Good afternoon class. Your regular teacher is on vacation (he's gone Saving the World!), and so for the next four weeks, I'll be your professor. My name is Dr Jenko, and it's lovely to meet you all.
Some of you may already be familiar with my work; throughout May, my track 'Clarity' was featured heavily on the syllabus, and I hope you thoroughly enjoyed it. More importantly, I hope it helped you to focus on your writing. I know how difficult the month of May can be given that it's deadline season (I usually marked it on the calendar with a big ol' skull and crossbones when I was at uni), and I think we're all glad it's over and done with.
Today's lesson is geography, and we'll be travelling to the spiritual Himalayas on the sonic wings of another track of mine, the freshly released (and conveniently titled) 'Himalaya.' I've decided to go with this track to kick the course off in order to give you an idea of the kind of sounds we'll be exploring throughout July. I imagine it'll be rather different from the kinds of topics that Prof. McCluskey usually covers, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what I have to offer.
Himalaya is a very different kettle of fish from Clarity. It's short, it's spiritual, and swimming with secret sounds that only the shrewdest of students will stumble on (superb alliteration there). I've used a mix of world instruments and sounds of my own creation to bring to life an atmospheric soundscape that truly takes you to the mountains, all of which is carried along by a grooving hip hop beat and a deep-valley bass line. Fear not though dear student, as this song is still very much an essay writing track. Scholars debate the exact terminology that should be applied to it's genre, but I believe the pioneers and trail-blazers refer to it as 'chillhop'. Rest assured, it's the perfect track to get you into the zone, connected with your inner creative self, and in tune with that place of inner clarity that we all need to get our writing done.
Your assignment for next week is to listen to Himalaya, several times if need be, in order to familiarise yourself with the core content. There may not be an exam in my class, but it will most certainly serve you well in the future.
Go forth and enjoy the rest of your day; please be sure to wear sunscreen, that sun can get mighty hot. Class dismissed.
Ellipsis is also featured on Matt's original playlist - Music to Save the World.
Perfect Essay Writing Music: Himalaya by Ellipsis
The Music to Write An Essay playlist is sponsored this month by Himalaya from Ellipsis.
The journey begins; fresh Chillstep from Ellipsis to help you focus and get writing. Stream it now:
You can learn more about Ellipsis here:
About the Curator: Matt Jenko
Matt Jenko is a university postgraduate and music producer with an unhealthy obsession with Rick & Morty and all things Game of Thrones. When he’s not in the studio (a rare occurrence these days), he’s fueling his passion for music either on the net or out in the real world. He likes being out in the nature (in the least strenuous capacity though, let’s be real here) and chilling with his cat, and he’s also pretty proud of his mammoth collection of books that he’s never read.
Checkout Matt's project Ellipsis on Spotify and Facebook
Latest Posts
Lonely Dream – Drunken Kong Remix – The Archer, Drunken Kong
24 November 2021
But as I’ve moved from ideation to manifestation, the energy of the playlist needed to change – solo piano is good for thinking – but 8 minutes of 130 bpm edm is great for getting things down
Out Of Reach – Cristoph, Yotto, Sansa
8 November 2021
So if you’ve been listening to the playlist recently you know what’s coming. Last week’s track was all about setting the intent for change – away from the more relaxing ideation space of solo instrumentation to this week’s electronic track from Cristoph, Yotto and Sansa.
Mr. Clay – Johnny Klimek, Tom Tykwer
31 October 2021
I’ve known for a while that the feel of the list was going to change – while piano instrumentals are perfect for reflection and ideation – at some point you need some energetic input to get your fingers moving.
Andrew McCluskey
The first visual memory I have is that of the white upright piano in Singapore, Hell and the Dark Forces lived at the bottom, Heaven and the Angels at the top, they would play battles through my fingers and I was hooked.
As a psychology graduate I studied how sound affects human performance.
As a musician I compose instrumental music that stimulates your brain but doesn't mess with your language centers, leaving you free to be creative and brilliant without distraction.
As a curator I research how music can improve your life and create flow - I can tell you what music to listen to when studying for a test and why listening to sad music can make you feel better.
As a creator / contributor at musicto I’m part of a global creator community that collaborates through music. You can learn more about our community here.