Ernest Greene AKA Washed Out has teamed up with The Creators Project, a global arts and technology initiative from Vice and Intel, to produce Exploring The Sounds of ‘Paracosm’, a two-part series that focuses on the instrumentation found on the album. The first installment of the series followed Greene to Calgary to visit the Audities Foundation and speak with its founder David Kean (see July 18th segment).
For this second installment, Greene takes viewers on a tour of his home studio in Athens, Georgia where he recorded some of the sounds found on Paracosm, and discusses the sampling techniques employed in Washed Out’s live show. He also visits Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta where he discusses the state of recording with studio owner Paul Diaz.
With Paracosm, Greene made a conscious decision to expand his sonic palette, which resulted in the employment of more than 50 different instruments, the most significant of which turned out to be old keyboards like the Mellotron, Chamberlin, Novatron, and Optigan. Designed during the middle of last century and made up of pre-recorded sounds with individual notes sampled for each key of the chromatic scale (the flute sound in The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever” is a well-known example of the Mellotron in action), these relics allowed Greene to use his sampling expertise while also offering the flexibility to explore new creative avenues.
Washed Out’s Paracosm will be will be available on CD, LP and digitally on August 12th in UK & Europe via Weird World and in North America on August 13th via Sub Pop. Paracosm was recorded with returning producer Ben Allen in Athens and Atlanta, Georgia. Pre-order at iTunes HERE.
Watch the Kate Moross directed video for ‘Don’t Give Up’ again: