"Strangers"
featuring GAUDEAMUS VOCAL CONSORT, BAAST & GRIZ-O
written by George Moorey, Josh Petkovic-Short, Beth Griffin & Lucas Vaughan
recorded on Friday 23 March 2018 at St Nicholas, Westgate
recording engineer: George Moorey
film-maker: Barney Witts, Fluxx Films
left to right: Griz-O, Deryck Webb, Josh Petkovic-Short, Vicki Field, Beth Griffin, Sebastian Field, George Moorey, Duncan Wilkins, Shane Young, Barney Witts
I love St Nicholas church. It’s the church that started all this off, the one which I visited and felt inspired by history, privileged to have so much on my doorstep and started to dwell on the notion that I might join the ranks of those who have made meaningful music in Gloucester throughout its history by contributing to the city’s musical heritage.
I love it’s wonky tower and the history of its origins as the place of worship that visitors to Gloucester via Westgate were first greeted by. It was built in 12th century and became massively popular in the 16th century. It was dedicated to the patron saint of sailors and merchants too and this is a tenuous link to the broad immigration themes in this track. I wanted to ensure that there was honest expression of a relevant political issue sitting uncomfortably amongst the other more cosy themes of the project and it felt like the right topic to wrestle with because Gloucester is a diverse melting pot of ethnicities and nationalities due to its history as an inland port and recent generations of good folk from other countries choosing to make their home here.
I co-wrote this with Josh and Beth who together are known as the electronic duo BAAST. I was aware that Josh is a creative talent in his own right and wanted to provide the opportunity to step out from the recording engineer role, to also involve him as a collaborator so I put it to him that he and Beth might feature as BAAST and I was pleased they accepted. We found common ground because all three of us can trace back to a non-native blood line in less than a couple of generations and we all agreed that immigration would be a suitable political topic to take on.
I had sketched out a piano ostinato influenced by Nils Frahm and some sequences that used some wonderful chamber string samples created by Olafur Arnalds (both two of my favourite artists) that I wanted to include so, after meeting to play around a bit in the studio before the session, I provided Josh with the stems for those parts and provided the brief for him to create a drum part and integrate my parts into some sort of groove for Beth to sing over. Beth had started writing some lyric ideas down and was improvising a tune. The next time we met was to record the track in the church.
Hip-Hop artist Griz-O joined us along with Gaudemus Vocal Consort, a 4 piece choral group led by my friends Vicki and Seb. Griz-O had been provided with a rough version of Josh’s beats from our studio writing session and asked to write bars of verse that he could spit based on our theme of immigration. Beth’s lyrics were dark and angry. I’m not used to expressing myself through anger so I decided to try to counter and juxtapose with my own lyrical efforts. I found it difficult but didn’t want Beth to change her approach so I tried to write a universal blessing and began researching celtic blessings. I found this which I really warmed to:
Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the infinite peace to you.
It was perfect and I could easily imagine the choral quartet singing it underneath the other parts that Beth and Josh had created. I wrote some melody lines and added some of my own lyrical ideas to do with travellers seeking for and receiving welcome and shelter from a storm, sharing stories, gaining understanding and forging bonds.
On the day I situated the quartet under the bell tower and Josh, Beth and Griz-O set up at the other end of the church by the altar and pulpit. Barney did some terrific work building a narrative sequence with his filming making Griz-O a central character who enters the building and finishes off proceedings preaching from the pulpit; setting things straight like a boss - his lyrics calling out the ignorant bullshit of racism.
Shane observed that the two groups didn’t mingle which was interesting given the threads of rejection and welcome in the material we were creating. The styles of music; modern electronic and rap based forms versus my interpretation of choral tradition are a definite and obvious contrast. The two demographics - the stereotypes; cool self-aware young talent versus university educated middle class older white adults singing soprano, counter tenor, tenor and bass parts also a contrast. Not really talking to each other yet here everyone is expressing feelings we have in common through angry poems, chaotic musical constructs, 4-part choral singing, lyrical offers of reconciliation and welcome in a church with a history of classist hierarchy and pecking order. For me, despite some amusing banter and photographic comedy, the session didn’t have the same easy vibe of all of the others.
For a couple of weeks before the session my buoyant mood had faded and I became pensive and I wasn't sure why. Alone in the studio, following the session, I sorted through the sonic ingredients of this track and I had the prescient feeling that there would have to be compromise and that not everyone would be happy.
I sent my first arrangement out to everyone. Feedback from Josh indicated that he wasn’t happy with what I’d done, that I’d misrepresented his efforts. I had been brutal with his parts so I went back to the studio and refocused my efforts to deeply integrate and be inclusive with what he’d done without putting aside what I wanted to include in the track and came up with the structure and arrangement of the final version. Beth came and sang backing vocals and seemed content with matters. Josh didn’t feedback this time so I phoned him to settle any differences of opinion and to gently state that it had to be my interpretation that is published as it’s my project. All the tracks will be made available as stems for remixers to create their own versions so perhaps there will eventually be a version that is more BAAST than George Moorey. I really hope so. I’d be so pleased to hear it.
I feel grateful that it took 6 harmonious sessions before arriving at one which I struggled with. Many music projects suffer friction from clashes of opinion and ego but so far I had avoided anything like that. This was more a weird dampener on things rather than a clash of opinion or ego. I see now that it’s OK for this track to be uncomfortable, confused, difficult. This small amount of tension has become an asset within the process and actually contributes to the overall outcome.
It was always my intention that the listener should find this track tough to listen to. I've ended up exceptionally proud of it because it was ambitious and ended up something of an epic.
It’s called “Strangers”. It’s confused and far from perfect, but just like the rest of the project I’m glad of the raw bits that prevent it from being polished to a sheen - it shines in all the right places and stays rough revealing the true nature of things. This project is meant to be human in the most honest sense and this track is testament to that aim.
Credits
BAAST
hard hitting distorted beats and textures underpin angry honest lyrics that hi-light the main themes of this track
If I'm honest I'm a tiny bit intimidated by the talent and drive these two young artists harness. I'm really hoping Josh and/or Beth might find the time at some point to take the stems from my mixes and re-create this track according to their personal aesthetic. It was great having Josh engineer 5 sessions before we arrived at this point in the project, but I was increasingly aware that I was missing a trick just having him engineer and not contribute as an artist. We remedied that here and although I got to take the important arrangement and mix decisions without his input, the sound is unmistakably a collaboration that blends a diverse set of elements that I don't normally access easily in my music making and I have BAAST to thank for that. They were there at the start of writing this song and performed brilliantly during the session. Beth's qualities as a lyricist, a spoken word artist and a singer are displayed here to good effect. Despite my insecurities about causing potential upset by taking control in isolation of the arrangement when it was clear that the equal, if not superior, skills of these two were capable of moving the track forward without further input from myself. I am proud of the track and believe it sits uncomfortably well in amongst the collection of songs due to Josh's and Beth's involvement - which was, of course, my original intention! Check out BAAST here.
Gaudeamus Vocal Consort
4-part choral singing under the bell tower opens the track and descends lightly back into the middle section
I had written some words of hospitality for strangers and borrowed from a well known celtic blessing. That the group is demographically white, middle class and middle aged wasn't intentional but I feel somehow illustrates something more to the track. Vicki and Sebastian feature elsewhere on other tracks. I knew that they could provide this tricky ingredient in my volatile sonic cake mix and invited their singing colleagues, Deryck (tenor) and Duncan (bass), to deal with the lower parts while they combine their abilities in the higher parts. They have learned to put up with and adapt my naive compositions for choral parts quickly and with great success. One of the things I often do is over estimate what's possible regarding range and often they reverse the parts I have written for them so that Seb (counter tenor) sings what was intended for Vicki (soprano) an octave down and Vicki sings what was intended for Sebastian. This piece was a great opportunity for me to ask Vicki exactly what range for each part is suitable and I did my best to come up with something that is intended to be soothing against the anger of Beth's verses.
Griz-O
Griz delivers a no compromise stream of retort to racism bringing the track to a close in the perfect manner
Griz has been making music for a long while now and I can't believe he wasn't on my radar until recently. He's known within the UK Hip-Hop and Grime scenes and has gained play listing on BBC Radio 1 Xtra amongst other notable achievements. I'd met him once prior to the session through my friend JPDL at the same time I first met Beth who also features on this track because they are all part of the urban vocal group 5 Mics who I keep an eye on. I'm really pleased to feature Griz-O on this track. He was efficient, professional, provided amazing bars and was happy enough to take a lead role in the film Barney shot and edited which hints at a subtle narrative and adds an extra level of interest to the original concept. I'm impressed with Griz and would relish the opportunity to work with him again one day. Hope he feels the same way! Check out Griz-O here.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the infinite to you
Peace
Peace
Peace
The plight of a nation
Likened to insect migration
Families homes and lands subject to devastation
And from one tyrannical leader these humans travel the distance
To be met with a population full of ignorance
Unloving and callous
Tongues filled with malice
Tearing people down further in their darkest hours
And those who are passive should rise to the challenge
Open up your mind
Find a way to counter balance this inequality
Because if truth be told and truth be faced
Why put up these barriers
Why implement this hierarchy
Like predator and carrion
If truth be told and truth be faced
Why put up these barriers
Why implement this hierarchy
Like predator and carrion
Rooted in reality
There’s reasoning to give wings to the seeds
If you’re rooted in reality
There’s reasoning to give wings to the seeds
If you’re rooted in the concrete a new lease of life is needed for your leaves
Our ancestors have born the weight of persecution docks to forest greens
And we will bear the fruit of wisdom passed down generations
Set them free
Set them free
Strangers from afar
Come in from the storm
Shelter in our home
Find a place to dwell
Share your story so that we might understand
And we’ll weave strong ties with a peace to counter all despair
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Peace
Peace
Listen
Are you my friend or my enemy
Is curiosity the reason why you’re staring in my face or is it jealousy
See people fear what they don’t know
I think they’re scared to trace their legacy
For fear of losing pedigree
Pure bred? I don’t think so
So you were born here?
You’re not as British as you think bro
Sisters too, I can’t leave you out
I’m saying open up your mind
All that ignorance just leave it out
So many better things to think about
Than in or out
I suggest we try a different route
Cos we all talk with our mouths
And see through our eyes
Think with our minds
Tell me why the divide
Tell me why the hard feelings
I don’t understand the reason
Back in the day
Brits was breaching and thieving
Murdering, deceiving
And now you want to moan
Because somebody’s made a home
And their family are eating
You’re reaching
On that note I’ll be leaving
Good evening
Visit the next location
© George Moorey 2018. Photography (unless noted otherwise) by Shane Young