Pure Binary Echos is a piece written in memory of Nic Hatfield. The piece is meant to represent the bond that siblings have and the difficulty that comes with losing that bond. It is written for Tuba and Electronic Track and was commissioned by Nic’s twin Cora Gilreath.

Pure Binary Echos is in 3 sections – Confusion, Depression, and Concession. Each of these sections features synthesized keyboards and percussion with other electronic musical effects. They are connected by more natural sounding environments, like what you would hear everyday. These everyday sounds could sometimes be meaningless to us as we move through our daily lives. But they could be life changing to someone else.

Ultimately, this piece is a reminder to be empathetic towards the people you come into contact with. You never know what people are struggling with. The smallest act of kindness or love can ripple out in ways you will never know.

— Drew Bonner

My whole life I’d had this mirror image of who I was, and it had made forming my identity somewhat easier. There’s a deep comfort in having someone else look exactly like you, and after Nic was taken from me, my sense of identity was completely shattered. For the first time in my life I truly felt alone, and I didn’t have that mirror to look at anymore. I had to look inside.

If you ask me, the first two sections, ‘Depression’ and ‘Confusion,’ represent my grieving process of losing Nic, and through that my previous ‘self.’ The ending section ‘Concession’ represents the new sense of self I have now. If you decide to play this, let my story be an example of the personal growth that can be made through music.

— Cora Gilreath