Tag Archives: chris lam sam

It Will Remember Itself

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“It Will Remember Itself” by Narrowing Weeks is now available!

Narrowing Weeks is a collaborative project between:
Jeremy Mayall (various keys and electronics), Chris Lam Sam (various keys), Nick Granville (guitar), Rob Burns (bass), Robbie Craigie (percussion).

On one day we got together to make music. To communicate. To share ideas through sound. This album is a representation of that moment.

“The thing about improvisation is that it’s not about what you say. It’s listening to what other people say. It’s about what you hear.”

There is always one moment when the door opens and lets the future in.

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Improvised/composed and recorded live in the main room at the University of Otago Music Departments Albany Street Studios.

credits

Recorded by Mike Holland at Albany Street Studios, Dunedin.
Mixed and Mastered by Jeremy Mayall
Album Artwork by Dan Inglis

New album and a short soundscape

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In between furiously working away on finalising the score for the new “Amazing Universe” show at the Otago Museum Perpetual Guardian Planetarium (opens December 4th!), I have been preparing a new album for release (29/11/15) – that album is “it will remember itself” by Narrowing Weeks.

Narrowing Weeks is a collaborative project with Chris Lam Sam, Nick Granville, Rob Burns and Robbie Craigie. Here is the cover art by Dan Inglis:

And here is a bonus track (free download) we recorded as a warm up before Nick arrived at the session:

 

Finally, I also recently put together a short soundscape track for the ADAM audio soundtrack competition… you can hear it here! Inspired by the picture #moon:

 

 

‘Then we fall’ and other announcements

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I am currently working on the editing and mixing of a new album recorded/composed/improvised in real time in the Albany Street Studios by myself, Chris Lam Sam, Nick Granville, Rob Burns, and Robbie Craigie. The session was engineered by Mike Holland.

While working through those tracks I found this tune recorded at sound check while we waited for Nick to arrive down from Wellington. So while you wait for the new album, here is a groovy little taster.

 

Also recently released is a remix I did for a band called Cheshire Grimm. You can check that track out here:

 

And finally, it is my pleasure to announce that my piece “Frosted Air Suite” for flute and electronics was awarded the Philip Neill Memorial Prize for Composition for 2015. I am looking forward to hearing the piece premiered later this year!

 

Recordings and new albums

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In the past few days I have been working with various people on the creation, composition, and recording of over 3 hours of new original music. Creative productivity is a marvelous and rewarding thing.

Here are a few pics from some time in the studio.

 

Along with working on a collection of songs for children, Chris Lam Sam and I put together this short piece:

 

And also, the release of this album created in collaboration with Rob Burns (bass) and Robbie Craigie (drums) under the name Days At Sea. The album is called THUS.

You can get your copy here:

Films, Soundtracks and Brain Music

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This makes for a varied update. There have been so many things going on recently.

  • Working on a bunch of new music with Chris Lam Sam
  • Writing a whole lot of music for two 48hr Film Fest teams (one in Auckland and one in Wellington – working remotely from Dunedin!)
  • Working on some new music for flute and electronics

In amongst all of this, a bunch of previous projects have gone live online.

SERVE AND PROTECT
A short film by Chasing Time Productions has finally completed its international film festival run. You can now watch that film here! Original score by The Scorelocks Collective.

SERVE AND PROTECT from chasingtimeFILM on Vimeo.

 

LAPWING
This vintage styled superhero project has just released its trailer in time for some premiere screenings in the US. Along with the trailer release is the soundtrack! A fun, funky romp.

Watch the trailer here:

And get your copy of the monumental LAPWING soundtrack by Scorelocks Collective, composed by Jeremy Mayall and Chris Lam Sam, NOW on Amazon Amplifier iTunes Googleplay Bandcamp  and  Spotify!

 

BRAIN MUSIC
I also recently worked on a project exploring the relationship between music and the brain with the Otago University Brain Health Research Centre. The music composed for that project is now online! Listen here:

Tropical Wetlands (Nature Documentary Soundtrack)

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As part of the release of a range of projects I worked on last year here is a new album by The Scorelocks Collective. All this music was composed and performed by Chris Lam Sam and myself. It was created for a nature documentary exploring the tropical wetlands of Australia.

The music is aiming for a modernization, or contemporary film music approach to the nature documentary soundtrack – utilising a fusion of electronic and orchestral sounds in a range of stylistic approaches.

Get your copy for a pay-what-you-like (or free!) download from here or in the player below:

A new musical tradition

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It seems a new musical tradition is being set in motion. This time, one year ago I was lucky enough to spent a couple of days with a group of great musicians (Chris Lam Sam, Nick Granville, Nick Tipping, Jeremy Badger, Adam Page) creating and co-composing the soundtrack to the movie – Penny Black. This movie is nearing a release (with an accompanying soundtrack album).

For the second version of this new yearly tradition, I spent the day today in the University of Otago Music Department Albany Street Studios creating new music with Rob Burns (bass) and Robbie Craigie (drums and vibraphone). It is always great to get into a creative space with likeminded musicians and create sound in a space together.

Very much looking forward to getting in and mixing the new music from today… but in the meantime here are some tracks from the Penny Black Soundtrack. It is such an honour and a privilege to be able to make music with all these extremely talented and generous musicians.

Mozart Fellow 2015

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I am very excited to have been awarded the Mozart Fellowship at Otago University for a second year! This means I will get to spent 2015 engaging in full time creative work. It is an absolute privilege to have received this position. You can read the announcement here: http://www.otago.ac.nz/news/news/otago078803.html

Having another year to focus on composition is an exciting prospect. Here is a collection of most of the work I have created so far this year:

Films:
Flare – with Dan Inglis and Dujon Cullingford
Whakaika Nei – with Louise Potiki Bryant, Rua McCallum and Horomona Horo
Partiality – with Tim Evans
To Darkness – with Chris Lam Sam
Princess Rose and the Rose Flowers and the Other Princesses – with Joe Hitchcock and Chris Lam Sam
Blonde – with Joanna Strange
on a trouvé l’horizon grand – with Ben Woollen and Chris Lam Sam
Penny Black (soundmix) – with Joe Hitchcock
Lapwing (soundmix) – with Joe Hitchcock

Compositions:
Imaginary Communications – a suite for piano and electronics
Whit-woo – for solo bass
convoluted – for orchestra
Infinite possibilities – for various recorded instruments
Late Song – for soprano, chorus, piano, violin, flute, clarinet and backing track
#tinyelephants – a sound art piece
Signature Asymmetry – for percussion and fixed media
Seaward Moments – for bansuri, field recordings and backing track with Adam Page
The Song of Kauri – a musical interpretation of childrens story by Melinda Szymanik
Through the pulsating debris – for four pianos
L.o.q.shun – for voice
Without Contact – soundscape and light with Martyn Roberts
Another World Asleep – soundscape and light with Martyn Roberts
Cosmic Outlaw – with Chris Lam Sam
Suburban Wires – with Chris Lam Sam
Feathered Resonance – soundscape to accompany artwork by Madeleine Child in Wallace Art Awards

Remixes:
John Egenes – Little Bird
John Egenes – Crazy Sons of Bitches
Subject2change – #22
Ed Zuccollo – Marianas Trenchcoat
Nick Granville – Get Lucky

Plus some various production, arrangement and orchestration work for various projects!

And there is a bunch of new stuff to come!! Exciting times ahead.

Here is a sneaky little hint toward a new project for the end of the year!
synth and butterflies

 

Thanks everyone for your support!