Seta
Plot
Not every sorrow can take your smile away. It took me 3 years of making, with more than 400 minutes of recorded material in total, to create Seta, an album intended for hi-fi listening. Deep electronica meets ambient, neoclassic and eventually progressive, in melancholic set of tones. Backstory 01. Introduction to Seta (Ambient Sounds from I'm In Records - Rain and Thunder) Taking things slowly on a rainy day... 02. Nils Frahm - Nils has a New Piano (Gravy Dee Remix) How would I describe Nils in just one word? Genius. Nils Oliver Frahm is a German musician, composer and record producer based in Berlin. He is known for combining classical and electronic music in unconventional approach. In 2014, Frahm announced his new piano "Una Corda" ("One String"), specially designed and made for him by piano maker and skilled craftsman David Klavins. It weighs under 100 kg and has one string per key, compared to standard pianos, which have from one to three strings per key. In celebration of that moment, he wrote Nils has a New Piano. On Seta I played a very rare remix of this composition from 2014, by Irishman Gravy Dee from Dublin. 03. Oskar Schuster - Singur Oskar Schuster is a German composer and artist, born in Munich, but living in Berlin. His songs without words evoke a fairytale-world, strange and surreal. The music is very distinct, arising from a mixture of various influences, including French chanson, Lebanese ethnic pop and classical piano music by Robert Schumann and Frédèric Chopin, among others. As a true self-made artist, he not only plays all the instruments and produces the music by himself, but also creates his own music videos and designs the artwork in collaboration with his wife, Angie Siveria. 04. Leonard Cohen - The Goal The Goal is a part of Thanks for the Dance, Leonard's fifteenth and final studio album, released posthumously. Described as a "continuation" of Cohen's previous studio album, You Want It Darker, the album's vocal tracks were recorded during the same studio sessions and afterwards аrranged by the stunning number of 53 musicians who worked on album. The album was completed by Cohen's son Adam, in a "garage near his father's old house". Engineer and musician Michael Chaves told Uncut magazine the song Goal came about after Leonard Cohen, who was aware he wouldn't be around to see the album be released, said to him: "You guys aren't going to have enough songs for a record. Michael, Michael press record." Chaves added that he has the recording of Cohen turning pages in his poetry book, "and he says 'page 153, The Goal.' And he just started reading." At first, Cohen is accompanied by a sole piano played by Patrick Leonard, before being joined by Javier Mas' Spanish guitar. No one to follow And nothing to teach Except that the goal Falls short of the reach 05. UNDERHER feat. Eleonora - Slowly Drowning UNDERHER is a sensual electronica act consisting of Kalden Bess and Jessica Abruzzese, Canadians with Tunisian roots. The sound that defines them is a mixture of sensuality, melancholia and sorrow. Russian-Tartarian and now Berlin based artist Eleonora Zaripova started releasing music from 2017 and is known to combine many genres like drone, indie, downtempo, synthwave and alternative pop in her own productions, adding a unique touch with her gentle voice. Dreams are long-forgotten You are losing the way back Time goes by The storm is rising The darkening sky Is oversizing Deep inside So dark and lonely You are slowly drowning 06. Niklas Paschburg - Opera Niklas Paschburg was born in Hamburg in 1994. Influenced by Nils Frahm, Ólafur Arnalds and Hauschka, at time he moved in other directions. In his own words: "For my first record, I really wanted to make something different, something between piano, classical and electronic music, but also with some pop flavours incorporated – not in harmonies, but in the songs’ structure.” Opera is a part of his amazing album Svalbard. He found the inspiration mainly from the journey he took to the eponymous Norwegian island and the time he has spent there, isolated and surrounded by snow, ice, darkness and a breathtaking landscape. Right after he came back from Svalbard, he locked himself away again in his studio in Berlin. "This song describes the moment when I went into the wild arctic landscape on a snowmobile for the first time and I was suddenly surrounded by huge mountains full of ice and snow, which were shining in a deep blue", he said. For me personally, Svalbard is the most beautiful album released in 2020. I used to listen to it on repeat during pandemic, wandering through ghost empty streets of Belgrade minutes before lockdown. Even though the song is written in C minor, that distant accordion as the lead instrument is taking emotional guidance, with no certain path of where is heading to, making it perfect illustration of the Seta album. 07. Ane Brun - Last Breath Ane Brunvoll is a Norwegian songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist of Sami origin. Though she’d first tried writing for a new record a year earlier, it wasn’t until summer 2019 that Brun was able fully to unlock her imagination. Retreating to a cabin deep in the Norwegian mountains, she revelled in a three-week burst of creativity which gave birth to almost all of the albums’ songs. “I had a list of topics, ideas and sketches written down,” she says, “and worked my way through them, one by one. On the final day, I completed ‘Last Breath’, and when I closed the door that night, I knew I was done. I had nothing more I needed to say. It was an almost physical feeling. I felt simultaneously empty and fulfilled…”. And she named the entire album by one verse of that song, How Beauty Holds the Hand of Sorrow. Piano-led Last Breath is underlined by astonishing strings composed by Swedish jazz group Tonbruket’s Johan Lindström. Ane explained this song with words “how grief and missing someone also have a positive side and how missing them makes them three-dimensional and closer and more real”. So life goes on Oh, I really didn't know how I could move on And I didn't understand how beauty holds the hand of sorrow How today can I try more? I held your last breath In my chest 08. Burial - Night Bus William Emmanuel Bevan, known by his recording alias Burial, is a British electronic musician from South London. Initially remaining anonymous, AllMusic described him as "one of the most acclaimed, influential, and enigmatic electronic musicians of the early 21st century”, while his recordings as "gloomy, dystopian soundscapes which blend fractured breakbeats with mysterious, pitch-shifted voices and loads of vinyl crackle, rainfall, and submerged video game sound effects." At the beginning, only few people knew he makes tunes. His identity was revealed years later, but his mysterious public image remained. Night Bus is a track from his self-titled 2006 debut album. It contains a vocal sample from Praise Ye Jah by Jamaican reggae singer Sizzla and part of the soundtrack to Christopher Nolan's first film Following, a neo-noir thriller set on the streets of London. According to Simon Reynolds in his book A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture, Night Bus "represents the sadness of when Londoners, after clubbing, go through difficult public transport options because they're unable to afford cabs back to low-rent areas where they reside. This gloom is offset by the romance and greatness of the city as seen from a top deck” 09. Charles Webster feat. Ingrid Chavez - The Second Spell Charles Webster is a British electronic music producer and DJ who specialized in producing house music, downtempo and jazz. The Second Spell is a track that concludes his album Decision Time. It is previously known as The Spell (Burial Remix), but was renamed before album launch. Burial remained uncredited on the title, but his name was written in the notes on the inner sleeve of the disc. Charles said that "communication with Burial was mainly online, sending ideas back and forth and lots of chatting and kicking concepts around". Vocal comes from Ingrid Julia Chavez, a Mexican-American poet, vocalist and visual artist. Whеn I was young, a broken heart was just a song to be sung I remember all the long, lonely nights, writing it down Trying to hold on to the feeling just long enough To put it to sound I wanted to feel I wanted to fall In and out of everything and everyone I wanted it all But when the day is through I'm the only one who can call out the thunder I'm the only one who can break this spell I'm under 10. Trentemøller - November Anders Trentemøller is a Danish indie/electronic music composer and producer based in Copenhagen. November is uniquely atmospheric instrumental track composed in G♭ minor, with coldwave synths and hypnotic driving bass hooks. It is a part of his Fixion album released in 2016. Anders played all the instruments, not only for this song, but on the entire album. 11. Kasper Bjorke feat. The Pierces - Doesn't Matter (Trentemøller Remix) Kasper Bjørke is a Danish DJ, record producer and remixer from Copenhagen. Doesn't Matter comes from his In Gumbo album from the year 2007. It is composed in G minor and remixed by Trentemøller, with style that can be described as a transition bridge between his first two albums, The Last Resort and Into the Great Wide Yonder. Vocals belong to The Pierces, a Los Angeles-based band consisting of sisters Allison and Catherine Pierce, playing psychedelic rock and pop, in combination with folk and alternative rock. She’s gone and you don’t know how But what you do doesn’t matter now Couldn’t find a way to make her stay But it doesn’t matter anyway ... Doesn’t matter now 12. Agnes Obel - Fuel to Fire (David Lynch Remix) Still staying in Denmark and completing this segment of Seta album with my other favourite female artist (the first one is Ane Brun). Agnes Caroline Thaarup Obel is a Danish singer, songwriter, and musician based in Berlin. Fuel to Fire is a song from her second album Aventine, while remix was done by none other than David Lynch, American film maker, painter, visual artist, actor, musician, writer and philanthropist, who built his status with iconic achievements such as Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart. Agnes got very excited with this unique opportunity of collaboration, since David carefully picks his music and film projects on which he will be involved. On the other hand, David had nothing but the best words for Agnes: "I loved doing this remix. I was made aware of Agnes' music through my record label. I think she has the most beautiful voice and can do things with her voice that are unique and extraordinary." Do you want me on your mind or do you want me to go on I might be yours as sure as I can say Be gone be faraway Like fuel to fire 13. Petar Dundov - Around One Petar Dundov was born in Zagreb in the early ‘70s. He builts his name as one of the techno icons and got involved in the biggest events, festivals and clubs. Around One is his musical masterpiece from the album Ideas from The Pond. Almost beatless instrumental electronica, with dazzling, slow motion melody that captivates the listener. 14. HVOB - Panama HVOB, acronym for Her Voice Over Boys, is the Austrian electronic music duo founded in Vienna by Anna Müller and Paul Wallner. The duo focuses on restrained and minimalist electronica with the use of vocals. After releasing music on SoundCloud, they were discovered by big name Oliver Koletzki, a German dance and house music producer. Panama is a song taken from their Rocco album, with Anna's typically whispered vocals blend over Paul's melody and bass line. Reviewed by DJ Lab: "This strange melancholy is somehow danceable-floating, but out of an unleashing. Departure, but no euphoria". Fall into your trap Allay all your fears, I put a bug in your ear I could use a little help around here 15. Mathew Jonson - When Love Feels Like Crying Mathew Jonson is Canadian electronic music producer, performer and label owner, born in Vancouver and based in Berlin. When Love Feels Like Crying is B side on EP Walking on the Hands That Follow Me, later Included in the album Agents of Time. "I like to have phrases that sound like they're major, but then they go minor when they turn around," explains Jonson for Last FM. "You think that you're in a happy place, but suddenly you're not. I like playing with that tension. When I look at the music I've made, the best music is always music that can stimulate any kind of emotion. It's more like a key, towards opening up whatever is inside of you. A gateway." 16. Eric Volta, Gaika - The Very End of Your Days Eric Volta is Faris Armstrong, a native Londoner who grew up travelling, spending the first 20 years of his life wandering through Europe, the Middle East & South East Asia. Now lives in Germany. Cosmic, psychedelic & extraordinary, Eric Volta’s music is as far out as the man behind it. In literature ‘a volta’ is the moment in a sonnet when everything changes – where the writer turns full circle, switching viewpoint. 17. Doyeq - Whales Doyeq is a unique two-man live-project of Sergei Kulikov and Vitalii Bragin from Russia. In 2009 musicians started the project with minimal and deep sound. Much of knowing came through continual sound experiments and researches. All that made Doyeq inimitable sound, built on deep and powerful groove with atmosphere, that completely fill the listener's space. 18. Alexis Samaan - Demain, dès l'Aube French Alexis Samaan's musical ideas and projects can relate to deep tribal dance music, incorporating folkloric sounds, ancient rhythms and classic analog synthesizers, bringing them into a future electronic realm of deep house and techno sounds. Samaan is a Christian surname mainly found in the Levant area of the Middle East. It is derived from the Semitic root word/verb sema or shema, which means “to hear”; thus, the meaning of Samaan becomes “the one who hears or listens” in both Syriac Aramaic and Arabic. 19. Bedouin, Santiago Garcia - Bay of Skaill Bedouin is an American-based music production and DJ partnership consisting of Tamer Malki and Rami Abousabe. Together they share a broad sonic vision that pulls from their diverse influences owing to their Middle Eastern heritage, Western upbringing and worldly travels. As musicians, singers, songwriters, and multi-instrumentalists, they've pioneered a distinctive and timeless sound. "Bedouin...they are a genre on their own." On the other side, Santiago Garcia is born in Buenos Aires, with residence in Spain. The dream-like track Bay of Skaill is their interpretation of the song by British band The Magnetic North. For the track, Bedouin and Santiago Garcia mould a gorgeous and tender atmosphere, with vocals from The Magnetic North’s 2012 track drifting effortlessly around sleek production. With delicate synthesis and percussion constantly progressing over the course of the track, the trio have delivered a masterful composition that perfectly depicts their vision of deep progressive house music. It's all there Taking it back to nothing Every little thing I know Every little thing I have Details Genre: Ambient, Neo-Classical, Acoustic, Electronica, Tech house, Progressive house Date: January 2023 Length: 79:59 min Cue: no Quality: 320 kbps Archive size: 183 MB Tracklist 01. Introduction to Seta (Ambient Sounds from I'm In Records - Rain and Thunder) 02. Nils Frahm - Nils Has A New Piano (Gravy Dee Remix) 03. Oskar Schuster - Schuster Singur 04. Leonard Cohen - The Goal 05. UNDERHER feat. Eleonora - Slowly Drowning 06. Niklas Paschburg - Opera 07. Ane Brun - Last Breath 08. Burial - Night Bus 09. Charles Webster feat. Ingrid Chavez - The Second Spell 10. Trentemøller - November 11. Kasper Bjorke feat. The Pierces - Doesn't Matter (Trentemøller Remix) 12. Agnes Obel - Fuel to Fire (David Lynch Remix) 13. Petar Dundov - Around One 14. HVOB - Panama 15. Mathew Jonson - When Love Feels Like Crying 16. Eric Volta, Gaika - The Very End of Your Days 17. Doyeq - Whales 18. Alexis Samaan - Demain, dès l'Aube 19. Bedouin, Santiago Garcia - Bay of Skaill Link DOWNLOAD |