Gan On sat down with local synth-pop legends CHAT (Beccy Young and Jordan Miller) to learn how to write an absolute banger.
1. Stimulus
We usually have a stimulus to get a general vibe of the tune we want to make, then we’ll be able to determine what kind of synthesisers we’ll use, how the structure should go, etc. For example for our latest tune, we sent each other a load of City Pop and inspired each other in that way.
We start with limitations and then we won’t get distracted. Back to the synthesiser—the Casio Cz101 is used in a load of tunes we’re inspired by, so we set ourselves the challenge of only using that synthesiser. In the past, we’ve said if the Pet Shop Boys have used an EMU 2, we’ll do that as well.
2. Structure
We never normally have more than two chord progressions in the song, so if I come up with a chord progression and nothing’s happening within five minutes, we tend to just scrap it.
We always start with the music and then the melody, and the vocal will come from there. We’ll get a basic beat, we’ll put some chords over the top of it, then Beccy does her magic by trying to find some melody and lyrics within the music.
3. Lyrics
We’ll have conversations about things we’ve experienced or heard, relationship issues or weird things that have happened.There are different scenarios for each song so we’re always exploring different themes.
It also helps if it’s relatable, as that’s how you connect with people. They enjoy it in a kind of cathartic way, because with CHAT it’s a bit tongue-in-cheek; you look back on the shit time that you’re now able to laugh about.
4. Develop
When we have a theme and hook for the music, Jord will add loads of embellishments, cool sounds, hand claps and so on to the song while Beccy is essentially writing the rest of it.
When we’ve put it all together, Beccy will be able to identify where we can add extra parts or put in a big stop to make it more effective in different parts; that’s the benefit of seeing the full song in action. Then you can do things like tease one of the later melodies in the intro.
Sometimes we’ll write the whole song, finish all the parts, and then Beccy might decide, “actually my vocal would sound a lot better if the whole song was in a different key.” So we have to change everything up again. And change is refreshing, so we don’t see it as a bad thing.
You can keep up with all things CHAT over on their Instagram @letschatmusic
