Chronology is a new 30-minute work for solo baritone saxophone, accompanied by low-fi 1-bit electronics, composed for saxophonist Argeo Ascani.
Continuing Perich’s explorations in primitive electronic sound, the composition combines the live sound of acoustic saxophone with 1-bit frequencies from on-stage speakers. He has developed and programmed hardware circuitry to synthesize electronic tones, created by wiring on and off pulses of electricity directly to speaker cones. This most basic method of 1-bit electronic sound production couples with the most basic method of acoustic sound production: the resounding wind chamber of a saxophone. Chronology represents an evolution of Perich’s sound to the gritty lower frequencies, where tone breaks down and the electronics take on a new visceral quality that will directly complement the saxophone’s voice. This realm of sound imbues the electronics with a new aural meaning, more about the laws of physics than melody.