Impulse Imagined - for ‘cello & live electronics - was premiered at November 2010’s Faster Than Sound concerts at Snape Maltings & Kings Place, performed by myself 'cellist Gregor Riddell.

The origins of music are rooted in the structure of our bodies. From the breath grows the melodic; from the pulse, the rhythmic. With a few special exceptions, most acoustic instruments must choose to be either melodic or rhythmic biased at any one time – breath or pulse – cantabile violin or drum groove. Sound manipulation technology allows us to break this rule, unlocking new ‘in between’ sounds once only imagined. Impulse Imagined uses vocoders to shape the tone of the cello with the rhythm of electronic drums, allowing the soloist to create both melody and rhythm simultaneously - following a simple chord sequence on a journey of exploration.

Impulse Imagined on Vimeo.

“The Ibbett and Riddell e-cello compositions were the ones that I found most accessible and compelling. Gregor Riddell’s cello performances were passionate and elegant, and the use of electronic DSP software effects was tasteful. The textures and timbres provided by the DSP contributed meaningfully to the compositions’ narrative arc and lent extra emotional tension and complexity to the pieces.”

— Chamber Music Today reviews Impulse Imagined at Faster than Sound, Kings Place 2010. Read the full review