THE BIG BOUNCE – ELECTRONIC

Program Notes
The Big Bounce is the culmination of my long-lasting interest in white noise and noise in general. I became particularly interested in white noise after investigating the origins of static sound on analog televisions and the effects of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation. The Big Bounce is a hypothetical cosmological model attempting to explain the origins of the universe. Based on this highly unlikely scenario, the universe is following an eternal series of oscillations, each beginning with a Big Bang and ending with a Big Crunch. According to the Big Bounce theory, the density of matter throughout the universe is sufficiently high that gravitational attraction will overcome the expansion which began with the Big Bang. Consequently, the expansion of the universe eventually reverses and the universe collapses. After reaching point zero, the universe repeats the cycle with another Big Bang.

The Big Bounce is structured in three sections. The first section (Big Bang) opens with white noise manipulated through various automated resonant filters. I used granulating techniques to emulate explosions, and extreme frequency modulations to emulate randomly dispersed energy. The middle section of the piece (Formation) explores pitch-based atmospheric sounds that were created through short bursts of white noise sent to various resonators. This relatively calm section reflects the gradual randomized formation of matter, various solid objects, stars, planets etc., within the expanding universe. The third section of the piece (Big Crunch) makes use of extreme low-frequency modulations that create an overwhelming sonic experience. In this section, the randomized sounds are gradually getting closer and closer resulting in an immense amount of density and concentrated energy. Based on the palindromic nature of the Big Bounce theory, the pointillistic climax resolves into the explosive sound gesture of the opening now in reverse.