What is Am I about?

Am I is an investigation of what it is to be human explored on stage with seven dancers and seven live musicians.  Obviously this is a hard concept to whittle down into one idea but none-the-less, choreographer Shaun Parker and myself have been exploring creative concepts informed by genetics, human evolution, religious devotion and our place in the universe through astrophysics.

How did you go about encapsulating those ideas musically?  

I have been trying to identify key musical aspects of what ‘human’ music may be and what musical performance practices or musical elements may be common to all cultures. One such element in the work for me has been to place emphasis on the drumbeat or pulse of each song – referencing traditional tribal rhythms or incessant minimalistic textures that could induce a hypnotic effect. These repetitive musical drumbeats and rhythms have been used my many cultures throughout the ages as a part of devotional or spiritual musical and as music to accompany dancing. The ancient music of Armenia has also influenced my creative process. When I first heard these songs, they felt for me in a No Man’s Land between eastern and western music. I was drawn to...