#059 The Fog Clears by David Devereux

The Fog Clears is an instrumental interlude that happens in the middle of an experimental audio fiction concept album The Tower. My name is David Devereux. I'm a audio fiction creator and composer from Scotland. I wrote this piece as an interlude which bridges the story of Kiri, a young girl who climbs an infinite tower to escape the drudgery of her life down below. The Fog Clears is a gentle and expansive soundtrack which musically describes the moment Kiri achieves clarity, peace and the strength to continue her journey. Let’s break it down!

IN THIS EPISODE

01:18 The Fog Clears was written for a narrative audio fiction series. Influences included Pink Floyd, Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds and the classic ‘Studio Ghibli’ sound of Ryuchi Sakamoto.

02:48 A Wurlizter electric piano sound serves as the basis for the entire soundtrack. It can feel a bit dishonest saying you used a Wurlitzer, when you’re really using a software emulation of one. A Wurlitzer keyboard is difficult and expensive to acquire!

03:38 With this piece, I wanted to pay homage to one of my favorite pieces of music, Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence by Ryuchi Sakamoto.

04:16 The thickness of the Wurlitzer sound creates a feeling of thick fog. At this point in the story, Kiri is alone on the tower, covered in fog.

06:09 With this section, I was trying to create the impression that the fog is starting to shift. I used a ghostly lead synth, and a second synth which emulates the beeps of a Sega console. I also used an organ sound. I grew up with my uncle playing organ, and it really adds presence and majesty to music. I included a chiptune-sounding Nintendo synth, which was influenced by a game soundtrack called Hyper Light Drifter by Disasterpeace.

08:23 I wanted the crescendo to be really big, with the clouds clearing and the world spreading out in front of her. Very dramatic! I went for a cinematic string sound, using cello, violin. I also used a mellotron, an early prototype of the sampler which allowed tape loops to be played on a piano keyboard.

09:48 For the finale, everything is revealed to Kiri and all the instruments from the bridge play together in harmony. A slow decrescendo represents a calming of Kiri’s emotions as clarity, peace and strength are achieved.

SHOW NOTES

Download, buy or listen to ‘The Tower’ soundtrack https://tincanaudio.bandcamp.com
Tin Can Audio is a fiction podcast production company https://tincanaudio.co.uk

MUSIC CREDITS

Jeff Wayne - The Red Weed (Part 1)
Pink Floyd - Great Gig in the Sky
David Devereux - Waking the Tower
David Devereux - The View
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence
Disasterpeace - A Chorus of Tongues

ABOUT THIS SHOW

How I Make Music is where behind-the-scenes musicians tell their own stories. Every Wednesday, we break apart a song, soundtrack or composition and investigate the insights into how it was made.

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