I was invited to compose Tomorrow will be 5m 21s shorter for inclusion on Resonance: Steel Pan in the 21st Century, a CD featuring twelve emerging electroacoustic composers from eight countries that was released by Quiet Design Records in January of 2007. Every composition on the CD is based on a common set of steel drum samples provided by virtuoso pannist, Darren Dyke. The piece was composed at the NoTAM Computer Music Studios in Oslo in the fall of 2006.
The simultaneous simplicity and complexity of the steel pan has long fascinated me, and I particularly love that its many pitches and timbres lie hidden in the physical body of the instrument only to appear when properly excited. Therefore, while conceptually and sonically an acousmatic composition, I strive not to depart entirely from the original samples in order to retain the character of the instrument itself.
The title is more of a time and place stamp than an indicator of content. The piece was the first I composed while in residence at NoTAM, and at that time of year in Oslo, each day is 5m 21s shorter than the day prior.