The word timeless is described by the dictionary as being the quality of not changing as the years go past, or as fashion changes in sentences such as:
- She obviously chose these tracks for their timelessness, and their ability to transcend generations.
- The figure in the painting looked out at the world with a serene timelessness.
But this hardly scratches the surface as to what the word means to a musician, producer, or somebody pursuing any of the dreams in a creative craft.
Tom Wilson, an instructor at Point Blank Music School and the man behind the artist project Sweatson Klank From High Fidelity Records, has been in the industry for years now and has seen how music has shifted and morphed over the years. He has seen many trends come and go and has had the rare opportunity to see a few choice songs and artists stand the test of time.
Learn How Sweatson Klank Makes Tracks Like “Path Of An Empath” Here
It is this timelessness in the music and the musicians performing it that he seeks to teach and impart to his students and in his own music. And in the fourth episode of Magnetic Magazine’s brand new podcast, we sat down for a lengthy conversation with Tom to chat about how music can be timeless and how, or if, artists should even be trying to be timeless in the age in which they are creating.
What is the meaning of timeliness?
Let’s take a moment to dive a bit deeper into the meaning of the word timelessness, as Tom and I’s conversation brought up some powerful ideas behind the topic.
For Tom, timelessness helps to invoke a feeling of sentimentality and harkens back to the music of a generation’s past; a generation of music with which he has associated specific memories and feelings to. It’s the textures in his favorite vinyl records and the simple melodies played by his favorite bands he listened to as a child. Even the samples he found and used in his earliest days of crate digging and sampling hold specific connotations and memories that he considers timeless.
This almost makes you think that the qualities of timelessness require you to be hands-on with the music in some way. You feel attached to the music of your upbringing because you were often so much more engaged with the music then than we often are with the music we listen to today; this isn’t just a streaming culture vs. CD culture thing either. It’s the simple fact that we consume music differently in our youth than we do as adults and that can often make all the difference to us perceiving something as timeless.
But the hands-on approach to timelessness doesn’t stop there.
Tom and I chatted at length about striving to be different and finding studio tools like hardware synths and analog gear to set yourself apart from the rest. Thinking back now on that sentiment, the benefits of producing music tactilely also allow you to become more attached to the music you’re making. Working in DAWs and having access to instant recalls, MIDI files and more may help you get the track over the finish line faster but it can struggle to create the personal attachment needed to stand out from the crowd.
Obviously, this is not a blanket statement against using softsynths and hardware; I use plenty of plug-ins myself. But it is an argument for the merits of hardware as a way to further impart yourself into your art in hopes to create a more unique and personal connection to your audiences.
What type of word is timelessness?
But this all leads into the final throughline of the entire episode which is that timelessness is an ephemeral type of word. After talking at length with Tom, it became clear that we, as artists, can never be the ones who define or label our music as timeless. In fact, it rarely happens even in the generation in which it is being produced. Timelessness only comes when your music has, well, stood the test of time and remains relevant for generations after its initial creation.
And while many artists view being timeless as the gold standard to shoot for, it can be liberating to know that we have little to no control over whether our music will be considered timeless by the generations to come.
That being said, the most important part about music that is timeless is that it has a powerful message to communicate in a way that people haven’t heard before. This idea harkens back to the previous section and the importance of having a signature sound that stays with your listeners long after their initial listens.
So don’t focus on producing tracks to feed the algorithms or recreating the success found by an artist you admire. While that may give you a small number of streams and opportunities, those are likely to be simple vanity metrics if the music you produce just becomes lost in the crowd. It’s more important now than ever before to share the unique voice that we all have as creatives, even if it’s never felt harder to find that voice.
WHAT IS THE MAGNETIC MEANING PODCAST?
This podcast about words and music is sponsored by Point Blank Music School. Too often, people working or pursuing careers in the music industry get so caught up in the excitement, clout, and daily grind of it all that they forget this whole industry is just about communication.
Magnetic Meaning unpacks this notion and dissects the words and ideas that connect the music and resonate with those who work with it. Each episode will feature different guests from the music industry, each doing amazing things in their own right. These guests will each bring a word to the table that has impacted their life or career in one way or another.
From there, we will tackle that word from every conceivable angle to add a bit more context to the music industry.
Episodes are published on a bi-weekly basis, first thing every other Thursday.
Shoutout to the sponsors of the podcast, Point Blank Music School. At Point Blank’s brand new LA campus, you can study music production and sound engineering, DJing, radio broadcasting, singing and songwriting, and music business, and also benefit from 1-2-1 expert lecturers and a range of exclusive support services, including accessing industry-standard studios all while being supported via Point Blank’s expert team of Studio Assistants, Student Services, Wellbeing, Student Engagement and Events, A&R Mentoring and Careers Advice, exclusive competitions, artist masterclasses and more.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
