Headphone Commute

I seem to be able to find some quiet time on Sundays to record more piano...

Mike Lazarev - Impromptu 03.09

For today’s program I’ve invited Orla Wren, an artist from North England releasing music on Flau, Facture, Home Normal, and most recently Oak Editions, to share with you his favorite pieces, which happen to be from film. It’s a beautiful chronicle, with its own special plot and emotional journey: 

"For this mix I collected many fragments of music, dialogue and foley sounds which were taken directly from the films themselves and which I then arranged variously and carefully placed to construct some possible narrative. I always feel drawn to the most intimate moments within a film, most often I find it’s where the music and story hold the most emotion and poignancy. This mix is made with love and respect for the film makers, actors and the musicians, thank you for the beautiful moments." - Orla Wren 

Orla Wren - Filmscores Two

This piece has been donated to a Hibernate Recordings benefit compilation, titled "Dayalu / for Nepal" to raise money for the victims of the earthquake disaster in Nepal. This very first official HC release is appearing alongside my all-time favorite artists, such as Machinefabriek, Clem Leek, Autistici, Field Rotation, Isnaj Dui, Antonymes, Olan Mill and many others, so I couldn't be more happier to contribute to this wonderful cause. 

I hope that you support this compilation (digital + 2xCD edition), and of course, dig my humble composition. Pre-order your copy at the below link, with many more musicians to be announced soon!!!

http://hcdi.gs/Dayalu

Accidental (03.01.15)

Huge thanks to Nils Frahm and his brand new Piano Day (http://http://www.pianoday.org) for inspiring me to finally setup for proper recording my piano with two microphones, RME Babyface, and Ableton... This is a very short piece that I composed on the spot, as I was too excited to see the fruits of this first recording! 

Now I can play with mic positioning, multi-layering and software effects! :)

Mike Lazarev - Accidental (Piano Day)

Mike Lazarev - Accidental (04.26.15)

Another Sunday piece, when everything is shimmering and still... If you like this, check out my mini-album on  1631 Recordings, titled "Unhinged" : https://1631recordings.bandcamp.com/album/unhinged

Mike Lazarev - Sunday

Today we are happy to share with you an exclusive premiere of a track by Oleksiy Sakevych, also known for his project, Endless Melancholy, featuring Matt Finney. Available as a free downloadable single.

Bandcamp

TRACK PREMIERE : Endless Melancholy - We Found Love

James Maloney studied music at Oxford University and after graduating in 2011, found his own voice in minimalist composition and songwriting, which led him to the sounds and style present on Gaslight. The album is a vibrant piece of work that is built around an old piano, accompanied by a trumpet, vibraphone, glockenspiel, and subtle electronics. This is a music defined by spacious atmospheres, vibrant tones, and comforting chords, a bold soundworld crafted by Maloney on his debut record that make it a triumphant and original foray into minimalist territories. Maloney adeptly weaves a broad range of styles and influences into his compositions: gentle nods to cinematic orchestrations meet hints of post-rock sonorities, with infusions of mellow jazz and modern classical germs.

Gaslight is released on CD and digital on July 7. Pre-order: http://hcdi.gs/2s5lU8E

Gaslight

Blink

Pre-Order

TRACK PREMIERE : James Maloney - Blink

On this mix, originally appearing on Headphone Commute podcast in May of 2017, we celebrate some of the pioneers of early electronic ambient music, with the help of a long-time contributor, Fingers in the Noise. Here are all of the first explorations into the then unnamed genre, sometimes referred to as avant-garde, new-music, or simply electronic music. Pictured for the cover art of this mix is Laurie Spiegel, an American composer, who, while working in Bell Laboratories in the early 70s, composed with analog synthesizers using interactive software she wrote herself. Some of this music is hard to come by, with the early experiments a bit difficult to digest, so I thank Laurent Bisch for his wonderful selection of tracks for this very special tribute.

Full track listing and more details on the mix can be found here:
http://hcdi.gs/PioneersTribute

And as always, please enjoy responsibly and support the featured artists!

Mixes

Fingers In The Noise - A Tribute to the Pioneers of Electronic Ambient Music

So… this is slightly awkward… When it comes to promoting my very own music, I seem to be at loss for words. And yet, I accept that self-promotion is part of every composer’s journey, at the end of each release. This album has been in the making for a very long time. In fact, it was complete before I even left New York, and I’ve been “sitting on it”, afraid to let it out, too weak to let it breathe. And yet here it is, fulfilling the unavoidable and at times desirable closure to something I meant to leave behind.

Beneath the dark veil of the night, covered in an intoxicating somber solitude, somewhat sorrow and slightly sweet, ‘Dislodged’ is a place of isolation, melancholy, and a bit of heartache. Composed and intended to be listened to as the second half to the ‘Unhinged’ mini-album, this intimate recording of my beloved instrument explores the outer reaches of spatial and reductionist pianism, occasionally echoed by the song of a lonely cello, contributing to the detachment, displacement, and dislocation of a damper pedal, controlling the felt rail which muffles the hammers against the strings. This is where my music lives…

The ten-piece mini-album, beginning with the same-titled “Dislodged” track, which is being premiered exclusively today on Headphone Commute, is out on November 10th, on 1631 Recordings. Recommended for fans of solo piano music, and my all-time favorite composers who inspire me, such as Nils Frahm, Otto A. Totland, Julien Marchal, Goldmund, Dustin O’Halloran, Fabrizio Paterlini, and Sophie Hutchings, and many, many more…

Dislodged

TRACK PREMIERE : Mike Lazarev - Dislodged

Ever since I heard the very first piece by Dmitry Evgrafov, I’ve been keeping an eye (an ear?) on this Moscow-based composer, signed to FatCat’s 130701. My attachment was rewarded, when, back in 2017, Evgrafov released Comprehension Of Light, which instantly shot up to the top of my rotation queue and inevitably ended up being one of the best albums of the year, for the appropriately titled Music For Watching The Snow Slowly Fall In The Moonlight. Take that statement for what it is and know that I’m immediately a follower and a fan, which is why I’m incredibly honoured to present to you this exclusive premiere of a track, taken off Evgrafov’s upcoming EP, titled Return.

For this short, digital-only release, Evgrafov returns to the instrument, to gift us with his delicate playing, incorporating motifs ranging from the Romantics (I swear, I hear a bit of Rachmaninoff in there) to the contemporary and modern classical interpretations of the sound, eventually endowing with his own. Closely captured keys of fluttering and fleeting beauty are finely weaved with a texture of atmospheric grandeur to slowly build and evolve into a wide-spanning composition of sentiments and senses. Digital elements and careful effects are introduced into this composition with just enough proficient drizzle, like a swift rub of an orange twist on the rim of a glass – to give the essence of the sensation, but not to overwhelm the taste.

“The Waves” is from the upcoming EP, titled Return, scheduled to be released by 130701 on September 14th, 2018, available from all of your favourite digital outlets.

Return

TRACK PREMIERE : Dmitry Evgrafov - The Waves

London-based Matt Emery is mostly known for his solo piano pieces, which are delicate, nostalgic, and a little bit sad. Last year (right about this time), Emery released his debut on Injazero Records, titled Empire, which immediately shot up to my top piano records, and inevitably made it on the Best of the Year lists, in the "Music For Watching The Snow Slowly Fall In The Moonlight" entry. Emery also shared his selections with us on his Eternal Bliss mix, put together exclusively for the Headphone Commute Podcast. This Friday, September 7th, the composer returns with a new single, titled “I Put a Flame in Your Heart”. I’ll leave the full band version and the edit for you to discover in all due time, but today I wanted to share this very special Vessels remix, premiering on these pages alone.

As you can hear from this piece (and the remix itself), we’re now in a more gritty territory, with percussive and electronic treatments to the track that puts it more alongside Jon Hopkins, Kiasmos, and Moderat, rather than the softer side of Nils Frahm, and even with the up-front expedient vocals, the track ticks all of the right boxes for this fan and follower. Speaking of which, I’ve witnessed Emery sing during his sold-out live performance (on the very last track) and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of his voice [which you will hear clearly on the “Vocal Edit” of the release], and that’s a rare event for me notice, as I’m mostly an instrumental kind of fiend.

The single features a piano-only original of the piece, alongside a more post-rock[y] epic edit, which showcases the versatility of this UK artist. “The full band version sees Emery’s music swell with frantic drums, throbbing synths and a full choir culminating in an expansive interpretation, more aggressive in comparison to his gentle and intricate modern classical piano and string repertoire.” A very nice rework of the original, with the “Vessels Remix”, definitely hitting the spot.

Once again, the single is out this Friday, September 7th, 2018, on Injazero Records, available on all of your favourite digital platforms.

I Put A Flame In Your Heart

TRACK PREMIERE : Matt Emery - I Put A Flame In Your Heart (Vessels Remix)

As some of my favourite modern classical and solo piano composers have evolved and moved on to developing themselves and discovering new challenges in work for film and orchestral production, I’ve felt an earnest void in the space they left behind. I’ve even noticed the pattern in my very own music, always trying to embellish, enrich, strip down, or advance. But what about a simple piano tune – one that veils and slightly bears the heart and soul of the composer, with all its rawness, nudity, and truth? Mayhaps we’ll find this brave reveal in new contenders, that step to fill that earnest void.

Cameron Brooks is only 21 years old, hailing from the south of England, and this four-track EP is his début on Subtempo imprint. Clearly inspired by artists such as Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, and Max Richter, Brooks sets out to compose gentle pieces centred on the piano with some treatment from the strings. The track I selected to première for you today was recorded on his grandparents’ home piano, on his Grandfather’s 90th birthday, “so it brings back fond memories of visiting both his grandparents and of celebration, as well as being his favourite piano to play.” There’s a tone of melancholy, sweetness, and a bit of hope in the underlying melodies, the flow of tempo, and Cameron’s gentle playing on the keys.

"Vicissitude, the title of the EP,  is the main idea behind this record: change and unforeseen circumstances, it speaks to the passage from darkness into the light and the ongoing journey to get there. The music was born from a dark place and the compositions and the instruments brought light to a much-needed time of personal struggle.”

This digital release is out next week, on September 21st, available from Cameron’s Bandcamp and Subtempo‘s page. I’m sure we’ll hear from Brooks in the many years to come, so it’s a bit exciting to begin observing this composer’s journey…

Vicissitude

TRACK PREMIERE : Cameron Brooks - Final Solace

"Good Bye Forever" is one of my favourite tracks from one of my all-time favourite albums, "Lilies," released by Arovane on City Centre Offices in 2004. This short piece is an improvisational piano vignette on that beautiful theme, with special atmospheric treatments by Uwe Zahn himself. It marks the beginning of our musical conversation that we have begun in December of 2017 and continue to this day... Stay tuned for more!

Mike Lazarev plays Arovane's "Good Bye Forever"

Ladies and gentlemen, I have discovered an old hard drive with some of my old mixes, and I found them all in FLAC! Among these is an entire "liftmuziek" collection of volumes, which was the very first podcast I ran more than a decade ago (way before Headphone Commute was even born). These will be released, one at a time, on here, so watch this space for some amazing classic electronic music circa 2006! But before the unveiling, I figured I'd publish yet another beautiful selection that I dug out from the archive. This mix was made to celebrate two Native State albums from Rena Jones and Shen, which I put together to promote an event at an art gallery in Chicago. I hope you enjoy!

asmadeus - resplendent

"E Quindi Uscimmo A Riveder Le Stelle" is the very last piece on a six-track release by Frédéric D. Oberland, titled Labyrinth, for his very own NAHAL Recordings, a label whose ownership he shares with Paul Régimbeau (aka Mondkopf). The imprint itself takes its name from a mythological labyrinthian diagram hiding a map of the path to the new world. This is only a third release for the French label, and we can already get a taste of all the eerie things to come. And if you're already a fan of Oberland and his past works as Oiseaux-Tempête, then you're in for a treat...

Dark and noisy, the track begins as a continuation from its predecessor, “La Part Du Feu”, which built up into this distorted explosive opening, the whispers still guiding you deeper inside, as you explore its layers of pitched down percussion, harmonic pipe, and dark energy, with which this multi-instrumentalist courses your path. This downward spiral is not accidental, as Oberland meticulously paints “a vertiginous dive into George Bataille‘s ‘Inner Experience’ and the cave of Dante’s ‘Inferno'”.

"A condensed version of a sound and visual installation created in the basement of the contemporary art space Labanque in Béthune, “Labyrinth” invites us to bear witness to the loss of landmarks and to feel the immersive sense of trance […] In a continuous game of call and response between the intimate and the vast, ‘Labyrinth’ plays with the dynamics, the silence and the musical genres, kneading and pulling the form and structure of the tracks in ever-changing attempts towards transfiguring the chaos."

The album is out this Friday, October 26th, available as a digital release and a beautiful vinyl pressing. Be sure to also check out a previous catalogue offering by Mondkopf and Charbel Haber recording under a pseudonym, Good Luck In Death, with another beautiful title, They Promised Us A Bright Future, We Were Content With An Obscure Past.

Labyrinth

TRACK PREMIERE : Frédéric D. Oberland - E Quindi Uscimmo A Riveder Le Stelle

We've got something very, very special for you today, folks! A collaboration of forces between three separate entities, Headphone Commute, Ambientblog, and Slowcraft Records, are proud to present a unique mix by a colleague and partner in crime, Peter van Cooten, of beautiful works from a beautiful couple, James Murray and Anne Garner, culminating a selection of compositions they released individually, as well as together under various project names. Peter then carefully compiled these pieces together into a gorgeous journey of ambiance and voice, and now, along with the appearance on the Podcast, we are honoured to offer this little gem to you as a digital download (lossless, of course) via the new entry of Headphone Commute Presents on our Bandcamp! Whew!

For a full track listing and a download of a higher bitrate MP3 stop by headphonecommute.com and subscribe to our podcast!

Please support the artists by purchasing this album as a lossless download: http://hcdi.gs/JamesAnne

Headphone Commute Presents

VA - James & Anne (Peter van Cooten Mix)

Headphone Commute Presents: James & Anne

Tom Hodge & Franz Kirmann pair up once more to work on a gorgeous soundtrack for a documentary about the most popular musical star in Tunisian history. Being a work about a man and his music, the choice for a film score is carefully made, not just by the composers, but by the producers who chose to invite Hodge and Kirmann into their very personal work - British-Tunisian filmmaker Claire Belhassine’s feature The Man Behind The Microphone revolves around her discovery in her 30s that it is her grandfather, Heidi Jouini, who is a worshipped superstar in her home country, known as the "Frank Sinatra of Tunisia". Headphone Commute, in partnership with 1631 Recordings, on which this OST will be released, is proud to premiere the opening track.

The Man Behind The Microphone OST

TRACK PREMIERE : Tom Hodge & Franz Kirmann - The Man Behind The Microphone Part 1

Earlier this year, Icelandic composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Snorri Hallgrímsson released his debut album on Moderna, titled Orbit. I’ve spent more than just a few hours with this wonderful album, often reminding me of more vocal works from Ólafur Arnalds, with whom Snorri has collaborated on many occasions (the album was primarily recorded at Arnalds’ studio in Reykjavik). It was still on the list of albums to share with you, my readers, when an opportunity to premiere this beautiful rework presented itself. Orbit Reworked is an upcoming four-track release on Moderna, featuring remixes and re-imaginations of pieces by Luke Howard, Tom Adams, Slow Meadow and, the focus of this exclusive premiere, London-based cellist, Peter Gregson.

At some time, between all the firm work, and his very own release on the esteemed Deutsche Grammophon, titled Recomposed By Peter Gregson: Bach – The Cello Suites [stay tuned for an in-depth write-up on that, folks], Gregson found a moment to add his beautiful cello touch to the already gorgeous “… og minning þín rís hægt” track (which loosely translates to “and your memory rises slowly” from Icelandic), with its moody swaying passages lamenting over the sparkling piano glimmer. And at only a bit over three minutes in length, this gentle piece manages to capture the weather and the scenery of the internal brewing storm, even without the words to prompt us of the story.

"… the songs on Orbit explore the difficulties of living in and moving between vastly different places: from Mexico’s sunny days to Iceland’s long winter nights and their emotional toll. Orbit is also about people met along the way, of friends and family whose absence is bittersweet. The concept of ‘home’ is replaced by an ‘orbit’ the composer circles from place to place.”

While the full-length was mastered by Ian Hawgood, Orbit Reworked is backed by a touch from Taylor Deupree at his 12k Mastering studio. The artwork is courtesy of Elín Elísabet Einarsdóttir   who also produced the cover for the Orbit. The release is out this Friday, and I highly recommend that you pick up the album as well. You can pre-order it now on Bandcamp.

Orbit Reworked

…og minning þín rís hægt (Peter Gregson Rework)

TRACK PREMIERE : Snorri Hallgrímsson - …og Minning Þín Rís Hægt (Peter Gregson Rework)

Bersarin Quartett's exclusive contribution towards Headphone Commute's benefit compilation "... and darkness came"

Please help us raise funds for our humanitarian cause by purchasing a 67 track compilation for only $10 through bandcamp:

http://headphonecommute.bandcamp.com

Bersarin Quartett - Was Auch Passiert

The power of love and the grave
Сила Любовь и Могила.

Headphone Commute

Kolombo