Flight School (2013)

In an electronic music seminar at the University of Michigan, where I studied from 2000-2002, I remember a colleague presenting what he described as THE definitive Detroit techno track. (I’ve since looked for it, but I fear that my memory of the piece is warped to the point that I wouldn’t even know it if I heard it.) The piano break really made an impression on me, though, how it brought you to a kind of clearing but stayed insistent and propulsive at the same time. Flight School was written as a way to capture the spirit of that break. Guy Williams, who commissioned this piece, was on his way to Florida to train fellow aviators after writing the check, hence the title. The wonderful pianist Kate Campbell helped me immensely as I worked through the draft stages, and Mike Williams inspired me to revisit the original middle section. I’m grateful to Andrea Lodge for giving the premiere performance and for starring in the video.