Madame Gandhi on sound design & mindfulness in music production

The 100% Organically Sourced sample pack was the brainchild of artist & activist Madame Gandhi and the Woodstock, NY-based music collective and retreat, Sound MANA. Working in collaboration, they sought to create a collection of sounds that'd help creators connect to nature. They captured unique, high-quality field recordings of plants and animals in nature to observe how they'd be used as electronic sounds. Madame Gandhi shared, "So often as a producer, I find myself loving what is available to me online, and yet I do not know where the sound came from. I want my audience to be inspired by what nature can offer. With this pack, I intended to contribute to a movement that thinks critically about not only the source of the instrumentation but also the content in our lyrics. As an artist and producer, I see an enormous opportunity in being able to provide music and sounds that elevate the collective consciousness. By making this pack, we hope that the Splice community finds joy in reconnecting with nature." These field recordings were processed with Madame Gandhi's signature organic percussion, vocals, synths, FX, and more. She also crafted Astra presets, leveraging the synth's ability to leverage brown and pink noise and incorporating low-end into these sounds. The processed loops present a variety of keys and tempos, while some of the field recordings were left untouched. The resulting pack is a collection of truly unique Astra presets, loops, and one-shots you won't find anywhere else, all with a touch of nature. Kiran Gandhi, who performs as Madame Gandhi, is an artist and activist whose mission is to celebrate gender liberation. She has toured drumming for M.I.A, Thievery Corporation, and most recently Oprah on her 2020 Vision Stadium Tour with morning dance party Daybreaker. Her mathy percussion, uplifting music, and talks have been critically acclaimed by The New York Times, Billboard, NPR, and more. Sound MANA is a music retreat in Woodstock, NY dedicated to the exploration and study of sound through one’s reclaimed relationship to nature. Sound MANA facilitates the artist’s creative practice through a series of lectures, sonic excursions into the surrounding untamed landscape and social gatherings indulgent in local gastronomy.