Millhope Releases “Searching”
“S E A R C H I N G” is the perfect companion for a day at the beach, or your outdoor activities, for concentration or for your idle moments. Millhope‘s instrumental music represents daydreaming, curiosity and hope. The ingredients: spherical guitar lines, catchy analog synth melodies and field recording samples, driven by driving drums.
Millhope is Cologne-based producer and musician Thomas Mühlhoff. In the last two decades he has worked with artists such as Susanne Dobrusski (nominated for the Echo® with her band Dob Russkin), Jenny Thiele, Kai Otten, Geysir, and many others. After graduating in jazz and pop music, his current focus lies on composing producing music in the chillwave/downtempo/ambient genre.
The 80s-inspired sound, with nods to classic TV soundtracks like Knight Rider and Stranger Things, is given a unique twist through the use of modern production techniques and a slower tempo.
Speaking about the project, millhope says, “I wanted to create music that captured the eerie vibe of the pandemic but also offered a sense of hope and optimism. This album is my way of processing the strange times we‘re living in, and I hope it resonates with people who are going through similar experiences.” With its masterful blend of styles and emotions, millhope‘s debut album is sure to make an impact on the electronic music scene and beyond.
The Ari Joshua Quartet On the Making Of “and now it comes...”
What was the catalyst that ignited the creation of "and now it comes...?"
I love the jazz quartet, Drums, Bass, Piano, Guitar. I’d love to play in that format all day long. This recording started as a trio, Will and Joel and I did a lot of playing late at night. We played free alot. As a trio, the band was called 'Cadillac Arrest,' but we would all bring ideas to our practice sessions One of those tunes we played was. "And now it comes..." is an exquisite piece, it seems to breathe with a life of its own.
What fills you with the most pride when it comes to this track?
For me, being fully immersed in the moment, having that moment captured on tape. I take pride in knowing that when you're sincere and, and allowing your emotions to guide you, forging new and different ideas is something that flows effortlessly. Inspiration sprouts from a wide range of life experiences. I made a few what I would consider to be imperfections, but when you capture the emotions, those imperfections are rendered inconsequential, in fact they are desirable. I am most proud that I got to feel that way playing this, and listening back I resonate with it.
What specific musicians or non-musicians have profoundly influenced your work? How has this diverse range of influences shaped your artistic journey?
My father's record collection had a significant impact in the early years. I delved into that music like diving into the deep end of a pool. Reflecting now, I wonder if it was my way of spending time with him, I missed his presence. The divorce left me pretty sad, but he left behind an amazing stereo system, I learned about the blues. The record player had that thing with the circles on the platter; it lit up and would mesmerize me. The records featured many great guitar players, including Hendrix, Clapton, Santana, Bob Marley, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Our shared taste in what constitutes good music certainly brought us closer. Influences have shaped my journey, but even more so life experiences, like walking along the beach at sunrise in Cape Town, South Africa, seeing the people, smelling the air, and knowing this is part of who I am.
How do you approach creating something new and different?
I grew up in a time with lots of change on the horizon. Being a kid in Seattle during the inception and peak of the grunge rock era, I saw all those bands perform live, and we all had a sense of pride around that music being from our town. I learned all the songs I loved. They came easy to me; I would buy an album and learn it. That energy was explosive, and as a young teen, the culture was changing in front of our eyes and ears. The internet was created, and the wave was breaking.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences, and how have they impacted your own sound?
Later, I discovered myself in an award-winning all-star jazz program during my high school years — the Roosevelt High School Jazz Band. Our tours brought together an incredible blend of talent, and we poured our hearts into our performances. It was a transformative experience for me. Playing Count Basie and Duke Ellington from 9th to 12th grade for 90 minutes a day. Priceless.
Dave Mohan Releases “Lightning On Galatea”
“Lightning on Galatea” - a soaring high octane prog/fusion instrumental with sizzling horns, keys/piano pyrotechnics, rip roaring sax leads, a positive blast of fine power drumming (and more!).
Embracing something of the sound world of classic outfits such as Yes, Focus, Sky and the like but at the same time distinctively original.
Dave on keys, an assemblage of other fine international musicians in the mix and some dynamic mastering down at Abbey Road Studios (Simon Gibson). Surefire muso therapy for all who have a taste for old school instrumental high jinks.
Introducing Dave Mohan
Principally a songwriter/composer/lyricist and recording artist rather than a front of stage performer. Whilst formatively from a classical conservatoire background, Dave’s musical outlook has never been confined by genre.
It’s music that blends folk with fusion and on to neo-classical crossover (via jazz, soft rock, soul and more). Sometimes sparse, frequently sumptuously orchestrated, always harmonically inventive and endlessly melodic.
Marcus Sukiennik ‘Piano Lounge 1’
Piano Lounge 1 is a thrill to listen to. Spirited, jazzy, bluesy, romantic, and at times fantastic and nostalgic. From the elegance and intricacy of classical music to the expressive, spontaneous jazz to an earthy hint of folk impression, Piano Lounge 1 consists 12 brilliantly composed and performed tracks with world-building as epic as a ballad, as cinematic as a mood-filled scene, and as intimate as a moment of solitude. So many great adventures blossom from Marcus Sukiennik’s fingertips, leaving you with lingering melodies and unfinished thoughts.
“Atme Steele, heile -, Pt. 3” creates a massive, drastic vibe like the ocean, while “Die Baronin tanzt” sees characteristic staccatos engaging in an intense dance. The variations and repetitions of the theme seem to be in conversation with one another in its vivid sonic storytelling. The piece is so full of personalities and feelings as well as it’s filmic, with romantic trills letting out the sparks of emotions. “Smile Blues” features a fast-paced walking bass. Humorous, laid-back melodies with a lot of wits. Sukiennik’s introspective, moody improv has the same tension and contrast as in his classical pieces. With only two hands and one instrument, he’s wielding a massive jam section of a full band, and that’s not something you can hear everyday.
There’s a special relationship between the pianist and his instrument. Up till “Smile Blues,” you can hear a kind of transparency—at some point, the piano disappeared along with Sukiennik, but these vivid stories, characters, and emotions become the new reality. “Serene Contemplation” is then a thought piece. Taking a break from the palpable melodies, the piece draws listeners deeper into a state of introspection, where the thoughts are inconsistent and spontaneous, massively happening in all directions.
“Ludus S” bounces back to a thematic jazz captivity. Something you’d expect to hear in a piano lounge. It’s flirty, playful and fun. But it’s only just a beginning. “Swinging Vendome” swings in happier with more heart. Intriguing sonic lines that tell an array of feelings. “Andra” sees it deepening even more. The beautifully sensitive ballad slows the tempo down. Charming syncopation meets cinematic impressionism. It’s more about the colors and moods of the chords than being solely about the melodies.
The songs in Piano Lounge 1 have so much soul and story in them that they make you want to live in them forever. “Air Special” concludes the album on a bittersweet note. It’s a celebration of tears and laughters, a beginning to an end. It leaves you in a better place, spiritually uplifted and reignited.
Leonardo Barilaro “Becoming who I was”
Some love is at core of who we are. Since a young age, pianist and aerospace engineer Dr. Leonardo Barilaro has been in love with music and the outer space. But then, how many people get to put their music on board of the International Space Station and broadcast it to Earth? Three months ago, Barilaro achieved this dream. “Becoming who I was” is about remembering, overlooking the past decades of a journey that leads him to where he is now.
Emotions and personal themes subtly wraps around the passion and expeditions of the universe. Classical meets spaces in a glorious, mysterious way, being expressed through polyphonic ideas, in which piano and electronics interweave into a mystery of its own, conceptually resembling the idea of co-existence. This non-linear sonic storytelling carries a sense of innocence and the familiarity of childhood, filtered through a slightly distorted glass, as if peeking through a door that leads to the past, standing in the far end of future.
Swirling electronic and beautifully woven melodies tell their own undisrupted stories. Sometimes they cross paths briefly and parted, continuing down a path of its own. Like a micro universe that is coiled in the idea of humanity and self, the track resembles the muchness and sensibility. Though being pulled closer to earth, we experience zero gravity and expansion as a part of our spiritual and intellectual pursuit. Barilaro has a very special technique when expressing the ideas and theories in outer space. For instance, a loss of gravity through an unevenly distribution of accented notes and polyrhythmic sound storms.
Beyond earth, beyond our limited perception of a world, the universe is glorious and drastic. The storms, the awe, the horror, the unpredictable all plays into the aesthetic, and so is the appreciation and respect of that beauty. As if the master of the universe if behind the track, casting down an invisible shadow, “Becoming who I was” is coiled in by a sense of sacredness, not to be dissuaded, undeterred. Technology meets nature and humanity in the most mysterious way, in a way not unlike the soundtracks of Westworld.
Parjam Parsi “In Decadence and Disarray”
Armenian pianist and composer Parjam Parsi shares his piano work in the album, In Decadence and Disarray. The album tells the story about the composer’s mother, her world, and their relationship. As atmospheric as it is passionate with storytelling, the album draws listeners into a sensitive, impressionistic sonic world with warmth.
Hearing all the sounds while Parjam Parsi plays the piano is such a powerful and intimate experience. You could hear when the paddles are being pressed down, the weight of his fingers on the keys, his breathing, the sound residuals flowing in the air, the resonance of the space, etc. It draws you into the room, the emotional space, the spiritual space, and even the physical space where it’s being recorded. That’s one thing about this record really stands out.
“One October Day” is a haunting ballad with impressive sonic storytelling. The track gives out a clock-clicking sort of pacing rhythm, while it lays out the story. “The Water and The Blood” explores a strong classical influence with arpeggio dominated accompaniments. Instead of creating a separated melody, the right hand seems to join in the telling of a textural, impressionistic scene. The track feels keen to capture a moment in the daily life that seems ordinary at sight but precious at heart. There’s a lot of warmth and sunshine in the track.
“The Entwined Bodies” drops into the lower register of the piano with a strong Debussy vibe. It’s impressionistic with a water symbol in there somewhere. The melodies are sparse and expressive, full of emotions. “May Wear My Silence” feels like a monologue, emotive, nostalgic, reflective. The mind lingers on a melody, not willing to leave. History and memory is being intertwined in there. From Debussy’s impressionistic, fantastic sonics, the last two tracks continue to evolve. “All Souls” concludes the album with broad compassion and a speck of melancholia.
Sonic Wonderland: Fog Chaser “Foreign Morning”
Staff Pick
An inspired, illuminating sonic world where the creative ideas flow freely in the air. “Foreign Morning” has a childlike, magical innocence in it that makes you feel lighter and more peaceful while the warm sun recharges and renews your entire being. It welcomes you into a dreamy, rain-soaked sonic morning, witnessing the magnificence and brilliance of nature while it echoes and calls for your soul and emotions.
Fog Chaser’s music is delightful stimulating. It flows softly and brightly like a feather in the wind, taking you to unexplored territory. Like having a conversation with an old friend who you could connect to instantly on a soul level and the discussion always take you somewhere new. “Foreign Morning” is a track that is worth exploring.
Fog Chaser is the instrumental brainchild of multi-instrumentalist, composer, Matthew M. Evans who has had songs made appearances in the film Run the Race, TV shows, including Teen Mom 2, and on American Airlines in-flight radio. Exploring the sonic wonderland with cinematic, neo-classical influences, Evans brings you a genuine, beautiful experience.
SINGLE REVIEW: RIEN DE KEYSER “AWAKENING”
Staff Pick
Cover Art
“Awakening” is illuminating, alternating between constancy and inconstancy. It paints a picture of a lonely person, sitting at home, listening to the clock’s ticking as time flies by, while his mind wanders from place to place. Like water flowing, the ebbs and flows aren’t always predictable.
Inspired by sunrise on a beautiful morning, “Awakening” takes you to a space where the time is slower and each moment is fuller. There’s beauty in its instability and unpredictability. Just like an adventure, no one's listening journey would be the same. There were always new findings and experiences.
Like the shape of clouds, or the wind, or water, it flows above the air, supported by breathing strings and airy pads. For Rien De Keyser, “Awakening” also marks the beginning of using sound design in his music-making. The song also features a few original pads created by the artist himself.
“Awakening” radiates the joy and the moment of excitement from its very core. Bathing in the beautiful sunlight, the energy within recharges and renews. It is vivid imagery of something beyond measurable as well as a moment of peace.
Written by Katrina Yang
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PREMIERE: JANNEK “SUNBOW”
New Music Friday
Photo credit: Phoebe Doran
The auditory experience of Sunbow is inspired by Jannek’s experience of meditating on the docks every day during isolation. Coastal influence weaves into a glaring spiritual, indigenous root across the globes that goes beyond one specific culture and genre.
Sunbow is a series of experiences that transform the experience and shifts your perspective in a subtle and inspiring way. It explores and reflects a deep connection between one and nature, the mind and the soul in an unworded ambiance.
There’s a resounding ring within peace and love, revolving around the beauty of simply being. Without the need to rationalize or seize control, Jannek presents you with a powerful, imaginative experience where equality and beauty are being realized in their natural form.
“In a subtle way, this record reflects the eclectic landscape of our minds, having to harbor so many different aspects and influences from the bombardment of media and consumption. sunbow is composed as a portal to visit these disjointed places and join them so they can enter a focused state, which is what my second record will speak of,” said Jannek.
After spending most of his music career working and producing other artist’s projects, Jannek embarks on a personal journey of creative imagination, connecting the dots through experiences and music.
Written by Katrina Yang
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LP REVIEW: AARON RIZZO ‘Mirror Talk Blue’
Album of the Week
Photo credit: Devin Kasparian
“Deference” introduces the LP with an emotive, stunning naturescape, evoking profound feelings in its beautiful, string-infused sonic texture. Cinematic grand gesture and intricate production in combination with a dream pop, singer-songwriter oriented songwriting invites its listener to an exploration beyond the traditional definition of a rock band.
Mirror Talks Blue goes into a change of narrative in its storytelling. From an introductory soundtrack, Aaron Rizzo dives straight into a captivating, punchy dreamscape. Persistent, minimalistic drumbeat paired with emotive electric texture,“Gone Mad” is anthemic and captivating.
Trimming his Strat, Aaron Rizzo further explores and channels the soul out of electric guitar. “Home Weeps” introduces us to a vast, starry skyscape with clouds floating above. Fuzzy bass drives a subwoofer rhythm deep underneath, shaking the ground while the sonics vibrate through your bones. Pop infused catchiness is reintroduced.
“To Witness Love” and “To Witness A Death” are two sides of one coin. “To Witness Love” narrates around a distinct, lo-fi, blurry sonics, fusing intimate lyricism. The sound of water dripping echoes between the sound walls, diving into an unexpected stage of pop vocabulary. “To Witness A Death” remains the vulnerability, starting with a light staccato of tenderness and ceremonial seriousness evolving into a messy, reverberant background that lives and breathes with the vocal line. There’s a sense of suffocation in its sadness as it sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
“Someone to Love Me” surprises us with a spanish guitar inspired colorism, spinning into an eerie, immersive floral immersion. “Epiphany” concludes the album with another beautiful, airy expansion of instrumentals, emerging from the string of a voice to flashbacks and surreality.
Written by Katrina Yang
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PREMIERE: TUVAL “MIND IS FOR REAL”
New Music Friday
Photo credit: Saugaat Gurung
Indirectly inspired by the artist’s personal journey recovering from addiction, “Mind is For Real” is a slow-burn, psychedelic encounter that takes you on an exotic adventure. Angst-filled, introspective lyricism combined with a sense of fuzziness, reaching to the edge of what’s real and what’s not.
“Mind is For Real” is a tune hard to define by any genre. It puts the traditionally anticipated grunge, psychedelic, or dream pop into new content. It floats in its own space, creating and communicating with a new language.
There’s no control over where the journey of awakening will take you. Tuval unintentionally touches on an ancient, spiritual realm rooted in Eastern culture and beyond. Fascinating ornaments come into the melody with unexpected colors and gests. “Mind is For Real” has way past the border of definition.
The London-based artist/multi-instrumentalist/producer/songwriter Tuval has been active in the music scene for quite a while with a handful of EPs and singles. The productive artist is never tied down to one experience, continuing to expand his color palettes.
Written by Katrina Yang
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PREMIERE: GIFTS FROM CROWS “THE UNIMAGINABLE BRIGHTNESS OF SUMMER”
Discovery
In a somber silence of the dark, the story unravels in the gracefully blossoming piano. An emotive string carries the motif throughout the registers counter to the piano’s storytelling. Fairy-like vocal phrases add a vibrant, spirited color into the music, giving the piece a magic touch.
After an intensified development, “The Unimaginable Brightness of Summer” concludes with sustained vocal phrases that remind you of the blazing sun and the blinding brightness of summer.
Inspired by the dynamic, contrasting nature of seasons compounded by a unique combination of colors and characteristics, “The Unimaginable Brightness of Summer” is an instrumental piece on the intensity and beauty of summer, which marks the debut release of the highly anticipated 2nd Gifts From Crows album.
As a composer, Richard Laurence, aka Gifts From Crows, had many years of experience writing for vocals, fascinated by the exquisite chemistry between the deep-reaching soulfulness of human voice and the complex combination of words and syllables. After the debut release of a purely instrumental album, the artist re-introduces the magic of human voice into the sound of “The Unimaginable Brightness of Summer.”
Written by Katrina Yang
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PREMIERE: SEAN GRINSELL “R IS FOR REDEMPTION”
New Music Friday
Music speaks louder than words in Sean Grinsell’s R is For Redemption. Revolving around words starting with the letter R, R is For Redemption is a collection of epic sonic poetry.
Hailing from Chicago, United States, Grinsell is a multi-instrumentalist and composer. Inspired by Led Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Deep Purple, and Christone Kingfish Ingram, the artist narrates blues first.
“Rogue” is full of personality. A bossy guitar carries out a captivating idea while the flamboyant, flaming synth is pumped into the sky. Darker, contemplative keys navigate themselves into the melodic ideas. Destiny rings in the cinematic statement. A low, soulful moan concludes the first half.
Photo credit: LaMar Price
Being thrown into a festive second half filled with cheerful keys, notes chase its tails in a circle. Then the theme returns with an anthemic development, hovering over the scene.
“Rush” portrays the idea of rush featuring a stirring bass and brisk percussion. Sequential melodic ideas are slightly psychotic. The track takes a darker turn towards the end. On the contract, “Rift” is a slow dance with a bluesy, groovy atmosphere.
“Reflection” enters a reflective space where the time is still. The track paints a sensitive, transparent environment, evoking thoughts and feelings. Adhering to a thematic characteristic, it’s hard not to expect a grand gesture. Through-the-roof guitar solo creates a special moment of self-expression.
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EP REVIEW: OLYMPIC BINGO ‘ALOOF’
Released through Paper Rock Scissors Record, the experimental album Aloof by the Australia-based multi-instrumentalist William Bahnisch, aka Olympic Bingo, has a wild span of the color palette in its sound experimentation. Aloof takes you on an adventure centering on the expedition of jazz aesthetics, stretching out to alternative rock, shoegaze, soul, world music, sound effects, and cinematic soundtrack.
Photo credit: Rodney Magazinovic
The key track “Clouds” featuring Ciara Walsh explores the unpredictable essence of clouds with an extension to humanity and nature itself. The ebbs and flows are stored in stillness, glimmering in the dark in a lush, beautiful texture. Drums break the silence, bringing motion and movement along with a modest, kinetic bass line. Ciara Walsh’s stunning voice travels in between like a butterfly, landing on the everchanging shades. Turmoil and danger hide behind the increased dissonance, but chaos soon breathes into an immersive, stringlike soundscape. “Clouds” is everchanging, free, and inspired.
“Lemonade Serenade” brings you to a European, stylish coffee shop sitting on the city corner. In a cozy, laid-back afternoon, with bright, twinkling sunlight shedding from the shadow of leaves, saxophone solo and syncopated Brillian rhythms bathing in the warm, cloudy sonic environment.
“Tropicalismo” traces back cultural origins behind the Afro-Cuban bell pattern. It leans towards urban bossa nova with a warm, vibrant color and drifts into a raw, earthy communal drumming. It expands to jazz improv along the line of history and disappears in the natural surroundings.
The landscape changes again in “Should I Know Her.” Expansive guitar and head-hitting explosive percussion, ethereal vocal carries out dreamful, captivating melodies, “Should I Know Her” leans towards the emotive rock side of shoegaze with grunge undertone and Afro-Cuban percussive afterheat casually tugged in its surreal sonic wall.
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SINGLE REVIEW: JAKLIU “ALL CASH, NO LOVE”
The Dublin native producer Jakliu brings attention to the daily verbal abuse and confrontation in the service industry with a luscious, melancholy instrumental track, “All Cash, No Love.”
Setting its scene in a typical, busy workday, rhymical turmoil and textural fluctuation revolves around the reoccurrence of harsh, demanding verbal confrontations.
A steady, fast-paced drum machine taps into noises from the surrounding. The vague, blue soundscape of pads has a raspy edge. Discordance stands out in the smooth, ravishing soundscape. The built-up tension and repressed emotional turmoil underneath the perfect, tender smile each time the shop worker was insulted.
Sutters and glitches, even the calmest would lose its rhythm. After a while, the yelling becomes a norm, blurring into the dizzy, flamboyant, inflaming drones. Then it subsides to the bottom of the water where celestial flute-like passages occasionally glitter through the turbid mixture, leaving no trace.
REVIEW & INTERVIEW: SOMNUM YÜTH “EVERYTHING WE WANTED”
In the steamy sunlight of Florida shore, the summer vibe kicks in with its ice-cold beers, perfectly tanned surfers, and bikini girls. You relax your eyes and gaze into the deep blue sea, but the past still lingers in the back of your head. The remaining feelings seem to evaporate, looming in the salty air and distant laughter.
In between lighthearted strumming, a melancholy lyrical theme reflects on feeling lost and fearful in love. Disruption and poor timing shaken the foundation of love and eventually became insurmountable between two lovers. Even though everything has changed, the feelings we have for one another stay the same. It seems like eternal torture. We couldn’t go back to the way it used to be.
“Everything We Wanted” was initially a voice memo titled “Florida Vibes” lead singer Ryan Yeatman recorded on Florida’s beaches. The raw melody idea immediately inspired George Psacharopoulos, guitarist and bassist of somnum yüth. Just a few minutes later, he sent back a guitar riff and solo.
“As soon as I heard the recording he sent back, I knew we had stumbled upon the perfect summer feel for a song,” said Yeatman, “the upbeat, light instrumentals inspired me to continue on a similar path but try to deliver this message with the edge of warmth.”
The energy shifted in the making of “Everything We Wanted.” The song has transformed a sour experience into social awareness. “I see a constant theme of people feeling lost in what they want to do in life, discouraged by the hardships we see in the world. In a society where we are always connected online through social media, there is a continued disconnection from reality,” Ryan Yeatman commented, “writing from personal experiences and emotions will always be present and important in making our music genuine. We seek to send a message of comfort to those who find themselves in a similar place during these times.”
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