NOCT, the brainchild of 23-year-old music producer Noor Harajli, just returned with her latest track titled "Everything is Ripe". Hailing from Brazil and Lebanon, and now based in London, Noor's eclectic fusion of 2000s alternative-indie sounds and bossa nova rhythms is captivating audiences worldwide. She shared with us 5 songs that influenced her and her sound.
1. You Look Certain (I'm Not So Sure) - Mount Kimbie
"I was deep in a Mount Kimbie phase when 'Everything is Ripe' was planted, and I remember thinking the original riff off my demo sounded too similar to the guitars in 'You Look Certain (I'm Not So Sure).' As the song became produced, it ended up sounding very different and adopting a sound of its own. However, I attribute Mount Kimbie's track for inspiring the post punk, dreamy atmosphere in EIR. Andrea Balency's monotone doubled vocals were also a major influence that I have to give credit to. I've binged that album repeatedly at the time, so I'm not surprised that the influences creeped up."
2. Wake Up - Rage Against the Machine
"The heaviness in my track probably came from headbanging to bands like Rage Against the Machine, Green Day, and Led Zeppelin in my youth. 'Wake Up,' however, is a song I keep coming back to. The instrumental is just so heavy, so powerful, and compliments the overall message of the song so well. I wanted the guitars to coalesce into a large puddle of chaos, to emphasise on the frustration that comes with experiencing difficult times. Thanks to the sound engineer, Danny Monk, I was able to crank up the guitars without getting the mix to sound too muddy. I wanted to use octaves to cut through some of the lower rhythm sections - and by already studying that type of sound my entire life, it was not too difficult to achieve."
3. I Am the Walrus - The Beatles
"This may seem like an odd one to throw in the mix, but I really want to give this small band from Liverpool a big shoutout. They made it so that artists like myself aren't afraid to experiment. 'I Am the Walrus' is one of the oddest, most nonsensical sounds, and it's one of my favourite ear candies. The ad-libs of people laughing, people cheering, unusual percussion noise -- it's brought me joy to try that kind of thing in my music, and add my own droplets of sounds here and there. I do that with my vocals, during the breaks, with lots of delay and echo. Vocal modulation is a really fun way to add an extra layer in your tracks, and ultimately, it all comes back to The Beatles."
4. Flimsier - King Krule
"A tune from one of my favourites, I really adore the closing solo in this song. It's messy, raunchy, and sticks out perfectly. I became enamoured with the sound of that guitar, which I believe is an SG, and so I wanted to include a similar unique solo in the middle section of EIR. To me, it is reflective of the turmoil that occurs inside someone's decaying mental state. It's not organised, nor is it predictable, and so I think mixing it to really stand out in the mix was a good choice. King Krule's entire discography is nothing short of genius - I'm really amazed by how he utilises encapsulating electronics to hug these warm, delightful jazz chords. He's high up there for me and is someone I'd love to work with."
5. Man Listening to Disc - Liily
"Liily are one of the most underrated bands I've ever heard. They're aggressive, raw, and have an unmatched energy that I don't hear with a lot of recent bands. Some of their tracks, like 'Man Listening to Disc' is backed by these punchy, heavy drums that drive the intensity of the song from the get-go. When tracking my instruments for EIR, I truly didn't shy away from adopting a similar intensity and experimenting with louder, harsher sounds. My music tends to be calmer and more tamed - so working on EIR with bands like Liily and Rage Against the Machine in mind helped me find that cathartic release I've been looking for."
Listen to "Everything is Ripe"