Bang on a Can

I received a parcel in the post. It contained a CD of the Bang on a Can All-Stars and I played it loud. Wild sounds. I composed Fix-Us from the idea I got immediately while listening to this recording. Fix-Us is written in one movement but contains a series of canons, like variations which are linked together and are based on the same harmonic material. This counterpointal style represents old culture and probably has something to do with the music of Scarlatti which I like to play before I start composing. But it is not only counterpoint. There is also Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, pianists whose work I consider to be important elements of new culture. Fix-Us is a fast-paced confused marriage of ideas stemming from two different cultures. --Martin Padding