green line 2065 (2022)

green line 2065 was written in response to a chapter from East West Line, by Joel Tan. The writing depicts an MRT ride set in 2065, where water is scarce, and nature is almost non-existent. The ambient sound is still, and almost silent, and the temperature is hot. I approached this piece by taking recordings graciously sent to me by the members of K◻︎U, and used these recordings to create a dark soundscape, inspired by both the writing and other musical explorations of heat in films such as Dune.

By extending, soft long notes, and softening flutter sounds on wind instruments with heavy dollops of reverb and delay to create this large, but at the same time, claustrophobic environment. The ensemble serves to further this feeling, by primarily sticking to rhythmic simplicity and sterility, while creating movement with dynamics and texture. As the piece progresses, movement is introduced, with the electronics serving to figuratively depict the Asian Koel from the story.

Colour reappears and the space becomes less claustrophobic. The electronics also become more welcoming. As the piece ends, we return to some of the sterility and darkness of the beginning, but the ensemble plays differently—a more helpful melody.

The score includes text from the story—which can be simply read as part of the performance or left out completely.

This work was commissioned by K◻︎U Ensemble in 2021 for the project j[our]ney.