Decyclage is an electroacoustic composition centered on the perception of noise and the threshold at which discrete sounds dissolve into a unified sonic mass. The piece investigates a fundamental question of listening: at what point does the ear stop identifying individual sound events and begin perceiving them as noise?
An everyday example illustrates this phenomenon: when only a few people clap, each gesture is heard separately; when many hands clap together, the result is perceived as a single, continuous sound. Decyclage occupies the space between these two modes of listening, gradually shifting perception from clarity and separation toward density and abstraction.
Compositionally, short sound clips are organized and triggered algorithmically to control the density and distribution of sound events over time. Additional noise-generating processes, such as extreme reverberation and granular synthesis, further blur the boundary between distinct sound objects and continuous textures. Through layering, accumulation, and temporal manipulation, sound moves fluidly between order and saturation.
The title Decyclage reflects a practice of reworking material and process, where compositional techniques are continuously reshaped and recycled.
The piece served as the graduation work in electroacoustic composition in 2004 at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp under Prof. Joris De Laet. Decyclage premiered in Brussels in 2005, was performed at the 35th Synthèse Festival in Bourges, and received third prize at the 5th International Computer Music Competition, Pierre Schaeffer 2005.
