Nonlinear Time in Electronic Music

Exploring Nonlinear Time in Interactive and Adaptive Electronic Music Composition

Abstract

This paper presents ongoing PhD research on nonlinear time in interactive and adaptive electronic music composition. It examines how traditional linear models of musical time—progressing from beginning to end—can be expanded through digital technologies, particularly game development environments such as Unreal Engine. The study explores how spatialization, interactivity, and adaptive systems enable compositions that can start from any point, evolve dynamically, and restructure musical material in response to user input or system processes. Central to the research is The Machines, an interactive audio application that allows users to explore sound through a non-goal-oriented, ludic system across multiple zones of sonic design. Drawing on philosophical concepts such as the rhizome and theories of musical temporality, the work frames nonlinear music as an experiential “now” that resists fixed beginnings and endings. The paper highlights how emerging technologies provide new tools for investigating temporality, perception, and compositional practice in electronic music.