Hypercube – The Force For Good
The Force For Good is a short 28-minute EP containing two pieces performed by the chamber ensemble Hypercube. Brandishing saxophone, guitar, piano, and percussion, the group has commissioned and premiered over 100 new works since its formation in 2014. The 10-minute “Hout” (1991) by the Dutch composer Louis Andriessen (1939–2021) sounds quirky, hyper and sometimes even a lil’ spooky, what with its frantic start-stop-start rhythm that implies a team of methed-up aunts rushing to build an ant farm in Antarctica. “The piece embodies a unique balance of rigorous structure and spontaneous energy, evoking influences from jazz, Bach Inventions, Stravinsky, and Minimalism.”
Punching the staggered time clock at 18 minutes, “The Force For Good” by composer and University off Cincinnati professor Michael Fiday* starts out with a more conventional rhythm, then resembles the piece that influenced it (“Hout”), but heavier, with some sweet sax runs. Several mellow sections appear here and there, as well. The piece finally picks up steam in the last few minutes as a distorted, dissonant electric guitar leads the whole ensemble into a killer climax punctuated by a single note bass drum ender.
*Thank God it’s Fiday!
Label: Neuma Catalog Number: 223 Format: CD-R Packaging: Mini-LP tri-fold jacket Tracks: 2 Total Time: 28:40 Country: United States Released: 2025 More: Bandcamp
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