PANIC 2000 (2000)

1. DIGI-SIREN

2. DIGI-BOP

3. GLI-DIGI-SANDO

4. ELECTRO-BEAT   -   13 MINUTES

FRANK STEMPER

NOTES

PANIC 2000 is an assault.  First of all, it is very loud – not as loud as a rock concert, but similar in its intent to fill the hall with sound.  Secondly, it is written as a duet between computer generated sounds and live, non-pitched percussion.  At least for me, non-pitched percussion in shorter doses easily builds energy and emotion, but with the absence of familiar pitches, longer percussion pieces usually fail to relay an extended message.  In PANIC 2000, nearly 13 minutes of drums, cymbals, gongs and other instruments, counterbalanced by, at times, very complex digital polyphony, create a density that will most likely be very demanding and challenging for your two little ears.
The music is divided into four continuous sections of approximately three minutes each. DIGI-SIREN: announcing the soloist’s primitive métier; DIGI-BOP: a common ground between 1940’s Bebop Jazz and 1960’s Frequency Modulated sequences, including some asymmetrical exchanges that are strangely reminiscent to trading 8’s; GLI-DIGI-SANDO:  some softer, cool lines, affected blue notes, with the soloist trying to swing; ELECTRO-BEAT:  a finale, creating a fairly dense marriage between various genres of the 1960’s pop world.
In addition to all the obvious and subliminal influences that lead to this piece, the work of Elvin Jones and Ginger Baker deserve mention.
 

http://frankstemper.com

 

 

Last Updated: August 20, 2008