After October

At its core, After October is a simple duet between an oboe and bass clarinet. The peaceful counterpoint is gently coaxed from slow-moving monophonic partial layers found in the source recording.

Soft synthesized leads shadow and support each solo instrument while a wonderful emulation of an Oberheim SEM (processed by the amazing Trax Phase Vocoder from IRCAM) keeps the track honest by providing moments of unpredictable motion.

Ultimately, the rendered performance is meant to evoke the feeling of an acoustic ensemble.

It was important to create a sonic atmosphere where acoustic and electronic sounds coexist without competition. Where does the bass clarinet end and the electronic lead begin?

My greatest challenge in production was to define a clear sense of space and separation between naturally thick and heavy sounds. To do this, each sound was isolated and carefully sculpted to avoid encroaching on the others. The result is a single, unified expression that subtly morphs between varying identities.

Light spatialization was added to create the impression of a liquid-filled, slow-motion environment — as if the listener’s inner world has slowed down while the rest of the world passes by at its normal pace.