follow the leader (2022)
Piano (+bitKlavier), Double Bass, Drums
Duration: 10’
Premiered by Bearthoven at Taplin Auditorium, April 12, 2022
Program note
I composed follow the leader as a response to "Hood" by Vijay Iyer (specifically, Vijay Iyer Trio), and I did so for a few reasons. One of these reasons addresses the idea of "looping," or repeating a cell or phrase repeatedly. In my concert music, I have struggled with literal repetition and layering new ideas over old loops, oftentimes failing to make a satisfying piece due to poorly transforming and layering my materials. One of my goals in responding to "Hood" was to find ways in which I could work within a highly repetitive sectional framework, and compose music that sustained interest through well-timed changes.
Another main reason I chose to respond to "Hood" was to successfully incorporate aspects of electronic dance music (EDM) into my concert music without being overly cheesy (subjective, of course, but at least something that I was considering). I love working with pulse as a musical element, especially when it comes to superimposing additional materials above that pulse, or removing the pulse altogether and revealing what remains when the beat disappears.