Jonathan Newman

Metropolitan began with a stylistic approach – that of chic pop-inspired harmonies and pulses, with the sheen of a “downtown” aesthetic. But the piece quickly edged away from this style-concept, and I found myself more and more interested in simply working with the musical elements involved: stuttering mixed-meters, layered grooves inspired by American minimalism, three-against-four cross-rhythms, stretched-out harmonic rhythm, and a single, compact melodic cell. “Style” would come out on its own, without my impositions. The result is a raucous celebration of stylistic variety, where all my musical religions converge. To that end, the original title, Hip+Now, which implied the first, less serious and more ironic aim, was dropped in favor of Metropolitan‘s more appropriate intimation of grand and sweeping eclecticism.