25×8

How’s this for a new approach to mathematical music? Take a CD containing 25 tracks consisting of loops of single tones sampled from a group of instruments, make 8 copies of said CD, assemble 8 CD players and play the discs on random shuffle simultaneously. If you’re troubled by the arithmetic, stop here. If not, read on… Each of the single tones reside within 6 notes of a diatonic scale (7 possible tones) and the bass tones are produced by pitch shifting the flute samples down several octaves (which is done by powers of 2, alas).

Other tracks sustain and repeat subsets from 12-tone rows, gradually introducing the entire aggregate in a shimmering ostinato that recalls Steve Reich’s pulsating canti in a way that would make James Tenney proud. Now, you can not know any of this and still enjoy the music (the secret recipe is revealed on Kornicki’s website but the CD booklet remains silent), or you can love the music and want to know more. I loved the music and read the web site and now want to know even more.

—FJO