To Nikki Halpern

step, under is an exploration of the polyphony and heterophony of time.

“What do I mean. Time is multiple. And not just because it is passing in a certain way now and will pass differently tomorrow.” — Bergson

Time is always already passing differently, time is always already other — non-identical, differing from itself. And music cuts it open like a knife, passing into its organs, arriving at its tiniest particles — shimmering, vibrating, shifting — flying along rapidly and motionless…

step, under was composed at the Groupe de recherches musicales (GRM, Paris) using the MARS (Musical Audio Research Station) workstation, and spatialized in eight channels via my program Octopode. Commissioned by the Ina-GRM.

Awards

• Mention, 1st Biennial Acousmatic Composition Competition Métamorphoses 2000, Ohain (Belgium)