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2008-01-12T13:02:00.001-08:00

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Using Symbolism to Convey Meaning

2007-03-31T10:10:00.001-07:00

Symbols are understood at an unconscious level. Just as words are the language of the conscious, symbols are the language of the unconscious. By communicating with the subconscious directly, advertisers can convey meaning to powerful effect.

The conscious mind responds to events relatively slowly. The unconscious, however, makes split-second decisions in its interpretation of experience, before the conscious mind is aware of it.

This has been shown with studies that have found that one formulates an opinion of something within the first 500 milliseconds of awareness, indicating the speed with which the unconscious interprets experience.

It is precisely because of this preliminary nature of the unconscious mind that the conscious mind is always observing a composite creation of the unconscious. Rather than being aware of the experience itself, the conscious mind observes the patchwork interpretation of experience, already processed by the unconscious mind well before it passes into conscious awareness.

In order for the unconscious to be able to function so efficiently, it must discard vast amounts of information as being irrelevant. Therefore, the information that makes it to the conscious level is the considered to be the most important information for the conscious mind to know, according to the unconscious.

The criteria for what becomes conscious are determined by a combination of instincts and knowledge gained from prior experience. On an instinctual level, many criteria are hard-wired into our DNA, e.g. personal safety, sexual interest, etc. These instincts are combined with knowledge gleaned from past experience to form the criteria for what parts of any given experience become conscious at that time.

The result is that a select few elements of experience are deemed important enough to cross the limen into consciousness, while the rest are discarded as unnecessary.

But, where are they discarded to, one might ask?

It is my opinion that they are actually retained by the unconscious, and that this is evinced by the method by which one learns to speak as a child. One learns to speak a language as a child by the cumulative effects of hearing that language spoken. This fact supports the idea that ostensibly “meaningless” elements of experience are retained, rather than discarded. If “meaningless” elements of experience were simply discarded (i.e. forgotten), then a child would not be able to learn language through exposure alone. But, the fact that one does learn to speak in such a manner supports the idea that the unconscious retains information that is discarded as irrelevant to the conscious mind.

It is this retention of information by the unconscious mind that allows symbols to have such powerful effects. When exposed to symbols subliminally, the conscious mind is not aware of the symbol while the unconscious observes and retains it for future reference.

Jung has written that myth, symbol and imagery are the language of the unconscious. [1] Therefore, symbols can communicate meaning and be understood at an unconscious level without the conscious mind being aware of it. Through the use of symbolism, the unconscious mind’s interpretation of experience can be affected. Symbols communicate directly to the unconscious and are understood at that level, affecting the unconscious mind’s conceptions accordingly.

A given symbol is associated with the experience it accompanies, and this association causes one’s interpretation of the experience to be altered accordingly. Furthermore, one may hold multiple interpretations of the same experience at different levels of consciousness, i.e. the conscious interpretation of an experience may be mundane while the unconscious interpretation is extraordinary.

The reason for this is that the unconscious complements and contrasts the conscious mind. The unconscious mind’s interpretation of experience is not homogenous with the conscious mind’s interpretation, for if it were, it would be redundant and unnecessary. Rather, the unconscious interprets events in its own way, complementing and being complemented by the conscious mind’s interpretation of these same events. So, although the conscious may interpret an experience with disinterest or even disapproval, the unconscious mind’s interpretation of that same experience could be with keen interest.

Electronic Music Production as Design

2007-01-20T16:17:00.000-08:00

I'm sure others have made this comparison before, but I was thinking about how electronic music production vis-a-vis conventional songwriting is similar to the dichotomy between design and art. It is conventionally argued that design is concerned with craftsmanship and functionality while art (be it painting, illustration or other forms of self-expression) is concerned with creative expression. So, although a Steinway piano may be a beautiful work of craftsmanship, the creators of the piano were not trying to express creativity but to make a high-quality functional product. The beauty inherent in the craftsmanship is a side effect of the craftsmanship, rather than being a goal unto itself.

Graphic Design
Of course, in the case of graphic design, there is much more room for creative expression. I would still argue, however, that with graphic design the goal is not to express the creativity of the designer but to make a well-crafted, high-quality and functional product: a design that communicates on the client's behalf, rather than being an original creative expression of the designer. (This is not to say that designers are not creative, only that they harness their creative energy towards practical ends, i.e. the business agreement with their client).

Electronic Music is "Designed"
Now, to draw the comparison to electronic music production. At this point, electronic music is such a huge field that there are hundreds of exceptions, but in general, I believe that electronic music is "designed." By this I mean that it is created to be functional, to have a desired impact, and that the intention of the creator is not to express themselves creatively but to reach a desired outcome (e.g. to make the crowd dance). The electronic music producer is the crafter of a sonic experience that is meant to affect the listener. It may tell a story and may be the expression of great creativity on the part of the producer, but I would argue that this creative expression is a side effect of the efforts at function and not the goal in and of itself.

Functional Is Beautiful
The idea I would like to express is that when you follow the precepts of design (attention to detail, functional systems, plans to reach desired outcomes), with the goal of creating something functional, it is still a creative expression and the outcome can be beautiful. I am reminded of this quote by Bucky Fuller:

"When I'm working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong."
-R. Buckminster Fuller

Syncretic Beliefs

2006-12-21T21:58:00.000-08:00

Syncretic Beliefs is a new album by producer and jazz pianist Jonah Dempcy. It has been released online in its entirety through the Creative Commons. It is released under an "Attrib" license granting free distribution as long as attribution is gievn.

The album is comprised entirely of solo jazz compositions -- modern jazz originals written by Jonah Dempcy. Save for one Hammond organ track, the songs are performed on acoustic piano.

Listen to the track Myriad Ways.

Stream Full Album

VBR M3U (Hi-Fi) (flash)
64Kbps M3U (Lo-Fi) (flash)

Download Full Album

64Kbps MP3 ZIP (11 MB)
VBR ZIP (33 MB)

All files: FTP HTTP

Revolution Void - Oldskool Breaks Mix (2006)

2006-11-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a mix of oldskool breaks tracks I did circa 1996-1998. It has been released as WAV, MP3 and Ogg Vorbis formats. The music ranges from down- to mid-tempo funky breaks to up-tempo drum'n'bass and oldschool hardcore.

The picture is by Alex Grande and the design is by Yuriko Miyamoto.

MP3 downloads:

View album information

Miscellaneous Recordings - Thanksgiving 2006

2006-11-23T20:01:00.000-08:00

I decided to post some miscellaneous recordings I had sitting around my hard drive.

All tunes are available as WAV/FLAC (highest quality), Ogg/variable bit-rate MP3 (standard quality) and 64 kbps MP3 (lowest quality).

Click here to stream the entire thing as variable bit-rate MP3:

 JonahDempcyMiscellaneousTunes-Thanksgiving2006_vbr.m3u

Or follow this link to download the entire thing in a zip file:


 JonahDempcyMiscellaneousTunes-Thanksgiving2006_vbr_mp3.zip

Alternately, you can click here to view all of the files associated with this release:

View all files

Otherwise, read on for a track-by-track description.

First up, here's a tune I made with the idea of using it for a film or video game soundtrack. This mix has an extended intro.

 3-4mellowpianofullmix-mastered.flac                         24-Nov-2006 02:15   18M
 3-4mellowpianofullmix-mastered.ogg                          24-Nov-2006 03:19  2.9M
 3-4mellowpianofullmix-mastered_64kb.mp3                     24-Nov-2006 03:17  2.0M
 3-4mellowpianofullmix-mastered_vbr.mp3                      24-Nov-2006 03:19  5.6M

This next tune is very much in-progress. The piano take will probably be replaced and overall the song will change quite a bit before its final release. Consider this a "demo" mix.

 190bpmGminorRendered.ogg                                    24-Nov-2006 03:18  3.9M
 190bpmGminorRendered_64kb.mp3                               24-Nov-2006 03:20  2.5M
 190bpmGminorRendered_vbr.mp3                                24-Nov-2006 03:18  5.6M

Now on to the piano recordings. This is a recording of an improvised 12-bar blues on acoustic piano:

 acousticpiano-12barblues.flac                               24-Nov-2006 01:52   12M
 acousticpiano-12barblues.ogg                                24-Nov-2006 03:19  2.3M
 acousticpiano-12barblues_64kb.mp3                           24-Nov-2006 03:20  1.4M
 acousticpiano-12barblues_vbr.mp3                            24-Nov-2006 03:20  4.5M

Here's a short improv track with minor tonality and a walking bassline:

 acousticpiano-minorenergeticwithwalkingbass.flac            24-Nov-2006 01:36  7.5M
 acousticpiano-minorenergeticwithwalkingbass.ogg             24-Nov-2006 03:15  1.4M
 acousticpiano-minorenergeticwithwalkingbass_64kb.mp3        24-Nov-2006 03:17  871K
 acousticpiano-minorenergeticwithwalkingbass_vbr.mp3         24-Nov-2006 03:15  2.8M

This is a short segue I made that would be suitable for transitioning between segments in a TV show, radio, film or other broadcast media.

 balladmellowsegue.flac                                      24-Nov-2006 01:26  3.0M
 balladmellowsegue.ogg                                       24-Nov-2006 03:15  639K
 balladmellowsegue_64kb.mp3                                  24-Nov-2006 03:15  394K
 balladmellowsegue_vbr.mp3                                   24-Nov-2006 03:15  1.1M

Finally, here's a take of some turntable scratching I did, using a Technics 1200 turntable, Rane TTM 450 mixer and an Ortofon DJ Pro needle.

 vinyl-99BPM-squelchyexperimentalscratching.flac             24-Nov-2006 03:14   20M
 vinyl-99BPM-squelchyexperimentalscratching.ogg              24-Nov-2006 03:16  3.3M
 vinyl-99BPM-squelchyexperimentalscratching.wav              24-Nov-2006 03:14   42M
 vinyl-99BPM-squelchyexperimentalscratching_64kb.mp3         24-Nov-2006 03:17  1.9M
 vinyl-99BPM-squelchyexperimentalscratching_vbr.mp3          24-Nov-2006 03:16  5.5M

All of these tracks are released under a Creative Commons Attrib license, which means you can use them for pretty much anything you like (including using these songs in your own creations, be they commercial or otherwise) as long as you give credit. So, go ahead and use these tracks in anything you like! Just give credit, and preferably a link (though not necessary).

Thanks for listening!

-Jonah

Viva la Revolucion (2000)

2006-09-06T01:07:00.000-07:00

The Viva la Revolucion EP has been released online in its entirety. It wasoriginally released as a 12" single in 2000 and it contains 3 breakbeat tracks by Revolution Void and a chill house remix by Matt Corwine.

MP3 Downloads:

A1. Viva la Revolucion
A2. Viva la Revolucion (Che Gotta Git Down mix)*

B1. Trip Time Divine
B2. Urban Reflection

*Remix and additional production on A2 by Matt Corwine.

Welcome to jonahdempcy.com

2006-08-23T02:29:00.000-07:00