Back catalogue: Classical

Review: Grand River's (Aimee Portioli's) fifth studio album (her first after the brilliant In uno spazio immenso, her debut for Caterina Barbieri's label Light-years label) began as an installation in 2022. Having since evolved into multi-channel, 4DSOUND, and stereo formats, the record has bridged every hurdle to live performances it could possibly face. The 36-minute composition is divided into two parts: Portioli recorded various winds and transformed them via layering and pitch adjustments, fashioning the wind itself into an instrument. Going so far as to align the gusts to a 440hz reference and tuning particular instruments to windward passages, Portioli went with the wind, yet still wound up more alive than ever. Wind and synthesizers merge seamlessly, erasing the line between natural and human-made sound; silent until it meets an object, air currents produce an array of tones, from whispers, to roars, to melodies.

Review: Orange Marmalade was originally released in October 2021 after being recorded by Evgeny Grinko at the Funkhaus in Berlin. The title holds a double meaning as it nods to Alice in Wonderland, a book Ginko was reading during its creation, as well as to his nostalgic childhood memories of life back home where metal jars were filled with marmalade. Musically this one picks up off where The Naive Album left off in that it showcases a composer in utter command of his voice and own unique style. It captures a range of emotions from sorrow to joy, triumph to introspective solitude, all with sweeping orchestral moments adding to the scale and drama.