BIOGRAPHY

Angus Baxter is a composer based in Sydney. He is primarily focused on manipulating digital sound, with the occasional nod to his classical heritage. Angus recently received a graduate degree in composition from The University of Melbourne.

Composer website: Angus Baxter Soundcloud

FEATURED WORKS

The Fanatic or I Am Right You Are Dead, for electro-acoustic instruments

A response to the lives lost in Paris, November 2015. The piece attempts to portray the confused but overwhelmingly energised inner workings of a young, fanaticised mind and give shape to their misshapen and distorted reality. Works by playwright Wole Soyinka influenced my choice of perspective when approaching this topic.

… the shadowy one, the waiter-stalker, a youth

Fed on dreams of sarabands of houris

Doe-eyed virgins, wine and sweetmeats in the afterlife 

But to his paradise, a key – the plunging knife. 

(an excerpt from Samarkand by Wole Soyinka)

 Additional Words from the Composer:

Historically tragedy has been over-represented in the musical arts. I felt another ‘Lament’ would resonate poorly, let alone do any justice to the experience of those connected to the events Paris 2015. And so my goal with this piece was to make the audience squirm. The resonant bass and frigid mid-range sounds are designed to produce physical discomfort and a more visceral emotional response than plain sadness. We might think ‘thats disgusting’ when we see news of ideologically fuelled murder, but fewer and fewer of us will actually feel disgust anymore, probably owing to its plurality.

Featured in Social Activism Waves playlist, March 2017