Bang on a Can

5 Machines was written especially for the Bang On a Can All-Stars, with these specific players in mind. Writing for a group such as this one, I felt open to explore possibilities in music that I have long been interested in. For me, this is the ideal ensemble to perform my music and I exploited the potentials that I knew existed within this group. I treated each of the 5 short movements as a "machine", in that each player has a specific job to do that fits in with the others. The parts themselves do not reveal the overall musical structure; only when combined does the musical architecture come forth. -Marc Mellits