MinMax

MinMax is a 4 track fantasy concept E.P that explores the sonic possibilities of single instruments extended through unconventional performance and sound design techniques. I produced it in collaboration with talented Pōneke based musicians and the accompanying visuals were edited together from footage taken during the recording and production process. MinMax is my most ambitious project so far.

“Minmaxing” is a concept in game theory where a player maximises their investment in a specific skill at the cost of minimising others. Players who Minmax must accept their potential limitations in order to maximise their strengths. Philosophically this aligns with the concept of this E.P where I use minimal instrumentation to get maximum sonic potential out of these instruments. In line with the concept of game theory I wrote a brief fantasy narrative to act as through-line for the E.P and help guide the mostly improvisational recording sessions. My goal was to create a unique piece of art and, in the process, discover exciting new sounds I can use in other music going forward.

Track 1 – Guitar: Tim Banks & Ethan Rainer – Heavenly Strings and Hellish Beasts

Track 2 – Saxophone: Tim Banks – Mean Streets and Ancient Rituals (Ft. Kage Nesbit)

Track 3 – Percussion: Tim Banks & Joe Andrew – Overworld and Underworld

Track 4 – Voice: Tim Banks – Grief and Acceptance (Ft. Diplopoda)

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Track 1 – Guitar: Tim Banks & Ethan Rainer – Heavenly Strings and Hellish Beasts

A blacksmith with music in his heart attempts to craft the perfect heavenly guitar strings, but a mistake in the process causes him to summon a metal demon from the depths of hell when they’re played and his life is forfeited in the process. The gods however take pity on the blacksmith and his soul ascends…

Heavenly Strings and Hellish Beasts is an evolving Shoegaze track where every sound was made using a guitar. It was made in collaboration with guitarist, singer song-writer, and producer Ethan Rainer. Ethan is best known for his roll as the frontman in the Psychedelic Rock group (and one of my favourite bands): BADTAB. We recorded the majority of the sounds in his home studio in a single session guided by a concept and 2 chord progressions I had prepared. experimenting with his pedalboard and Fender Jaguar, Ethan provided me with a kaleidoscope of tones and textures I could experiment with in the production process.

We used various extended techniques and forms of sample manipulation to flesh out the piece including drumming on the guitar, heavy distortion, pitch shifting and enveloping guitar chords to act as hit hats and cymbals in the mix, playing the part of the strings past the neck of the guitar, granualizing sounds with plugins like Fracture by Glitchmachines, and octave shifting guitar create a bass line.

Track 2 – Saxophone: Tim Banks – Mean Streets and Ancient Rituals (Ft. Kage Nesbit)

Following the death of the blacksmith, a bounty hunter now pursues the metal demon through the mean city streets, only to be tricked and lured into a secluded location where they must do battle. The battle ends with the demon performing dark magic that disrupts the bounty hunter’s beating heart and sends him to the underworld where he will be judged for his past deeds…

Mean Streets and Ancient Rituals is a one of a kind Dub Track where every sound was made using a saxophone. It was made in collaboration with Kage Nesbit who works as a physics teacher while learning the saxophone in his spare time. Together in the Massey University Wellington Studios and my home studio, we recorded a cacophony of sounds along with some melodies and chord sections I could use to experiment with in my DAW.

We used various forms of extended technique and sample manipulation to fill out the piece. Notable examples include layering unique delay patches to create a spacious drone, time stretching a held note to create a thick sub layer, creating a beat section out of percussive tonguing sounds, mechanical noises and knocking directly on the sax, live playing a sampled percussive sax stab on a midi keyboard, and processing the sax through Guitar Rig amps and effects.

Track 3 – Percussion: Tim Banks & Joe Andrew – Underworld and Overworld

Disoriented, the bounty hunter finds himself exploring the underworld. Meanwhile his loved ones above desperately call upon a witchdoctor to restart his heart using an enchanted drum circle. While this almost works, it ultimately fails and the bounty hunter must accept his fate and receive judgement…

Underworld and Overworld is a Jazzy and Funky, Jungle/Drum & Bass hybrid track where every sound is made using percussion. This was done in collaboration with Joe Andrew, a prolific drummer in the Pōneke region. Joe is an incredibly talented percussionist with an unparalleled sense of rhythm. After an in-depth discussion about the concept, we recorded hours of rhythms and textures for each section of the track in the Massey University Wellington Studios which gave me an incredible amount of freedom for experimentation and arrangement in the production process, resulting in my favourite track on the MinMax E.P.

We used various forms of extended technique and sample manipulation to flesh out the piece. Notable examples include layering drum recordings with lower pitched copies and reverse transient samples, heavily pitching bongo and tom hits to create melodies and bass lines, comb filtering drums and drum reverb to create pitched elements and backing drones, and bending the skins on the drums while they’re being hit to change the pitch.

Track 4 – Voice: Tim Banks – Grief and Acceptance (Ft. Diplopoda)

Knowing the fate of the bounty hunter is sealed, his loved ones must now experience the 5 stages of grief…

Grief and Acceptance is an acapella medley where every sound was made vocally. It was recorded entirely in my home studio in collaboration with Genevieve Van-Staden AKA Diplopoda. Genevieve brought a fun creative energy to the recording sessions and her theatre experience added depth and texture I hadn’t expected. I found the process of soundtracking the 5 stages of grief challenging and it stretched my skills as a vocalist and artist. I believe the final result takes the listener on a memorable emotional journey that, while peppered with moments of levity, deeply explores the feelings associated with grief.

We used various vocal techniques and forms of sample manipulation to fill out this piece. Notable examples include layered beatboxing, tremoloed and distorted shout singing, yodeling, throat singing, rhythmic breathing, extreme time stretching, and whistling.

Credits

Narrative Writers

Tim Banks, James Cartman

Composers

Tim Banks, Ethan Rainer, Joe Andrew

Performers

Tim Banks, Ethan Rainer, Kage Nesbit, Joe Andrew, Genevieve Van-Staden

Recording Engineer, Producer, Mixing and Mastering Engineer, Video Editor, Graphic Designer

Tim Banks

Camera Operators

Tim Banks, Ethan Rainer, Klara Milburn, Joe Andrew, Genevieve Van-Staden

Lighting

Tim Banks, Joe Andrew

Mentor

Neil Aldridge

A special thanks to the friends who collaborated with me on this project for offering their talent, skills, and time. You made this project possible.

Dedicated to Michael Banks