#oora

O O R A | 🎧

O O R A   |   Federico Chiesa, NYC

Here’s our interview with OORA about workflow, inspiration & creativity ➜

O O R A   |   Federico Chiesa, NYC

O O R A   |   Federico Chiesa, NYC

My name is Federico Chiesa, I compose under the name OORA. Oora is a misspelling of the italian word “ora” (now). The pronunciation is similar to aura. I like the concepts of now and aura together. My music ranges between ambient and slow dub techno.

➜ Visit Ooramusic @ Instagram

➜ Visit Ooramusic @ SoundCloud

➜ Visit Ooramusic @ bandcamp

➜ My latest album Memoria on Spotify

Why do you make music?

Since childhood music has been my favourite language. I have always been surrounded by instruments and have always dreamed to play music for a living. Today I realized that music helps grounding me and keep me focused. I constantly think about musical projects and ideas. I guess it’s a part of me I can’t live without.

What are your inspiration sources?

Beside other musicians, movies are a big inspiration. My favourite movies are all from my childhood. Stuff like Goonies, Stand By Me, Lost Boys are my favourites : ) I love to imagine a scene when I create a track. I feel that the link between visual and audio is what inspires me the most.

Tell us something about your workflow.

It always changes, but I exclusively use hardware instruments. I’m not proficient In The Box. I like to create a sequence on a synth and then mess with it using an effect chain.

Then I add other parts and perform live. My recordings are usually a stereo out from the mixer. I cherish imperfections and I like to share music that does reflect a precise moment and feeling.

How would creative rituals benefit your workflow?

I think rituals are good to set the intention right. Sometimes I do a quick meditation. Sometimes I need to create a tidy space. Sometimes I need to have a new effect chain. I feel that some kind of ritual can influence the outcome of a composition. I don’t have a fixed one at the moment. Maybe I just like to have coffee : )

How do you get in the zone?

The zone for me is when im improvising/performing on the sequences and parts I’ve created. Once all the synths are ready, I hit record and jam for twenty minutes straight. The idea is to start feeling every synth as organically as possible and perceive how changing parameters influence the overall soundscape. It becomes a sort of meditation.

How do you start a track?

Usually with a synth or bass line. I try to find something that sounds interesting and then build everything around it. I look for a certain vibe or ambience that will set the tone. Most of the time this happens by happy accidents. I just experiment until I feel the sound or sequence is right.

Do you have a special template?

I try not to use any template. I like simplicity, so my instruments are easy to use and allow me to get where I want fast without needing of templates.

Even my Ableton template is blank. Every track has to be created from nothing.

What do you put on the master channel?

At the moment this is my master channel chain: (mostly UAD plugins) Dangerous music BAX ➜ Shadow Hill Mastering Comp ➜ Manley EQ ➜ Thermionic Culture Vulture ➜ FabFilter ProL.

How do you arrange and finish a track?

As mentioned before, my arrangement is my live performance. This is both liberating and frustrating. Liberating because I spend less time in postproduction and play my synths live like instruments, trying to feel them and create a story. Frustrating because sometimes I wish I had done it in a different way. Many times I just have to accept that the track could have been performed better.

How do you deal with unfinished projects?

I have hundreds of unfinished tracks. Sometimes I listen back to some, love them and finish them, but usually if something is good I finish it in a couple of days. If a track takes longer, that means it’s not worth it.

How do you store and organize your projects?

I have every project in the cloud, on Splice. I save everything I record. I can always find interesting samples and sounds. Also I like to have a history of my creations.

How do you take care of studio ergonomics?

I like to have tall desks because im 6.4. I like to play standing. Other than that my workspaces are pretty messy, cables everywhere. I spend a lot of time tidying up, but somehow it lasts just a little.

Tell us something about your daily routine, how is your day structured, how do you make room for creativity?

I take care of my health in the morning, with meditation and exercises. Then I do all the online works (I publish almost everyday on Instagram and that takes a lot of time) and do some mixing.

The afternoon is for music creation and experimentation.

Share a quick producing tip.

Use distortion after reverb! This is something I experimented with lately and I got wildly interesting sounds.

Share a link to an interesting website (doesn’t have to be music related).

➜ https://www.redbullmusicacademy.com

List ten sounds you are hearing right this moment : )

A truck passing by.

Police siren far away.

Someone unloading boxes.

Two guy talking on the street.

My wife typing.

Quiet wind.

A light buzzing.

A door closing.

A shop opening.

My breath.

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