Photo by Ruth Friedlander
Go Along With It is the third single from Kirikiriroa-based Nicholas Joseph, the last to be released from an EP out in 2024.
Showcasing a different side of his music than previous singles ‘Not Yours’ and ‘Sleigh Bells’, Go Along With It sees Joseph flirt with RnB vocal stylings over dark jazzy piano chords and a syncopated beat.
Jess aka Dream Chambers is currently in Nashville, USA, where she recently collaborated with the Chatterbird ensemble to perform orchestral augmentations of her synth-led songs – with clarinet, harp, viola, cello, flute and violin arranged by Sonya Waters.
Jess and Sonya spoke with Music City Review about their creative process here:
And you can read more on the Nashville Scene site.
(Post by Thomas Arbor)
The months are flying by! Another full moon, another piece of music into the world (or at least into this lil corner of cyberspace).
It’s rare for me to write music just for traditional instruments these days, but here’s one for piano and string quintet.
The sounds heard here are ‘virtual’ instruments, however – programmed on a computer. It was largely an exercise in music production and orchestration. I tried to get it to sound half-way human but there’s only so much one can do…
This one's called Unearth:
(Post by Thomas Arbor)
My life has lined up pretty well with the lunar cycle this year – I just got back from my trip to Europe with the MAU company which began and ended with rākaunui (the full moon), as did The Haka Party Incident tour earlier in the year. I meant to do weekly updates here but of course I was too busy working and wandering!
I'm back in Wellington now and have added another new track to this 'EP in progress' playlist. This one's called Machine Birth – a mix of electronic and organic elements that represents pretty well the musical direction I'm heading in:
(Post by Thomas Arbor)
It’s been far too long since I let anyone hear my new music so I’m using this full moon as impetus to share this track, Luna (edit). You can only listen to it here for now:
I'm very lucky to have scored some work doing sound for Lemi Ponifasio/ MAU's Jerusalem in Luxembourg and Rome this October! All going well, I aim to post a weekly tour-diary of sorts here alongside the previews of my new music (as above). Stay tuned!
Sleigh Bells is the second single from Kirikiriroa-based Nicholas Joseph, released hot on the heels of his debut single Not Yours profiled last month on RNZ.
Sleigh Bells presents dark folk music through a modern lens. Lyrics like ‘‘days like crawling down a corridor” paint a bleak picture, emphasised by hard hitting drums and a menacing guitar line. Just as Nicholas’ stark musings threaten to suffocate the listener, an unexpected chord change breaks through the tension and sends the song skyward. In an instant the song starts to feel summery, nostalgic and sweet. But as ever, there is a darkness lurking: the plaintive line ‘They get you while you are young’’ repeats mournfully to bring Sleigh Bells to a close.
The song was written and produced by Nicholas Joseph at the Never Project Space studio in Hamilton Kirikiriroa, and mastered by Thomas Arbor (Kōtiro, Seth Frightening, I.Ryoko).
Stay tuned for another single and the full EP later in the year! Thanks for listening.
Post by Thomas Arbor.
Occasionally I get a good excuse to make music outside my usual domain. In this instance I was asked to make an upbeat theme for a podcast called Chewing the Facts. You can listen to the theme by itself here:
“Join Sasha Borissenko in this 10-part series as she untangles the science, history, and forces behind fatness in Aotearoa, New Zealand.”
Listen to the podcast on your app of choice and/or read more about it at this beautiful website!
The specific references given to me were Sweet Dreams by The Eurythmics, Nicholas Britell's Succession theme and Cristobal Tapia de Veer's White Lotus theme.
Of course my track sounds nothing like them – and can only aspire to be so iconic! – but I took inspiration from their main ingredients (synth, drums, brass, manipulated voice) – and added mellotron, harp, vibraphone & stuttering electronics (inspired by the thought of sugar and the 50s advertising industry)… and can you spot the sounds of a supermarket checkout and fizzy drink hiss?
I had a lot of fun making this. Thanks to Sasha for her epic, important work on a complex subject and for being a great collaborator – and to Oliver Devlin who did the audio editing and extra music throughout the podcast!
I'm always keen to make custom music so if you'd like something for your own project please get in touch! Email thomasarbormusic@gmail.com : )
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