halina rice

A curated series where we commission artists to make an hour long mix of whatever inspires them to experiment, produce, and what they listen to.

Halina Rice is an electronic music producer and AV artist renowned for her vivid and eclectic style ranging from evocative and avant-garde soundscapes to beat-driven tracks. Working at the intersection of art, music and technology - her self-released "New World" project blends electronic music with impactful mixed reality visuals and 360 sound to create other-wordly immersive experiences. 


"I am really inspired by artists who are both adventurous and emotive with sound and this mix reflects that - from the percussive and abstract synth stabs of SPIME.IM, the moving and sometimes unsettling work of Noemi Buchi, Hiro Kone's distinctive modular synth approach and the sound design palette of Feldermelder. I think my favourite track is the collaboration of Fennesz and David Sylvian - the rich vocals juxtaposed with distorted soundscaping and unusual warped delays. Props also to SINK, the last track Distress Flare is from his debut EP on which he pushes the boundaries to unite vocals with unique sound." - Halina Rice 

Words about artwork:
“My godson gave this photo to me when he was quite young and explained he had taken it from a train window. There’s something unearthly in the way the sun appears turquoise against an impressionistic dark background. It reminded me of stories by Ray Bradbury and his descriptions of life on other planets that seem simultaneously normal and strange.”

1. SPIME.IM - Exaland V (-OUS)
2. Niels Orens - Hidden Complexity (Niels Orens Music)
3. Feldermelder, Julian Sartorius - Friedhof (feat. Julian Sartorius) (-OUS)
4. Halina Rice - Sunken Suns (Halina Rice Records)
5. Mitski - Love Me More (Clark Remix) (Dead Oceans)
6. Alex Banks - A Way Out (MESH)
7. Hiro Kone, Speaker - Reciprocal capture (ft. Speaker Music) (Dais Records)
8. Noemi Buchi - Nothing is Artificial (-OUS)
9. Indian Wells - Four Walls (MESH)
10. Halina Rice – Terrain (Halina Rice Records)
11. Nathan Fake - Vectra (Irene Dresel Remix) (Cambria Instruments)
12. Sarah Neufeld - The Top (Rival Consoles Remix) (One Little Independent Records)
13. Kelly Lee Owens - Release (Smalltown Supersound)
14. KMRU &amp; Aho Ssan – Resurgence (Subtext)
15. Fennesz - Transit (feat. David Sylvian) (Touch)
16. Tegh &amp; Adel Poursamadi – Ijād (Injazero)
17. SINK - Distress Flare (SINK)

Artist Info:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/halinarice_music/
Website: https://www.halinarice.com/

Artwork design:
Owen Summerscales

Mesh Mix Series 022: Halina Rice

Halina Rice - FX1

Halina Rice - Momentum

Halina Rice - Shale

Halina Rice - Hunter

Halina Rice - Third

Halina Rice - Hey

All tracks by Halina Rice.
Mastered by John Davis at Metropolis.
Cover artwork by Freny Antony.

“World of fragmentary beauty” Clash

“Uses creative sampling to craft evocative and melancholic soundscapes to beat-driven instrumentals” Magnetic

“Takes listeners through a VR inspired electronic journey of looping beats and a mesmerising spectrum of emotions.” Decoded

Halina Rice is a London-based electronic musician and AV artist renowned for her vivid and eclectic style, using multiple effects and sampling to create original and unique sounds. Uniting elements of ambient, experimental and dance music, her sound ranges from evocative and melancholic soundscapes to beat-driven tracks.

Releasing her debut album ‘REDUX’ in 2017 to critical acclaim, her music has been described as “sublime and infectious” by Electronic Sound magazine and as a “world of fragmentary beauty” by Clash, and on the 30th September, she is set to release her sophomore album ‘ELISION’, via Injazero Records, home to such artists as Heinali, KMRU and Hinako Omori.

‘ELISION’ takes its cue from abstract and actual worlds fusing together, a common theme in Rice’s music, with a vision of uniting music, art and technology. Ranging from experimental to IDM, the ten tracks across the album represent a breadth of styles and pace. Tracks fuse natural or analog sounds with unrealistic treatments “The idea is to evoke places that don't exist – like a surreal parallel world,” says Rice. Further tracks such as THIRD and HELIX draw influence from artists such as Rival Consoles and Max Cooper to create more dance-orientated compositions.

On ‘ELISION’, the album title track, Rice used audio tools to morph sounds together to help bring her sonic vision to life. The voice and synth are melded together, resulting in an other-worldy sonic experience, while the carefully crafted sounds of ‘HEY’, ‘HUNTER’ and ‘THIRD’ were initially concieved as part of a commission for the WITCiH digital festival, supporting Rice to explore innovation.

A key component of Rice’s work is the creation of immersive experiences and in 2020 she launched the NEW WORLDS project – where each release comprised both music and the creation of a virtual environment in which Rice performed live as a digital projection. She also works closely with partner L-Acoustics to deliver performances in spatial audio. “In one sense, immersive is a technical description of how I might present sound or projections, but from an emotive stance, it's more about the desire to create an experience for the audience which takes them outside of the day to day. I try to create tracks which evoke an emotion that translates to the listener.”

As a producer of electronic music working with an international team of visuals artists, Rice has consistently strived to create increasingly immersive AV environments in which to envelop her listeners, with her sold out live shows being described as “part rave, part art-happening.” She has performed at venues including Abbey Road Studios, Copeland Gallery, Sonica Arts Festival and Iklectik. Recently, Rice collaborated with Zaha Hadid Architects, creating a virtual reality installation. She is set to perform a series of live shows this autumn – details to be announced.

Elision

Halina Rice - Helix

halina rice

LG