A Bite
of Sound
I perceive sound with a strong taste/smell internal connection. About a year ago, I decided to share those feelings with others by starting a channel on WeChat, called "声味馆", or 'A Bite of Sound'. I write about what various sounds/voices/music taste like.
Recently, I've reversed the process and experimented with transforming taste/smell into a musical format. Moving from concrete to abstract, I hope to capture the indescribable experience that's inherently shared among us.
The Sound of Oat Latte
I've "translated" out what a cup of oat latte sounds like in my head.
Best experience with a cup of hot oat latte and a pair of headphones.
I first jotted down ideas and a basic layout of my piece, though the final track might be totally different:
Element:​
-
low liquidy sound with thickness
-
Shiu~~~ (3D Pinball - going through a hole sound effect)
-
Peaceful/Melting harmonies (Cantata BMW 147 reference)
-
-
Oaty: Alexa’s voice sample slicing here and there; joyful humming
-
Main melody
-
Chord patterns
Layout:
I: the smell
II: the touch (warm? hot?)
III: first drop of the oaty flavor
IV: acidity and bitterness of coffee, in combination with that oaty flavor
V: the aftertaste
The project utilizes samples, sounds I created with synthesizer and sounds from the Logic Pro Sound Library:
Ballad of the Knife Sharpener (In Chinese)
Below is a writing sample of what this piece of audio tastes/smells like in my perception.
Our childhood memories are often associated with a certain street and the street sounds. The ballad of the knife sharpener is part of the collective memories shared among generations of Chinese. Here is an audio sample of a Chinese knife sharpener peddling with his penetrating voice and songs to attract customers as he tried to make ends meet on the streets.
"Sharpen your scissors, sharpen your kitchen knives."
Sound Description:
Chunky peanut butter
Exceptionally ductile
A large calligraphy brush dipped in this peanut butter
With dashing and suave motions
Strokes of characters appear vividly
on a piece of toast as big as a flat sheet
Grain mills that have been in operation the whole day
Well-oiled and efficient
A plane flies high across the sky
Leaving long tails of white tracks
Filled with rich aroma of coarse grains