Does an upcoming hip hop artist have vastly different career development needs to a classical composer? Vanessa Reed thinks not, and says it’s time to stop acting like they do.
Personally, I love music that is bold, distinctive and has something new to say. I'm a longstanding fan of composers like Laurence Crane, Tansy Davies, Richard Ayres and Jennifer Walshe who write contemporary or experimental music. I love discovering fresh and original songs by individual artists and bands, whether Ghostpoet, Kate Tempest, Sam Lee or Lonelady. I also like it when things gets mixed up as it did last week when Nico Muhly performed at London's Union Chapel with organist James McVinnie, tenor vocalist William Balkwill and electronic artist Oneohtrix Point Never.
One of the reasons I enjoy such different kinds of music is because they share an independent spirit; they represent an exhilarating alternative to the mainstream; an autonomous, artist-led DIY approach to making, producing and recording.
So why is it that the composers, songwriters and performers who create this independent music are so often perceived as having little in common? Does an upcoming electronica or left field hip-hop artist really have such vastly different career development needs as, for instance, a classically-trained composer? And wouldn't it be better if we started instead to think more holistically about how to encourage and support the extraordinary range of voices that makes new UK music so exciting... Keep reading on The Huffington Post
Personally, I love music that is bold, distinctive and has something new to say. I'm a longstanding fan of composers like Laurence Crane, Tansy Davies, Richard Ayres and Jennifer Walshe who write contemporary or experimental music. I love discovering fresh and original songs by individual artists and bands, whether Ghostpoet, Kate Tempest, Sam Lee or Lonelady. I also like it when things gets mixed up as it did last week when Nico Muhly performed at London's Union Chapel with organist James McVinnie, tenor vocalist William Balkwill and electronic artist Oneohtrix Point Never.
One of the reasons I enjoy such different kinds of music is because they share an independent spirit; they represent an exhilarating alternative to the mainstream; an autonomous, artist-led DIY approach to making, producing and recording.
So why is it that the composers, songwriters and performers who create this independent music are so often perceived as having little in common? Does an upcoming electronica or left field hip-hop artist really have such vastly different career development needs as, for instance, a classically-trained composer? And wouldn't it be better if we started instead to think more holistically about how to encourage and support the extraordinary range of voices that makes new UK music so exciting... Keep reading on The Huffington Post