programme note

ochre song is, simply, an exploration of layers. I was very interested in exploring how to treat layers of sound as layers of physical matter. How does one material react when in contact with a specific material? There are three main types of musical ‘layers’ in ochre song: grain, fluid, and earth. These ‘layers’ are presented in a variety of combinations and “ratios”, which reflect what I imagine would be the outcome, for example, of granular objects mixing with certain fluids, or indeed how the ratio of one layer to another would affect it’s character. Some of the sonic gestures that represent these ideas are based on my own instinctive musical response to the material in question. For example, temple blocks and string pizzicati representing granular material, whilst slow, bowed, glissandi in the double bass, or the sound of a friction mallet being drawn across the skin of a bass drum represent the depths and ever-shifting qualities of the earth matter beneath us. On a more personal note, ochre song, in some ways, allows me to revisit my earliest experiments in music-making some 15 years ago, when I would mix-and-match a variety of pre- recorded musical materials in a Digital Audio Workstation, building layers of sound one track at a time. Form, then, becomes a very crucial parameter here for tying together this musical exploration.

— Njabulo Phungula