Some news from my speck of the universe 💫 Today, the first compilation album on the OPIA record label has been released into the world. I’m thrilled to have my track “The Seas That Made Us” included, beautifully remastered by Zino Mikorey.
OPIA is a record label and community hub founded by musician Ólafur Arnalds. If you’re not familiar with Ólafur’s work, I urge you to explore his discography. His music has long been a source of inspiration to me. So too is his commitment to nurturing community and the way that he moves through the world with grace and generosity. To be in his orbit is a dream come true in so many ways.
What excites me the most about this compilation is that you’ll get to hear my music within the context of this incredible group of pieces. You’ve likely heard mine before (it’s the first track on In Our Softening), but I promise you haven’t heard it like this. There are 13 other tracks on the album, each a precious gem, from artists around the world. They range in style, but together, they represent an ethos and approach to music that I feel wholly aligned with. The album has been exquisitely curated, so I encourage you to listen from start to finish if you can.
It’s quite rare that I feel like I belong in musical spaces. Perhaps this is just the Artists’ Condition™️. And don’t get me wrong, I do love that delicious reframing that happens when art exists in stark contrast with other art. That said, when I first heard this compilation, I experienced a new kind of excitement. Yes! This is it! This is alignment!
I hope you enjoy this album as much as I do. I learned so much listening to it — about my own music and about how I want to continue moving through the world as an artist and human. After you’ve listened, if you have a moment, I would be so delighted to know what you think. Did the album reframe my music for you? What were your favorite tracks? What did the music evoke for you? What was the light in your room like while listening?
About the album, from OPIA:
This compilation is a truly unique project. A completely community-sourced project from start to finish, it features music, artwork, visuals and more directly from the members of our community via the OPIA Discord server.
The 14 tracks were chosen meticulously from well over a 100 submissions and represent the breadth of talent and genres within the community. The composers hail from all over the world; Kenya, USA, Scotland, Ireland, Japan, Poland, UK, Greece, Italy, Germany, France and Australia.
The artwork was made by community member Jonathan Newton, chosen from a number of artwork submissions, and depicts 14 different birds - one for each of the composers featured on the album.
Tracklist:
1: “Wisteria” by Josiah Austin
2: “Leading” by CJ Thomas
3: “sway&pull” by Ryan Weeks
4: “The Seas That Made Us” by Sophia Subbayya Vastek
5: “Merge Forms” by Ttoa (Jo Paterson and Sally Stenning)
6: “I Promise” by Alex Kozobolis
7: “Gossamer” by SINK
8: “Morning Light” by Tjomur & Jan Steiner
9: “All Alone” by Yana
10: “Entraide” by Martin Martyn (Hideyuki Hashimoto and Yuri Sakaida)
11: “Tanera Mòr” by Westheart
12: “Study of a Bull” by Rushab Nandha
13: “Access Granted” by The Bows
14: “Love Child” by Aksuna