My life as a musician started at a young age in the handbell choir of my family’s church near San Diego, California. I remember that I couldn’t yet read music, so one of the elderly ladies in the choir would take a highlighter and mark the notes in the music I was responsible for. A few years later, I picked up the trumpet in school and never looked back — no more handbells for me, and at some point, no more church.
Fast forward several decades later and I’m making a living as a professional musician. Despite many years of playing contemporary music and working extensively with living composers, it never occurred to me to write my own music. I wasn’t even sure what „my“ music would sound like. Even improvisation was something I shied away from – I was perfectly happy interpreting the music of others.
Listen to the album while reading the text.
That all changed for me about a year ago when I discovered modular synthesizers. I was looking for a way to expand my musical practice into the digital world, so I took a course on modular synths, hoping to learn how to design my own electronic sounds. I became fascinated by synthesis and began intensely exploring the world of modular synthesizers, first digitally, then in hardware.
Suddenly, I found myself making music – my own music – for the first time in my life. Something about the workflow of modular spoke to me. As soon as power flows through the modules, the oscillators start humming to me, forcing me to shape their sound in real-time. Instead of sitting in front of a blank sheet of manuscript paper, wondering which note to write next, I’m working with an instrument offering its own solutions to the question of “What next?”. It doesn’t feel like I’m making music alone; it feels like the synth is my duo partner, like I’m playing chamber music.
I’m proud to present the first compositions from my explorations with the synthesizer in an EP titled “Electric Birds.” Natural phenomena were the main inspirations for this electro-acoustic journey. From ripples on the surface of a lake to dramatic storm clouds and electric pulses, each track explores experimental sounds and structures. I focused on a minimal hardware setup using only two oscillator modules, filters, and simple effects. Original acoustic samples (including trumpet) complement the electronic sounds to create three distinct dark ambient soundscapes.
Enjoy the journey!
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