Andrew Staniland - The Laws of Nature (2025) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Dancer Portraits: Dancer No. 1
02. Dancer Portraits: Dancer No. 2
03. Dancer Portraits: Dancer No. 3
04. Dancer Portraits: Dancer No. 4
05. Dancer Portraits: Dancer No. 5
06. Dancer Portraits: Dancer No. 6
07. The Laws of Nature: Interweave
08. The Laws of Nature: The Web
09. The Laws of Nature: Duet
10. The Laws of Nature: Pathways
11. The Laws of Nature: Electricity Grid
12. The Laws of Nature

This album is the culmination of years of musical and technological exploration with the JADE digital musical instrument developed at MEARL (Memorial ElectroAcoustic Research Lab). While JADE has three modes of operation (touch mode, ambient mode, and biosensor mode), it’s EEG mode has been the primary focus of this project. Using an EEG sensing headband, JADE sonifies brain waves, creating MIDI and audio data that can be shaped and sculpted into melody, harmony, and rhythm by a composer. Upon receiving a commission from Kittiwake Dance Theatre to create a new work for dance, I proposed to use this EEG technology to create musical material on which to base my composition. We began with improvisation workshops where the dancers would individually wear the EEG headband and experiment with movement while I sonified their brain waves in real time. These explorations were recorded in MIDI and audio, and in turn these recordings were used as the main musical building blocks for the series of six Dancer Portraits. These miniatures are self-contained and unique, preserving the essence of each dancer’s improvisations.

The Laws of Nature further develops the musical material from the dance sessions, however with significantly more compositional curation and planning in terms of structure and musical material. The work unfolds over six interwoven movements. It is a hybrid composition that blends elements of electronic, classical, and cinematic sound. At the end of the composition, we hear the voice of a long time collaborator Jill Battson reading “The laws of nature are but the mathematical thoughts of God.” from Euclid's Elements - a reference from my JUNO-Nominated ballet Phi-Caelestis created with the National Arts Centre and Alberta Ballet.

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