Written by : Longboy (@1longboybeats)
If there is one thing that can be said about this phase of the underground, it is that production has excelled to an astronomical level, especially through the beats behind the songs. We see more and more new tools that have become accessible to the newer generation in order to create some eccentric sounds. It’s a mix of every piece of technology imaginable, from analog, to hardware instruments, and it’s just getting better. One of the more recent underground album drops comes from Opium-signed Destroy Lonely, who recently dominated streaming services with “If Looks Could Kill”. The mixture of guitars and analog-sounding synthesisers added a high level to its production. There was one song, however, that really caught my attention. On track 7, titled “by the pound”, the repeating loop might be recognizable to you from somewhere else. And, I had to replay this song multiple times before realizing that I am indeed hearing what I think I’m hearing.
One of the co-producers on “by the pound” is Cristian Jeffries. If the name isn’t familiar to you, then you may have heard the track’s loop on TikTok, as it skyrocketed for its presentation of interactive sound. A tiny machine which he calls his MIDI Dandelion created a harmonious collection of sounds by blowing air into this crafted mechanism. Aside from the stunning sound structure of this device, the reciprocal action to the human breath defines the artistry of music and the engineering of sound design. Prior to this, however, Cristian kicked off his musical career at the age of 10, where he taught himself the piano. Along his journey he picked up several other instruments such as saxophone and guitar, until he gradually moved to FL Studio in 2017. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Cristian to understand how he balances being a producer, while attending Arizona State University for his Bachelor of Arts in Digital Culture.
How did you get into producing? I really started to fall in love with music as the years went by. I became infatuated with the level of emotion that it could convey. I started learning to produce through Kenny Beats streams, YouTube tutorials, and some close friends (shoutout to the homie Jose Miranda). And a lot of late nights. Alone. Frustrated. Moving random knobs with extremely dry eyes and fatigued ears. How does your MIDI Dandelion work? When you blow onto the board, the microphone picks up sound. I have written a script so that the information on the microphone gets sent & scaled into the music software (‘VCVRack 2’) as a readable value. This value then gets mapped to the ‘pitch’ and ‘volume’ of two synths. One high- and one low. The values for pitch are coming in from the microphone, and then they get quantized so if the scaled value is within a certain range of a note, it snaps to it. That’s why it sounds so beautiful! You can quantize any notes you want, and adjust the attack/release of the microphone sensor. How did you get placed with Destroy Lonely? DJ Moon reached out to me on instagram a few months back and dm’d me showing me love for the music I was putting out- including the toy I had posted. He told me that he and TM88 had made a beat with the sample and that they might have an artist record it. I was pretty excited, but sceptical. This was really my first time possibly landing a placement/collaboration with some established names in the industry. They reached out again a bit later and confirmed percentages and rights. I didn’t hear the song until the day it dropped. Needless to say, I almost shit my pants when I got the email from the label.
Any projects you’re currently working on?
As a musician/artist, I have been putting together my second solo album, “This Is My World, Not Yours”. I want to collaborate with as many other like-minded artists as I possibly can. I like creating new things and trying to push the edge/boundaries of what’s normal. I think it’s our job, as creators, to always test the limits and to try to move outside of the comfort zone that we all tend to set with each other- musically at least.
As a creator/engineer, I am working on trying to put together an interactive & musical exhibit for people to experience in real life. This is something new to me, but I’ve always loved curating special experiences for people, and with this new knowledge of sound design and interactive media, I know it will be something amazing.
It seems like even despite his recent dose of placement fame, Cristian is determined and focused on the expansion of technological sound, accrediting to the help and inspiration from his friends. Be sure to check out his pages for any updates on his album release, as well as the future exhibit.
All of his links: https://linktr.ee/cristianjeffries TiToks mentioned: https://www.tiktok.com/@cristianjeffries/video/7180240266484518190 https://www.tiktok.com/@cristianjeffries/video/7230122332164066606
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