: She has over 140 credited works and is recognized as a former Penthouse Pet (March 2017).
What did you think of the 08/06/23 drop? Drop your take in the comments below. And yes, that pun was intended. MomDrips 23 08 06 Riley Nixon Whatever It Takes...
“Time is what I’m buying.”
| Element | Description | |---------|-------------| | | 118 BPM, 4/4 time. The tempo sits in a sweet spot between mid‑tempo techno and downtempo R&B, allowing both groove and spaciousness. | | Key & Harmony | Written in E♭ minor , the chord progression revolves around a looping i‑VI‑♭III‑♭VII sequence (E♭m–C♭–G♭–D♭). Subtle modal interchange introduces a fleeting B♭ major chord in the bridge, adding a momentary lift. | | Instrumentation | • Synths : A combination of a vintage Roland Juno‑106 (for warm pads), a modular Eurorack LFO‑shaped bass, and a software‑generated wavetable lead (Serum). • Percussion : Layered analog kick (Korg 35), crisp hi‑hats programmed in a “shuffling” rhythm, and occasional glitch‑snare stabs derived from granular processing of a recorded hand‑clap. • Field Samples : Ambient street sounds from Seattle’s Pike Place Market recorded at dawn, filtered and re‑samped to act as atmospheric texture. • Vocals : Nixon’s breathy, half‑spoken vocal delivery, processed through a chain of pitch‑shifting harmonizers, tape saturation (UAD Ampex ATR‑102), and a subtle granular delay. | | Structure | Intro (0:00‑0:18) – a slowly evolving pad with distant field samples; Verse 1 (0:18‑0:48) – vocal entry with minimal beat; Pre‑Chorus (0:48‑1:04) – additional synth arpeggios; Chorus (1:04‑1:38) – full beat, layered vocal harmonies; Bridge (1:38‑2:00) – stripped‑down instrumentation, glitch‑processed vocal fragments; Final Chorus & Outro (2:00‑2:58) – expanded arrangement with a side‑chain‑compressed brass‑like synth, fading into a field‑recording loop that mirrors the intro. | | Mixing & Mastering | Engineer Mara Liao employed a “wet‑dry” mix philosophy: the core rhythmic elements (kick, snare, bass) sit dry and upfront, while the atmospheric layers are heavily reverberated (Valhalla Room) and delayed. The master, handled by MomDrips’ resident mastering engineer Jacek Novak , was limited to -0.3 dB True‑Peak, preserving dynamic range (average LUFS ≈ -12 dB) to suit both streaming platforms and high‑resolution playback. | : She has over 140 credited works and
Overall, “Whatever It Takes” is a pivotal entry in Riley Nixon’s early catalog, showcasing a transition from bedroom‑recorded lo‑fi aesthetics to a more polished, synth‑laden sound while retaining lyrical intimacy. And yes, that pun was intended