Digital Loom

for Organ & Electronica Approximate Duration: 20' Buy on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mason-bates-digital-loom/id323320911 PROGRAM NOTES Pairing an ancient instrument of the church with the sounds of modern-day dance music did not seem like a pregnant idea at first. It was the organ's ability to play loud enough to compete with any speaker system that initially was intriguing -indeed, the vibrations of the organ's lowest notes should give any subwoofer a run for its money - but that superficial advantage quickly paled in comparison to other rich possibilities. After all, it is the world's oldest synthesizer. The power of the organ lies in its ability to create a space. Indeed the organist - like his modern-day club counterpart, the DJ - is simultaneously perceived as background accompaniment to various activities, and as the invisible hand controlling the choreography within its belly. Sometimes as I sat in the choir loft of my church school in Virginia, letting my mi