but for connection too.
His sound is hard to describe in one genre. You might hear glimpses of Andrew Bird, Beck and Robert Plant through his tracks. And you’ll hear a interesting divide between folky jams to hipster rap.
But one thing’s for sure – music means something to him.
Tell us about your most interesting music influences.
The first word that comes to mind is diverse. I’m happy when I’m learning something new, I’m always looking at how I can be better, what’s next and how I can twist it into something different. I grew up outside a small town on bushland property, so I tend to come back to thoughts about nature or isolation.
Which artist is really killing it right now, you think?
I have to say Aesop Rock because of how bizarre his lyrics get, while being so in touch with reality. I think he touches on a lot of things about life, that fits my sort of “watch from a distance” mindset about the world, and the music he produces is always different and fantastic.
What does songwriting do for you, on a personal level?
There aren’t many things in this world that allow you to record thoughts, decisions, frustrations and joys, into something really personal that anyone else can experience in four minutes. There aren’t many things that can take you from a terrible day to relaxation within seconds, like strumming a guitar in a quiet room.
It reminded me that music isn’t about image, or perfection. It’s a language, and if you can speak it, you can do and say things that you can’t with words.
Can you share a story where music was therapeutic for you?
My sister found a way into a mental health clinic last year for a few weeks, and I visited her every day after work. She was on medication and her mind was so blurry she couldn’t really hold a conversation. But there was this small room with a piano that we took over. Neither of us really knew how to play, but we both love music, so it didn’t really matter.
We sang ‘House of the Rising Sun’ together, and stumbled through the chords, getting lost in the moment. And at the end of the night, she was actually alert and able to talk to me. It reminded me that music isn’t about image, or perfection. It’s a language, and if you can speak it, you can do and say things that you can’t with words.
Tell us how you you use BandLab.
I use Bandlab on my laptop mostly. But I also have it on my Android phone for taking down ideas quickly and testing songs that I’m working on. I love how I can record something on my phone and know that when I get time to edit or re-record,I can instantly publish it, or share a link to a friend, or ask someone to record some tracks onto it.
It’s more than that though, because what makes me more excited is the constantly evolving nature of the platform, and the support team’s responsiveness to the questions and feature requests.
Since I joined, there have been a ton of features added. The effects system is opened up for fine-tuning of compression, the EQ, the reverb and the overdrive. Tracks now support stereo panning. I like the mastering tool for bringing songs and even mixdown volume and quality. It’s also cool how the photo and video shots options on the community side came in. And that’s just since I joined. It’s been crazy how much has changed since then.
How did you come across BandLab?
I was searching online for a way to collaborate on music, and hoping to get my family back home to record some songs with me. I stumbled upon a few different solutions, but something about BandLab stuck out.
I think it might have been the fork and version train system where every save is kept in case you need to backtrack or someone wants to take your song in a different direction. The community is great, and I love to spend time collaborating with people.
