A piece written for and performed by yMusic.

If And Only If

A 'proof of concept' demo of a song I wrote with David Norona, ca. 2002. That's David singing lead and backup vocals and Hila Plitmann with the little soprano line.

Long, Long Way From Home (First sketch)

Having recently moved to LA, gotten a new job, reformatted my computer--I've had to get back into the swing of things. 

Had a wonderful improv session that actually involved recording! Enjoy

Improv - Back in the Swing

A remix done by Curtis Smith of an untitled piano piece composed and played by Christian Asplund, 25 March 2020.

2020-03-25 Aphoristic Trope

From the Top
Freedom from the Anxiety of Influence

If I were asked to list my influences, I would produce a list that would likely be more performative than it is true. This piece is an honest look at my musical influences and personal musical landscape. It is filled with strange juxtapositions and heavy repetitions—truly great favorites and tracks I downloaded for free when I was a teenager and don't really remember—Bach, Mozart, Xenakis, John Zorn, The Beatles, Wilco, Radiohead, Enya, film scores. I am interested in the extent to which we choose our influences. Surely what we choose to repeatedly listen to influences us most, but it seems to me a nature vs. nurture question. The playlist I used for this piece, chosen genuinely at random, takes something like an objective view. 

Of course, this isn’t science. This is art. In fairness, the contents of my iTunes library is a bit of a time-capsule given that I stream much of the music I listen to now and don't "own" it. That said, the influence of what I chose to spend money on at one point or another can't be minimized.

One of the most satisfying things for me about this piece is that the specific interactions of the different musical samples that I used were unplanned and yet come together in wonderful ways. The piece is structured systematically and any samples could have been used. Just after minute 8 in my piece there is this moment that is always a little sublime to me in which over this looping progression by Doveman [ I - V6 - iv - iii - IV - I - ii - V ] we begin to hear the opening of this John Zorn violin solo which, though atonal itself, hangs on a high E-flat and G (scale degrees 1 and 3 in the Doveman song). I remember listening through the whole piece the first time and being struck by the beauty of this serendipity and the beauty of overlaying John Zorn and “singer-songwriter” material with a mild cacophony in the background.

How it was made:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15ER0G7r7kdpKhZ3P3M39h1ktVaMi1FB3YNc-5uLd8vM/edit?usp=sharing

Samples used:
Two Studies for Organ, II. Coulée (1969) by György Ligeti
Golden Sand by The Republic Tigers (live radio session)
Nocturne from String Quartet #2 in D by Alexander Borodin
“Porgi, Amor” from Le Nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Mozart
All You Need is Love by The Beatles
1.36 by Coldplay
If I Needed Someone by The Beatles
Less Than You Think by Wilco
“Drive to the Cottage” from the film Finding Neverland by Jan A. P. Kaczmarek
If You Wait a Little Longer by Nico Muhly and Teitur
Sonatina, I. Andante by Jerome Moross
La Dousa Votz by Bernart de Ventadorn
Apophthegms ix by John Zorn
Grow Till Tall by Jónsi
Angel’s Share by Doveman
 Please Be Patient With Me by Wilco
Allemande from Suite #4 in A Major BWV 1010 (ed. Lippel for guitar) by J.S. Bach
Miss Clare Remembers by Enya
Rebonds, Part A by Iannis Xenakis
Exile by Enya
Date of Execution February 11, 2004 by Cory Dargel
Either Way by Guster
One Million Miles by J. Ralph
Pyramid Song by Radiohead
“Caras Galadhon” from the film The Fellowship of the Ring by Howard Shore
Puspanjali - by Nyoman Windha
People Keep Coming Around by Tindersticks
Albion Voice by Bishi

From The Top

A track inspired by Creation by Seven Lions. Features melodic and bass elements.

Dreamin'

By Christian Asplund
Recorded 19 August 2020, Provo.
We Free Kings: Christian Asplund, piano; Erik Larson, contrabass; Timm Tippetts, drums.

De Chirico

By Christian Asplund.
Played by We Free Kings (Asplund (piano), Erik Larson (bass), Timm Tippetts (drums).  1 September 2020, Avant GaRAWge, Provo.

Art Decometer

Dream Rut

An excerpt from my 2005 composition American Dreamscape...John Sampen on alto sax...I hoped to channel Jimi Hendrix's rendition of the Star Spangled Banner in this sax solo...which gives way into a sort of dream sequence with other (American) influences/inspirations...

Dreamscape Excerpt

Daniel Nash is an half Asian-half caucasian American contemporary classical composer and performer. He was born and raised in Colorado, studied in Utah, and is currently based near Los Angeles. He’s classically trained in violin, piano, voice, and electronics and his musical influences stem from minimalism, musique concrete, and 20th century compositional techniques. 

Lately, Daniel has been improvising along with classical/jazz clarinetist, Spencer Danielson,  and percussionist, Alex Williams, to create some unique improvisations. Albums with names such as Daxer or Dancer are blends of the names of the different improvisers.

He also has a passion for interdisciplinary collaborations with physicists, poets, computer scientists, and dancers. For example, in the piece Gravity - Live, the piece was performed live with a cello center stage and the other revolving around it and the double stops the cello is playing matches the gravitational constant.

He did a music business internship in Estonia where he got to do work for Peeter Vähi and Arvo Pärt doing sound engineering and archival work. 

He studied under composers Neil Thornock, Christian Asplund, Micheal Hicks, and Sam Richards at Brigham Young University. 

For some time, his interest was in video game music composition, but has since transitioned to a much more introspective and free approach to music composition. Though, tracks where he felt he had more creative liberty can still be found here.

Improv - Back in the Swing

Daniel Nash

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