This was part of the first wave of the Electric Pizza Commissioning Project for the University of Central Oklahoma. The track was largely inspired by the YouTube live stream, "lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to". In conversation with Ryan Kyker, the violist for whom the piece was commissioned for, we discussed the sounds in that live stream, and it was my opportunity to make a "lo-fi hip hop beat to relax/study to", since I had been wanting to anyways. The viola part is not in the track you will hear. After making the instrumental, a completely finished track, the viola part came as an afterthought. Imagine a student that was supposed to be practicing viola but instead improvises a theme and variations on top of the track, getting progressively more passionate until they realize that they should get back to work. But in that moment of freedom, they experience peace... for a moment.
Originally performed on March 2nd, 2020, with Ryan Kyker on viola at the UCO Jazz Lab.
credits
from Sound Bytes,
released May 28, 2021
Santiago Ramones - Composition, production, mixing
Mastered by Connor Carroll at Red Water Media Group
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