Purchase: https://heliosmusic.bandcamp.com/track/endless-explorations

www.instagram.com/kazuma_okabayashi/
www.instagram.com/holliekenniffmusic/

Hollie Kenniff and Kazuma Okabayashi  - Endless Explorations

Purchase: https://heliosmusic.bandcamp.com/track/helios-and-hollie-kenniff-by-firelight-on-autumn-nights 🍂

https://www.unseen-music.com/

Buy 'By Firelight...'

Helios And Hollie Kenniff - By Firelight, On Autumn Nights

https://patrikbergalmkvisth.ffm.to/solskurrework

I'm so pleased to share that my rework of LUCHS's song 'Solskur' is out now.

After selecting 'Solskur' to rework, Patrik shared that the piece is actually the emotional centerpiece of the album for him, and is a homage to his mother who passed away from cancer in 2019. As a mother of three sons, this project was deeply meaningful to me. I knew how personal it was to Patrik and I wanted to honor the original song, while at the same time putting a different spin on the song with the thoughtfulness of his original intact. Because the original song was driven by solo piano, I took certain sections of the piano motifs and created mini-vignettes which I re-arranged throughout the remix and used them as a platform to create ambient beds of textures with his piano, my voice and various added synth elements.

LUCHS (Patrik Berg Almkvisth) - Solskur - Hollie Kenniff Rework

Following the 130701 imprint for over two decades has been a rewarding experience. After all, this is the same offshoot of FatCat that brought us the best of Max Richter, Hauschka, Jóhann Jóhannsson, and yes, even introduced the world to Sigur Rós. This is what a label does best - it puts a "label" on its output, essentially a stamp of approval, if you will, of what it is excited to support. And this is why I hungrily continue to consume pretty much everything in its catalogue, especially by artists previously unknown to me. [And, secretly, I hope that you can say the same about the purpose of my words]. Today, I'd like to share with you a track by the Danish composers Emil Friis and Patricio Fraile, who are best known for their film and television scores (again, mostly for the Danish audience). For their collaboration titled The Expected Sounds Of Minor Music, the duo composed eleven vignettes with minimal piano melodies supported by a string quartet and solo cello performed by Joe Zeitlin. "The album's layered and intimate sound, along with its ability to encourage contemplation [...] reflect the duality of life, encompassing both the major and minor moments." This is a perfect soundtrack to wake up to and start a brand new day, bringing forth some optimism, serenity, and hope... even as it's mostly based on minor keys.

The Expected Sounds Of Minor Music

Minor Music

TRACK PREMIERE : Emil Friis & Patricio Fraile - Minor Music

A little musical gift. 🕊️  Wishing you love, peace and happiness. 
Available for free download on Bandcamp: https://heliosmusic.bandcamp.com/track/o-christmas-tree-free-download


www.instagram.com/holliekenniffmusic/   
www.holliekenniff.com    
www.facebook.com/holliekenniff/

Free DL on Bandcamp

Hollie Kenniff - O Christmas Tree

Purchase: https://heliosmusic.bandcamp.com/track/mint-julep-all-that-well-ever-be

Happy New Year!

We're very excited to release a new album, "Wildfire", this year and in the meantime, here is our first track of 2024. Hope you enjoy it!

instagram.com/mintjulepmusic

Buy "All That We'll.."

Mint Julep - All That We'll Ever Be

Purchase: https://heliosmusic.bandcamp.com/track/slow-motion-dream

www.instagram.com/helios_music_official/
www.instagram.com/holliekenniffmusic/
www.unseen-music.com

Buy Slow Motion Dream

Helios and Hollie Kenniff - Slow Motion Dream

Purchase: https://heliosmusic.bandcamp.com/track/light-shade

Goldmund - Light and Shade

Music possesses transforming powers. By moving its sound waves in time, it's able to guide us through the past and the future. For example, it's been nearly eight years since I listened to the Daughter's 2016 release, Not To Disappear - an album that was tightly intertwined with a particular set of circumstances and some potent feelings in my life. An album which I purposely buried deep in my memory [and some cardboard boxes] so that, at last, I can breathe. The other day, I uncovered this snapshot of time and relistened to it in one sitting. And all of the walls I've built fell apart, and all has returned, once again, with those feelings. It's good, and it's bad, as music can heal, but it also can pick at the scabs with its incessant weeping. And so, instead, I pick out a brand new release, one which I use like a thick coat of paint to brush over the wounds and repair. In this particular case, the remedy comes courtesy of Glowworm, a duo of guitarist Kevin Scott Davis and pianist and vocalist Asia Dojnikowska. That healing begins from the very first track, as the soft, warming tones wash over the edges. From the deep-heated bass to the light-whispered voice, every guitar strum, and each piano key, the music of Harvest is an instant relief for the wandering mind. And even though I admit, I take some sort of unexplainable pleasure in melancholy, darkness and gloom, I also enjoy to be basked in the light of a particular type of wistful, positive, and powerful music. If you are a fan of Hammock, Slow Meadow and Sigur Rós, then you'll know what I mean and will instantly appreciate the sound of Glowworm.

Harvest

Sierpień

TRACK PREMIERE : Glowworm - Sierpień

The other day, I was discussing with my good old friend the constant fluctuation of the music release pendulum that I follow, oscillating between my absolutely favourite artists and labels [where sometimes it can feel like I am inside an echo chamber] and chasing the latest and new [where sometimes I am guided by marketing trends of PR]. As usual, the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle, and I will still chart my own course. Today is an immensely gorgeous example of the former, where I am eagerly celebrating a brand new release from my favourite artist – Ben Chatwin. And this is a perfect model of balance, where Chatwin does not simply sharpen his skills but projects them another leap forward, creating another new style that one day, I’m sure, will stand out as prime. If you peruse these pages you’ll be sure to find nearly every release from Ben Chatwin going back to 2015, and then, once again, even further in time, to 2008, when he was recording under another named project. But with his latest releases on Village Green, the last of which was The Hum (2020), Chatwin managed to evoke the voice of the inorganic, blending melodic beauty with intense sonics and tense, edgy rhythms. “Obsessed with the physicality of sound, Chatwin utilises modular synthesis to imbue life and instability into the recordings. Pushing his exploration of analogue textures, audio is passed through an arsenal of compressors and saturators to build layers of grit and grime around this new set of tactile compositions.” So yes, I’m a massive fan of his compositions, and yes, I have even secured a coveted remix of his for an upcoming single I intend to release any day now [more on that later!]. For his new album, titled Verdigris, Chatwin set up his own imprint, Disinter, to take us down his forward-thinking evolution of sound.

Verdigris

Dolmen

TRACK PREMIERE : Ben Chatwin - Dolmen

In the fall of last year, I was asked to participate in Bigo & Twigetti's fifth volume of the Perceptions compilation series, which explores various approaches to piano music. Complimenting the sound of the solo piano, these compositions also utilise nominal processing, sound effects, synthesis, and binaural recording techniques, all aiming to create an immersive listening experience while still showcasing my beloved instrument. As the clock ticked away and the deadline approached, I realised I hadn't found time to compose my contribution. For a few weeks, I've experienced a gnawing feeling of self-imposed pressure, mixed with anxiety and procrastination, that looped on itself and left me fatigued. I'm sure plenty of composers who are reading these words, especially those working on a deadline (like film soundtracks), know what I'm talking about. This, in itself, gave me a taste of this process at work. I learned that I simply cannot try and force things or make them appear. For me, music, as Victor Hugo once said, "expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent…" I needed to have something special to say...

As the end of the year approached, I found myself in that "usual space" of December, where the dark and the cold seemed to mix with my mood, and I recount the days and the moments of passing. There's always reflection on what I've achieved, and of course, I look back at my favourite albums of the year. Somewhere around this time, I arrive at the acceptance of failure, preparing to message the label and withdraw from the project. I think I'm too busy with "all other stuff". Perhaps I'll start over as the new year turns. Perhaps I'll become a bit more organised or not commit myself to the deadlines. In the very last days of the year, I find myself investing time in consoling my friend whose mother has passed away. As always, besides the grief for another, we find ourselves reflecting on our own mortality... and the meaning of it all... As the clock strikes midnight, I am deep asleep. But the morning comes, as it does every morning. And we're at it again, starting fresh and anew. The windows open, and we breathe in and out. Maybe this time, it will be slightly different. Maybe this time we have learned... On the morning of January 1st, I find myself sitting at the piano and playing this simple melody. I hope that you'll hear what I'm saying in music...

Perceptions Vol​​​.​​​5

Morning, January 1st

Mike Lazarev - Morning, January 1st

some original solo piano pieces...  some mixes from my podcast... some exclusive track premieres...  and some tracks from the albums I review for Headphone Commute... Enjoy!

TRACK PREMIERE : Glowworm - Sierpień

Headphone Commute

Recent comments

bluelotus

Miwsig

gaspar monterde

Related tracks