Through a Musical Lens: Reverie by Daou

How many times have we walked or driven past another human being living a shattered life? Random by happenstance and anonymous save for their fleeting presence as we pass by, how often do we take time to ponder what brought them to that point and whether they once were happy or could be again? On…

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Through a Musical Lens: Derek Hunter Wilson

Derek Hunter Wilson is a multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Portland, Oregon who has worked in recent years primarily in the realms of ambient and modern classical music. Improvisation is an important part of Wilson’s musical practice, serving as a way of “being in the present moment and practicing emotional honesty”. This side of his…

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Through a Musical Lens: A Broken House (Original Score) by From the Mouth of the Sun

It is all too easy to take home for granted, especially deep into a pandemic experience that has kept many of us confined there much more than we may have liked. But, take a moment to see the world through the eyes of someone who has to leave their home behind and it can alter…

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Through a Musical Lens: Stadsbilder by Jakob Lindhagen and Dag Rosenqvist

Stadsbilder (”City Images”) is the first album between Swedish musicians Jakob Lindhagen and Dag Rosenqvist who are each well established in the contemporary classical and experimental music scenes as both solo artists and frequent collaborators. Lindhagen is an award-winning film composer with several solo albums to his name and can be found frequently performing and…

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Through a Musical Lens: Sumida Colours by Wil Bolton

London based artist & musician Wil Bolton truly is a global citizen, often weaving environmental sounds from places all around the world into his electroacoustic soundscapes. Previous albums have referenced locations ranging from close to home in Britain to continental cities like Vienna, and Budapest all the way to the Arabian Sea and points east.…

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Through A Musical Lens: Flowers Bloom, Butterflies Come

Continuing its ongoing series of dialogs between musical and visual artists, the first IIKKI Books edition of the new year is a delightful spring offering that pairs the painterly photographic images of Miho Kajioka with the filigreed sounds of Observatories, a collaborative duo made up of Ian Hawgood & Craig Tattersall. The bringing of these…

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Through A Musical Lens: Ainu Mosir by Clarice Jensen

Directed by Takeshi Fukunaga, ‘Ainu Mosir’ is a coming-of-age tale set in an indigenous village in Northern Japan where a community‘s livelihood depends on preserving and performing ancient traditions for visiting tourists. The film focuses on 14-year-old Kanto who has been taking under wing by a family friend after the death of his father as…

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Through a Musical Lens: Hav Reimagined

Having grown up in a small coastal city in Sweden, Sofia Nystrand, aka Vargkvint, drew on a strong personal bond with the ocean when she created her album Hav (2019, piano and coffee records). Masterfully combining elements of neoclassical and folk music with haunting vocals and a vivid sense of storytelling, she wove a spellbinding…

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Through A Musical Lens: In the Company of Insects (OST by Richard Luke)

Following the death of his grandfather, Duncan Cowles found comfort and distraction by filming insects in his back garden. From that came his 10-minute short film “In the Company of Insects” which can be most concisely described as “a deadpan meditation on the end of life” done in a unique style the BAFTA Scotland Award…

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