The troops behind you
was originally created for club-based performance as a component of an electronic album and creative alias called Tangent. The spoken word samples are conceptually hinged on the concept of "following." They come from three perspectives: an avant-garde aesthetician, devotees of Twitter, and a Lieutenant in the U.S. Armed Forces during occupation of Iraq in 2006.
Instrumentation:
Bass Clarinet or Baritone Sax
Piano
Perc 1: Vibraphone, Kick Drum
Perc 2: Marimba, Snare, Hi-Hat
TEXT
"This is a very common question...where you're from..."
"When I'm confronted with the question 'where am I from?,' my response often depends upon the mood I'm in, depends upon the context in which I'm being asked that question, depends upon the asker; it depends upon a range of circumstances. Most often when I'm asked where I'm from, I, I will say -"
"Regard the 'garde' part of Avant-Garde, in literal terms. What you mean is, the people out in an advanced movement. It's the advance troops, moving into the territory first before anyone else does in an image of war. It supposes there are troops behind you."
"Follow..."
"If you look at the broader picture, it gets a little intimidating, so we focus on our day-to-day missions, our activities, try and do what we can, and the whatever is out of our hands, we just hope the government makes the right decision."