Dougie's Insights: The Incredible Presence of a Remarkable Absence

Photo by Jamie Morgans. Musician: Dougie Evans

In the making of any soundtrack, there comes a point when, the tables turn and the race to finish the soundtrack begins. 

It's a clear switch in my role from generating atmospheres which assist the creative tasks, and music which underscore sections, to scrambling together all the elements into one whole that we can rehearse live with the dance. 

Each section has its own music, with its own set of project files, and exporting several layers into a single track if audio is often called 'bouncing down'. 

Those of you who are familiar with Lîla's work, will know that transitions are a key concept in our work. In Abi's choreography transitions are not just about moving from one idea to another but can sometimes take a life of their own. They are treated with the same respect as any other movement, and it's my duty to ensure that the same is true for our score. 

The soundtrack has to be more than a collection of tracks which crossfade from one to another: it must be a single work in which all the elements of the piece come together. It's about finding a balance of sounds and melodies crossing over, repeating and re-contextualising, whilst giving ideas a space of their own. 

Spare a thought for my poor laptop; it's a blessing and a curse that laptops are so capable now. It is a real feat of technology that I am able to work so quickly in the studio with the dancers, but a 50min soundtrack should not (in an ideal world) be made on a laptop. 

Be sure to come to our free and open sharing at 3pm on Friday, if you are in or around Chichester university. 

Thanks for reading the blog,

Cover image by Sam Taylor. Dancers: Carrie whitaker & Joe Darby