While music is my escape from the world, as it is for many people around the world, I was not expecting to get reminded of and have to think of work outside of work upon seeing the name Zeitgeber. I am in the field of biological research, mainly focusing on neuro-metabolism, and zeitgebers are external/environmental signals, such as light or feeding cues, that help regulate our circadian rhythm, simply known as our inner biological clock. I had some experiments in which I had to consider the possible role of zeitgeber times (ZT) on the specific measure I was investigating, so coming here to write about Zeitgeber gave me flashbacks of having to go into lab to do experiments right at 6am (lights ON) or stay until 8pm (lights OFF), or both in the same day at times. Thankfully those days are behind me so I’ll happily sit and listen to some circadian-themed jazz if it means I never have to do that again! Anyways, sit back and relax as Everything Is Noise serves you up a rhythm that is always in sync with your inner clock in the form of Zeitgeber‘s newest single, “Innenwelt”.
Hailing out of Australia, Zeitgeber composes music that is obviously centered in circadian rhythms, although not restricted only to biology/metabolism but also cosmology-wise and musically! Put even more broadly, the music here draws heavy inspiration from the natural world that we live in and how we are all connected to in one way or another, even if we are oblivious to that fact in our day-to-day lives. The mastermind behind Zeitgeber is percussionist-turned-pianist Evan McGregor (known for his works in Hashshashin, HELU), accompanied by Phillippa Murphy-Haste on clarinet/viola and Tim Brown on guitar. They are set to release Fellow Prisoners of the Splendour and Travail of the Earth on September 13 via Art As Catharsis so mark your calendars for that one. Anything AAC related is always worth your time.
Spoken from McGregor himself, here is a little bit about what he had to say about the deeper meaning and conception behind “Innenwelt”:
‘Put very briefly, “Innenwelt” roughly translates to ‘Inner World’, referring to the individual inner perceptual worlds of each organism. This contrasts (albeit subtly) with the concept within a song from Heteronomy titled ‘Umwelt’, which refers to each organism’s environment and the relationship of that in unison with the organism to create its experience.
‘This is actually the first song I ever wrote on piano. Originally titled “Byzantine” as it came from initially experimenting with a Byzantine scale which includes a tone-and-a-half step, giving it that exotic Middle Eastern sound. I should also add that all the songs, like this one, were written and recorded solely on piano first, then drum parts were added, followed by bass, then all the little extra bits such as synths, didgeridoo etc and finally the clarinets and viola (Phillippa Murphy-Haste). This order was interesting because drums are my first/main instrument that I play, so to write songs around an instrument I’m basically learning and to support on an instrument that I’m much more comfortable with is a pretty weird approach!‘
With hypnotic polyrhythms akin to Tigran Hamasyan found all over “Innenwelt”, I never would’ve guessed that the piano here was McGregor’s least proficient instrument. Aside from the primarily ‘drum-n-piano’ styled of composition, the additional instrumentals provide so much additional depth that the track is a musical kaleidoscope of sonic textures galore. If you sit and let yourself zone out while listening, you can start to hear the many layers start to bleed through from the background and only then, once you’re finally in tune with the (circadian) rhythm of the music will the concept behind the song start to make more sense. The clarinet accompaniment especially gives this flowery vibe that is the musical equivalent of aromatherapy, bringing me instant inner tranquility.
It would be very chaotic to set Zeitgeber‘s “Innenwelt” (or any song of theirs) as your morning alarm, as that would mean the audio cue that tells your brain that it’s daytime, a zeitgeber, would be big Zeitgeber itself. Doing so would make you eventually hate the song, as song alarms have that sort of effect. That is the only way I could see anyone disliking this track, after having made the negative association of the track with having to wake up to yet another day in the capitalistic hellscape that we live in!
Anyways, on the brighter side of things, Zeitgeber‘s Fellow Prisoners of the Splendour and Travail of the Earth isn’t too far out, as it releases on September 13. Keep yourself in the loop by swinging by their socials (Facebook | Bandcamp)!
