Commissioned and premiered by Chris Harris. The word “nefelibata” is Portuguese for “cloud-walker” or “daydreamer.” I had come across this word while sketching ideas for this piece and it immediately inspired the narrative I wanted to manifest for listeners and for Chris to embody in his performance: a gradual descent into disassociation from a loud, repetitive environment and routine to a place of temporary freedom and peace, before returning to reality. The first section features synths, field recordings from busy streets, construction to highlight the industrial environment many of us are surrounded by on a regular basis flooded with machines, technology, and order. The percussion mimics this environment closely through the timbales, woodblocks, cymbals, and floor tom.

As the train approaches, the track begins to drift into the “daydreamer”/”cloud-walker” environment. Accompanying the ambient, drone track is an improvised percussion section featuring crotales, suspended cymbals, and floor tom. The main goal being to give Chris as much space to construct his own “daydream” in this space, until the train passes that is!