brettworks

In a large gallery with white walls and hardwood floors, heard from the end of the room. A pad sound plays loud and long chord washes, while the sub bass underneath moves away from root notes. The sound overwhelms the room and you. It’s hard to tell if the music is repeating or not.

In a small carpeted attic. Felt piano, playing triads in a minor key, heard up close. The piano is slightly out of tune and the instrument’s hammers and pedal noise are audible. It’s a Romantic, almost cliché sound: the dissonances are always consonant.

In a recital hall, heard from the front row. A mixed ensemble of strings and percussion playing an arrangement of the pad and bass music from the art gallery scenario above. The tutti sound is gossamer and delicate: the strings quiver sul tasto over the horizon and the concert bass drum evokes distant thunder.

In a surround-speakered space, heard from its middle. A mix of nature soundscapes and synthetic textures. Atmospheric field recordings loop in different lengths like slow breaking waves, while fluttering hi hat and vocal chop samples mark machine time. It’s the sound of two worlds colliding.