Simon McCorry captures an enigmatic atmosphere with ‘Benedictus’

Classically talented producer McCorry presents an EP with unsettling, alien ambience

Simon McCorry has found inspiration in artists who have searched for ways to communicate the emotions and experiences that we struggle to put into words through music. The work produced by post classical producers such as ‘A Silver Mt Zion’ and ‘The Stars of The Lid’ finds itself in strange and unfamiliar territories, and Simon McCorry is following the same trajectory by making bold attempts to express complex themes through his talents as a creator of electronica and skilled Cellist.

Although McCorry has worked with a curious range of elements from the worlds of ambient, drone, field recording and experimental electronic, the Cello has remained a characteristic hallmark of his style. McCorry effortlessly lifts the instrument from any realm of physicality and slips the gradual melodies amongst electronic synth, the resulting environment being one of balanced delicacy.

The track featured here is taken from ‘The Light Only Blinds’, an EP released in May. The collection was intended to be used as sound for a play titled ‘Born Bad’, which revolves around intense family drama and slowly building tension. With a lack of core beats ‘Benedictus’ never directly confronts the listener, but leaves them on edge and disquieted regardless.

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More ambient sounds over on our playlist!

Expressing the essence of connection, Piksel’s ‘Space’

Leva Vaiti has brought her talent as a classically trained violinist and creativity as an electronic artist to the UK, taking up residence in London. Already an experienced musician, she entered the electronica community inspired by the city’s underground scene and well equipped to begin claiming her own space and take on the moniker ‘Piksel’.

Her interest in music extends into scoring for visual media, an interest that led her to co-develop the Syntrex project, a multimedia collective of artists working at the point where experimental music, visual art and dance begin to coalesce. It’s through Syntrex that her latest EP began formation, originally being produced to serve as a score for a multimedia dance piece which premiered at The Place in the heart of London back in early February.

While some tracks remain exclusive to the performance, three have been selected for Piksel’s EP ‘Some Silver Burns’, including our featured track ‘Space’. The release showcases a brief view into the variety of styles Piksel is capable of bringing to life, each adding to the overall theme of connection to the natural world, expressed through lightly manipulated strings, matched with field recordings. The ambient landscape is inhabited by textured beats, mist-like synth and violin of mournful character.

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Revisiting Ryuichi Sakamoto's "Back To The Basics" in 'Energy Flow"

Official Music Video to "Energy Flow" by Ryuichi Sakamoto from the BTTB 20th Anniversary release Directed by Neo S. Sora and Albert Tholen Produced by Zakkubalan zakkubalan.com goodbabyfilms.com

There are not many men like Ryuichi Sakamoto orbiting the musical universe anymore. Sakamoto is one of the rare few artists that can say they broke new ground influencing and shaping the most long standing traditions in music as well as being razor sharp on the edge of his experimentations that were responsible for influencing multiple modern genres. His musical career is vast and this has allowed him to collaborate with a wide and varied miscellany of illustrious artists that are as far apart musically as the earth’s poles. Because of Ryuichi’s naturalistic and fundamental understanding of music he has managed to extend his works into every corner of the musical biosphere with great acclaim but it’s in ‘energy flow’ reissued for the 20th anniversary edition of ‘Back To The Basics’ we discover how Ryuichi developed solo piano pieces that went on to be his break through album. The intention of BTTB was to showcase his love for traditional classical compositions while exploring different methods and themes he was passionate about at the time resulting in an scarcely available album outside of Japan that is coveted by fans and collectors alike. 

In ‘energy flow’ we are treated to a composition in the sonata form that’s musical canon is varied in tempo from its introduction to final phrase. BTTB has been described as “delicate and frantic”, in ‘energy flow’ we get to feel the more “delicate” end of things as the movements progress from moments of melancholy, to wonder to hope and back again. The piece is complex and performed with the kind of fragile passion that can only be expressed by an indubitable musical maestro, which Sakamoto is in every sense of the word. If you are a fan of piano music or have a curiosity for classical composition then I would imagine Ryuichi could be the gateway composer that will introduce you to whole new wonderful world.  

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The magical world of Masakatsu Takagi

While many features on our blog are about up and coming musicians, part-timers, or those looking for a break, Masakatsu Takagi is very much a professional musician. While not a household name by any stretch, those interested in anime will have no doubt heard Takagi's work before. He has been a frequent collaborator with Mamoru Hosoda and has scored his highly acclaimed animation films, Wolf Children (2012), The Boy and the Beast (2015) and this year's Mirai (2018), which has already garnered rave reviews both in Japan and around the world.

The film was recently released in America through GKIDS. The soundtrack which contains our featured track, "Inner Garden" was released the same day by Milan Records based out of LA. While I haven’t had the chance to watch Mirai yet to comment on how the music harmonizes with the image, from what I've heard of the score, including this whimsical little number "Inner Garden", it more than stands on its own as a beautifully composed, emotional soundtrack.

Masakatsu Takagi has been compared to some great composers like Ryuichi Sakamoto, Goldmund, Philip Glass, Alexandra Streliski and more, but his work really stands on its own. There's a magical quality to his compositions. There’s a feeling of being in touch with nature, a simplicity, free of noise and clutter.

Our featured track, "Inner Garden" is a wonderful example of Takagi's talent and contains rich instrumentation ranging from delicate piano flutters, to chimes, wood blocks, strings and more. There's an Asian feeling to the tune, leaning towards Buddhism or Shintoism, as bells, blocks, chimes and a feeling of serenity loom throughout. There's almost a cyclical feeling emoted, which I'm sure has to do with themes in the film as, Mirai deals with a young boy travelling through time to meet his relatives from different generations.

The soundtrack to Mirai was recently released and comes highly recommended to fans of animation music, soundtracks, classical music and piano music. This is a piece of art everyone should really discover. It's a chance to shut off the noise of the world for a bit and be transported to a magical world created by Masakatsu Takagi.

Animation fans make sure to catch Mirai, especially if it's playing a theater near you. For the rest of us, if “Inner Garden” has piqued your interest, make sure to check out Masakatsu Takagi's other art, both in audio and visual form on the following platforms below:

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