Polythene Sonata Product explores the friction between the steady-state world of minimalism and the dialectic drama of sonata form. While traditional minimalism often unfolds over vast time scales with imperceptible transitions, this work utilizes two "maximally contrasting" themes and a formal recapitulation, the classic hallmarks of a sonata.

I think of this hybrid structure as a “Sonata Product.” The term serves a dual purpose: it identifies the work's formal architecture while nodding to the "produced" feel of contemporary pop music, specifically in its heavy, groove-based rhythms. Unlike the smooth gradients of a typical minimalist work, the transitions here are abrupt, violent, and at times bewildering.

The imagery of an industrial factory generating thousands of identical copies of a "Sonata Product" remained at the forefront of my mind during the composition process. This machine-like quality becomes increasingly apparent in the second half of the piece, where the textures take on a harder edge. While the word "Polythene" was famously immortalized by The Beatles, the reference here is primarily a textural one; the music explores the synthetic, relentless, and mass-produced energy of the modern industrial age.