“Return” the first piece in the series is, like the name might suggest, a return to something. In this case a return to a more electronic sound. The piece is something that I wrote while experimenting with granular synthesis after not using the technique for a while as extensively. I actually wrote a granular synthesis plugin for my bachelors thesis in 2017 called GRNLR. The sources for the synth came from various sources, guitars, pianos and field recordings that I’ve collected over the years.
Locking
"Locking" is the second track in this series. The piece explores overlapping various polyrhythms. But rather than a purely technical exercise this exploration actually yields a surprisingly rich sonic expression. The track invokes a pensive feeling while still having a lot of driving momentum. While the focus in this piece is definitely on the rhythm I tried not to skimp on beautiful and detailed textures that frame the forward momentum.
Isolation
“Isolation” featuring friend and colleauge Ben Winkler. The piece was created during the first lockdown in Germany in March 2020. The otherwise very piano-centered music is broken up by a purely electronic piece. The impression of the lockdown and the uncertainty of this time have been incorporated into the mood of the piece. Almost a year after the track was written during another lockdown early in 2021 the river Rhine in Düsseldorf flooded during a cold spell leaving little strange frozen worlds behind where the water receded. I tried to capture these small worlds on a sunny but cold day and set them to this piece. You can find the resulting video here:
Unsure
"Unsure" is probably the most stripped back and minimal piece he has released to date. "Unsure" is an exercise in simplicity and tries to capture the feeling of sitting down at the piano and just playing, letting your thoughts and emotions run free and listening to the piece as it unfolds.
Falling
"Falling" is a piece that starts out with a moody collage of tape loops played at different speeds that leads into a contemplative second part defined by a very slow piano line and lot's of granular and lo-fi effects. It leaves a lot of space and focuses on the haptics of the sound and the influence the effects have on the composition. The electronic treatment of the piano takes on an almost sculptural quality as pitch shifted delays pull each note down into unrecognizability.
To accompany the track, my good friend and very talented filmmaker David Füsgen contributed this equally grainy video, playing with glitches in his own way. I think he did a fantastic job of capturing the spirit of the track with this video:
Check out Davids work here: http://davidfuesgen.de/
Juxtapose
"Juxtapose" the last piece in this batch has a slightly Satie-esque vibe to it. If Satie had a malfunctioning tape recorder... and a modular synthesizer. The piece playes with the artifacts of new and old technology and at times seems almost like it was dug up in someones back yard or found in a long thought lost box on an attic. As the title might suggest the piece is a juxtaposition of two parts, which in some moments can stand on their own and feel almost like counterpoint, but also influence each other and create interactions in other moments.
All music written and performed by Raffael Seyfried
Mastering by Thomas Csaba