Gentle Push
2024

This album (under my producer name TCHR) is part of my ongoing explorations into functional vernacular music (i.e. folk music). It features original compositions that combine musical elements from multiple African American and Latin folk and popular traditions merged with contemporary electronic and virtual instruments, specifically indicative of the lofi hip hop genre. Based on the science of slow jogging—a form of mindful exercise—the pieces are meant to accompany this and other somatic practices.

Research has identified the ideal pace for slow jogging as three steps per second, which translates to 180bpm. Music at this tempo is typically highly energetic and more heavily represented in genres such as techno, EDM, and contemporary pop. To diversify these offerings, I composed my pieces at 90bpm and used an eighth-note subdivision to hold the pulse of the running cadence. Each piece explores how this subdivision can be realized, either through minor percussion, instrumental lines, delay effects, or brief drops in which this pulse is implied. The mix of the tracks specifically brings this subdivision to the fore, helping support the listener with a metronomic guide that can be heard clearly even when running with significant background noise.

Slow jogging is meant to support mental health in addition to physiological strength. Founder Dr. Hiroaki Tanaka encapsulates the ethos of slow jogging as “niko niko” or “smile,” meaning one should run at a pace in which you can serenely observe your surroundings or even converse with a fellow runner. To cultivate this emotional and sensorial space, Gentle Push uses repetition and slow builds to create musical interest while maintaining a sense of calm and relaxation. Pieces are sequenced to slowly build to an energetic climax and release to offer a complete running session from beginning to end. Subtle sound design and use of ambient textures support this endeavor by drawing attention to the world surrounding the runner-listener.