We caught up with Aether to debate his newest EP” “Moonstone” and his artistic course of when navigating Retinitis Pigmentosa, a uncommon eye situation.
In the world of digital dance music, there’s greater than meets the attention.
Born with a uncommon eye illness and pronounced legally blind at age 17, Aether has crafted a novel and mesmerizing catalog of music. He’s additionally a vivid instance for visually impaired creatives.
Hailing from Scotland, the producer, composer and sound designer developed a passionate love for all issues music all through his childhood and spent a whole lot of his teenage years exploring music manufacturing in his bed room.
Ether.
c/o Press
Across his 10-year profession, he has dabbled in modern piano, ambient and digital dance music whereas constantly evolving his craft. Despite his visible situation, Retinitis Pigmentosa, which ends up in a variety of obstacles that complicate the artistic course of, Aether has at all times emerged victorious.
His newest challenge comes within the type of Moonstone, an enthralling Monstercat EP impressed by the best way gems evolve into new formations. All 4 of its tracks had been created within the order they seem on the ultimate report, mimicking the crystalline evolution course of by remodeling the earlier monitor’s basis into the subsequent.
From the ethereal ambiances and lo-fi grooves of “Aquamarine” to the gritty, garage-influenced breaks on “Sapphire,” Moonstone is a real stunner. Ahead of the challenge’s launch, trendzscoop caught up with Aether to debate the EP, his artistic course of as a visually impaired artist and rather more.
trendzscoop: You simply shared your newest EP Moonstone through Monstercat. What was the primary artistic inspiration behind it?
Ether: I initially got down to create an ambient EP, however I needed to push myself a little bit additional with this challenge and so I made a decision to see if I can pattern my ambient EP and switch it into one thing utterly new and refreshing. The consequence was Moonstone.
trendzscoop: Tell us extra about your journey navigating the music trade as a visually impaired producer. What is your situation referred to as and the way does it have an effect on or hinder your potential to create?
Ether: I used to be born with a situation referred to as Retinitis Pigmentosa. It’s a genetic degenerative illness that deteriorates my imaginative and prescient over time, beginning with my peripheral and night time imaginative and prescient. The main manner it hinders my potential to jot down music is usually simply fighting viewing gridlines and studying small UI on plugins.
trendzscoop: Do you employ any specialised {hardware} or software program instruments that assist information you thru manufacturing and engineering? If so, what do these appear like?
Ether: I’ve dabbled with some, my grandfather additionally has retinitis pigmentosa so he was blind via my complete life. He spent a whole lot of time on his laptop and confirmed me some software program that would learn out no matter your mouse cursor is hovering over. So for instance button names, textual content paragraphs, folder names, et cetera.
I additionally tried out magnification units however I did not really feel these useful sufficient to maintain in my rotation. Currently I’m making an attempt to create workflows that do not require any further help and that is why I took constructing some {hardware} modular synths. This offers me full management and I haven’t got to fret about dropping my mouse cursor—though having this inverted is useful—or making an attempt to be taught what worth I’ve set as a parameter on a UI. Hardware I can really feel the place of the parameter.
trendzscoop: Are there any components of 1’s expertise as a visually impaired particular person in music that you just want folks knew extra about?
Ether: To be trustworthy probably not. I’m simply very grateful that despite my situation, I’m nonetheless capable of inform tales and discover the gorgeous world of sound. If something I might simply encourage extra visually impaired, or every other disabled folks to not let their disabilities management them. Make essentially the most with what you have acquired, you will be shocked the place it may lead in case you really imagine in your self.
trendzscoop: How would you describe the evolution of your sound for the reason that launch of your profession 10 years in the past, and what have been a few of the fundamental driving influences behind that evolution?
Ether: Fundamentally I feel my sound nonetheless falls below the “ethereal” sound palette as I name it. Although I’ve branched off into different genres (modern romantic, ambient, online game soundtracks to call a number of) I feel the core of my sound stays. I simply discovered quite a bit about the right way to management it. I discovered to benefit from the expertise reasonably than getting annoyed by it too. Overall I’m very pleased with every part I’ve achieved in these 10 years and I’m very excited to see what the subsequent 10 will convey!
Right now, my greatest inventive affect is LORN. I’ve adopted his music for round eight years and listening to what he writes now, his unimaginable management of sound, his use of distortion and compression, every part he is launched just lately has left me awe-inspired. I try to achieve that stage of management.
trendzscoop: What does your music creation and manufacturing course of appear like? Have you developed any particular workflows that folks would possibly discover distinctive or unconventional?
Ether: Honestly I might love if I did have one thing cool to share right here, however for me I begin 99% of my music with a melody. A melody to me is the reminiscence of the music, so its a lot simpler to form a music when you’ve got essentially the most ear-catching half.
I do know there’s loopy drum solos and different unimaginable parts to music, I do not need to take that away from anybody, however for me and the types of music I write, melody is the important thing. From there it actually is dependent upon the model of music. If it is digital then I’ll go to drums subsequent. If it is ambient then I’ll course of the melody, if it is soundtracks then I’ll proceed including extra melodies and development. Quite a lot of these items are interchangeable too.
trendzscoop: Pulling out of your distinctive expertise and insights as a visually impaired artist and sound engineer, are there any uncommon ideas you’d give to a fellow producer asking for recommendation?
Ether: Use your ears, not your eyes. I do know with how stunning EQs can look lately it is easy to be very mathematical with it. But actually in case you simply take heed to the distinction, that is as necessary, if no more necessary, than chopping/boosting sure frequency ranges.
trendzscoop: Do you’ve got any future plans that you just’re enthusiastic about and wish to share?
Ether: I’ve solely simply begun the music practice for this yr. If all goes nicely there could possibly be a whole lot of albums releasing this yr. I’ve two private albums and two soundtracks within the works. They are all just about completed on the level of penning this too, so I’m excited to proceed to share extra tales with you all. Thank you for listening and thanks for studying.
Follow Ether:
Facebook: fb.com/aetheraudio
Instagram: instagram.com/aetheraudio
Twitter: twitter.com/AetherAudio
Spotify: spoti.fi/3FyHtFs