She (band)
Encyclopedia
she is a band formed in 2003 by the artist Lain Trzaska, sometimes credited as shemusic or Pjat Lain. As its main producer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Lain is the only official member of she but he occasionally brings in vocalists to perform.
and chiptune
, it incorporates elements and flavors from ambient
and classical music
. Using a mixture of old 8-bit computers and modern equipment, she's music is produced in the bitpop
style.
While she's albums are electronic in nature, they can vary in genres from album to album. For example, the first release emit and exude is a blend of industrial/electro with electric guitars, his third release pioneer is a chiptune album that uses a gameboy as the main instrument, and his first major release coloris is a dance/electronica album.
Lain often uses acoustic instruments with synths (this stems from his musical roots in classical piano).
Very noticeable in she's music is the use of filters to remove the low frequencies, while retaining the impression that certain sounds (e.g. the kick drum) are still in full force. This has the consequence of making some sounds sound like they come from a very Lo-fi source while some sounds still retain their full Hi-fi quality.
Another noticeable effect Lain often uses is "synthetic distortion", i.e. making the music sound 'glitchy' or 'laggy' like a damaged mp3
or CD. This creates an impression of the music being damaged when it really is not.
where each song introduces a new chapter. While the sounds, effects, and lyrics give clues to the story of the album, "the listener would find himself creating images and events in his head, completing the story", Lain says.
A returning theme in she's art is that some images seem to be damaged or poorly compressed in certain parts. Just like with the music distortion, the images give the impression that the file is incomplete, broken and not correctly displayed while in reality it is just designed that way.
Another returning theme is the face of an Asian girl watching calmly, not in a slightest way touched or affected by her surroundings.
It seems like the girl sometimes speaks for Lain and gives his fans directions on what to do. Like for example telling them to steal "her" music or to use illegal file sharing to obtain it.
Lain often uses ancient symbolism in his images, very noticeable in the chiptek album art and most recently the art for his upcoming album nights where the pyramid and the more modern mathematical symbol the Mandelbrot set
is used.
.
Music from the album days is used as music in the movie 12 Fl oz.
Musical style
While she's music can be labeled as electronicaElectronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
and chiptune
Chiptune
A chiptune, also known as chip music, is synthesized electronic music often produced with the sound chips of vintage computers and video game consoles, as well as with other methods such as emulation. In the early 1980s, personal computers became cheaper and more accessible than they had previously...
, it incorporates elements and flavors from ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
and classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
. Using a mixture of old 8-bit computers and modern equipment, she's music is produced in the bitpop
Bitpop
Bitpop is a type of electronic music and also subgenre of Chiptune, where at least part of the music is made using old 8-bit computers and video game consoles. Among systems used are Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari 8-bit Home Computer, Game Boy, Atari 2600 and Nintendo Entertainment System...
style.
While she's albums are electronic in nature, they can vary in genres from album to album. For example, the first release emit and exude is a blend of industrial/electro with electric guitars, his third release pioneer is a chiptune album that uses a gameboy as the main instrument, and his first major release coloris is a dance/electronica album.
Lain often uses acoustic instruments with synths (this stems from his musical roots in classical piano).
Very noticeable in she's music is the use of filters to remove the low frequencies, while retaining the impression that certain sounds (e.g. the kick drum) are still in full force. This has the consequence of making some sounds sound like they come from a very Lo-fi source while some sounds still retain their full Hi-fi quality.
Another noticeable effect Lain often uses is "synthetic distortion", i.e. making the music sound 'glitchy' or 'laggy' like a damaged mp3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
or CD. This creates an impression of the music being damaged when it really is not.
Visuals and Design
The graphic illustrations and designs surrounding she's releases are directly connected with each album and both the images and music tell a story. Especially the days album was created as a short storyShort story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
where each song introduces a new chapter. While the sounds, effects, and lyrics give clues to the story of the album, "the listener would find himself creating images and events in his head, completing the story", Lain says.
A returning theme in she's art is that some images seem to be damaged or poorly compressed in certain parts. Just like with the music distortion, the images give the impression that the file is incomplete, broken and not correctly displayed while in reality it is just designed that way.
Another returning theme is the face of an Asian girl watching calmly, not in a slightest way touched or affected by her surroundings.
It seems like the girl sometimes speaks for Lain and gives his fans directions on what to do. Like for example telling them to steal "her" music or to use illegal file sharing to obtain it.
Lain often uses ancient symbolism in his images, very noticeable in the chiptek album art and most recently the art for his upcoming album nights where the pyramid and the more modern mathematical symbol the Mandelbrot set
Mandelbrot set
The Mandelbrot set is a particular mathematical set of points, whose boundary generates a distinctive and easily recognisable two-dimensional fractal shape...
is used.
Discography
All of she's releases are free for download, excluding the major releases that were released on the label Pony CanyonPony Canyon
is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966 , which publishes music, DVD and VHS videos, movies and video games. It is a subsidiary of Japanese Media Group, Fujisankei Communications Group.-History:...
.
Music from the album days is used as music in the movie 12 Fl oz.
EP/Compilations
- (2008.11.01) chiptek
- (2007.06.17) days
- (2006.12.20) Pioneer
- (2005.03.16) digital ambient designs
- (2004.05.04) Emit and Exude
Singles
- (2011.03.25) Make Me Real
- (2008.12.20) 2008/Chiptune Superstar
- (2007.02.10) Songbird
- (2005.07.05) And Beyond