Recording the start of a musical career

House music has a literal meaning for Woodmere native Rebecca Brandt, whose first album was partially recorded in an Atlantic Beach living room among other locations, including Lawrence High School during a two-year period.
Released on May 1, “Numbers and Shapes” is Brandt’s 14-song compilation of several musical styles. “There is so much music out there and whatever I do I enjoy,” said Brandt, 25, who currently lives in Brooklyn, but returns to the Five Towns for her piano students as she builds a career in composing music for movies. “I love jazz, rock and gospel. I took what I could. It is my interpretation and I hope it feels like an album and not scattered.”
Brandt began playing music at 4, learning the piano and independently taught herself how to play several other interests, including the glockenspiel, vibraphone, xylophone, synthesizer, electronic drums and a celesta (a small piano). All of which she played for the album. “The album as a whole is an experiment with different concepts I learned,” said Brandt, who is an alumna of Lawrence High School and graduated from New York University. “Shapes is how a piece builds and how I wanted it to flow … the idea of numbers is to pick a number to focus around such as three instruments, three sections in three-fourths time.”
Recording the 14 pieces over a two-year period took a bit of coordination and continuity and that responsibility fell to producer Marc Plotkin. He and Brandt knew each other through summer camp when they were between 9 and 10. They reconnected through Facebook.
“Two years she reached out to me when she was planning for an album,” said Plotkin, a classically trained musician who plays guitar, saxophone and sings. The New Jersey resident has played in bands and performed live on tour. “It was great working with her. All the material was fleshed out. It was just a matter of executing and that made my job a lot easier.”