Premiered on May 21, 2024 on the acousmonium of the Paris Conservatory
Adjarra originates from a multitude of sounds, of different natures and origins. Sounds recorded under optimal conditions, sounds recorded spontaneously, sounds synthesized directly on the computer, sounds found on the internet.
The objective of this composition is to develop strategies for combining these sounds, despite their diversity: to identify common timbral properties, to connect objects with similar dynamic profiles, to create contrasting relationships between sonic elements.
In Adjarra, the idea of saturation is central. This is not a saturation of the signal as an electric guitar pedal might produce, but rather a perceptual saturation. The listener is overloaded with information, both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Adjarra is a city in southern Benin, located north of the country’s capital, Porto-Novo. Every five days, Adjarra hosts a monumental market that brings together a wide variety of merchants, caterers, furniture makers, clothing vendors, musical instrument makers, and more. Through these vibrant displays, which completely overwhelm the eyes and nose, dozens of zémidjans, motorcycle taxis, weave with skill and speed between the stalls, vendors, and shoppers. It’s a veritable concert, a total sensory experience of saturation that I attempted to capture in this composition.