From Surgipelago, the Beach Surgery encyclopedia
The Pump and The Drone: A Procedural Suite
For related sound work, see Satellite Voices.
For the sonic motifs this composition engages with, see the sound of the earth rubbing against space.
"The Pump and The Drone: A Procedural Suite" is a nine-movement composition structured as a duet between two sonic motifs from Beach Surgery: the rhythmic pulse of Leif's external pacemaker (the "pump") and the low-frequency drone of the Karman line sound (the "drone").
Each movement explores a different harmonic and rhythmic relationship between these elements. Early movements present strict opposition; later movements collapse the boundary, rendering them indistinguishable. The fifth movement, The Correction, directly quotes the radar igloo sequence, using frequency shifts to "correct" dissonance in real time. A coda reintroduces the two themes in perpetual, unresolvable counterpoint.
Instrumentation combines modular synthesis, heavily processed field recordings of “machinery, heartbeat, and atmospheric hum”, and a live classical quartet. The work has premiered at ██ contemporary festivals across three continents. A score exists but remains unpublished; copies circulate in limited editions among researchers and performers. [citation needed]