Synchro (Cicada)

Synchro (Cicada)

Synchro (Cicada) for Jaw Harp, Shaker, and Analogue Drum Machine Duration: 10:00

Medium: Electroacoustic Audio

Technical Specifications: .wav 48kHz stereo audio

Year: 2021

Synchro (Cicada) was written after reading about the incredible emergence of Brood X, the latest Cicada hatching in the spring of 2021. This rare event, occurring every 17 years, is rivalled in its visual impact only by the cacophonic song produced by the rapid buckling and unbuckling of drum-like tymbals in the Cicadas’ abdomen.

Aside from the incredible sounds produced by the insects, the precise synchronicity achieved between billions of individuals, measurable down to the day, interested me greatly, and is a factor I attempted to explore in Synchro (Cicada). I attempted a gradual synchronization between extremely fast-moving parallel drum-machine beats to create a cohesive structure at both the micro and macro level.

Micropolyphony was also employed as a means of applying subtle line and gesture to repeating ostinato figures and textural material, and so shaping a larger sense of form throughout the piece.