CAP Selects Season 5: listen to our student albums of the week

We're back with Season 5 of CAP Selects: our weekly series showcasing the exceptional work of our second-year Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering students. During the first semester, students are tasked with writing a five-track album from scratch that realises a creative vision. The brief allows them to explore any concept they choose, with two key requirements: one track must involve collaboration, and another must be a cover or reinterpretation of an original work. Creating a full album marks a significant milestone for our students as they discover and expand the boundaries of their creative potential.

Take a listen to and read about our week-by-week selections below.

"The vision for this album was to create themes for the selected characters from the game “The Sims 2” for Nintendo DS; broadly, I wanted to focus on videogames themes. For this project I didn’t want to create exactly loops, but mainly songs where each piece goes to represent the vibes of one of the figures, telling a small story. In the original game, not all of the characters have their own music, also the compositions are more prompt on being light and cartoonish if that’s the word. In my case, I used these characters as reference and transposed everything into my style, which is a little more serious and darker."

"With the creation of this project, my vision was one of variety, with elements of post-rock, post-punk, noise and electronic all mixed in. My ambition is to combine a multitude of sounds in a way that feels coherent, different genres channeled through my own style. This contrast of distinct sounds allows me to create dynamic pieces, juxtapositions that hopefully generate tension, discomfort, satisfaction and excitement within the listener.

Emotions are integral to my work, and I hope for the audience to feel the way I want them to feel, or even better, feel a way I don’t even anticipate. Therefore, not to influence your opinion too much, I always prefer for my music to do the talking rather than myself."

"My album Release is inspired by the sounds of 80s new wave and 60s psychedelic music. It blends vintage elements with modern production, creating a unique mix of old and new. The process of making this album was a journey in itself. I spent time exploring the music of the late 70s and 80s, diving deep into the new wave movement. As I discovered artists and tracks I’d never heard before, I found myself drawn to the spirit of that era. Their use of synths, basslines and atmosphere sparked my creativity and shaped the sound of Release."

"I wanted to create something that kept me grounded in what I had already dabbled with while also trying out something new. New techniques, maybe put my hands on a new piece of technology, try things not a lot of people use, for good or for worse. I accidentally stumbled into one of those nature documentaries where they talked about their use of foley in post-processing and the art of recording sound in the field with microphones. It definitely caught my attention as I ended up using a lot of foley and field recordings in my production throughout."

"Modern technology has made life incredibly convenient, but this ease comes at a cost. With endless choices in the digital world, society has grown detached from real experiences and emotions. Our mini record highlights the overwhelming nature of modern consumerism and how it shapes our lives, leaving us with a lot of places we can escape to at the touch of our fingertips. Using only analog instruments and avoiding overproduction, our project reflected on how this saturation has made it harder for society to find joy and meaning beyond the digital realm. With this in mind, I put a lot of thought into the pre-and post-production process of this recording, carefully selecting the right gear, mics, and mixing techniques to fully convey the message behind this project."

"Horros EP (english translation examples: hibernation, stagnation, lethargy) is an exploration of my identity as a musician and as a person. The themes for the EP circle around neurodivergence, sexuality, privilege and national heritage by using metaphors from Finnish folklore tales intertwined with my own personal experiences. The tracks vary from fun lighthearted poppy sounds to more abstract and heavy noises symbolising what it means to be a sensitive individual in this performance-driven society.

I challenged myself to not take the easy route when it comes to sampling. I scoured the streets of my neighborhood and went through every “zu verschenken” (“to give away”) pile/box I found and ended up with close to twenty random CD’s and an interesting looking seashell which I used as the cover. I compiled a large sample pack full of different textures, one-hits, drums, instrumental loops and vocal chops and used them while producing this EP. The end result is a very personal and unique compilation of genres, ideas and atmospheres that invites the listener to get immersed in the textures and spaces without necessarily having the need to understand the lyrics for one to understand the music. The feeling of a song is what matters the most to me."