Search results for: 'joshua hobbs'

with Electronics

“You can’t fight the desert...you have to ride with it.” – Louis L’Amour

I’ve always been fascinated by deserts; the stark, almost alien landscapes, the extremely diverse and efficient ecosystems, the mystic, spiritual effect of being in the vast expanses of silent nature. Recently I travelled from the Pacific Northwest into the deserts of Nevada and Utah. While neither are the typical Hollywood deserts of endless sand dunes, they hold their own magic. Mirages are a part of that magic. I watched them rise and fall as I drove by, imagination blending with the illusions to create hidden cities. As with many of my works, I didn’t start out with a concrete concept, but as the scales and modes started to come through, desert imagery continually flowed through my mind’s eye.

The piece consists of three sections, each fading and evaporating like mirages. Stylistically there are heavy elements of rock and jazz, as well as the percussion flavors of the Middle East, India, and Central America.

I’d also like to thank everyone who contributed to the creation of this piece. You all help make it possible for composers to keep creating new music!

-Ben McMillan

Commissioned By:

Frank Meredith, Pat Stuckemeyer, Dan Davis, David Saltzman, Jesse Orth, Fernando Zuniga, SFA ITEA Chapter, Northern Lights DUO, Gail Robertson, Justin Gorodetzky, Richard Perry, William Hess, Scott Sutherland, Will GrayBeach, Joshua Hauser, Adam Frey, Erik Lundquist, Seth Fletcher