Sonic fusions and experimentation: Finding your voice with Bad Snacks

Largely influenced in part by electronic fusion music from the LA beat scene, Bad Snacks sought to marry the contemporary sounds of electronic music and beats that she loved with those that she grew up with, creating a unique fusion she could call her own.

“Once I decided that I wanted to make music that was more akin to the kind of music I listened to, I got into a kind of ‘self-teaching’ mindset and transcribed a lot of hip-hop while simultaneously learning how synthesizers worked. I think my sound is constantly changing because experimentation is pretty integral to who I am as an artist, and every time I learn a new technique, my music develops a little more.”

“I think my sound is constantly changing because experimentation is pretty integral to who I am as an artist, and every time I learn a new technique, my music develops a little more.”

Bad Snacks states that her musical influences come from artists who “embrace the organic, can paint a sonic picture, but can also really kick it”, naming artists such as Flying Lotus, TOKiMONSTA, Kaytranada, J Dilla, Teebs, Kilamanzego, Disclosure, Bibio and Omari Jazz as prominent electronic and hip-hop producers as the sonic painters she gravitates towards.

Her classical music upbringing also positively influences her approach to electronic music production and beatmaking, giving her a unique perspective when combining classical with contemporary inspiration. “My background in classical music probably influences my music in the way that I approach melodies, string arrangements and dynamics in general,” she explains. “In terms of how it impacts my approach to production and beatmaking, I think it has really informed how I arrange different voices to speak to one another and how to build lush textures that I always really admired in the music I grew up with.”

“My background in classical music probably influences my music in the way that I approach melodies, string arrangements and dynamics in general […] I think it has really informed how I arrange different voices to speak to one another and how to build lush textures that I always really admired in the music I grew up with.”

Strings feature prominently across Bad Snacks’ recordings, juxtaposing bolder electronic textures on the tracks in exciting ways. In her songwriting process, Bad Snacks approaches each song differently to avoid repetition in her music, whether that’s with the instruments she uses or how she starts building a track. “My creative kickstart process changes all the time because I'd like to avoid having a routine approach, but it's common for me to start a track with drums first and then move my way through what it calls for,” she explains.

Regarding equipment, this is also subject to what is require for each track, but she does have a few go-to studio production essentials. “My staples are Ableton, my MIDI controller – a Novation Launchkey 49, my Peavey bass and my violin. I have a slew of analog synths that I'll use, but lately I've found that the world of soft synths tends to keep things extremely easy to tweak and edit.”

Perhaps one of the most difficult challenges an artist encounters is song completion and trying to create the perfect song. Bad Snacks knows this all too well and counters this with a simple thought she keeps in mind. “A released imperfect song is better than an unreleased perfect song! Not necessarily in the sense of releasing an album or any other kind of public project, but even just acknowledging that a song is done, and you can move onto the next thing. A lot of people get paralyzed by perfectionism.”

“A released imperfect song is better than an unreleased perfect song! Not necessarily in the sense of releasing an album or any other kind of public project, but even just acknowledging that a song is done, and you can move onto the next thing. A lot of people get paralyzed by perfectionism.”

The quest for perfectionism is elusive for most. Rather than chasing a potentially unachievable goal, Bad Snacks focuses on staying inspired and practicing creativity, as methods to constantly improve when writing and producing music, as well as accepting that there are times when inspiration doesn’t strike and being okay with that.