Finding dance music inspiration through Mobiles & Casino’s

As a genre, dance music offers some advantages that no other can. Principal among these is the flexibility which can go into backing an dance music track. While other genres can be confined to certain sounds, dance music can bind many together, opening a range of possibilities for both listeners and artists. Avicii is a popular example of this, with songs like Hey Brother going so far as to combine dance music and country, which many previously thought would go together like oil and water.

Having recently found one of our personal projects at a crossroads, we thought it might be interesting to take a look at other sides of the creative equation. We wanted to see what other unconventional areas for inspiration we could find, all viewed through the lens of the humble mobile phone. From casino gaming to laying out beats, here’s where an afternoon took us.

Outside the Box

The phrase outside the box is one we feel needs to be addressed, as we see the term used all too frequently when artists search for inspiration. Often, we go so far out of the way while clinging to this idea that we forget, the size and shape of the box is constantly growing and shifting.

This is what brought us to the world of online casino games, as found through our mobiles. Specifically, we turned to playing casino online slots, jumping around dozens of choices like Quantum Roulette, Yutu, and Neon Life. These share a common idea with dance music, in that flexibility forms the backbone of the experience.

Like many others who fancy themselves dance music artists, we had usually looked directly at traditional dance music for motivation. The problem here is that we’ve walked this road dozens of times before, as have thousands of others. This can help put you on the right path, true, but it will rarely encourage a unique approach. Simply playing games like slots, we experienced a far broader range of music than we usually would, and this gave us starting points on which to build.

Building Mobile Beats

Inspiration, no matter the source, can be fleeting. This is why poets and painters so often carry pens, but dance music artists can hardly get by with such analog tech. Because of this, we would recommend checking out simple mobile creation tools like Tunable and Beat Snap. These are hardly going to be as full-featured as a professional desktop alternative, but they can help capture a hook so that it won’t slip into the ether.

This can also work well in combination with online casino games, in that quickly jumping back and forth is easily accepted by every bit of the software involved. As a side note, try to keep a track of the games you play as you go, because, if you’re anything like us, you might write something without realizing it was almost a direct lift from an existing game.

Finding and recording inspiration for dance music from a world like online casino games may be unusual, but, in reality, it shows just how wide potential inspiration can be. Rather than falling down the same rabbit-hole of binging your favorite artists, consider taking in something new, and exploring the road less traveled. Stagnation inhibits creativity, after all, and new experiences are key.

Image Credit: Free stock photo via jooinn.com