Music Connects
March 2024
Images © Big Leaf Foundation
Alongside Ryan Guldemond from Mother Mother and Livingstone Brown, we've released our latest Music Connects track, Please Don't Let Me Down.
Music Connects brings displaced young people together with their local community peers and challenges them to reach across cultural and language barriers to write, perform and record songs together. It's an impactful project, building genuine connections and friendships between two groups that otherwise have few chances to meet.
We spent the first half of the day talking about the songwriting process, the importance of being creative every day, and ways to find inspiration. Ryan shared his method of using voice notes and recordings from walks and conversations, which resonated especially with those in our group who love to tell stories through rap. He showed us how his songs were born, from a few chords he'd recorded at home with his guitar to the final mixes in the studio with the band.
In the afternoon, we began to build a song from scratch, with each young person contributing in their way, recording a bassline, guitar riffs, a flute solo, some freestyle rap and harmonised chorus and verses, all around the themes of journeys, love and hope.
Our huge thanks to Ryan for generously sharing his talents, creating such an inspiring and supportive atmosphere and encouraging everyone to find their voice. And also to producer and musician Livingstone Brown for his warmth and welcome to everyone, his technmusic.apple.com/gb/album/please-dont-let-me-down/1752093774?i=1752093775ical skill and the enthusiastic feedback to all our young musicians. It was a brilliant day.
The track was recorded at Big Leaf and features additional vocals from Molly Guldemond and Jasmin Parkin, recorded on the road from their current European tour. It was mixed by Ryan Guldemond and mastered by ACM in Guildford.
Please Don't Let Me Down is available to stream on Youtube, Apple Music and Spotify.
We spent the first half of the day talking about the songwriting process, the importance of being creative every day, and ways to find inspiration. Ryan shared his method of using voice notes and recordings from walks and conversations, which resonated especially with those in our group who love to tell stories through rap. He showed us how his songs were born, from a few chords he'd recorded at home with his guitar to the final mixes in the studio with the band.
In the afternoon, we began to build a song from scratch, with each young person contributing in their way, recording a bassline, guitar riffs, a flute solo, some freestyle rap and harmonised chorus and verses, all around the themes of journeys, love and hope.
Our huge thanks to Ryan for generously sharing his talents, creating such an inspiring and supportive atmosphere and encouraging everyone to find their voice. And also to producer and musician Livingstone Brown for his warmth and welcome to everyone, his technmusic.apple.com/gb/album/please-dont-let-me-down/1752093774?i=1752093775ical skill and the enthusiastic feedback to all our young musicians. It was a brilliant day.
The track was recorded at Big Leaf and features additional vocals from Molly Guldemond and Jasmin Parkin, recorded on the road from their current European tour. It was mixed by Ryan Guldemond and mastered by ACM in Guildford.
Please Don't Let Me Down is available to stream on Youtube, Apple Music and Spotify.
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