“We did not, at any point, think we were making a huge banger or anything.”
-Sergio Scardigno
“Swept” is the result of a collaboration between four Music and Technology majors with an incredibly diverse set of skills. For those unaware, students in this field are required to collaborate with other students on two ensemble projects before graduation. While, in the past, ensembles used to culminate to a final performance in the DeBaun Auditorium, all are now produced and performed remotely. For the Fall 2020 semester, Bayla Gellerstein (‘22), Daniel Cesare (‘21), Martin Trogani (‘21), and Sergio Scardigno (‘21) teamed up to make one of the most remarkable ensemble performances in the history of the program.
After the team was formed, the group assessed the diverse set of skills they now had at their disposal. Gellerstein is an experienced vocalist and lyricist, Scardigno is skilled at guitar, Cesare is an electronic musician, and bringing everything together, Trogani is one of Stevens’ best producers. The result is a nine-minute epic that blew away the Music and Technology staff and students.
The group was heavily inspired by shoegaze pop, a combination of indie and alternative rock that is defined by heavily distorted guitars, vocal manipulation, and clever use of feedback that was popularized by the group My Bloody Valentine in the ’80s and ’90s. The term “shoegaze” was coined because of performers that would be motionless on stage, but create a massive sound while doing so. This seemed like the ideal genre for the group, who placed minimal harmonic changes throughout, with dynamic textures that would drive the piece forward.
As stated before, this piece came together completely remotely, but one could not tell upon first listen. The wide range of instrumentation is incredibly well-blended from the second you press play. The pulse is driven by a massive sounding combination of both natural, acoustic-sounding drums, as well as electronic drum machine toms and high hats. A super clean-sounding guitar and piano carry the melodies to bridge the sections between Gellerstein’s alto vocal lines. Paying homage to the genre that inspired this piece, there is an extended bridge section that features long-droning guitars, and vocal manipulation using a vocoder, a type of vocal processing.
The main highlight of this piece, however, is the astounding depth and ambiance that is created throughout. Whether listening on headphones or a speaker system, “Swept” feels like it is being performed in a massive space, such as a concert hall. Many modern pieces specifically try to make everything as loud and in-your-face as possible, so it is really special when a piece focuses on space so meticulously.
While the composition is complex, the songwriting process was efficient and came together rather naturally.
“We all fit together like interesting puzzle pieces. And it’s not like we couldn’t have done these elements alone but we were able to focus on our respective areas. Any of our parts exist well enough alone, but the combination of our talents made the final product of the quality it is.”
-Daniel Cesare
Now that a new semester has begun, all four members are back to focusing on other projects. But, they have not ruled out the idea of another collaboration.
“Now that I know what everyone is capable of I’m definitely going to hit these guys up again to make some more stuff. I don’t know if we’ll ever make something this long again, but I think this was an excellent proof of concept. We weren’t expecting this to impress the faculty as much as it did, nor get an interview spot or anything like that. I’m psyched this is such a crowd-pleaser, though.”
-Martin Trogani
“Swept” is available on all major streaming platforms now, released via Inhuman Media Group LLC as a single with the full nine-minute production and a four-minute edited version.
Stevens Music Spotlight is an Opinion culture column written and created by Trevor La Due to increase the knowledge and give reviews of music produced by Stevens students.
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