DanSinger

LMC6310
ArtistsStatement

WhoseSwampIsItAnyway?

IntroductionandInspiration

WhoseSwampIsItAnyway?(WSIIA?)isanexperimentalhiphopcompositionthat
tracesaprotagonistsrelationshipwiththeawardwinninganimatedfilm
Shrek
(DreamWorks,
2001)anditstitularogrecharacter.WSIIA?wascreatedinEarSketch,acodingbasedDAW
developedbyresearchersattheGeorgiaInstituteofTechnology,andmyprogramwaswrittenin
JavaScript.
Thecompositionwasinspiredby
Shrek
sidiosyncraticfansubculture,whichbyway
ofwebsitessuchas4chan,Reddit,andYouTubehasreimaginedthefilmscrudesatireof
Disneyfairytalesasfodderforpunfilledmemesandabsurdist,sexualizedfanfiction.WSIIA?
positstheactofembracing
Shrek
fandomasanimmersiveendeavorthatbeginswithharmless
nostalgiabutultimatelybrainwashestheactorintopraisingShreklikeadeityandsubmittingto
hisdemands.Ratherthanmerelyreferencingtheiconographyandinsidejokesthatunite
membersof
Shrek
sfansubculture,WSIIA?presentsapersonalinterpretationof
Shrek
fandomthatseekstounsettleandsonicallyenvelopthelistener.

Structure

WSIIA?isorganizedintoseveralsections,whichmycodereferstoasShrektions.
Thecompositionfirstintroducesaudiosamplesfrom
Shrek
specificallyShrekandDonkey
yellingeachothersnamessettoaTR808electronicdrumgroovethatrecalls1980shiphop
production.Thissection,ShrektionA,actsasawhimsicalrefrainthatconnectsthepieces
additionalShrektions.
InShrektionB,theprotagonisthearstwomemorablequotesfromthefilmShrek
proclaimingThisismyswamp,andDonkeycallingShrekasmellyogresettoatrudging,
bassheavygroovethatechoesShreksdemeanorandgait.ShrektionBdemonstratesaplayful
approachto
Shrek
nostalgiathatentertainsandintriguestheprotagonist.
InShrektionC,theprotagonisthearsaspokenwordmantraofsortssummarizingthe
essenceof
Shrek
fandom:
Shrek
isaclassicmovie.IwillobeyHiseverycommand.This
forebodingmantraisrepeatedseveraltimesandalteredwithahallucinogenicflangereffectin
ordertoseduceandbrainwashtheprotagonist.ShrektionDmanglesthesewords,presenting
rapidsoundbitesthatareerraticallypitchshiftedandpannedtoconjureanensembleofcultlike

Shrekworshippers.AhalftimegrooveinShrektionsCandDperpetuatesthemesmerizing,
disconcertingauraofthis
Shrek
fandominitiationprocess.
ShrektionEfindstheprotagonistonthebrinkofcompleteimmersioninto
Shrek
fandom.
EmotionlessvoiceschantShreksnameinunisonandrepeatpartsofthemantra,whilethedrum
grooveacceleratesitspulselikeanervousheartbeat.Thevoicesscatterandenvelopthe
protagonistfromeverycornerofthesoundscapeuntiltheyaresuddenlyinterruptedbyShrek
sayingDonkey,effectivelyremovingtheprotagonistfromtheirtrance.
ThepiececoncludeswithonefinalinstanceofShrektionA,andthistimetheplayfulness
oftherefrainisundercutbythehypnotic,disturbingimageryfromtheprotagonistsjourneyinto
Shrek
fandom.Inthissense,itisatriumphantbuttraumatizedsighofrelief.WSIIA?putsthe
listenerintheshoesofthefictionalprotagonist,allowingthemtoconnecttheirexperienceswith
thisinterpretiveworktowelldocumentedartifactsandnormsof
Shrek
fandomthatcanbe
exploredonline.

CodingandAesthetics

EachShrektionofWSIIA?isstoredinsideofaShrektionfunctioncontaining
EarSketchsmakeBeat()andfitMedia()functions,whichareusedtotriggerfullsamplesor
rhythmicallysequencedsamplestrings.ShrektionfunctionstaketheargumentsfirstMeasureand
lastMeasuretodictatethespecificmeasurerangeafunctioncoverstheycontainforloopsthat
iteratefromfirstMeasuretolastMeasure,aswellasconditionalstatementsthataddvariationto
individualmeasures.ShrektionPrimefunctionsarealsoemployed,suchas
shrektionA_prime(),toextendthefoundationalmusicalideasofamainShrektionwhile
incorporatingmoresignificantvariations.Additionalfunctionspertainingtomusicalform
includebookendingintro()andoutro()functionsandparfaitDrumBreak(),ameasurelongdrum
breakwhosenamereferencesamemorable
Shrek
quote.
WSIIA?usesEarSketchssetEffect()functiontoarmvarioustrackswitheffectslike
gainmanipulation,filtering,compression,panning,chorus,flanger,andpitchshifting.While
someoftheseeffectsareimplementedinordertobalancetracklevelsintheoverallmix,others
helpfurtherthecompositionsnarrativeinanaestheticallycompellingmanner.Theflangerthat
isappliedtothespokenwordmantrainshrektionC(),forexample,signifiesatransitionfromthe
playful,familiarnostalgiaofshrektionB()toaframeworkfor
Shrek
fandomthatisfarmore
eccentric.Rapidlypitchshiftingthemantraandthemultitrackedchantcreatesadense
soundscapefullofotherworldlyShrekworshippersbrainwashingapotentialconvert,and
stereophonicpanningallowsthesevoicestosurroundandoverwhelmthelistener.
RandomnessisutilizedinWSIIA?toaddasenseofchaostotheostensibly
straightforwardactofexploring
Shrek
sfansubculture.EarSketchsshuffleString()function
randomlysequencesshrektionD()smantraaudioandasynthchoirsampleintopercussive
stutteringpatterns,andthefunPan()functionpansthemangledsoundbitesbetweenrandomleft

andrightchannelvalues.ThefunPitchRhythm()functionusesEarSketchsrhythmEffects()
functiontosequencethepitchshiftingofthemantrasoundbites,andthesequencingis
randomizedbywayofshuffleString()andthreerandomlygeneratedpitchshiftvalues.In
shrektionE_prime2(),thecombinationoffunPan(),randomizedpitchshiftingandrandomized
flangerratesalteringthechantingvoicescreatestexturesinthesoundscapethataddsuspenseand
tensionasaresultofthisspontaneity.PriortotheclimacticDonkeysample,thisrandomness
representstheprotagonistslossofcontrolastheydescenddeeperanddeeperinto
Shrek
fandom.
EachlistenerwillgetaslightlydifferentexperiencewhenhearingWSIIA?,butinspiteofits
stochasticelements,thecompositionisconsistentlyasstrangeanddisorientingasthedigital
subculturethatinspiredit.