Poppy Seed Boards of Canada Others

https://mikeparadinas.bandcamp.com/album/secret-garden

In Spring 2021, Mike Paradinas (µ-Ziq and the owner of Planet Mu) spoke to long time friend and past label signing Hannah Davidson (Mrs Jynx) about the therapeutic power of writing music when times are tough. Both had recently been dealing with the loss of a parent due to cancer, and fresh from writing Scurlage, Paradinas suggested a collaboration.

“I’ve always thought Hannah’s melodic sensibilities chime well with my own," says Paradinas, "and I've wanted to collaborate with her for a long time, since [her 2010 album] 'Shark Carousel' in fact, because she'd written some melodies that I wish I had.”

In a matter of weeks the two collaborated online, sending stems back and forth, each encouraging the other and fitting perfectly together. 

“After about ten days we had ten tracks we were happy with." adds Davidson, "It was exciting to hear what Mike would do with the stems I sent, and equally exciting to see what he thought of my additions to his stems.”

Overall the result is an opus of deeply personal moments of grief, depicted in a feeling of serene, misty tranquility that makes it easy to get lost in. Davidson and Paradinas settled on the title 'Secret Garden' due to the melodic vista which unexpectedly opened up before them on the final track. The album truly is a melodic exploration that is so often missed in this genre. 

There are twists and turns in mood, from the pastoral loveliness of 'Jynxiq' and 'Unheard Melodies' which fall away to the dubby beats of 'Hi Jynx'; the sadness of 'Loss' leading into the beatless forlorn 'The Ballad of Darth Vader. The album ups the pace with the muffled kicks and warm atmosphere of 'Afternoon Sunshine', which sets the tone for the happier mood of the second half. This all leads up to the album's denoeument in final track 'Secret Garden' whose naïve meandering synth melodies, orchestral accompaniment and glockenspiel end the album in happy resolution.

µ-Ziq & Mrs Jynx - The Secret Garden

Gentle People - Journey (Aphex Twin Care Mix)

Bola - Vespers

Twoism

Sixtyniner

XYZ (Peel Session)

Peel Session

Olson (Version 3) (Peel Session)

Quaristice

Altibzz

Ovheda - ALL BY YOU

Order arises not from control, but from understanding. Every fragment of existence remains exactly where it belongs, woven into the silent mathematics of the cosmos. Between the pulse of the stars and the breath of thought, a balance unfolds, eternal and invisible. Harmony is not the absence of chaos, but its perfect arrangement; the silent alignment of all things within the geometry of being.

Radiant Silence

Trans Canada Highway

Dayvan Cowboy (Odd Nosdam Remix)

Boards of Canada is a Scottish electronic music duo comprised of brothers Mike Sandison (b. 1 June 1970) and Marcus Eoin (b. 21 July 1971). 

They have released a number of works, most notably Music Has the Right to Children and Geogaddi, with little advertising and few interviews. Their sound has frequently made reference to sounds of the 1970s and the 1980s. It recalls, amongst other things, the warm, scratchy, artificial sounds of 1970s television, and indeed, band members Michael and Marcus admit to being inspired by the documentary films of the National Film Board of Canada, from which the group's name comes.

Olson (Version 3) (Peel Session)

Boards of Canada

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