Hill and the Valley

Illumina TruPath Genome

The Architecture of Sound

My music always starts with a concept. I believe that creative restrictions don’t limit me, they provide the necessary inspiration and framework to truly elevate the images I’m scoring. For the Illumina TruPath project, DNA wasn’t just the subject; it was the core of my musical narrative..

The Framework
When Juan Behrens brought me onto the project, he had already established a powerful visual story. My task was to build a sonic framework that felt as scientifically grounded as his visuals.

I started with the DNA alphabet: C, G, T, and A. In the musical world, C, G, and A are natural pitches. However, the letter T required a creative translation. I chose to represent T through the note E, serving as the third of C and the fifth of A.

This theoretical “DNA Scale” provided my harmonic foundation:

C-(E)-G-A allowed for a stable, sophisticated C6.
A-C-G formed an Am7.

With the theory in place, I mapped the emotional trajectory of the piece. Using Juan’s structure as my guide, I established a precision tempo map with markers that mirrored the narrative shifts of the genome. I then carefully selected sounds that fit the technological world we were building, each voice named by its specific function within the sequence. By balancing these rigid design constraints with moments of intuitive play, I developed a theme and sound that fit the technology and its narrative.