Amygdala Hijacker (2026)

5th-order ambisonics (binaural mix [LISTEN WITH HEADPHONES!!])

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Amygdala Hijacker is a work of post-acousmatic music composed for 5th-order ambisonics during a residency at the Spatialization and Interactive Research Lab (SPIRAL) at the University of Huddersfield. The composition is a musical experiment that explores the acoustic startle response (ASR) and Pavlovian conditioning.

 

In animals, including humans, the startle response is a largely unconscious defensive reaction to sudden or threatening stimuli, such as loud noises or sharp movements, and is generally associated with negative affect. I was inspired by an article in which scientists examine the effects of the ASR in rats. High-volume bursts of white noise were used to study how the ASR can be attenuated through habituation and repetition, and enhanced through fear conditioning. In these experiments, neutral stimuli were repeatedly paired with the unconditioned stimulus that triggered the ASR.

 

The idea of conditioning recalled the classic Pavlov’s dog experiment. Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov demonstrated that an unconscious, automatic biological response could be triggered by a previously neutral environmental cue through repeated association.

 

The title of the work references these conditioning experiments and the music’s aim to tap into the listener’s “lizard brain,” exploiting automatic biological responses and conditioned expectations.

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