help: funk dance rock mixed with bollywood

[avedic]

with summer fast approaching i figured i would spend the free time to develop all my rough demos, quick recordings, and conceptual ideas into full fledged demos to later record polished in the fall.

the way i usually write a song...i'll first settle on a general theme/mood/concept. for instance, one song i wrote i wanted to evoke the feel of a seedy 1930's burlesque club...complete with red lights and absinthe. i wanted the song to have a semi trip-hop-ish influence along the lines of portishead...but with a more "rock" live sound...and overall it needed to be infused with a sense of red velvet carnal sexual lust.

you get the point. that's how i write...i have to first come up with a whole concept to start writing music.

so...for the past couple days now i've been working on a new song. this song i want to be sort of funky dance-able rock along the lines of prince but blended with the flair and brashness of a bollywood musical and i want it to have a somewhat aggresive(not angry) edge to it. sound wierd? i know. however, i've got a bit written and it sounds alot more cohesive than my description.

so, why am i posting? well...i basically was curious what sort of input you all might have. given my general theme...what musical ideas could you share with me that might help me out. anything from chord progressions, textural ideas, rhythmic ideas....anything that you think might enhance the song.

sorry i don't have any music to actually post. it's all more concept now...what i'm mainly looking for is input. i feel a little bit(only a little) constricted in a creative sense. i need some fresh ideas to inspire me.

thanks!

 

[avedic]

no ideas?

 

[Xandre]

any progress?

check the 4th song on myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/xandre617

i hooked that up real quick in '02, with no tracking equipment but it captures the general feel of where a song like that would go. great bhangra string lines there though, small (yet powerful) orchestra feel.

i also would love to delve into indian styles esp. bhangra and some bollywood orchestration type thizz. there's many indian business here and i hear some fire! punjabi beats in suv systems sometimes and am blown away everytime they pass. i really wish i knew what artists those were..

i would recommend using software sampler designed specifically for strings and nothing less, and tweaking them for desired effect, lush yet sharp attacks. if you are to sample do 24-bit or at least nothing under 16-bit for the strings. if you play keyboards that's a plus b/c you should compose your own lines, maybe you already have since you said you wrote part of the song already. if you want a rock sound you'll prob. need to add guitar of some kind?, but make it eastern acoustic if possible. i guess bass would be the most open ended element, it's usually not used in many indian arrangements is it? on percussion hand claps would sound hot, just my opinion, esp. if it's a slower bpm. use crash symbols and be picky about what kinds of bell sounds you use (gotta have bells IMO) and mix them loud. to spice it all up you could use a weird synth or pad sounds on the hook/chorus. i would say build up tension in the song w/ a defined intro and theatrical (and like you said "somewhat aggresive") chorus and sound overall. also don't sleep on using pitchy vocal samples esp. from bollywood records/movies or recording them yourself w/ vocal effects. just my thoughts, good luck man that's a great idea you have.

 

[Freddy]

I find it a bit hard to imagine. The only thing that leaps to mind is to maybe not be too aligned on timing.. drums in the pocket, some slight looseness, can add to the louche, live carnality if not overdone.

Worth listening to the "Moulin Rouge" soundtrack maybe?