Recently, I created five new tracks for my Anderhill music project. If you haven’t been following my work as Anderhill, look for links in this post. Also, I’m going to give you a little bit of insight into my creative process.
Anderhill Music Started With a Simple Idea
I started Anderhill as a way to separate my electronic music from my singer-songwriter music. I’d been posting all my work at my Dan Erickson Soundcloud account. However, starting about two years ago, I started experimenting with all electronic music. As Dan Erickson, I created the Minimalist Mixtapes:
In November of 2018 I got an idea. What if I started producing music under an alias? That’s fairly common in the electronic music world. After coming up with the name Anderhill, I got started. Another cool thing about working under another name is that it gives you a new sense of freedom. As Anderhill I was able to break some boundaries and record things I never would have released as Dan Erickson.
Links to Every Anderhill Playlist on SoundCloud, from “The Beginning.”
- The Beginning
- Out of the Radio Static
- We All Must Rise
- Time & Texture
- Fellow Travelers
- Tag this Music Anderhill
- Something Beyond Our Own Understanding
- Wandering, Not Lost
- Ten Drones
- Three to Fly
- The Noise We Make
- A Little Taste in Your Mouth
- Rudimentary Elements
- Alaska
It’s amazing that I only started creating music as Anderhill in November of 2018 and I’ve already created 14 EPs and 66 tracks. And it all has to do with my creative process.
Some Insight into My Creative Process
I’ve written a lot about creativity over the years. But I’m not sure I’ve ever told you this one little secret about my creative process. It’s simple. Work hard, create with passion, but don’t give too much of a shit about your final product. Work fast and publish.
This applies to both my writing and my music. When I write. I just write. There’s no second guessing. I just get the words down on the page and schedule the post. Of course I edit, but honestly, not as much as I used to. Here’s the thing. The more you just write, the better writer you become.
The same goes for music. This latest 5-song Anderhill EP, Alaska, took me two days to program, mix, and release. I probably worked about 6-8 hours total. Is every song on the EP a “hit,” or a masterful work of art? Hell no! At least not compared to the Beatles or Beethoven. But each song was created quickly and each has a touch of mastery. Because with each new work I create, I improve. It’s that simple. Work hard. Work fast. Publish.
Now onto my latest release for your listening pleasure:
Alaska
I rarely title these electronic tracks or EPs in advance. Names for the tracks either jump out at me, or I contemplate what the music sounds like. For this project, I started thinking about big country. Alaska was the result.
The music keeps the classic Anderhill vibe, but as usual, I’ve taken the liberty to experiment and explore. The opening track makes use of sampled slide guitar, and back-masked vocals. On the second track, I sampled a djembe drum. And on The Battle of America, I sample some classic Woody Guthrie music into an industrial-grungy piece.
Here’s the playlist for Alaska:
- Ylenol
- Midnight Serenade
- Transformation
- The Battle of America (with Woody Guthrie)
- Hitchin’ to Alaska
Please take some time to listen to my latest musical project, Alaska. Thanks for your support.
de
