“Babies’ heart rates are 50% faster than adults', hence the drum ‘n’ bass”: Meet the DJ who’s produced the first rave album for babies

When we think of music for babies, we usually think of nursery rhymes or songs with the simplest of structures.

Now, a Dublin-based producer, Graham Smyth, has spotted a gap in the market and released an album specifically designed for the youngest of minds, which their tired parents will also appreciate.

The self-explanatory Music For Babies To Rave And Sleep To was written on piano and kalimba and features one side of tracks to stimulate babies and then another side of quieter, slower tracks to relax them and (hopefully) send them off the sleep.

Talking to Irish online cultural magazine District, Smyth revealed that the project was inspired by a new arrival in the family: “My sister was having a little fella and I wanted to introduce him to music I was into (and also save my sister and brother-in-law the torment of listening to sonic abominations about coconuts, melons, and an infant fish and its extended family for the next eight years or so).”

Although old skool rave often leant into child-like themes – think of the wave of so-called ‘toytown’ techno that threw up tracks like Trip To Trumpton and Sesame’s Treet – those were designed to appeal to adults’ nostalgia, rather than kids themselves.

“There seemed to be a real lack of electronic music that was suitable for young people that adults could also enjoy,” said Smyth. “Through this project, I finally found a purpose.”

Before he commenced work on the album, Smyth consulted child psychologists and did his research: “Babies’ heart rates are 50% faster than adults so the music should reflect this, hence the drum ‘n’ bass inspired beats on Toy Pianonono.

"The percussion is even influenced by how young children interact with instruments. If you give an adult a keyboard, they’ll probably try to bang out a hesitant version of Chopsticks, whereas a child might throw it, bang it, rub it or hit it.

"So I thought that all the typical sounds that children make when interacting with the instruments should be included in the production.”

And Teletubbies-style, Smyth has deliberately used track titles that puts the kids’ perspective front and centre: When I was an infant, I used to pronounce ‘helicopter’ as ‘helicolcol’ so with the titles of the songs I was fishing for something unique that mimicked how children naturally take a word and try to say it any way they can.

"Toy Pianonono and Kalimbarama followed that line of thinking and, ironically, I have come across a few adults who find it tricky to pronounce them!”

The album was released last Friday on Practise Music. For more details head over to Smyth’s Bandcamp page.