Alchemy: Music for Solo Percussion and Fixed Media
Purchase at Equilibrium Records and Soundset Recordings.
Stream on Spotify, YouTube, YouTube Music, Apple Music, and Amazon.
About Alchemy: Music for Solo Percussion and Fixed Media
My debut solo album, Alchemy: Music for Solo Percussion and Fixed Media, features Kingdoms by Russell Wharton, Madera Viento y Metal by Alejandro Viñao, Lamia by Dr. Tyler Bradley Walker, and the three-movement work Koolish Zein by John Psathas, which includes "Her Alchemy," "London Busking 2149," and "Trimetrical Hub." Released in September 2024 on the Equilibrium Recording Label, the album is available on all major streaming platforms. The album explores the varied ways in which solo percussion interacts with fixed media, with each piece offering a distinct and creative relationship between the electronic track and the soloist. The four composers featured on this album each have a unique compositional voice and employ fixed media techniques in their own distinctive ways.
Kingdoms by Russell Wharton, written for snare drum and BBP tambourine, is accompanied by an electronic track and video that delve into the fascinating world of insects. Wharton challenges the performer to use traditional drumsticks, bundle sticks, brushes, and even fingers, as heard in the piece's opening snare drum statement. Each section of the composition features a different drum, varying in size, allowing the performer to demonstrate the full expressive range of snare drum performance. Madera Viento y Metal by Alejandro Viñao extends and transforms the marimba's natural resonance and "wooden" timbre by blending it with wind and metal sounds in the electronic track, creating a lush, vibrant, and dynamic soundscape. Viñao explains, “Unlike in my purely acoustic compositions, the harmonies in Madera Viento y Metal follow not only the logic of the notes and scales on which the piece is based, but are also dictated by the colors and resonances resulting from the interaction between the marimba and the electronics sounds I created for this work. This interaction is dynamic, changing from moment to moment as the music unfolds. To put it simply, in this work harmony and color do not function as independent categories but may be experienced by the listener as the unified quality of an emerging sound world.” Lamia by Dr. Tyler Bradley Walker, UA Composition Professor, is scored for a diverse array of instruments including vibraphone, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, almglocken, crystal glasses, gong, snare drum, celeste, and crotales. This innovative work incorporates a wide range of techniques, such as striking with various implements, the use of friction, bowing with a cello bow, and using water to alter the pitch of metallic instruments. The electronic track, combined with these unconventional techniques, creates a rich and immersive sonic landscape that seems to take on a life of its own. What makes Lamia particularly unique on this album is how the percussion serves to complement and support the electronic track, rather than compete with it. A lamia, a mythical creature part woman and part snake, was believed to prey on humans, particularly children. This haunting legend is vividly depicted in the music, evoking an atmosphere that is both unsettling and disorienting. Koolish Zein by John Psathas is a concerto for marimba and vibraphone, where an intricately layered electronic track replaces the symphony orchestra, generating the same dynamic energy as a full ensemble. Psathas describes the piece as one where “the soloist is the storyteller from start to finish, navigating an ever-changing terrain of dynamic textures and grooves. The three parts of Koolish Zein each look to evoke resonances of an imagined future. “Her Alchemy” emerges from women’s voices transformed digitally within the software Alchemy. “London Busking 2149” imagines what it might be like busking at Trafalgar Square some 125 years from now, evoked with the sound of flying vehicles coming and going, the loose quality of the music, and a duet with a passing robotic improvisor. The up-tempo “Trimetrical Hub” (an anagram of Michael Burritt) begins in a Macedonian dance rhythm of 17/8 (4+6+7) and eventually transforms into a high-spirited groove inspired by a 6/8 Moroccan wedding dance.”
This album was recorded, edited, mixed, and mastered by Paul Oliver, with graphic art by Zach Blessing.
Thank you to the support from my sponsors including Innovative Percussion, Pearl/Adams, Zildjian, REMO, and Black Swamp Percussion.