Claire Cross - Sleep Cycle - electro-acoustic chamber music based on EEGs of sleepers
Claire Cross explores the different phases of sleep on her new record, Sleep Cycle. Inspired by the work of Jon Hassell, William Basinski, The Australian Art Orchestra and Skúli Sverrisson, Claire draws on the language of contemporary jazz, ambient music and minimalism to present a mesmerizing work that is as beautiful as it is ambitious.
“This record is a bit of a turning point for me in some respects,” explains Claire. “It’s my first attempt at flexing different composition and improvisation muscles I haven’t used before. I’ve previously been very much the kind of composer who arranges lots of parts or tries to have a lot of control over the writing, and this project has been about letting go of that and leaning into a more open approach to improvisation and composing.”
“By researching what shows up on EEGs during sleep, and the dominant frequencies/waves of each phase, I found limitations that could be applied to musical situations and create an overall composition arc - things such as different frequency ranges of brain wave activity feeding into note choices, the amplitude of brain waves suggesting certain dynamics, different tempos, and so on. By finding ways to differentiate each phase I was able to create 5 contrasting ‘pieces’ that moved fairly seamlessly from one to the other.”
“When performed live, we put a timer on and each section runs for roughly a set time that also loosely corresponds to the ratio of each phase per cycle. We also timed each section in the studio so that the album unfolds in the same way. This explains why some compositions are quite long versus others being a bit shorter. With all of this in mind, the music is quite repetitive and slowly unfolding, but with lots of interaction from the band and interesting textures being created. One thing I wanted to be mindful of was striking a balance between ‘following the science’ vs creating an interesting musical event - so sometimes I didn’t stick to all of my limitations so religiously.”
With Sleep Cycle, Claire Cross has brought to life an important new chapter in her already storied career. This is an expertly executed record, sure to appeal to lovers of minimalism, contemporary jazz and ambient music.
Artwork and Design by Tornike Margvelashvili aka Mess_Montage
This record was made on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation and we pay respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.
Claire Cross - electric bass and effects
Reuben Lewis - trumpet and effects
Merinda Dias-Jayasinha - voice and effects
Kyrie Anderson - drums and bells
Now you will know I like ambient musics and keep banging on about Brian Eno being a visiting lecturer at times in Leicester Poly Art Department (now De Montfort University) under the tutelage of historian Fred Orton and the composer Gavin Bryars, so it leads me to explore this kind of musics and the John Hassell connection brings us full circle . . . . . lovely! this is lovely and I dedicate it here to Fred and Gavin both . . . . .
