Brian Sager | Music

Sonatronic Recordings: Fusing symphonic classical and modern electronic music

The current focus of my music is to integrate the short—term information content of electronic / dance music with the long-term narrative structure often found in the symphonic classical literature. The rhythmic framework for my music is based on the dense syncopation and poly rhythm found in break beats. Harmonies and melodies interact with one another over the entire length of a song, often in classical sonata form. The arrangements of my songs also fuse the instrumentation of both genres. Synthetic bass lines and arpeggiated harmonies co-exist with tuneful melodies played by string instruments and woodwinds. Lead synthesizers are often co-arranged with brass instruments. It is my goal that the listener be transported into the deep structure of the music, where they can enjoy the music and hear new elements upon repeated listening.

"Soul Cipher" is an eight work, sixty-four minute compilation of a form of hybrid electronic music that incorporates elements of trance and breaks genres with both the narrative structure and orchestral arrangements of tonal classical music. The CD contains a five movement Symphony #3 and two additional electronic music pieces composed and produced in the genre of progressive house.

Electronic Music

Electronic music covers a lot of ground. There are many sub-genres of dance music, for example, including breaks, trance, and house. These sub-genres are differentiated by the pace of the music (as measured by beats per minute), by the extent to which they incorporate melody and/or harmony, and the nature of their rhythmic structure (such as the extent of syncopation. Breaks for example makes extensive use of syncopation and poly rhythm Break beats. arose from funk rhythms and jazz-like syncopation, often in the bass lines. Trance music is often characterized by overarching melodic themes. Trance usually employs a 4/4 time signature, a tempo of 130 to 160 Beats per minute, and 32 beat Phrase (music). The 32-beat phrases are composed of repeating 8-beat sections. It is common to superimpose syncopated, 10–15 progressions (chord progressions and/or arpeggio layers or "loops") over the 8-beat sections. Melodic and harmonic content in trance music often changes incrementally over time, often referred to as a “progressive” structure. House is based on soul and funk - infused harmonies with more extensive bass lines and less prominent melodies. The common element of house music is a prominent base drum on every beat, The common element of all these sub genres is the high information content, often spectral in nature. For example, unlike much of classical music, in any short fragment of music, there is often sufficient information to identify the artist and the song. The short-range high information density is contrasted however by the lack of long-range narrative structure.

CD Cover art