Sounds from the Treetops in PERCUSscene Issue 7

16 Jul '13

My new article “Creating Sounds from the Treetops with Ensemble Evolution” has just been published in PERCUSscene Issue 7! Grab it in the latest DRUMscene magazine!

The article tracks our experience composing and performing a suite of percussion works for the unique Treehotel in northern Sweden.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

As three foreigners living in Northern Sweden, we were acutely aware of the natural environment that is one of the region’s greatest assets. While much of our music was influenced by the snowy winter that enveloped Piteå for much of the year, when our residency in Sweden was coming to an end we realised that we hadn’t put together any “summer” music! To scratch this artistic itch, we decided to put together a mini-tour in June 2012 contacting local towns and businesses to find opportunities for concerts and sponsorships.

While the arctic winter is oppressive and extreme, the summer in Northern Sweden is equally striking. By late spring, the night has almost disappeared, replaced by an eerie twilight as towns go to sleep but never get completely dark. To celebrate this environment we wanted all of our concerts to take place late at night, embracing the unique midnight sun!

The strongest response to our idea came from Treehotel - a boutique hotel in Harads with six spectacular rooms suspended in the the forest and a rustic bed and breakfast. Soon our concept for a midnight concert had turned into a commissioned suite of six compositions, each dedicated to one of the treehouses. The premiere would be at the hotel and we would record and release the suite as “Sounds from the Treetops”.

The complete “Sounds from the Treetops” album is out now on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and is free to stream on Bandcamp!