Granular Rumba | Vibraphone + Torso S-4, Echosystem & Space

“Rumba Galaxy” is the final piece in the Electronic Vibescape series.

Built entirely from vibraphone samples, this piece explores rhythm and space through granular transformation and expansive ambience.

At the center of the process is the Torso S-4, a tool that allowed me to deeply shape every sound—stretching, reassembling, and recontextualizing the vibraphone sound. It’s not a machine that does everything by itself, but one that truly rewards intention and hands-on interaction, making it a powerful extension of a hardware-only setup.

The vibraphone is further processed through the Empress Echosystem and Empress Reverb, a combination I’ve been working with for years and one of my favorite ways to transform the instrument. Their depth and flexibility allow the vibraphone to expand into wide, evolving spaces while preserving its percussive character.

The composition draws loosely from the rhythmic language of rumba and guaguancó (a Cuban subgenre of rumba music). Granular textures (tiny audio fragments manipulated for effect) dissolve the vibraphone into shifting layers, while delay and reverb turn it into a large, pad-like field—percussion unfolding into atmosphere.

Rumba Galaxy closes the series where rhythm and space meet: rooted in percussive tradition, yet open, expansive, and weightless.

Discover more music and information at https://music-jd.com/

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