​​‘I’d Like the Birds to Teach Me How to Fly’ by Oliver Patrice Weder is a true joy. It has a slowly building groove that is downright infectious, bringing you into this wonder filled view of the world. 

The track is out now wherever you listen to music : moderna.ampl.ink/birds

The Shoe Factory

I’d Like The Birds To Teach Me How To Fly

⊜ spotify

Oliver Patrice Weder - I’d Like The Birds To Teach Me How To Fly

Cradlesong

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

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

'April' is my new single. I recorded it using Teenage Engineering OP-1 synth, piano, Tascam Porta 02 MKII 4-track tape recorder, Olympus Pearlcorder L400 microcassette recorder and digital effects. Enjoy!

released April 26, 2024 

Music by Oleksiy Sakevych 
Photography by Tony Luxon

April

Today, I'm excited to share with you a new piece by the Icelandic composer Snorri Hallgrímsson, whom I've been closely following since his debut, Orbit, released by Moderna in 2018. Even back then, I could somewhat predict the trajectory of this young artist, who, as I said, has been drinking from the same pool of Icelandic inspiration which has quenched the thirst of some of the world's renowned composers, like Ólafur Arnalds and of course, the dearly missed Jóhann Jóhannsson. Hallgrímsson's sophomore release, I Am Weary, Don’t Let Me Rest, which I am playing right now as I prepare this writeup, was a particular favourite of mine, even as I recognised some of the subtle influence of the above master of the modern classical genre. In this specific case, that should be acknowledged as an enormous compliment - if Jóhann continues to be here through the music of others, I feel slightly better and not so forlorn. This spring, Hallgrímsson returns to Moderna with an original soundtrack for Guy Davidi's documentary called Innocence. "The film is a harrowing insight into what it's like to grow up in a heavily militarized state where military service isn't only compulsory but is seen as a moral and cultural obligation as well." I think the cover of a little girl handling a machine gun tells it all. And yet, it's Hallgrímsson's gorgeous music that takes it to a whole new level.

Innocence (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

The Girl in the Dark

TRACK PREMIERE : Snorri Hallgrímsson - The Girl In The Dark

I often wonder if things are getting worse or if it's just about perspective. The knowledge of the past is colouring the feelings of the present. Hasn't this world always been a little bit insane? Aren't some people dancing right now as others go to sleep in tears? Don't all good things come to an end while bad ones linger in the background? This mood I'm in right now is strange - it's contemplative yet disgruntled. What will I do about it all? At least, I will create. I think I'll make some music to express my inner state and paint with sound. But first, I turn to Onur Tarçın, a Turkish multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Paris, whose music seemed to trigger and then quiet all these thoughts. Listening to "A Piece of Sky", I am reminded of our vast universe and of all our real insignificance that we seem to forget while caught in our stories, of the lives that we live and the moments we share. And even if these thoughts [and skies] may not relieve our sorrows, perhaps this music [and these words] for just a second will.

mavi

A Piece of Sky

TRACK PREMIERE : Onur Tarçın - A Piece Of Sky

Seeking Solace

L'Amorino

Ed Carlsen : piano, guitar, programming

Bandcamp : https://bigoandtwigetti.bandcamp.com/album/the-exquisite-corpse
Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/album/6e7OmHkh0X1pBKHWiJP01e
Itunes : https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/loom-single/id1174874435

We’re pleased to announce a new collaborative album in conjunction with Bigo & Twigetti. ‘The Exquisite Corpse’ is based on the surrealist game of the same name. Taking Leah Kardos 'Little Phase' as it's starting point, the piece will be reworked by a series of composers and producers to create an album of tracks which continually evolve as each new version is passed from one artist to another, adding to and transforming material from the original piece. We'll be releasing a new track from the album every 2-3 weeks with the first track due towards the end of October and the full album available in April 2017 so keep an eye on our social media for updates.

The Exquisite Corpse

Ed Carlsen - Loom

Watermusic

Watermusic (Continuous Piano)

say hello / licensing / demos 
modernarecords@gmail.com

We're here to trace a line from electronic sound designers to classical composers, connecting them through the realms of ambient & cinematic music.

Ed Carlsen - Loom

Moderna Records

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