Producer Thoughts: Horror Vacui In Music

I recently read about the concept of “horror vacui”. Horror vacui is Latin and translates to “fear of empty space”. In the art world it refers to filling all the available space with detail and leaving as little empty space as possible.

This concept is tied to aesthetics and in particular the concept that the more crowded things are visually the less their perceived value. Think of shopping at a value store with products crammed into all the available space VS walking into an Apple Store. There is a distinct and measured approach to how devices are displayed which gives a more prestigious feel and makes you feel smarter for shopping there.

So does the avoidance of horror vacui get used to the same effect in music?

I think taking some cues from the concept can help make songs and music productions sound more sophisticated. 

I remember when I first heard Lorde’s “Tennis Courts”, it was so deliciously simple in a wonderfully deliberate way. Each element of the production had its place and there was space between things.

One of my favourite songs of all times is “Tear Drop” by Massive Attack. When I consider it in terms of avoiding horror vacui, I can see how each element again has its place and there’s this wonderful spaciousness to the production.

When I think of Carly Rae Jepsons “Call Me Maybe”, this is a prime example of horror vacui. It’s not a bad song (remember good and bad is subjective in music) it’s just very full.

Obviously tempo plays a big part in this. You need things to be paced more moderately to create the necessary feeling of space.

I remember one client song that I mixed that they absolutely loved and so did a lot of other people. I was working on some newer songs for them and they asked me to mix it like that song. I listened back to the mix and immediately it struck me that the song had such great space because of the tempo and the arrangement. I tried my best on the newer songs but that track was just a beautiful unicorn because of how all the elements came together.

The Takeaway: If you want a more sophisticated sound to your songs. Slow them down. Be specific about the instrumentation you choose. Don’t overcook it with production. 

It’d be interesting to try this with a song that is more horror vacui, either your own or someone else’s. See if you can transform it from a bop into something more poignant and spacious.