Simply beautiful, from the opening arrangement until when those gorgeous vocals arrive...great ambient journey and cinematic swirl of sound!

Elizabeth Bay

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

Journey 4

from the upcoming "Some Kind of Champion" Sara Lov's (singer of Devics) 3rd album produced by Zac Rae and featuring collaborations with Dustin O'Halloran, Scott Leahy, Jonathan Price, Zac Rae and Hauschka.  Released October 30.

The Sharpest Knife (featuring Hauschka)

One Swallow

Taken from his forthcoming album 'Spells' out June 10 on Erased Tapes.

Pre-order the LP/CD/DL here: www.erasedtapes.com/store/index/ERATP085
iTunes: http://snip.ftpromo.net/spells
Spotify: http://snip.ftpromo.net/goldentimes
Bandcamp: http://snip.ftpromo.net/spellsbc
or any other good record store worldwide

"It's just incredible" – Mary Anne Hobbs, BBC 6 Music
“Strangely upbeat nocturnes" – The Wire

‘Spells’ merges programmed piano pieces with live instruments, combining the controllable technical world and the often unpredictable aspects of live improvisation. In some ways it continues where his underground debut ‘Gravity’ left off, though a lot of weight is lifted, making room for a lighter and more energetic listen. Friend and fellow Erased Tapes artist Nils Frahm mixed and mastered both albums. Ben is not a master pianist like his dear friend, but his sound collages are so meticulously designed that after hearing the result an impressed Nils declared: “from now on, if anyone asks – this is a real piano”. 

His intricate, humanised programming – enhanced by drummer Achim Färber, cellist Anton Peisakhov and harpist Lara Somogyi, and a considerate selection of echoes, delays and compressors – has been used to create a hybrid sound that intends to deceive, question and challenge existing listening habits. Utilising the contrast between reduction and decoration, ‘Spells’ can be seen as a quest to find out how much or how little composition is required to constitute a song. Why the ear can and should be deceived about the authenticity of instruments. What significance these instruments have within this process, and why the personal perception of balance and sound exclude ultimate truths. 

Linking the two albums are the four movements of ‘Nocturne’, an ever-developing conversation that on occasion flirts with the grandeur of compressed rock drums. The first single, ‘Golden Times 1’, received a world premiere by BBC 6 Music’s Mary Anne Hobbs, proclaiming it as "incredible." An alternative version of ‘Sleepers Beat Theme’ – composed for the soundtrack to a short film about the Trans-Siberian Express – opened Jon Hopkins’ Late Night Tales album from 2015, who noted “I thought it was such a calming and sensitive piece that sounded to me like the beginning of something...the warmth and depth of the sound entrances me every time”. 

Though ‘Spells’ and ‘Gravity’ are his first albums recorded under his own name, as acclaimed electronic producer HECQ he’s released nine albums since 2003, exploring everything from ambient to breakcore. He has simultaneously established himself as a trusted composer and sound designer, working for a wide array of clients including Amnesty International and Marvel Comics; composing for feature films, games, art installations and convention opening titles.

After embracing this demanding line of work, in 2010 Ben felt the need to explore his roots and early education, which inspired these albums under his own name. Born in 1981 as the third child of opera singer Deirdre Boysen and actor Claus Boysen, his classical music training on piano and guitar began when he was seven years old; the works of Bruckner, Wagner and Bach laid an important foundation. Rediscovering this music shared with his parents – united with the sounds of Autechre, Cristian Vogel and Jiri.Ceiver to Pink Floyd and Godspeed You! Black Emperor – brought back an understanding of why he wanted to write music in the first place.

“Finding my views understood, reflected and welcomed by Erased Tapes was an encouraging experience, crowned by the offer to release ‘Spells’ and re-issue ‘Gravity’ with them. Through many caring conversations with Robert I felt that there’s no better home for the existing ideas and no better cradle for new ones.”  – Ben Lukas Boysen 

TRACK LISTING:  	

01. The Veil  02. Nocturne 3  03. Sleepers Beat Theme  04. Golden Times 1
05. Nocturne 4  06. Keep Watch  07. Golden Times 2  08. Selene

Spells

Golden Times 1

Buy LP/CD/DL

Ben Lukas Boysen – Golden Times 1

Blue Lotus Eyes (Digitonal remix)

Taken from Serafim Tsotsonis' forthcoming album 'She Swims' (HH078)
Release date: December 9th 2016

CD + Digital via Bandcamp: https://goo.gl/s0mFFi
Pre-order via iTunes: http://hyperurl.co/SheSwims

Serafim Tsotsonis / Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/serafim-tsotsonis
Serafim Tsotsonis / Facebook - http://bit.ly/2bO3h0G

She Swims

CD / DL

Serafim Tsotsonis - Cold Naive

‘The Birds’ are three tracks released together as the lead singles from the upcoming album, aptly named ‘Sketches’, due to its stripped down nature, is bejeweled by thematic undercurrents. 

‘Sketches’ serves to reintroduce listeners to Ackroyd’s most stunning pieces from her previous albums, all of which have been reworked into ‘acoustic’ solo piano arrangements alongside four brand new unheard pieces, which offer a taste of a new forthcoming record. The mini album sees a July release in preparation for a brand new full length album to be released in October, and One Little Indian will also reissue Ackroyd’s back catalogue on CD and vinyl alongside the new mini-album.

Feathers

‘blind’ is a reflection about human limitations. Interviewed about agnosticism, David Attenborough brilliantly stresses the point whether we’re missing senses to perceive and understand the world around us - what a pretension it would be! Built as a subtle transition from acoustic to electronic, the piece blends genres, deconstructs categories, pushes back boundaries alongside a spectrum reflecting human’s potential to self-transcendence. Might we be blind at night, at least we aren’t deaf.

'blind' est une réflexion sur les limitations humaines. Un jour interviewé à propos de l'agnosticisme, David Attenborough s'interrogeait à savoir si nous possédions tous les sens nécessaires pour percevoir et comprendre le monde qui nous entoure - quelle prétention ce serait d’y croire! Construite en subtile transition de l'acoustique vers l'électronique, la pièce métisse les genres, déconstruit les catégories, repousse les limites en proposant un spectre reflétant le potentiel humain à l'autotranscendance. Bien qu'aveugles la nuit, au moins ne sommes-nous point sourds.

jeanmichelblais.com

Dans ma main

Jean-Michel Blais "blind"

Berlin based cellist and composer Anne Müller, announces the release of her long awaited debut solo album 'Heliopause'. 

Heliopause follows several Erased Tapes releases featuring Anne, including her celebrated collaboration with Nils Frahm titled 7fingers, appearances on Ólafur Arnalds & Nils Frahm’s Collaborative Works, Nils Frahm’s All Melody and his acclaimed soundtrack for the film Victoria, Lubomyr Melnyk’s Fallen Trees, as well as the two bespoke solo pieces Walzer für Robert and Bel Tono for the label’s 5th and 10th anniversary box sets. In fact, a glance at  Müller’s Discogs boasts credits on over 60 releases since she began recording in 2007.

Classically trained at Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts under the renowned cellist and conductor Michael Sanderling, Anne Müller performed as a cellist in many of Berlin’s symphonies for some time before choosing a different path with her music and focussing on novel approaches to classical instrumentation. A profound believer in the power of artistic collaboration, Anne’s skilled cello playing and instinctive composition became extremely sought after.

Following her work with Nils Frahm, an enduring partnership with singer-songwriter-composer Agnes Obel ensued, touring for five years together and featuring on two albums (Philharmonics and Aventine) and most recently, working with multi-instrumentalist Markus Sieber (aka Aukai) on his 2019 album Reminiscence. In between all this, Müller also co-founded the progressive live project Solo Collective along with violinist/singer Alex Stolze and pianist/conceptual artist Sebastian Reynolds, releasing Solo Collective Part One in 2017.

A solo record in every sense of the word, Müller wrote, recorded, arranged and produced Heliopause. The album is named after the boundary where the sun’s wind ceases to have influence. It is ultimately, the border of our solar system. The name struck a chord with Müller since the two voyagers sent on an exploratory mission 42 years ago, recently crossed the Heliopause, entering into interstellar space and losing power from our own sun. Müller recognised herself in this moment, not only approaching the same age, but also breaking new ground; having relied on collaborating with so many other stars and now venturing into the unknown with her first solo statement; “Heliopause marks the end of a long journey but also the start of voyages to explore strange new worlds”

Both as the closing title track and album as a whole, Heliopause crosses these physical and invisible borders throughout, sending the cello as a typically classical instrument to exciting new and uncharted territory.

· pre-order 'Heliopause' on LP/CD/DL: https://idol.lnk.to/Heliopause

Heliopause

Nummer 2

Anne Müller - Nummer 2

Label helmed by KEXP DJ Alex Ruder. 
It's a feeling...

Serafim Tsotsonis - Cold Naive

Hush Hush Records

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