The influence of Cage is evident in DeLio's use of sounds outside of the standard dodecaphonic system. “Prior to the 20th century,” DeLio notes, “the sonic materials of Western music were restricted to a set of twelve pitch classes. Over the course of the past hundred years, this restriction has virtually disappeared.” Elsewhere, DeLio describes his attraction to percussion instruments, explaining, “Percussion allows a composer to deal with sounds drawn from the entire pitch/noise continuum. Thus, pitch is one manifestation of all sound ranging from pure tones to noise bands.” Cage was a pioneer in this area, writing for a wide variety of percussion instruments, electronic devices, and even household objects to produce new sounds. Composers like DeLio are heavily indebted to his work.