Centered largely around inversions of E, A, and B minor chords, Ten Years Late marries elements of “post–rock” (heavily reverberated, ambient guitars), electronica (deep, groove–based drum backing tracks), and jazz (fast, rhythmic phrasing). It's a through–composed piece (which is a signature of my approach to composition) that leads into an electronic percussion section awash in deep, rhythmic, and sometimes syncopated, rhythms — reminiscent perhaps of Scotland's Boards of Canada. The percussive exit is delicately balanced by the four–measure guitar phrases, guiding the listener into the coda.

Ten Years Late

With enough low–end to move furniture, Heat rides the melodic billow of a didgeridoo, while suffusing the listener in a primal, urban–inspired rhythm.

Minimal (or, as Glass says, “music with repetitive structures”) deep, and ambient, Heat is based on a melodic vocabulary reduced from variations of both “E” and “A” natural minor keys. The slowly–evolving, chaotic, noise–based coda represents the gradual madness one can suffer at the perennial overexposure to 100°+ (F) weather.

Heat (The Hyper - Stereo Drum Mix)

Stylistically, x0x0x0 is both glitch electronic and minimalist. Its harmonic form relies entirely on short, 32nd note–length audio samples, while the pacing and rhythm are an amalgam of simple and complex repetitive structures.

Conceptually, it’s a piece that blends the old with the new. The melody sung on the “ah” musical syllable is extracted from medieval Gregorian chant, while the harmonic structure is formed with contemporary computer effects and processing.

Structurally, there is much at play: syncopation, silence, instrumentation, and rhythm. Instead of employing chords to shape a half cadence, I use glitch–based triplets and syncopation to simulate a pending resolution, only to return to an ostinato that alludes to the introductory material.

The guitars counter the textures of the voice and the vocal–based samples, essentially adding harmonic color.

The strange walking rhythm of the 7/8 meter is deliberately emphasized by the clicks and pops endemic to digital audio editing. These “imperfections” are heightened in the equalization stage of the final mix to accent the contrapuntal device at play in the melody.

Aside from the guitars, each sound in x0x0x0 is a processed manipulation of nine 1–second vocal samples provided by NY–based performer JC Cassis.

The original title for this piece was 0x0x0x, which represents three empty value hex numbers. (The three refers to the triplets in the break section.) However, since this piece was composed of many reverse–based sounds, I inverted the order. Hence the title x0x0x0.


X0x0x0

Hypnotic, haunting, and trance–inducing, Waiting was originally written for soprano, tenor, piano, and electronics. This arrangement puts the piece in a dark, downtempo, and almost R & B world.

Waiting

The dark and haunting meets the drum groovy.

My Only Witness

Originally written for three sopranos and electronics, Calmly Swept is a synthetic study in overlapping timbres within the same vocal range.

noise.floor.music

Popular tracks