Ambient music with rhythms and visuals inspired by rain // Korg Kaosspad NTS-3 performance

video upload by Saul Stokes - Frequensea

"Frequensea Episode 6: Rain Maker

Creativity is an exciting feeling. It can pop into the mind at unexpected times for many of us. If we don’t choose to react to it, the idea or concept can slip away, much like how dreams can feel clear and sharp only to become blurred nothingness after a few minutes.

Recently, it’s been raining quite a bit in the Bay Area. The calming effect of pattering rain sounds so pleasant and intriguing that a creative spark popped in my head. The spark said, what if you built a long-form piece of electronic music around the patterning sounds of rain? At this moment, you either jump in or let the thought die.

This episode is slightly different from previous episodes in that I opted to perform it when it felt right rather than sit and wait for a live show date. Additionally, I set aside the intermission research that I’ve done on past episodes. For those who are interested in electronic equipment, I focus a bit on the Korg Kaosspadd NTS-3, which is just a fantastic open-source effect unit.

This is a slow-burn episode. It starts almost in drone territory and, at moments, dives into a bit of Blade Runner. Then, it arcs off into minimal beat scapes and ends with a dreamy soundtrack finale.

This is a DAW free, live mix down performance. Visuals were created using Touchdesigner."

You can find additional Frequensea Episodes in previous posts here.