Ember

"Listening to the original field recording, I was engrossed in the dichotomy of the space - the waterfall and open area versus the man-made sounds of jet and helicopter fly overs. In this scenario, the man-made sounds overtaking the environmental quiet have an intentionality to preserve the space of the forest and the livelihood of people within it. The tension, persistence, and resilience of these elements is what I choose to lean into. 

"Somewhere between a lament and a lullaby “ember” suggests a moment of tension, reflection, sorrow and perseverance as the environment, people and wildlife learn to cope with the wildfire’s destruction and rebirth.

"In composing the piece, I choose to isolate and extrapolate upon the textures of the airplane flyovers, helicopters, and waterfalls. The time stretched drone of fly over tails accentuates the continual and unsettling nature of their presence. The looped helicopter undulations create an underlying pulse. The descending whistle of jets developed with granular synthesis into a tonal, breathy texture. The waterfalls providing a consistent presence unencumbered by the fire’s presence. Guitar and ebow respond to the amplified tension, sorrow, and resilience the soundscape."

Wildfire soundscape in Benfeita, Portugal reimagined by Steve Ashby.