animation/composed/performed by Jeremy Muller performed for X-Fest 2020 at Glendale Community College in Arizona

This is another one of my works with mobile devices. The electronic accompaniment part I created basically turns the audience's phones into speakers for a completely immersive experience with omnidirectional sound. In Blackwater, the solo instruments are the two snare drums while the electronic part is an extension of that sound using only filtered or downsampled noise. Blackwater is about the infamous private mercenary army founded by Erik Prince, its war crimes, and how "endless wars" is a business model in the 21st century. The choice of snare drums is because of its long history and association with war – this became a historical choice as well as a timbral choice to represent the brutality of war.