Joachim Spieth and Andrew Thomas are titans in the ambient/modern classical music scene and we are proud to premiere the single ‘Shine’ from their forthcoming collaboration ‘Nocturna’ on the German Affin label. Spieth is a German composer, DJ and producer, founder of the Affin label while Thomas is a New Zealand artist who has worked in music and theatre production design as well as composing.
The collaboration began when Thomas sent piano musings written in the Australian summer to Spieth, who formed sonic shapes around the piano to create the album. Thomas says:
‘Nocturna’ is built around a collection of piano sketches. These sketches were worked on over a period of a few weeks in New Zealand. During these weeks I would spend time in the garden, and going on walks through the natural landscapes of where I live. Mainly coastal and forest. The intimacy and immensity of the beauty and wonder of the garden, forest and ocean, has always been an inspiration and influence to how I see, feel and artistically express my emotions and ideas through music and art. I am also drawn to the magic and illusion of light and shadow. How light conjures different ways of seeing things. Forever shifting and changing the dimensionality of shape and form, and the intensity, luminosity and saturation of colour. Heightening and influencing my perception all things around me. This piano work is a direct response to this.
Spieth says of the process for forming the piece:
This piece was created by lifting out a section of a piano jam that Andrew did. I then integrated the section into a sound structure consisting of fragments of field recordings, synthesizer sounds, and heavy sub-basses. It shifts between a darker, almost threatening mood to one that is more shimmering and bright. I still remember one day Andrew writing and asking if we would start a long-term project together. Some time passed, and then various sketches actually came, mostly with piano figures.
For a few years now I have wanted to work with someone who plays the piano. And my part would be to play around the piano, in other cases or pieces to decide how much space the piano gets as an instrument, where exactly to put the spotlight…So I got to work, listened to the sketches, started to select my sounds… For some pieces the original line was kept, for other pieces I gutted the notes, left some things, others disappeared…
‘Shine’ begins with a mesmerising synth wash that slowly blossoms like a flower in spring as ambient noises glitter in the distance. A delicate, breathtakingly beautiful piano enters over the waterfall of sound – sparse, sparkling and delicate, a hint of delay. This creates an ethereal sound that seemingly floats in the ether, an otherworldly atmosphere that seems to capture the sounds of nature.
It’s a majestic track that perfectly mirrors the feel and the tone of the rest of the album: delicate tendrils of sound.
‘Shine’ comes off ‘Nocturna’ which is out on 4 April and can be pre-ordered through the link below.
Joachim Spieth’s musical career spans more than two decades as a DJ, producer, live performer, and in 2007 he founded Affin record label. In the early stages of his career, Spieth made notable strides through collaborations with Wolfgang Voigt’s Kompakt label. His contributions to the renowned Pop Ambient series, as well as a track featured on The Orb’s Back To Mine compilation, helped solidify his reputation within the ambient music scene. His work has been reinterpreted by esteemed artists such as alva noto, Pole, Abul Mogard, Rafael Anton Irisarri, Dino Sabatini, Luigi Tozzi, and Claudio PRC. Through his Textures series, Spieth has also created a sound library for sonic exploration and experimentation.
Andrew Thomas is a New Zealand based composer and production designer for film, theatre, and exhibitions. Thomas has received much acclaim & several awards for his work, with some of his projects having screened in festivals in New Zealand and around the world, including the Dance Film Festival at the Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris, Cannes, the Montreal Film festival & in the critics choice at the 2004 Paris Film Festival. He has contributed to the Pop Ambient series by Kompakt, and THE ORBs mix CD – THE ART OF CHILL.
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