Sun Rain’s latest album gives the listener space to tell their own story

With quieting tracks, the artist demonstrates a maturity in music composition

Sun Rain is Toronto based producer Chad Skinner who debuted his solo career with the album Sheets in 2019. In addition to his solo career, Skinner also plays with BisonBison and previously played in the electronic duo Snowday. Playing as Sun Rain has brought to life Skinner’s intimate, personal, and reflective style. His multi-instrumental approach incorporates his background in classical piano, as well as percussive beats and synthesizers. Taking inspiration from ambient and drone genres, he produces his own version with a grounding in physicality.

Ma is Sun Rain’s most recent release in 2021, a fruitful year for the artist. He has already released ‘Woods,’ a remix with The Field Tapes and Light of the Woods, ‘Real People in Real Places (Reimagined)’ with Alaskan Tapes, singles from Ma including ‘Phase,’ ‘Friendship in F#M,’ ‘Zenith,’ and ‘Moonwalk,’ plus ‘Breeze Blowing,’ a remix with Zeb Samuels. Last year, he released the EP Ella Gorge, ‘Charcoal,’ ‘Drivved,’ a remix with Vargkvint, and ‘Views from Sixteen Stories,’ a remix with Alaskan Tapes. Finally, in 2019 he released ‘Willow Tree Testing,’ ‘Paper,’ and his debut album of deeply organic sound, Sheets.

The new album takes its name from traditional Japanese culture where ‘Ma’ refers to the artistic interpretation of an empty space, and the equal importance that negative space holds in relation to positive space in an art piece. The musicality of the album reflects that sentiment in the stillness and space created through the compositions. Building to slow peaks and crescendos, Sun Rain produces an album that both takes a listener on a journey, while leaving room for the listener to bring their own story. The quiet and calm is balanced by a cinematic feeling that leaves the listener in a meditative sense of awareness.

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Two Artists use minimalist sound to take listeners on an epic journey

‘Real People in Real Places Reimagined’ captures an essence of the passage of time

The new single is a collaboration between Toronto-based Artists Alaskan Tapes and Sun Rain. The former is a project of composer Brady Kendall whose ambient music style is inspired by where he has been—both geographically and metaphysically. Kendall’s career began as a teenager inspired by metal bands and drum and bass music. He later moved from those genres to more minimal sounds, similar to his music today. The latter, Sun Rain, is a project by the producer Chad Skinner who previously played in the electronic duo Snowday as well as BisonBison. Playing multiple instruments, he draws from classical piano, percussion, and synth to create an intimate and reflective tone in his minimal sounds.

‘Real People in Real Places (Reimagined)’ is not the first collaboration between the two artists. They came together for a Sun Rain remixed version of Alaskan Tapes’ ‘Views from Sixteen Stories’ in 2020. In his solo career, Alaskan Tapes released For Us Alone, Drone this year, adding to a list of albums, soundtracks, and partnerships including Views from Sixteen, Millions, and his popular single ‘Notes.’ His music has been featured in numerous soundtracks including films like Childhood Trauma and Mag Sein from director Elliot Rausch, plus the new documentary by Bernardo Ruiz Harvest Season. Sun Rain released his debut under this name with Sheets in 2019. This year, he collaborated with Spookyfish for the single ‘Friendship in F#m.’

The new single brings a cinematic exploration of texture and depth that takes the listener on a slow journey. The pace and temperament evoke feelings of movement and a reminder of the passage of time. The percussive and melodic instrumental track, mixed with smooth synth sounds bring the song on a wandering path, eventually arriving at a summit and soft close.

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Alaskan Tapes:

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Sun Rain:

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