You might not know it, but I write music as wells as words. Earlier this year, I made my first attempt at recording a minimalist music project. I came up with 14 songs I call The Minimalist Mixtape.
You might wonder why I’m only posting the Minimalist Mixtape now, even though I wrote the music months ago.
It’s simple. I like to let things simmer. Although these tracks have been available on SoundCloud since January, I’m slowly introducing a new variety of content at Hip Diggs. I believe slow change is most often the best change.
How The Minimalist Mixtape Came About
I’ve been writing music since I was a kid. I’ve literally written near 1000 songs. With time, I’ve developed a fondness for songs that are simple and minimalist. Still, most of my songs are not truly minimalist because they usually have words and melody.
I’ve wanted to experiment with music that’s strictly instrumental and steers clear of words and melody for years. But I’ve always struggled with what I thought was monotony of sound.
All It Took Was A Road Trip To SanFrancisco
I’ve posted before about how vacations and road trips can do wonders for the soul. In December of 2016, my daughter and I drove from our home in Yakima, Washington, down Highway 101 to SanFrancisco. We came back up the winding Highway 1.
Sheer beauty.
The trip provided me with many grand sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, Sonoma Wine Country, and The Redwood National Forest. The combination of those expansive and grand views and the hum of driving for hours on the highway led me to realize something:
Minimalist Music Is The Soundtrack Of Life
The Minimalist Mixtape is a reflection of that road trip to California. The sounds, the sights, and the experiences are somehow all wrapped in the songs on The Minimalist Mixtape.
The sounds of the ocean, the city, and the road are are all present. The feel of the heights, the sky, the trees, are also mixed into the music.
I recorded this entire project on GarageBand on an iPad Mini using a limited amount of digital instruments.
And here’s the good thing. The Minimalist Mixtape is available for you to listen to for free. Just click the following link. Enjoy!
The Minimalist Mixtape
