Moshi – Here, Always (Spotify)
This is a peaceful piano ballad over a beautiful ambient backdrop of synth pads, evoking a "longing" feeling by using inverted chords and a flexible tempo to give the effect of always almost arriving home, but always leaving a desire for resolution, finally landing on it by the end of the song.
Jacob LaVallee – This Time (Spotify)
This is a track written with a melancholic, classical music tone. It was written during a time of personal trial by the artist , the music itself helped pull him through.
Macgray – Oblivion (Spotify)
The album "Journey to the Dawn" is the collapse of a man's world and its subsequent reconstruction. Panic attacks follow glimpses of absolute calm. When the inner voice awakens, reality is buried. Shadows of the unconscious become real. The whirlwind of thoughts suffocates. There is no way out, only a sense of the imminent arrival of the end.
In this story, "Oblivion" is a moment of passage, a transition to forgiveness. When one accepts and learns to forget...
Paul Haslinger – Berlin 86-11 (Spotify)
On Paul Haslinger's forthcoming LP Exit Ghost, the Tangerine Dream alumni has put together a solo offering that’s a world removed from the explorations of the seminal electronic outfit, as well as the recent sonic trips of Neuland. It sees him in a more reflective territory, from organic ambient constructions a la Colin Stetson to inward looking piano pieces a la Hauschka. All material emanated from a grand piano, and expanded outward from there.
Exit Ghost is his long thought out opus, a moment caught in time, flicking through reference points, taking an ethereal excursion that permeates musical genres as it becomes awash with intricate sounds and cross-pollinating rhythms. It’s out on new label Artificial Instinct on February 7th, 2020.
Ryuichi Sakamoto – The Staggering Girl (Spotify)
On his score for Luca Guadagnino's (Suspiria) The Staggering Girl, acclaimed visionary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto says, “When approaching the score for The Staggering Girl, I wanted to incorporate the tactile sound of Valentino's fabrics. So I asked them to send me some samples and utilizing special sensitive microphones, I experimented ‘playing’ the fabrics. I love the sound and how it forces one's attention to a sound all around us, yet almost entirely ignored.” Score details at Pitchfork.
Thomas Jackson – Den inre skogen (Spotify)
Thomas Jackson has directed and made the music for the documentary ”Den inre Skogen” (Inner woods) which is now showing on Swedish national television and selected cinemas. The soundtrack will be released on Flora & Fauna in February 2020.
It is a film about our relationship to nature and about how our preconceptions shape how we see everything around us. The documentary features Swedish artists and activists such as Lars Lerin, Britta Marakatt-Labba, Helena Granström, Eirik Havnes, Helene Schmitz and Pella Thiel.
Thomas Jackson’s acclaimed films have been shown around the world at Berlin Film Festival, Toronto Hot Docs and San Sebastian Film Festival amongst others, and at art institutions such as MOMA Tokyo and Bonnier konsthall.
John True – One. (Spotify)
One is a minimal piano meditation. Written at the start of the new year with a lot on the horizon, John created a piano piece that is striking and memorable. With sparse production - a few reverbs & the occasional reversed sound, the music is impactful in its simplicity. Let the beauty of each moment and intentionality behind each note capture your imagination and bring you a sense of comfort amidst the chaos around our world. Inspired by Nils Frahm, Jonny Greenwood, and Arvo Pärt, John is composing a year long series of piano music, with One as the first installment of his 2020 project.
Dream Tape – Space Apart (Spotify)
This piece is a blend of minimal quartet and vocal resampling. The strings are performed by the Magik Magik Orchestra. It was recorded at Studio B in Sausalito, California and mixed to tape in Tiny Telephone, Oakland.
Omar Raafat – The Portrait (Spotify)
"The Portrait" is one of the singles in the album " A Way Home" by multi-instrumentalist and music producer Omar Raafat. The album blends piano, guitar and electronic synths with a classical string quartet bringing a modern cinematic approach with intimate and organic sounds. Written and recorded in Victoria, BC, the album was heavily influenced by the beauty of the nature in the area. Spending a lot of time in the wilderness fuelled the inspiration and themes of the songs. A melancholy and intense emotional journey from start to finish draws us into an inward reflection. The album also features hidden soundscapes recorded at several special outdoor hiking spots around Vancouver island.
Fransoafran – Hearthside (Spotify)
Inspired by musicians such as Rolf Lovland, Olafur Arnalds, Yanni, this track was initially composed on the piano. The violin and cellos came naturally in the piece as the warm feeling of a "hearthside" was evoking to me both the comfort of a refuge and warm fire in winter, but also the company of friends and family in our lives. It was recorded in studio in Vietnam - the cello part is performed by Tran Duc Minh, violins (several different types of violins are used) and piano performed by Francois Mathian (Fransoafran)