ATLYS and composers Andrew Vogt, Ari Fisher make clear the making of Seven Lions’ ‘Opus’ [Q&A] – Dancing Astronaut
by: Zach Salafia
Jan 31, 2022
On July 28, 2021, Seven Lions was set to take the stage at Crimson Rocks Amphitheater for Larger Love with particular visitor Andrew Bayer and MitiS and Gem + Tauri as assist. ATLYS, a string quartet comprising Jinty McTavish, Sabrina Tabby, Genevieve Tabby, and Rita Andrade took the stage, assumed their positions, and began taking part in. They weren’t on the Larger Love poster and at first, no person knew what to anticipate. But it surely didn’t take lengthy to seek out out. The chords that got here from their devices have been instantly identifiable as these belonging to a few of Seven Lions’ time-tested classics, translated to the strings. What occurred from that time on was “pure exhilaration and pleasure” in keeping with ATLYS. The group shared on this sentiment and sang alongside.
ATLYS went on to make one other look at Seven Lions’ Chronicles III at The Gorge in Washington, the place their efficiency was met with equal pleasure. The performances gave resolve to Seven Lions and his Ophelia Data crew: they knew that persevering with to present life to the strings-led venture was worthwhile. What got here subsequent was Opus, a full-length album of eight Seven Lions productions all written, carried out, and recorded on the strings and finally launched in December 2021. It was the cherry atop a banner yr for our Label of the Yr.
Conversion to the strings isn’t any small feat, however with the assistance of the sonic forces behind ATLYS, in addition to composers Andrew Vogt and Ari Fisher, Opus got here to life not solely on stage but in addition on streaming platforms. In an unique interview with Dancing Astronaut, ATLYS, Vogt, and Fisher focus on the making of Opus. Learn the Q&A beneath.
For the listeners who are usually not conversant in your work, who’re you?
ATLYS: “ATLYS is a lady-powered crossover string quartet that performs music from all totally different sorts of genres and cultures. We carry out a novel repertoire, all of which has been written by or particularly for us. There are 4 of us: Jinty McTavish and Sabrina Tabby on violin, Rita Andrade on viola, and Genevieve Tabby on cello. We shaped simply over six years in the past after being impressed by our work with Yo Yo Ma within the Civic Orchestra of Chicago to assume exterior of the field and create music that was relatable to every kind of individuals.”
Andrew Vogt: I’m primarily a bass participant in Chicago, however I additionally do loads of composition and arranging for a number of totally different teams.
Ari Fisher: I’m a composer and violinist. And that’s what I do; I write music and I prepare music. I orchestrate music. It’s what I do. It’s my life, it’s my occupation, and I adore it.
How did you first become involved with the Opus venture?
ATLYS: “In trendy occasions the place there are actually an infinite variety of methods to attach and meet new folks the world over, we’re ever grateful that the digital odds have been in our favor and led us to attach with somebody as unbelievable as Seven Lions and his crew. Generally, social media feels so huge and daunting that making actual connections on it will possibly appear farfetched. Nonetheless, we’re stunned day by day by the attractive connections that we’ve made by social media.
Our collaborations with Seven Lions absolutely helped solidify our perception that these platforms generally is a lovely means for working with folks you may not have in any other case had the possibility to! It actually got here right down to the simplicity of a contractor discovering us on Instagram and referring the quartet to one among his pals, who’s on the administration of the Seven Lions crew. We now have not met this individual, however we’ll be glad about the connection for the remainder of our lives!”
Andrew Vogt: “I’ve labored with ATLYS lots up to now; for the previous 4 years or so, we’ve been working collectively. They’ll name me for various commissions or preparations and stuff like that. I’ve performed some stuff with them on Spotify. I’ve written some stuff of my very own that I’ve referred to as them for. That’s really how we first met and received began and every part. I wrote a bunch of music, they usually have been the primary folks ever really helpful to me. So it’s been an ideal partnership and I really feel like every year they only maintain getting cooler and cooler gigs and now, it’s blowing up into this.”
Ari Fisher: “ATLYS reached out to 2 of their most frequent collaborator composers, Andrew and I, and we have been like, ‘heck yeah!’ You recognize, we’ve by no means performed something like this. The crossover of classical and dance music is a problem, and we’ll do it as a result of it’s enjoyable.”
What was the inventive course of behind Opus like?
ATLYS: “All of us began by getting very conversant in all nuances and peculiarities of the originals. As quickly as we received the absolutely fledged scores from Andrew and Ari, our job was to breathe life into them! That meant to drill and grasp the immense technical problem of the items (boy, these two composers had no mercy!) by taking part in by the gnarly passages tremendous slowly after which build up the tempo little by little. However then, extra importantly, it meant experimenting with all of the totally different colours a string instrument can obtain to seek out and seize the huge emotional spectrum of every track.”
Andrew Vogt: “Ari writes all of it out by hand. I’m extra of the alternative; I do extra of the pc facet of issues. The entire songs have totally different types. Not one of the 4 that I did have been comparable by any means. You’ve got “The Blood” after which you’ve “Dreamin,’” which is like whole wedding ceremony materials. There was a lot to work with and every track had its totally different world that it lived in. For “The Blood” specifically, I attempted to work at night time or every time it was darkish out and I’d maintain the lights off and be actually gothic about it, regardless that I’m in no way. However I used to be instantly like, okay, that is that is the course this one’s entering into, so I attempted to maintain myself in that headspace.”
Ari Fisher: “I’d take heed to the tracks numerous occasions till they have been ingrained in me, till I knew the songs in and out, just like the again of my hand. After which after that, I’d sit down with a sheet of sq. paper and write out precisely what was within the unique: all of the totally different textures, all of the totally different sounds, the totally different synth strains, every part, the glitch noises, the melodies, and the drafts. Nothing was unnoticed by way of element, and I’d name that my reference sheet, and that had every part that I might presumably hear from the unique. From there, I used to be in a position to decide on sure parts that I needed to maintain (and there have been loads of them), however I additionally needed to place myself in it too by way of my harmonic voice and my compositional fashion. It was an exquisite marriage and balancing act that wasn’t too troublesome. It was loads of enjoyable, really.”
Please describe the method of recording Opus.
ATLYS: “A lot of the challenges of recording weren’t something new to us. Recording, in contrast to a dwell efficiency, carries the stress that will probably be crystallized perpetually! So that you desperately need every part to be completely excellent, although that in fact doesn’t exist! We had a lot bother grappling with that. And when you’ve 4 human beings within the combine, on every take, you may count on one individual to really feel pleased with the way in which that they performed and one individual to be bummed. After all, the pressures or time and funds once more restricted us to solely three days to file every part. We have been so fortunate to have discovered probably the most superior recording engineers in Seattle, Andrew Ching and Jack Bertocchini at Studio X, who labored with us for 14 hours every day!
We spent often about eight hours monitoring after which 5 hours listening by to do our greatest in selecting our favourite takes (which all the time appears like a compromise!). We’re additionally so grateful to have had one among our arrangers Ari Fisher there the entire time to assist type by takes and be a extra non-partisan listener. It was insanity, but in addition simply probably the most enjoyable hangout fueled by the joy that extra folks have been going to get to listen to this music! These days will stay cherished reminiscences for us.”
What have been a few of the difficulties in translating dance music to a string quartet?
Andrew Vogt: “Loads of the utterly quantized stuff that’s completely made in a pc doesn’t translate over the simplest to a quartet, as a result of they’re not taking part in to a click on. So time goes to be slightly bit extra free-form. Clearly, ATLYS have nice time they usually play collectively so properly. However after some time, while you’re taking part in dwell and there’s no drum machine beneath, you’re going ‘the place’s the beat?’ So it was a giant problem for me to have the ability to be like, ‘okay, we are able to solely do that for a sure period of time after which we have now to throw it over to a different instrument, or we have now to place within the cello or we have now to go elsewhere with it,’ as a result of in case you begin doing it an excessive amount of, then impulsively you form of lose monitor of time. In order that was a giant factor, the tremendous rhythmic side of issues.”
ATLYS: “This venture from the start was so darn thrilling to us that any of the challenges we confronted have been met with nothing however sheer enthusiasm! The primary problem for the arrangers was the try to seize the immensity of those songs that use subwoofers and every kind of synthetic sounds and get our unplugged, centuries-old, acoustic devices to match that energy—however my, oh my, did Andrew Vogt and Ari Fisher rise to the problem!“
Ari Fisher: “I feel the problem was not a lot in making it classical however in retaining the dance results, the dance really feel, and the depth, and drive, the rise and drops, the glitch noises. Seeing how I can translate these versus simply leaving them out and making one thing form of fairly over it. I needed to maintain that edge, and I feel that’s what made it a lot enjoyable.
What was it like making ready for the present at Crimson Rocks?
ATLYS: “Enjoyable truth about ATLYS: we don’t dwell in the identical metropolis, not even the identical state. Nonetheless, with regards to cultivating string quartet music, it’s the interplay of all 4 elements that’s essential. Particular person preparation is essential, however that alone a stellar efficiency doesn’t make. The busy lives all of us individually lead and the short turnaround of this venture meant that we have been solely in a position to put aside and finance one full day collectively earlier than the primary efficiency in entrance of 9,000 folks to get snug with all of this new music. That’s madness! However due to trendy recording know-how, we have been really in a position to begin rehearsing every track collectively within the few weeks earlier than the live performance.
We every recorded our particular person strains (sometimes sending a video or two) and layered every half in one after the other to listen to and match the way in which we have been every shaping and tuning every phrase, to not point out how we have been approaching the much less ‘conventional’ dance strategies that have been offered in these preparations. If there have been any disagreements, we might focus on them and discover options and compromises.”
Andrew Vogt: “I didn’t hear Ari’s preparations till that they had a rehearsal on the lodge in Colorado, and that’s after we first met Jeff and every part. And it was a cool expertise. We’re all within the lodge room they usually’re taking part in these items for the primary time. I’m listening to his preparations for the primary time. He’s listening to mine for the primary time, and so is Jeff (Seven Lions). And so we’re all simply form of within the room like, wow, that is the primary time any of us have been in a position to hear what was occurring as a result of the method was so ‘alright, let’s get it performed.’ And I actually, actually liked that about this venture. It pressured you to get it performed as a result of the deadline was right here and the present is going on.
Additionally Jeff is a really, very severe dude when he’s listening. So Ari and I have been form of sitting right here and searching over our shoulder, making an attempt to get a watch on him as a result of he was very onerous to learn and we weren’t certain if he favored it or not. However clearly all of it labored out nice! He liked it, and it was so good to satisfy him and hang around with him for slightly bit as properly.”
What was it prefer to expertise your venture come to life dwell at Crimson Rocks?
Andrew Vogt: “Complete bucket checklist. It was simply actually unbelievable to be there. I’ve by no means even been to Colorado earlier than, in order that was only a completely, completely superior expertise.”
Ari Fisher: “It was a really, essential factor that I needed to be there to witness and be part of it from all facets. To expertise it and to assist my fellow musicians and pals and make new pals. It was one thing that I needed to expertise and be part of.”
ATLYS: “Earlier than our efficiency there with Seven Lions, we had no concept simply how invigorated we’d really feel by merely strolling the grounds the place so many legendary musicians have carried out. Unsurprisingly, all of us had our justifiable share of butterflies earlier than the present started. This was by far the most important crowd we’ve ever been fortunate sufficient to carry out for as a quartet! Because the night time carried on, the nervous power morphed into pure exhilaration and pleasure. There have been moments the place we needed to include our feelings for the way grateful we have been to be there. As classically educated musicians venturing into all of the genres that we are able to, this expertise was greater than we might have ever dreamed of!”
Andrew Vogt: “As soon as ATLYS began performing, it was actually neat. Particularly with preparations, it’s important to just be sure you can nonetheless distinguish the unique track, particularly in instrumental association the place no person’s singing and no person is aware of the phrases. It’s like, this could possibly be something, actually. So you actually need to seize these sure key parts from the track, like melodies which are sung, or no matter you actually assume goes to face out, and that’s the true take a look at of an excellent association—if anyone goes to begin singing alongside. And certain sufficient, like with the primary track, folks began singing alongside when the refrain hit. And even earlier than that, the true tremendous followers have been singing the primary verse and knew all of the phrases. Instantly, the group simply began singing over the refrain. I believed to myself, ‘okay, that is working! That is occurring.’
Every time that ATLYS got here again out to carry out in between units, the group received an increasing number of into it. It was simply incredible. And it’s so nice as a result of I’ve identified all the ladies for such a very long time. It’s so nice to see success occurring for them and to see them get that recognition. So yeah, it was only a nice expertise.”
Ari Fisher: “There’s nothing like listening to like a crowd of 9,000-plus folks simply singing alongside to one thing you’re part of. I’m glad I went and received to expertise all of it. And if I might do it once more, I’d achieve this a thousand occasions over.”
Why do you assume it’s rarer to see dance music carried out like this?
ATLYS: “It takes dangers from any artist to strive one thing totally different, but it surely was such an superior transfer on Seven Lions’ half to consider taking this contemporary sound and bringing it again to conventional roots. It takes loads of talent and time from composers to re-arrange a bit and write down music on paper. Then, it’s important to discover the best musicians to deliver these preparations to life, to carry out in live performance in entrance of hundreds of dance followers and ship! I do need to say, there’s most likely loads of factors at which this plan might’ve backfired, but it surely didn’t! All of us stayed true to creating this collaboration profitable and revolutionary, and now, it’s one thing I want extra and that there was extra music like this on the market!”
Do you assume we’ll see extra initiatives like this sooner or later?
ATLYS: “I feel it’ll solely proceed to evolve! Once we started this journey with Seven Lions, we have been instructed all about Above & Past’s gorgeous, ground-shattering acoustic efficiency on the Hollywood Bowl, which we’ve since listened to and love! Though their interpretation introduced dance into the orchestral realm, our efficiency on Opus has nearly tried to do the alternative and convey the string quartet into the dance realm. We’ve tailored to and have tried to seize the depth of each sound impact, drop, and buildup riser on our centuries-old devices. I can’t wait to see what comes subsequent interpretation-wise! And we’re so excited to see how our relationship with Seven Lions and Ophelia continues. We might be so honored and excited to be part of his Crimson Rocks performances sooner or later!”
Do you’ve another enjoyable tidbits so as to add?
Andrew Vogt: “Probably the most enjoyable elements concerning the venture was doing all of the candy sound results. My favourite one was ‘The Blood.’ There are simply so many bizarre little issues coming out and in of that track, so simply having the ability to seize these and go ‘okay, I’ve received this huge slide occurring, I’m going to make the cello simply slide and go all the way in which up with none frets or something like that.’ And also you’ve received bizarre handclaps and on that one, I’ve received folks smacking the facet of their devices and hitting the again of their bows on the devices and stuff like that. In order that was a blast for me as a result of that’s form of the stuff that you simply all the time wish to do, however you’re by no means allowed to.”
Ari Fisher: “There are two tracks that you simply hear stomping in. Certainly one of them is ‘Solely Now’ and the opposite is ‘Ocean.’ On the recording session, I believed it could be a enjoyable option to have Jeff be part of the album. So I had him, the recording engineer, and ATLYS, and even Trivecta confirmed up, and all of us have been stopping. So Jeff is a part of the album and so is Trivecta.”
What was your favourite a part of this entire expertise?
ATLYS: “It’s onerous to decide on only one! However we talked amongst ourselves and there have been three huge moments that stood out. The primary was that it was an exquisite inventive course of for us to check Seven Lions’ music and interpret these sonic digital sounds for our devices and our personal conventional sound! It was so enjoyable!
One other favourite a part of this journey was our time in Seattle on the lovely Studio X, recording this full album within the quick span of three days! These have been LONG, LONG days, however we bunkered down and received it performed, constructed even deeper connections between one another, and nonetheless had a number of laughs all through all of it.
Final, however not least, we loved attending to play and have interaction with the hundreds of followers in dwell efficiency. So many individuals have been singing collectively and loving the music and being current all in that second collectively, there’s completely nothing prefer it. These are reminiscences we’ll always remember, that’s for certain!”
Featured picture: Tariq Abdel Photograph
Classes: Music