The Love and Strife of Empedocles

If you were to ask me what music I would write if I had complete creative freedom, I would say music that uses some techniques and instruments from classical music, and combines them with electronic music making and a pop sensibility. I call it classical fusion. I attach it to ancient philosophical ideas here as a muse, and so I have something to call the pieces. Also, I like ancient philosophy as it predates a rift between science, philosophy and spirituality.

The philosopher Empedocles was credited with describing the four classical elements earth, air, fire and water. He placed them within the continuum of love and strife, forces that allows the elements to take up form. I guess a more contemporary explanation is that matter is the substance of the universe, but matter would be featureless if not for the forces of attraction and separation that act upon it. Attraction (love) and separation (strife) are opposite ends of a great polarity that drives the billowing of form; and the affairs of humans :)

And so below is an excerpt of a piece of music I am currently composing called love and strife. It uses a whole bunch of classical instruments accompanied with samples of glass, metal and clay, and by a drum machine.

love and strife excerpt.mp3