The Cycle of Life and Decay is about the condition that surrounds all living things (and arguably our universe): All things are bound to a never-ending cycle of life, growth, and decay. Unlike our general human perception (which generates illusions that the life we surround and create for ourselves is/will be stable), nothing is permanent, and everything is bound to change. Life and death, suffering and tranquillity, and ever changing states of consciousness are what is stable. This continuous process of creation, growth, and destruction of matter works as a solution for the problem of heat death through entropy; allowing a universe that is eternal, without a beginning or ending. In Buddhist belief, Samsara is the endless cycle of life, death, and suffering (which all living souls are part of and will be part of until they manage to free themselves from it). This piece attempts to find a parallel between these two notions (the cycle bounding living things, and the cycle that considers our universe) to create a sonic farewell to \’Şampiyon Melekler\’ (two Cypriot volleyball teams (high school girls-boys) that went to Turkey in February 2023 to compete in the finals and lost their lives due to their hotel collapsing because of the 7.8 Earthquake) wishing that they found liberation from this cycle in which they are no longer experiencing suffering but only tranquillity.
Technical Information: This piece explores hybridization of electroacoustic and metal music (as part of the composer’s Ph.D. research). This piece is one of numerous pieces that explore/create different methods formed to build a blueprint for hybrid composers (ultimately not only specific to metal and electroacoustic but for other genres as well that combines spectromorphological focused music with harmony and rhythm-based music since this type of hybridity requires a unique set of challenges and complexities). This piece (The Cycle of Life and Decay) explores Cannibalistic Hybrid (in which the hybridisation between different genres happens through the deconstruction of two metal songs that the composer – me composed specifically for deconstruction). The deconstructed metal songs are used as materials leading to power dynamics between the two genres being hybridised: the dominant genre (metal) is used mainly as material and the subsidiary secondary genre (electroacoustic music) is used mainly for its technique in order to cannibalise the dominant genres material (and in turn transform both of the genres in the mixture). As technology increases at a rapid rate and postmodern conditions only grow stronger as lines get blurry, hybridity has been more than a prominent musical power to embrace this current condition and reflect through what is considered music and art in the 21st century.