Over the Christmas holidays I agreed to create an original song for a bar’s cocktail masterclass hamper in my hometown.

Hertford House is a luxurious bed and breakfast/bar/restaurant that has undergone an image re-brand since the first lockdown. The cocktail video was stylishly edited, the colours crisp and vibrant, so I aimed for my music to compliment this.

The musician brief I was sent from the Director made it clear that they wanted an uptempo, jazzy house song similar to artists such as Moodymann, SBTRKT and LTJ Bukem.

After trying a few drafts I concluded that a house song around the 120bpm mark didn’t really fit particularly well with the laid back video vibe. Instead I opted for a much slower downtempo track (110bmp) taking cues from hip-hop, house and dub. I had been listening to a lot of Kruder and Dorfmesiter so I felt particularly inspired by their sound.

As there was going to be spoken audio over the top of the video I didn’t want the music to overpower or distract. The music must be engaging and pleasant, anything too absurd would not sit well with the desired audience. Opting for a slower tempo and more melodic structure, I feel the music compliments the video.

I particularly enjoyed a task like this after learning a number of things from the Sound Art course, which I could apply to my production process. Thinking deeply about sound and ‘the right sound’ informed my process in going against the Directors initial lo-fi house track wishes. The Director was extremely pleased with the final product and felt that I had made the right decision.