“soft gradient” is dedicated to Annea Lockwood in gratitude for her friendship and her music. Annea’s gift of a kempul gong recurs quietly in this piece.

Best heard on headphones, soft gradient reflects on the concept of the petit Bardo through multiple, often parallel presences - first through human movement in the soundscape and then by overlapping vestibules of abstract and concrete sound. What might be described as liminal polyphony is demarcated (or decentered) through passageways that are short (such vintage light switches and their tinkling bulbs recorded in France) or ever-elongating inharmonic clouds.

Begun in 2023 and completed in 2024, soft gradient also marks a personal rebirth—an ongoing passage to good health after COVID-19. Based on responses I continue to receive after this music was released in July 2024, soft gradient also offers a pathway for rest and rejuvenation, which is essential to survive and transform our troubling times.

soft gradient

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soft gradient (complete)

My sound work encompasses field recordings, electroacoustic and acousmatic music, text-sound scores, free-improvised low-tech electronics, and compositions for acoustic instruments. 

soft gradient (complete)

Christopher DeLaurenti