Ethereal Dichotomies was inspired by the sights, sounds and life I experience in Taipei, Taiwan. Fortunate to live on the foothills of Yangmingshan National Park, I enjoy listening to the eclectic sounds that resonate around my sub-tropical home. Water cascading down the mountain, cicadas, birds, frogs, and the occasional monkey provide relaxing soundscapes that are mesmerizing and serene. These are often juxtaposed with reverberating voices of nearby hikers, the quiet rumble of the modern city below, fireworks going off at the temples below and above, the baseball fans cheering in the distance, and of course the garbage truck that loudly plays Fur Elise each night as it arrives in our neighborhood. Contrasts are seen and heard everywhere in Taipei. Old and new can often been seen side by side, and it is a place where just when you thought you had seen it all, an unimaginable delight will present itself.

Ethereal Dichotomies is an exploration of sound and space. The soundscapes that begin and end Ethereal Dichotomies were prompted from days feeling stuck, yet content, living in the mystical clouds and rain that I experience during Taiwan's rainy season. Many of the ideas developed as improvisations using a Push 2 controller, and midi keyboard, and began as an experiment learning and sculpting sound with Arturia's Pigments ultimately produced using Ableton 11. The minor pentatonic tonality utilized in Ethereal Dichotomies was chosen to represent the traditional aspects of Taiwan. As the song develops the tonality remains, but more modern motifs are introduced and juxtaposed together, resulting in old and new, just like in Taipei, being heard side by side. The reverberations of sounds from unexpected and constantly changing directions are an expression of my intriguing listening experience living on the mountain.