Electronic Music Production BA (Hons)

Entering your second year means you can expect to go up a gear in the sophistication and complexity of the work we’ll be asking you to do. We want you to have a forensic knowledge of past and current trends in EDM and to articulate where this field may go in the future. This module provides a balance of research and practice, so we’ll expect to hear the results of your analysis flowing out of your tracks.

No one involved in electronic music can have missed the massive rise in popularity of modular synthesis and the hugely important role modular systems play in modern electronic music, across all fields and genres. We are lucky enough to have a number of modular systems at UWL, which you will be exposed to, learning how they work individually and then having the buzz of bringing them all together playing with other musicians in a modular ensemble.

You have set yourself up to enter a hugely competitive creative industry and so, how you present yourself, and your work, to the world is extremely important. The social media landscape changes at an incredible rate but in this module we will prepare you to adapt your message and your personal brand, using the latest tools and technologies to promote your individual artist identity to the world.

Academia is all about searching for something new and we use research to do it. Working in the creative arts is very similar, working to find that new sound or production technique, which will set us apart from other artists. In this module these two endeavours are brought together and we will show you how to use the power of research to fuel your creativity.

Hip Hop Production is a combined lecture and workshop-based module, designed to introduce you to the creation of Hip Hop music.

It follows the historical development of technology and production techniques in the genre, from the initial use of Turntablism through Digital Sampling, Interpolation, and Synthesis. It also provides a solid grounding of these techniques within the larger aesthetic and cultural context of the African-American musical traditions that are vital to its practice.

The module consists of short weekly lectures on the history or use of specific styles and techniques of Hip Hop DJs and producers. But the heart of the module is the weekly creative group work and workshops where you will learn, hands-on and in collaboration with your classmates, how to produce your own tracks.

Your first year ended with the release of your music and the high point of your second year will be a public performance of your music. This will involve the planning and execution of a public facing event from the ground up. We will explore the many ways you can bring your music to the stage. You will have to raise your game, not just creatively but also in terms of planning and management.

Although you will have made a lot of diverse music during your journey at UWL, much of what you will have created will have been related to popular culture in one form or another. In this module we give you a very different perspective, using sound as a tool to make art. There are a huge number of creative contexts and opportunities to generate revenue outside of the purely commercial sector and this module will explore this field and the artists who earn their living from it.

In this module we want to build on your experience of planning and performing an event in the second year. This time however we want you to raise your game and make a work that is truly multi-media in nature, something that looks as good as it sounds. This could involve this could involve interactive visualisations, lighting controllers, or generative animations, but whatever you choose it will hopefully deliver a memorably experience for your audience.

This module examines cutting-edge technologies and emerging trends in music technology and creative arts in general. It will allow students to gain knowledge of the latest technologies that are disrupting the industry at all levels. From composition, production, dissemination/consumption to performance, technology is redefining the way art is created and consumed.

During your time at UWL you will have picked up a huge range of technical and creative skills, many of which can be used to earn money outside of the music industry. This module will show you ways in which your talents can be exploited in the film and games industry, exploring their different workflows and responding to their distinctive briefs. This will provide you the opportunities to spread your sonic-signature sound across more media outlets, giving your brand even more strings to its bow.

In the final year of your degree course you will undertake a major project. This module is your chance to create your dream project with a high degree of independence.

You will be allocated a supervisor and then given the freedom to create a piece of work, which you feel really represents you as a music technology student.

You will be guided and supported, but this is your vision and your chance to show the world your achievements.