microphones in the trees: joonatan elokuu

Friday, June 22, 2012

joonatan elokuu


"'Earth, Sky, Moon and Sun' was recorded and mixed in the Dutch countryside, and mastered at Maito Records. It's perhaps the most personal piece of music I've ever put down on tape. The songs were written while I was hospitalized because of a serious illness. During the ambulance ride I was given a heavy dose of morphine, and while drifting in and out of consciousness, I had a vision of an angel with a peacock's features. I also heard the sound of animals, birds and wings flapping all around, mixed with the drone of the engine (which morphed into a weird harmonic layer of sound) while the chatter of the paramedics faded slowly out. The first ten minutes of the album were definitely influenced by this experience. It's definitely not a happy album, but a very spiritual and personal one. I hope that the album could serve as a reminder of the beauty and fragility of our existence, and that there is a light at the end of even the darkest road. I recorded the music on a handheld recorder as I started my recovery from the operation. While I was really happy to be alive and well, I had to deal with thoughts of death and loss not only because of my own experience, but because my father was also seriously ill during this time.

I have started recording the new album, and it might take quite a while until it's ready for release. I want to record the album in a proper studio with plenty of time, because it will feature some of the best songs I've ever written. After 2012 we will disappear into Asia for a long time, and I hope I have the chance to record the album before this. It will be available as a CD on a different label, more info on this will be available in time. Meanwhile, there should be a compilation release coming out on Hear Records, let's hope they'll have this out at some point." joonatan

No comments: