In approaching this work, I wanted to bring about two ideas: the first being a visual and a story of an AI that gains consciousness in the Metaverse and becomes truly alive, taking its own path and journey. I employed digitally processed vocals and mallet percussion in the electronics to create this sound world, further accentuated by synths. The percussion slowly moves from adding little touches and textures to being a main focal point. I love when there is some physicality to a performance, especially with percussion—this was a driving factor in the choice of style. All in all, this piece is about life.

vida

The second idea was more practical and related to the performance of this work. Writing for percussion is both a lovely and imaginative process but also one with an overwhelming amount of possibilities. There are so many instruments to choose from, and sometimes that can be worse for a piece than better. On top of that, percussionists know their instruments and capabilities much more than anyone else. I decided that rather than specifically write for particular instruments, I would write for ideas and sounds, giving the exact choice of instrument to the performer. This approach allows for varied aesthetics at each performance, always being grounded by the electronics. Each performer chooses a path that resonates with them and is then assigned instrument 'ideas' to work with.

This piece was commissioned by Morse Percussion for their 2022 program, 'A:Live'