This Irish Musician Made a Rave Album For Babies, Backed by Science
Photo: Adam O’Regan
Words: Rachel Hannon
Rave culture has officially come to somewhere it has never been before. The nursery. Irish musician, DJ and broadcaster Graham Smyth is releasing his debut album Music For Babies To Rave And Sleep To which lands this Friday September 5. This album playfully blurs the line between adult dance floors and children’s lullabies. Built around the toy piano and kalimba, this record is split into two halves: one for moving, and one for winding down.
“When I was first creating songs for this project it was my intention to have a fast-paced ravey version of a song and a stretched out sleepy version of it as well. I was thinking that it could be an EP of rave cuts on one side and chill out tracks on the other. It was only when I asked ambient producer Gareth Quinn Redmond to come onboard that the idea of creating a full album came up. He suggested having an ambient track to build up into the rave and another wind down piece to bring us into sleep mode. We started working on it and it just made perfect sense.”
Playfulness
The entire record leads into childlike instruments and textures, but Graham wanted to make sure it wasn’t just a gimmick. “Playfulness is what I wanted to achieve but I was aware that there had to be meat on those playful bones. When writing these songs on piano and kalimba I was also conscious of having a strong sense of melody and harmony that is easy on little ears but also interesting enough for parents as well. Once I had the main elements recorded and had laid down the percussive parts, Gareth Quinn Redmond was a huge help in layering up everything really tastefully and filling out the texture so that it feels like a nice warm sonic hug.”
This sense of care extends into the artwork, which looks like something sketched in primary school, yet also carries depth and texture. Even the title references Brian Eno’s ‘Music For…’ series grounding the project in a lineage of experimental sound design.
Mini Rave Structure
Across both sides of the record, Graham wanted the sequencing of tracks to mirror the structure of a night out, in toddler friendly form. It kicks off all systems go, then winds down into a dreamy state, with that post party fantasy of being tucked up in bed with a takeaway in your belly. Now even the young’uns can ride this familiar wave.
“The album is intended to introduce children to the different aspects of electronic music, from building up to the peak time rave all the way down to placing the head down for a snooze so mirroring a night on the tiles is fully intentional. This structure also made it easier to have a toy piano as the main instrument across the 4 tracks on Side A and a kalimba for the 4 tracks on Side B.”
Backed by Science
Aside from his creative instincts, music psychology and scientific research heavily informed this project. He tells us, “babies’ heart rates are 50% faster than adults so the music should reflect this, hence the drum ‘n’ bass inspired beats on ‘Toy Pianonono (For Raving)’. The percussion is even influenced by how young children interact with instruments. If you give an adult a keyboard they will probably try to bang out a hesitant version of ‘Chopsticks’, whereas a child might throw it, bang it, rub it, hit it, even eat it so, I thought that all the typical sounds (not the eating) that children make when interacting with the instruments should be included in the production.”
Mischief in the Details
Humour isn’t far from the surface either. Children’s media has long thrived on double entendres and sly winks for the adults, but this time Graham flips the script, putting the language and perspective of the younger generation front and centre. “There is definitely mischief in the titles, that’s for sure! When I was an infant I used to pronounce ‘helicopter’ as ‘helicolcol‘ so with the titles of the songs I was fishing for something unique that mimicked how children naturally take a word and try to say it any way they can. ‘Toy Pianonono’ and ‘Kalimbarama’ followed that line of thinking and, ironically, I have come across a few adults who find it tricky to pronounce them!”
Who is Music For?
From spinning in clubs to broadcasting on radio, Graham has always thought about context, and who the music is for. So for this record, the specific target audience was considered with care. “The album is intended to be listened to by parents and their children at the same time so hopefully they can bond over a micro rave and a nap.”
Full Circle Moment
For Graham, the project all began with family. “My sister was having a little fella and I wanted to introduce him to music I was into (and also save my sister and brother-in-law the torment of listening to sonic abominations about coconuts, melons, and an infant fish and its extended family for the next 8 years or so).”
By listening to music that was already for children, he saw a gap, and went for it. And in doing so, found a real meaning in his work. “I found cool pop music for children from the likes of Imogen Heap, They Might Be Giants do interesting rock tunes for little ears but there seemed to be a real lack of electronic music that was suitable for young people that adults could also enjoy. Through this project, I finally found a purpose.”
With Music For Babies To Rave And Sleep To, Graham Smyth has created something that sits somewhere between rave culture, childlike play, and lullaby tradition. It’s mischievous but deeply considered, humourus yet rooted in scientific research. A project designed not just to soundtrack naps and baby raves, but to spark curiosity about sound itself.
The album is out this Friday September 5 via Practise Music, with a limited 12″ vinyl available from selected Irish retailers and BandCamp.
