Architecture and Music over Lockdown

By Sandy Anderson

As a final year architecture student, I managed to combine a passion for architecture with a deep routed love of electronic music, incorporating this as a central theme of my dissertation and thesis studio project.

At the time, in the mid-90s, experimental electronic music seemed like it was breaking new ground and resonated with a love of innovative modern architecture and design. The stripping down of unnecessary decoration to clean minimal design could be heard in much of the underground minimal music at the time.

The dissertation drew on the parallels of music and architecture in general, and how music can be represented in the visual arts. This investigated the proportions of the ‘Golden Section’, visual Pythagorean principles based on comparable lengths of a musical string in relation to another to increase its note by 1 octave. The resulting proportions could be observed in the composition of numerous examples of iconic classical architecture through the ages, which bestowed an incomprehensible visual scale and harmony.

The rhythm of music and architectural design was another discernible parallel to draw between the two arts, with constant and repetitive patterns being visually represented to great effect in elevations, or even the arrangement of a building’s structural plan and spatial sequencing.

The thesis design project was a new electronic music and performance centre in Glasgow. Whilst the design concept drew upon the rhythm of the surrounding context and streetscape of central Glasgow, it also depicted more contemporary (although somewhat contrived) means of visually expressing music such as the abstract patterns of player piano sheet music, or the linear patterns formed within the interface of most computer software’s DAW (digital audio workstation) or audio waveforms.

At the time, the primary means of live performance of electronic were DJs seamlessly mixing records together into one perpetual and uninterrupted track. Whilst enjoying partaking in this, I found that public performance was usually reserved for dark sweaty nightclubs accompanied by abstract projections and lightshows, and offered little visual stimulus in itself. Whilst there is undoubtable skill and dexterity in performing this well, at my substandard level it always lacked any opportunity for real creativity and was essentially regurgitating other people’s music with only a limited juncture at the start and end of each track to make something new out of what had already been recorded. The essence of electronic music always felt like it played on the ability to create something entirely inventive and new but this seemed to elude live performance. Resampling, sequencing, remixing, adding effects, cutting up music and recomposing it took time and was strictly for the studio. This felt restrictive and conflicting to the spirit of this genre and the subculture from which it grew.

As performance technology moved on from vinyl to CDs, and then eventually to digital performers having their head buried in a laptop, the visual experience diminished even further.

After graduating and starting work in commercial architectural practices in London, the designing of large-scale new build projects allowed for limited experimentation of the benefits music can bring into architectural design. With the pragmatism of commercial client briefs and priorities such as budget and delivery taking precedent, it became more difficult to draw any tangible parallels that the 2 arts could realistically lend to one another.

When block 9 opened our Edinburgh office in 2010, it was completely unknown which direction the workload would take us. Setting up in a new city deep in the midst of a global recession, there was no luxury of selecting a sector to focus on based on preference or previous experience, it was purely about securing any work available and using it as a foundation for growth. Our residential portfolio evolved through very hard work, a number of early domestic projects and word of mouth referrals. This has steadily grown to larger high-end developments over the years as well as the expansion into various other sectors, however what remains constant within much of our work in Edinburgh is the inevitability of working within a very high caliber of existing building stock. Many of our projects are created within historic and listed buildings, and we are tasked with finding a means of prolonging their lifespan, injecting new life into them whilst incorporating the requirements of modern living.

In March this year at the start lockdown, the additional 2 and a half hours saved commuting every day have largely been invested back into the business, however there have also been 2 noticeable personal benefits. Rediscovering a love of electronic music, and having the time to experiment with producing and performing it again. Working in isolation brings the benefit of being able to listen to music which I usually spare the office from (Techno Tuesday never did really take off) and this led to dusting off the old turntables. However, I quickly remembered how expensive and cumbersome vinyl was and much of my old collection was 15 years out of date. Laptop mixing never inspired so I looked at what else was out there as a means of performance hardware and my eyes were opened to the world of MIDI players and DDJ units.

DDJ units allow users to pre programme timing between individual tracks (the main consuming task when playing with vinyl) to facilitate smooth transitions, as well as jumping around specific points in digital tracks at the touch of a button. All whilst synchronised to a digital metronome, so in theory you can’t play out of beat (although I still seem to manage). Whilst purists may see this as taking much of the skill (and fun) out of traditional vinyl performance, it allows the complete re-imagination of existing tracks as they are being played. Built in ‘hot cue’ points (allowing jumping around bars and phrases anywhere within a track at the simple touch of a button), samplers, sequencers and built in effects panels, are now integrated together with an interface which is configured to resemble 2 turntables and a mixing console, so anyone with a little experience in traditional vinyl mixing who has an understanding of the basic structure and composition of electronic music can start to completely deconstruct existing tracks, and reconstruct them for a new audience with the huge benefit of the ability to do this live and ‘on the fly’ whilst performing.

So since block 9’s inception, with the exception of dabbling in digital music production, I completely failed to appreciate the similarities between the work we now do, and the newly discovered capabilities of digital music production and performance.

Taking an existing piece of physical or audible art, something which already exists. The application of modern technologies to design and build new meaning into it, extending its life and bringing it to a new audience. Deconstructing and reconstructing it to bring it into the modern day. Sequencing and sampling (very little is truly original anymore so why not embrace reinterpreting it as best we can). All the similarities are there.

This multi-disciplinary process can benefit from its application between different arts, extracting better results and understanding to each. Whilst the visual representation of music may not be tangible, the creative process and intent hold many resemblances. The thought process and sequencing of designing or composing, redesigning or remixing a composition can benefit greatly from being experienced outwith the parameters of the usual thought process of that specific art form.

Ultimately, some will never like modern architecture and prefer to remain firmly rooted and safe in the past. Likewise, some will never embrace electronic music and I fully understand why – it’s repetitive, it can sound monotonous, it doesn’t make full use of traditional instruments and vocals, however there is no denying it pushes boundaries more than any other form of music for the last 30 years.

If we had always taken comfort in remaining securely in the past, surely we would still be dwelling in caves and listening only to repetitive tribal drumbeats…… aaagh …. well one out of 2 isn’t bad.

Golden Section

The Run Run Shaw Creative Media Building by Daniel Libeskind

Player Piano Music

DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)

Vinyl Decks

DDJ System