When I’m writing songs, I often start with a simple drum loop & a few chords & see what kind of feeling they give me. The lyrics to this song developed almost subconsciously as I repeated the patterns that became the song’s structure. The rhythm of the song reminded me of the revolving lamp of a lighthouse, so that became the central image of the song.

I chose a real lighthouse in Michigan for the title because I liked the way the words Little Sable Point Lighthouse sounded, & I thought it might be interesting to write about a lighthouse that had been recently deactivated from the perspective of a person who remembered when the light was still in use. The two halves of the lyrics represent a before & after.

How was the recording session?
Like most Advance Base material, I recorded this song in my basement on a Tascam 424 MKIII cassette 4-track. I recorded this song quickly using first takes during one of the rare instances when I had the house to myself. The tracks (sampler, drum machine, keyboards, Omnichord & vocals) were recorded one at a time using the same tube pre-amp, an Electro-Harmonix 12AY7 Mic Pre. Once the recordings were completed, I digitized the individual tracks & several submixes to finish the mixing & editing in Audacity. My friend Matt Bachmann mastered the song.

What were the references, influences or musical inspiration?
I don’t recall if there was a particular piece of music that inspired this song, but I had the Peter Weir film Picnic at Hanging Rock in mind when I was finishing the lyrics. The song is based on a Joan Lindsay book that I haven’t read, but I love how haunting & ambiguous that Peter Weir’s adaptation is, & I wanted to give my song a similar creepiness, but with the optimism of persevering with unanswered questions that might have once seemed unbearable.

What do you like most about the song and why?
Honestly, I just like that there’s a lighthouse in it, because I like lighthouses.

What did you most enjoyed of the writing, production and recording process?
I love the feeling of getting lost in the music & time passing unconsciously. It’s my meditation. As much as I love using music to communicate with an audience, I also use music to communicate with myself. The more I write, the better I understand myself.

What was the most difficult part of the process and how was it overcome?
With three other people that I love very much living with me in my house, & with my various other interests & professional commitments, it can be hard to find the time to record Advance Base songs. My life feels very full, which I’m grateful for, but finding the right moment & mood to completely invest myself into recording is a rarer occurrence in my life than it was when I was younger & had less going on. Working on music can feel selfish, so I don’t often give myself permission to go hide away in my basement with my keyboards & 4-track.

If you could have invited anyone else to collaborate, who would it have been and why?
I never envisioned anyone else’s involvement in this recording. It was a pleasure to write & record it on my own.

What is the biggest challenge to present this song live and how has it been solved?
The song was written & arranged with live performance in mind, so if anything, the recording was more of a challenge than the live presentation. I’d already played the song live a few times before I was satisfied that it was ready to be recorded.

Recommend us a song that you have heard lately and that you like.
“I’ll Be Yours” by The Carpenters.

Advance Base

Melancholic electronic story songs made by Owen Ashworth in his basement.

www.advancebasemusic.com

La entrada Little Sable Point Lighthouse se publicó primero en ERRR MAGAZINE.