The Lech waltz

"My background as a singer/songwriter often dictates how I start my work, but my affinity for experimental music helps to push my compositions into odd or unusual places.

"For this composition, The Lech Waltz, I created a simple structure. And yet, it was missing something.

"That’s when I decided to push the entire song a minute or more down the timeline, adding a number of layers and then playing without a click track, mixing in some long drones and melodies.

"It’s become one of my favourite parts of the composition, sounding like what a river feels like.

"I was thrilled to hear about Salma Caller’s idea of sharing small musical moments with other composers on this project. It evokes the connectivity of a river that changes with time.

"I used a bell-like sound from Giuseppe Cordaro, a sample that I turned into a random, descending 4 note melody. From Salma, a rowing noise became a percussive element.

"The original field recording (Segment 1) of the Lech River by Riccardo Fumagalli was turned into a lovely, noisy beat."

Section of the river Lech reimagined by Bill McKenna. 

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Part of Flow, a creative exploration telling the story of a river through the power of sound. Explore the full project at https://citiesandmemory.com/flow.