This song has such a unique sound, I can't help but listen on repeat.

Like flying through a forest on the back of a squirel

Introducing Cologne based composer and guitarist Felix Dreiser. His music draws lines between various notions of organic sounds and electronica, embedding unconventional improvisations for guitar and piano into a mesmerizing soundworld. We hope you enjoy his new track 'Tremors', a chill number for electric guitar, synths and drum machines.

🎧 moderna.ampl.ink/tremors

"Tremors feels to me like walking on a big, expansive frozen lake. The crackling of ice while you're walking towards the sunlight that keeps you warm. This scenery kept appearing to me throughout the writing process, which I tried to evoke in the melodic and rhythmic elements of the song." - Felix Dreiser

Tremors

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Felix Dreiser - Tremors

The other day I watched a video of a pianist signed to a major record label performing his latest magnum opus. It was so bad. I hate to talk smack on the platform which I have purposely devoted to the absolute positive expansion of the music. But there was just something about that particular performance that really turned me off. Was it the formulaic basic chord progression? Was it the senseless pounding on helpless piano keys? Or was it simply a lack of all emotion, in which the execution of this piece seemed to exist? I was a bit dismayed [to say the least], and so I actually sat down and then composed a piano piece myself. I guess it was a sort of insurrection against the mass-produced, the stamped and truly tepid. I guess I simply wanted to make sure that feelings still may be conveyed. So it's no wonder that this morning I turn over to one of my favourite independent labels and their latest upcoming release from Tom Adams to premiere his beautiful and tender track. At just a bit over two minutes in length, the deceptively simple notes gently fall upon these spent and tired ears, and suddenly I am cradled in the warmth of intimate and sensitive sounds, and suddenly I hear the emotion and the soul. It's not the instrument, the chords, and not the melody. It's not the colours, not the flavours, not the words. It's how these all transmit from one towards another. It's how the message is conveyed and then received. And if it fails to carry all that must be mentioned, then maybe it's not worth in saying it at all. But in the case of Adams' morning afterglow of sounds, I'm glad he shared it with Moderna and with me.

"Golden waves is an album about experiential flow, and the many forms in which it can be enjoyed. In the winter of 2021 a series of heavy storms hit the south west of England, in their wake came lines of swell that broke upon the coastline of Cornwall in a joyful rhythm. During that time I went out each day searching for waves with my surfboard. As the sun set the light would often reflect golden across the water and the lines of arriving swell. After the surf, and with visions of those golden waves still playing in my mind I recorded a series of late night piano improvisations. This album is a collection of my favourite moments from these sessions." - Tom Adams

Golden Waves

Afterglow 1

TRACK PREMIERE : Tom Adams - Afterglow 1

The Darkest Descent by Snorri Hallgrímsson. This gripping 2nd single from his upcoming LP moves from mournful solo piano to a soaring climax with sweeping orchestral strings. It is about how choosing to fight for what you believe in can be the hardest choice to make, and how staying true to that choice over time will make you feel less alone. 

🎧 moderna.ampl.ink/descent

I Am Weary, Don't Let Me Rest

The Darkest Descent

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Snorri Hallgrímsson - The Darkest Descent

From Finnish pianist Julia Andersson's debut piano LP Dröm, available now in digital format and in a limited edition CD pressing with beautiful artwork by Sabatina Leccia. You can grab a physical copy of the album or listen online at the link here : https://moderna.ampl.ink/drom

Dröm

Aning

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Julia Andersson - Aning

Title track from Icelandic composer Snorri Hallgrímsson's new album "I Am Weary, Don't Let Me Rest". The piece balances light and dark, joy and sorrow; it's a contemplative, soulful number for piano & string ensemble and trombone about our place in the world.

🎧 moderna.ampl.ink/wearyrest

Snorri Hallgrímsson - I Am Weary, Don't Let Me Rest

We're super thrilled to be partnering up with UK composer Barry Hudson-Taylor for the release of his forthcoming EP 'Kalmte' this September. Hudson-Taylor's new effort is a lush collection of downtempo piano pieces written in celebration of rest and slowness, undulating calmly throughout and sprinkled with hints of jazzy harmonies.

You're listening to the first single Places, out now on all platforms : https://moderna.ampl.ink/places

Kalmte

Places

⊜ spotify

Barry Hudson-Taylor - Places

Parallel

Be Still the Earth & Dear Gravity - Parallel

The 2nd instalment of Polish pianist Piotr Wiese’s split single Ídiopáthē is out now! Known for his romantic approach to the instrument, this debut in the electronic / ambient realm is absolute fire. The opener 'Ídio' is a sun soaked electronic number with a driving back beat, sampling and bubbling synths. It is catchy, infectious and downright expertly crafted. The closer 'Páthē' is a reflective ambient number at once spacious and vulnerable. With such an impeccable first foray in the genre, we can't wait to see what's next. In the meantime, do yourself a favour and spin this awesome pair of tracks! https://moderna.ampl.ink/idiopathe

Ídiopáthē

Ídio

Piotr Wiese - Ídio

Emerging German composer & producer Linus Alberg shares first taste of upcoming LP ‘Elements’. A reflective sonic journey that is at once gripping and patient.

Stream track on your favourite platform : https://moderna.ampl.ink/panther

Elements

Panther

Stream Here

Linus Alberg - Panther

I've got a very lovely piano piece for you this morning from the ever-lovely Moderna imprint, which continues to scour the hidden corners of the scene to bring you some of the most heartfelt music. This one comes from the emerging [and pretty young] Augsburg-based (Germany) composer Linus Alberg, offering us his label debut, titled Elements. On this collection of eight tracks, Alberg shares his sentimentality, initially inspired by the changing of the seasons but somehow evoking something else entirely, at least in me, as if uncovering a buried key to a forgotten memory. His incredible compositional musicality is only surpassed by the execution, whereby remarkably gentle melodies effortlessly flutter in the curated space, held together by the solid bass, frequency-rich harmonium, and occasional echoes of the breathy trumpet, played here by Matthias Lindermayr. Oh, but then, there is that Yamaha upright that carries a flavour so lush of its own. Here, Alberg is able to ring out the textural tone shifts with his exceptional, flawless control of the instrument, painting wide pastel landscapes with a gorgeous sonic palette. And yeah, okay, I am jealous. I'm jealous that I'm no longer in my twenties, making music as beautiful as this. But that is okay. I'm delighted. I'm happy to sidestep and listen and offer this space to a lovely new voice.

Vienna

TRACK PREMIERE : Linus Alberg - Vienna

Haunting Memories (Strings & Piano Version)

Anna Simonetta & Jeff Roy - Haunting Memories (Strings & Piano Version)

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.

Piotr Wiese - Ídio

Moderna Records

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