The title of this piece refers to the cyclical and repetitive song of the Acheta domesticus, better-known as the house cricket. Its song served as a model for the construction of the piece. Akheta’s Blues is one of my most tonal acousmatic pieces. I deliberately searched for precise harmonic relationships between its sonic layers and used characteristic melodies as leitmotifs. The spatial arrangement of its sounds reflects the layout of desks in an orchestra, where each sound family has its own distinctive location. Finally, the piece explores a whole world of particles inside of renewing minimalist gestures.

This piece is part of Nano-Cosmos, a cycle of acousmatic pieces dedicated to insects, small arthropods and microorganisms.

— Ana Dall’Ara-Majek [English translation: Stephanie Moore, iii-18]

Akheta’s Blues was realized in 8 channels in 2012, then revised into a 16-channel version in 2013 at the Studio Hexa of the Faculty of Music of the Université de Montréal (Québec). It was premiered on September 24, 2012 at the Électro buzzzzzzz festival at the Salle Claude-Champagne of the Université de Montréal (Québec). The 16-channel version premiered on August 29, 2013 at a concert produced by Distractfold at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation in Manchester (UK).

Composition

• 2012, version 8.0: Faculté de musique – Université de Montréal, Montréal (Québec)

Revision

• 2013, version 16.0: Faculté de musique – Université de Montréal, Montréal (Québec)

Premiere

• September 24, 2012, Premiere of the 8-channel version (2012): Électro buzzzzzzz, Salle Claude-Champagne — Université de Montréal, Montréal (Québec)
• August 29, 2013, Premiere of the 16-channel version: DF #11, International Anthony Burgess Foundation — Engine House, Manchester (England, UK)

About this sound recording

This version is a stereophonic reduction of the 16-channel original realized in December 2017.

Remixing

• December 2017, version 2.0: Ana Dall’Ara-Majek • Studio Blue Spider, Montréal (Québec)

Mastering

• January 7, 2018, Ana Dall’Ara-Majek • Studio Blue Spider, Montréal (Québec)