The Detroit Escalator Co. - Soundtrack [313]

Straight from Michigan

Iannis Xenakis differentiated western music from eastern by linear progression. A note is simply the effect of a prior note, and in turn the cause of another note. Chords demand resolution, progressions require conclusion. Time itself must be justified, through action. This is true – cold, hard fact. I agree, and think this way too. But it isn’t the only way.

In the east, music is like a place, or a time. The sounds are physical pieces of the world. Five notes may represent a clear glade, the white heat of high noon, or the season, the feeling of spring. Like one might approach a babbling brook guided by its natural sound, so too might one travel to music, to arrive in its place. It isn’t going anywhere, you are going to it. This is also true. I didn’t always think this way, and often still don’t.

But I think the pioneers of ambient techno felt this in their hearts. Techno itself was a distillation of forward movement into pure drive without specific destination. The motion is a necessity and a totality, destined by programming, written by the logic of the machine. Yet from the beginning, another current flowed alongside, retreating from the ever-advancing and looking for what was already there: the ambiance of everything else.

Welcome to Detroit. There is no mistaking the Motor City, instantly and powerfully conjured by the opening tones of “Gratiot”, cutting through the traffic winds and concrete horizons with a delicate majesty, like the sun dawning on downtown dew. “Gratiot” sketches the recurring structure of Soundtrack [313], where simple melodies, rather than build, are buildings themselves, a canvas for notes and rhythms to reflect off of, glisten onto, cast shadows from, combine together. Named for one of the five busiest avenues in Detroit, “Gratiot” demonstrates the great beauty of urban design, synthesizing the calm of the morning and hustle of the commute into one. And that’s the busiest song. Having proven the concept by demonstrating traffic is only a river, Soundtrack [313] descends into the abstract, raising natural beauty from artificial construct, graceful dance from concrete block, and deep serenity from architectural complexity.

“Gathering Memory” foregrounds this with a sample of a simple conversation – giving directions to a stranger and experiencing difficulty. To the outsider, the transit grid network is a series of directions, maneuvers, obstacles, roadblocks, and labyrinths. But to the insider, a pivot of perspective is made – this is not a place to travel through, but a home to reside in. And so movement is fluid for the resident, and traffic is merely a river flow, stepped in and out of with ease. It’s the destination, the conclusive travel from point A to point B, that brings challenge, whilst simply moving around and about, from anywhere to anywhere else, is easy, belonging to a place and a time.

I have no idea if Neil Ollivierra knew who Iannis Xenakis was. But I believe he revealed the truth in his theories, and together, through time, they revealed another way to listen to music. Electronic ambient, retaining westernized propulsion and captivating rhythm, unlocked an interior, non directional aspect, music that the listener does not progress through, but progresses into, and stays within – a musical sense of place and stasis, a physical piece of the world – a city of sound.

Further Listening

• Philip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi
• Ildjarn - Strength and Anger
• The Detroit Escalator Co. - Black Buildings