G.A.S. Newsletter
Posts
47 - Generative Ambient

47 - Generative Ambient

Giannis Kampiotis
January 31, 2023

Hello music people 👋

Today in the spotlight, Generative Ambient

Coming from the United States, he is all in into music. From playing multiple instruments, to teaching and performing.

As his alias suggests, he has created systems that give him random inputs for his creative process 🎶

Read Time: 8 minutes 📰

Studio

Gear List

Loads of different brass instruments. My primary horn is a Puje Double. It is a custom instrument that sounds like a trumpet, cornet, and flugelhorn all blended together. It also has a slide that can change the pitch of the whole instrument so I can play the notes “between” the notes.

30ish pedals from Meris, Chase Bliss, OBNE, Walrus, EQD, EHX, Red Panda and others.

Current favorites are the Meris LVX, Soma Cosmos, Microcosm, and Chase Bliss Mood, Blooper, and Habit.

I also have an Arturia Microfreak, and an old Yamaha synth that has some great sounds.

This issue is brought to you by

Our own G.A.S. Newsletter Instagram Profile

Follow to see in-studio videos from the featured artists 🎛️🎚️

Interview

Who are you and what is your relationship with music?

My name is Chris Pert. I live in the state of Maine (United States) with my wife and two young kids.

I started on trumpet and drums in middle school (30ish years ago). When I entered high school there were no open spots on either instrument, so I picked up trombone (jazz band), the euphonium and later, the tuba (concert band). During college I added piano and graduated with a BA in Jazz performance (trumpet).

After college I continued playing and teaching music but also pursued other interests. I have worked many jobs in the rock climbing industry including guide, route setter, and coach. I also work in early-childhood education.

When COVID shut everything down I missed playing with other musicians and started using guitar pedals as a way to generate accompaniment and interaction with my trumpet improvisations. Brian Eno’s “rules” and concepts for generative ambient were a natural fit (so much so that I naively named my Instagram page @generativeambient).

I currently teach 4 days a week at a great school (Midcoast Music Academy). I teach students of all ages and many different instruments.

Which piece of equipment in your studio is essential to your production process?

I’m going to go with an obvious answer… my iPhone.

I use it in so many steps of the process from keeping notes and spreadsheets for composition ideas, to recording sound and video, and taking pictures. It also is my practice log, metronome and tuner. I even have drones recorded in every key that I use to improvise over and develop ideas.

What is the most budget-friendly piece of studio gear that gave you the most results?

In college I started composing with systems based on rolling dice.

This has carried through and I still use dice to start a session. Dice might determine the key/scale, what pedals I use, what order I put them in, what preset/engine I use on each pedal, and even knob positions. I picked up a pack of different many sided dice (4,6,8,10,12, and 20 sides) years ago and still use them daily.

Walk us through your process for creating and producing music.

I use chance (dice, randomly sorted spread sheets, random number app) to determine everything first.

The key of the song and scale/mode, pedal choice and order, and even pedal settings. From there I start to improvise, twisting knobs, switching out pedals and changing up the order until I stumble across a sound/space that I like.

It’s a very organic process and I usually record everything to make sure I capture those magic moments as they happen. Often I come up with nothing more than a better understanding of what the pedals can do and ten more ideas for the next session.

But, once in a while I find something that I like enough to post, make into a song, or save as a preset for a live show.

What is a production technique that you always come back to?

For me running effects in parallel was a game changer.

I can have my “dry” trumpet sound alongside the effects. I can also put a looper in each parallel chain and have a few asynchronous loops running at the same time. Then you can mess with them one at a time and the sound slowly evolves.

How would you explain your style?

First and foremost I love to play jazz.

The challenge of voice-leading a melody through complex chord changes at high speeds will keep me practicing forever. When playing with effects I am very influenced by Jon Hassell, so “Fourth World” and “Ambient” fit. I might also throw “Cyberpunk Noir” out there (Blade Runner!!).

What’s your biggest struggle?

I am always working on striking a balance between acoustic and electric. Especially in a live setting where your acoustic sound is always out there blending with your effects. Some effects just don’t work when your “dry” acoustic sound is present.

Also I love stereo effects but they never sound as good live as they do with headphones on.

Has building a hardware setup changed your perspective on music or life in general?

As a horn player I don’t feel the need to play as many notes.

The pedals do a great job of filling space. I also feel like I can accompany other players in a live setting rather than just playing melodies and solos.

One tip on creativity?

Record everything!

You never know when that magic moment will happen.

A book, movie, article, or album that has inspired you?

I have been re-reading loads of cyberpunk (Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, K. W. Jeter). Something about the aesthetic, I want to be the music playing in the background.