Set against a backdrop of the dreamy mountains of Labëria in southern Albania, Washed by the Moon, British/German filmmaker Dan Shutt’s directorial debut, is a rich journey through the region’s musical history.

Ahead of the film's premiere on 13 September at Calvert 22 Foundation, we invited Dan Shutt to compile a mix that best encapsulates the Albanian tradition of polyphonic singing.

Read more: http://www.calvertjournal.com/features/show/10628/albania-ancient-polyphonic-music-mixtape-dan-shutt

The Mixtape 47: Albanian isopolyphonic singing

Hello world. Here I share some recordings of my improvisational meditative piano music.
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Learning to play piano I was rarely motivated to practice songs or to read the notes. But soon I realized how the piano helped me to cope with my emotions. 
It took me quite some time to acknowledge that this kind of expression was actually vitally important and a deep necessity for me. Now whenever I feel the need to sit with a piano I allow myself to do so. My recordings show a glimpse into my emotional world and my favorite way of being present with what is.
For me it is all about feeling, processing, releasing and transforming emotions through the play. 
We experience the same emotions over and over again. Likewise my intuitive sessions often resemble each other. But with each time we sit with one emotion, something little changes, one new perspective adds to it. Some new paths show up. Something inside resonates in a slightly different way. 
My improvisations reflect these tiny differences and each one comes in a slightly new appearance. The ground they rise up from is and will always be my inner weather. The unconditional acceptance of the piano allows me to open up and what comes out is the sound of a dialogue, of a dance, of a reconnection.

The Calvert Journal is an award-winning online magazine dedicated to exploring the culture and creativity of the New East: Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Russia and Central Asia.

https://www.last.fm/user/Xx_Daddy_xX

https://vctmsol.bandcamp.com/