Sometimes the universe has its way of reminding you of what’s important in life. You get caught up in all your bullshit, and then, one morning, you wake up and suddenly hit that point which truly makes you take a step back, look around, and reassess everything you have been “building” up until this moment. That nagging, stressful, and upsetting thing right over there? Well, that can wait. Perhaps you’ll get to it another day. And if not, well, it will still be there. But for now, you can give yourself permission just to breathe. In and out. Ah… That’s so much better. Thankfully for me, I have this thing that I call music, which I can turn to for an hour every morning and spend some time, like with a friend. And in the end, this post with words that you are reading right now is just my way of sharing those precious single moments with you, when we can simply breathe. Today I am spending sharing my time in the company of a Norwegian composer and pianist, Ole-Bjørn Talstad, who just got signed to the beloved Moderna for his debut, titled Ferd. The album collects eight miniature solo piano pieces that add up to just a bit over 19 minutes in length, and their elegant, intimate, and emotional narrative truly resonates with every cell of my being. As I do with most solo piano compositions, I listen to them in my headphones. This somehow transports me to my own recording sessions in front of an upright piano and close-placed microphones next to the hammers, slightly caressing the strings through the felt. Suddenly, just as I felt with one of my favourite records by Otto A. Totland, it’s as if I’m playing this music myself. I’m hearing the music the way Talstad is hearing it. One simple note at a time. And in between the keys, in all of their ease and purity, is where I find my peace. I hope that you will find yours too.

Ferd

Utsikt

TRACK PREMIERE : Ole-Bjørn Talstad - Utsikt

UK composer, producer and singer-songwriter Tom Adams' new instrumental record Golden Waves arrives later this month - it features a set of 10 tracks blending Adams' delicate piano playing with a simple yet stunning layering of aetherial instrumentation including his unique falsetto vocals, subtle electronics, electric guitar and percussion. The result is a wash of sound influenced equally by modern-classical piano playing and post-rock / ambient groups such as Sigur Rós and A Winged Victory for the Sullen. With Golden Waves, Adams shows that he continues to be one of the most innovative voices in the scene. 

You can pre-order the album in digital and CD formats over at our Bandcamp store : https://modernarecords.bandcamp.com/album/golden-waves

And stream the 2nd single ‘First Wave’ on your favorite platform : moderna.ampl.ink/firstwave

'First Wave' is built around a harmonic progression of falling major and minor thirds that gives the music at once a sense of tonal identity and yet a centre that is constantly changing. As a result there is no real feeling of beginning and end, just a constant flow of music. I found this to be evocative of sitting on a beach and listening to the arrival of the waves, each somehow being the same yet also unique from the one before it...'' - Tom Adams

Golden Waves

First Wave

Buy CD/Digital

Tom Adams - First Wave

Video: https://youtu.be/37R7GGwLLb8
High-resolution+support:
https://sebastianmorawietz.bandcamp.com/album/con-ped
Landing Page: https://linktr.ee/sebastianmorawietz

Hey, it’s me again. Back with another piece from con PED —
music for the quietest moments.

A collection of twelve quiet piano works, each in its own key,
played on my 1908 upright Madame Bechstein with the sustain pedal held from start to finish.

Yours truly,
Sebastian

Back To The Harbour

>> Landing Page <<

Unpredictable Things

Light slides across fractured skies, grazing the shadows that stretch across glass and stone. Fragments of dawn linger in the distance, whispering between currents of memory and silence. Each pulse carries the weight of an unspoken loyalty, tracing paths of devotion and silent resistance across horizons that shimmer, fade, and return again.

Whispered Horizon

August

Dedicated to Chopin, one of my favorite composers, and released in celebration of this year's #PianoDay.

Artwork by Camille De Cussac.

Fryderyk (Piano Day 2019)

A couple of things I recorded last night at home, warts and all.

Part I

piano day 2019

falling

Japanese pianist @daigohanada lends his subtle felted playing and beautiful textured arrangements to this rework of 'Last to Let Go' by @richard_luke. Close your eyes and immerse yourself in this intimate and soulful piece for piano.

stream on your favourite platform : https://orcd.co/last-to-let-go
download : https://modernarecords.bandcamp.com/album/last-to-let-go-daigo-hanada-rework

Glass Island (Reworked)

Last to Let Go (Daigo Hanada Rework)

Spotify ⊜

Richard Luke - Last to Let Go (Daigo Hanada Rework)

A drop in the Ocean

Alyas - A Drop In The Ocean

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.

Tom Adams - First Wave

Moderna Records