Recap of the Souns performance at Lobe

"a little re-cap and note to say thanks to Lobe and all their staff for hosting my first (live) expressions in the world of 4dsound. thank you to everyone who came out and made it a nice little sold out show (this honestly meant a lot to me).

thanks to pendamental for a beautiful and very flowing first experience in collaborating, and being down to flow in the way i hoped for - with very little pre-chat, and no meet-ups or practice, so we can capture a more pure essence of our creative combination, from it’s very beginning (before over-thinking and second-guessing can happen).

it was all recorded, and will be put into the library, making it play-able in other 4D contexts around the world. 🔮

and there definitely be more and more of this kind of thing happening in the future as well. 🌿 "

Multi-Channel Sound Design for Circle Wellness Spa

Deeper into modes of facilitating transformational sound, this project leaning more into the realms of relaxation and rejuvination.

Varied ambient & nature sounds through an array of speakers spread across the experience for Circle Welness Spa. Highly customized and scrutinized mixs of classic and contemporary ambient music, together with treated exclusive & found field recordings from nature. 2 hour program or 90 minute shortened version.

some personal words on the project here

Souns 'Drop Cities'

Souns live performance recording from ‘Drop Cities’ (Feb 19, 2023), a special 2 day festival put together with great care by Hotham Sound, released on bandcamp, and youtube.

live video projections by C130, live camera footage mixed and treated by SPINY JIM and live broadcasted on RedGate TV.

audio materials used: mackie line mixer (using in house reverb) standard microphone mod’d rigsmith dub siren mod’d monotron delay cell phone playing prepared mix of nature sounds (randomly sampled) pioneer rx2, live looping and manipulating tracks:

• Parisa DUB (ambient)
• Discovery DUB (raw loop)
• Discovery DUB
• Playing with Roses (unreleased)

energy & thoughts present:

• recently learning about and connecting with sacred datura flower
• no direct physical practice or plans made for the performance. instead focusing on feeling grounded and present and clear, and responding to the natural energy of the space, time, audience and self
• deeply reconnecting with an old friend, rmm, at the event and the 3rd act of the night, alexi baris, directly influenced the set (added elements of noise and dramatic gestures)
• engaging with the idea that ones inner world is a direct reflection of ones outer world, and engaging the space and audience in that way (both a two way interaction and reflection, and also an intentional one way signal path of inner calm & even to the external world)
• the summed energy from the earlier day and night before (the city, quiet morning coffee, impacted by ’maamawi’ performance & surrounding energy the night before)

Gateway

available via hotham sound with full liner notes here

..

stream on soundcloud here

foxy digitalis review here

statement on social media #1 here

statement on social media #2 here

conversation with olivia davies about the project here

nice set from caro that begins with a selection from gateways here

We Beat a Different Drum

souns track 'second story' leads the latest compilation from subtempo records, celebrating 5 years for the label. typeface designed by morgane vantorre and all proceeds go to grey area.

7 tracks in 'an untold history' (knowledge network)

more music on screen. 7 tracks appearing in the important and impactful tv series ‘British Columbia: An Untold History’ on The Knowledge Network. totally free to watch with a (free, no strings attached) knowledge network membership.

every minute counts across all episodes, much deserving of several re-watches to better integrate and better understand BC's history and how & why things are playing out today and into the future. some of it is not an easy watch, helping emphesize it's importance.

produced by leena minifie, composer: cris derksen, sound designer & music supervisor: velcrow ripper. other music from loscil and ruby singh

Hwuy’xwet Pune’luxutth (Opening Penelakut)

Race Face Creator Series presents: Hwuy'xwet Pune'luxutth (Opening Penelakut) Filmmaker: Jason Mannings At its core, Hwuy'xwet Pune'luxutth follows a group o...

watch the full film now on youtube. many thanks to jason mannings and the people of penelakut island and all others who contributed to this project. a GOFUNDME for future trailbuilding is also up and running now.

more music for film & screen

Things have been more publicly quiet, compared to recent years, as more behind-the-scenes work of composing for screen has been developing and getting more prioritized focus.

So far in 2020: music for a Patagonia commercial has been completed, 10 pieces for Destination BC (videos and commercials) have been created, music in The New Coorporation, and a small handful of songs have been confirmed for a numbered of yet-to-be announced short and feature length films, and relationships with high-calibre budding and establised filmmakers continue to be cultivated.

Watch a playlist of music-for-screen projects that exist of youtube here.

'tetrahedron' short film

Is it still a kingdom amidst a wild decline in life? Director: Jason Mannings Director of Photography: Jason Mannings Production Company: Alt BC Edit/Color/Sound: Jason Mannings Music: Souns (Michael Red) Thanks: Tetrahedron Outdoor Club + Kodak + ISLA Records Something of a mood-sketch, shot casually during an overnight hike in a fave sub-alpine zone on the coast of British Columbia. Hiked in right after a lovely little music festival in the woods. I brought just over two half cartridges of film, which gave me about 3-min that I could roll for — Kodak 500T & Tri-X. Wish I'd let the shots breathe longer, but alas, was hella rationing those seconds. Perhaps next time I'll bring more film. ... I once watched a raven, Perched on a bluff, Unzip my knapsack, Remove my lunch box, And fly away. Congratulations, madam. I always marvel at those dark feathered pairs, Reigning high over their respective enclaves, Be they flapping in the present, Or soaring thru the arcane. A hot mess of ancients forests, so recently upturned, What if someone typed, Replace all [woodlands] with [timberlands]. Is it still a kingdom, I wonder, amidst a wild decline in life? Let us dream of somewhere without many of us, Fit for a visit, sometimes, to search or recall. A place with tools to do so much with so few, And yet the wisdom to all but set them aside. Nature knows life as moments. Brief is a sunrise. A flicker. A ripple. A gust. If earthly matters do and then die, Should we all not perhaps keep that in mind? ... https://www.jasonmannings.com/ https://www.instagram.com/jasonmannings/ http://www.michael-red.com/ https://isla.bandcamp.com/album/souns-re

the talented Jason Mannings put together a little video diary piece of recent wilderness wanderings on the sunshine coast, with souns as the soundtrack.

'The Last Honey Hunter' released

'The Last Hunter', a very rich and moving and feature-length documentary film from Felt Soul Media and National Geographic, is now available for free viewing online. This award winning, and academy awards qualifying, beautiful piece of work includes two Michael Red original songs along with works from Loscil and Lusine.

LA FE - Con Qué EP

"Trance-atlantic psychedelia from Michael Red (Souns/ Chambers) and Daniel Rincon (NAP/ Ambien Baby). Cavernous dubs of dembow-infused polyrhythms and tripped-out electronics. Made between the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver, British Columbia, Summer 2018."

track premiere via RANSOM-NOTE.

release review on RESIDENT ADVISOR.

track premiere on IF-ONLY

available for pre-order now on juno.
soundcloud stream here

Souns 'Sun Inside The Sun' Remix EP

Souns Remix EP on Subtempo featuring remixs from Loscil, Synkro, Phaeleh is out now on all platforms. Read some kind words and reviews curtosy of self-titled , exclaim , adsr and sora.

'labrador (part 1 & 2)' for piano day 2019

a simple free-spirited sketch, that was deemed a finished tune to preserve/promote a certain unpolished rawness. it made nils frahm’s official piano day playlist for 2019 and landed on a nice compilation from subtempo.

subtempo news

pleased to report that the souns remix EP (featuring loscil, synkro and phaeleh) has finally come together and we are very close to setting a release date. subtempo also recently revamped their website and it looks great.

souns (re) [isla19]

(re) is now fully available on extra-warm cassette or digital download. just under 100 minutes of deep ambient and soundscape music. THANK YOU Isla.

Souns - (re) by Souns, released 26 June 2018 1. Red 2. Orange 3. Yellow 4. Green 5. Blue 6. Indigo 7. Violet 8. Rain 9. White 10. Open Tones 11. Frozen Ocean1 12. Frozen Ocean3 13. Frozen Ocean2 14. Frozen Ocean4 ISLA 19 - Just under 100 minutes of deep meditative ambient textures, tones and slow morphings.

basscoast 2018

2 hour live set to close the new ambient/lounge stage. 4am late sunday night. ~bless~

one of the most anticipated events every year. happy 10 year basscoast

new souns ..soon

the next souns release, (re), arrives june 23. limited edition cassette and digital.

just under 100 minutes of deep meditative ambient textures and tones and slow morphings. working with themes and methods of healing sound and sacred frequencies. almost the entire ‘lights’ album combined with half of the ‘scenarios for the real self’ album - all re-edited and refined and re-mastered, in some cases to such a degree that a lot of it sounds like brand new work. the title “(re)” is partially short for “(revisted)”.

it feels perfectly at home to release with ISLA for this one. daniel rincoin (label head / NAP) is a pleasure to work with. and the work was originally created all pre-ableton (a lot of it on hardware), all while firmed rooted and living in east van (12th & st. catherine, heatley & keefer) - very ISLA. (re) carries a size-able resonance (maybe it’s an east van thing) with the rest of ISLA’s body of work so far - perfectly below radar, perfectly free-spirited exploratory, and that comfy insular alone-while-together feel that comes with the weather/social climate this side of the world.

tracklisting:

side a: 1 red (re) 2 orange (re) 3 yellow (re) 4 green (re) 5 blue (re) 6 indigo (re) 7 violet (re) 8 rain (re)

side b: 1 white (re) 2 open tones (re) 3 frozen ocean1 (re) 4 frozen ocean3 (re) 5 frozen ocane2 (re) 6 frozen ocean4 (re)

very much looking forward to the release event at index gallery, which is actually a co-release with sean evans (who’s music i really believe in). it fits as well that deep sea mining syndicate be the imprint for sean’s album debut, who i also put an album out with and have plans for another release with in near future too. all is in sync.

ISLA19 - @souns-3 (re). The last track from just under 100 minutes of deep meditative ambient textures, tones and slow morphings. Working with themes and methods of healing sound and sacred frequencies. Almost the entire ‘lights’ album combined with half of the ‘scenarios for the real self’ album - all re-edited and refined and re-mastered, in some cases to such a degree that a lot of it sounds like brand new work. the title “(re)” is partially short for “(revisted)”. Edition of 100 C92 cassettes. Available June 23rd through: www.isla.site www.isla.bandcamp

music for dance

taking on three musical commissions for dance performance this year. one centered around a free public summer solstice event for the little chamber music series that could, one for a project called 'gateways' for olivia c. davies, and one for a mixed-media piece being created by sammy chien which also features music from barry truax.

souns on 16 wooden panels

live souns performance amongst some very good company, for west coast radians, put together by vancouver new music's giorgio magnanensi. read more about his wooden panels in cbc's article here.

'Aquamarine' reviewed in ELECTRONIC SOUND

Thanks to UK's Electronic Sound Magazine for the glowy review of Aquamarine. Cheers!