The Slow Measure began as a challenge. I recently discovered Brian Eno’s ambient work and love the minimalist nature of it, particularly “Ambient 1: Music for Airports.” I wanted to pay homage to it and write an album in that genre.

I chose my palette carefully. At the heart of several tracks sits a sampled Swiss concert grand piano built in Zürich by Hüni & Hübert in 1860, preserved by a musicologist and recorded at its original historical tuning pitch of 437 Hz. Its tone is warm, transparent and centuries-removed from modern pianos, and it was this quality that drew me to it. Various choirs provide an ancient, organic human presence. A baritone guitar adds earthy weight in the lower registers. Sweeping synthesizer pads swirl through the stereo field, and subtle bass lines provide gravity.

What emerged from this palette was something old and elemental. Less about modernist minimalism and more about the slow, observable passage of time. If you listen carefully you will hear clock tick motifs on various tracks, a common motif that recurs throughout my work. A quiet recurring reminder that time passes relentlessly. The track titles tell the same story.