Mixtape #140

With a career spanning more than two decades, celebrated British composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Danny Mulhern has amassed a portfolio of award winning film and tv soundtrack work, solo releases and a long standing collaboration with the London Contemporary Orchestra. This month he is set to step in the spotlight again with the release of his fifth album, Singing Through Others, a beautiful sonic triumph effortlessly marrying contemporary classical music with elements of ambient and electronic. We’re over the moon to unveil his sublime mix giving a thumbs up to some of the artists that have inspired him.

  1. Mary Lattimore – Sometimes He’s In My Dreams [Ghostly International]
  2. N KRAMER – Wading Through The Grass [Leaving Records]
  3. Woo – Waterdrum [Independent Project Records / Drag City]
  4. Woo – Sarah [Emotional Rescue]
  5. Felbm – Florissant
  6. Danny Mulhern – Cloud Cuckoo [Enate Music / Kontor Media]
  7. Andrew Wasylyk – A Further Look at Loss [Athens Of The North]
  8. Beata Hlavenková – Scenery [Animal Music]
  9. Dave Okumu – Son Of Emmerson [Transgressive Records]
  10. Moondog – Bird’s Lament [Kopf]
  11. Daniel Herskedal – The Mariner’s Cross [Edition Records]
  12. Matthew Halsall – Mindfulness Meditations [Gondwana Records]
  13. Absolutely Free – How To Paint Clouds (Joseph Shabason Remix) [Boiled Records]
  14. Corntuth – D-005 [Flow State Records]
  15. Chico Hamilton – Andante [Pacific Jazz]
  16. Joseph Shabason – Our Place ft. Thom Gill [Western Vinyl]
  17. Max Cooper – Inanimate to Animate ft. Kotomi [Mesh]
  18. Kafari – What If
  19. G.S. Schray – District Lizards [Last Resort]
  20. Corntuth – A-001 [Flow State Records]
  21. Dictaphone – 808.14.4 [Denovali Records]
  22. Slow Attach Ensemble – Dance Four [Reliable Effects]
  23. Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion – The Flood Is Following Me [Nonesuch Records]
  24. Quest Ensemble – The Boatman [PFT Records]
  25. Group Listening – Wenn Der Südwind Weht [PRAH]
  26. Felbm – Tandem [Soundway]
  27. Wilson Tanner – Before Lotus [Growing Bin Records]

Mixtape #124

Quest Ensemble conquered our ears with their mesmerising and cinematic sound, pushing the boundaries of contemporary classical music by blending in elements of jazz and trad using improvisational techniques. Made up of Filipe Sousa (piano), Tara Franks (cello) and Preetha Narayanan (violin), the three Guildhall School of Music graduates have been performing and composing together for over 10 years. Participating in a slew of projects, from music education to commissions for dance and the visual arts, Quest Ensemble have also released two magnificent albums, 2014’s Footfall and last year’s The Other Side. So we're thrilled to start March with a stunning mix of tracks picked by the band, opening a window onto their musical world.

  1. Portico Quartet – Window Seat 00:00 [Real World Records / Society of Sound Music]
  2. Steve Reich, Daniel Hope, Simos Papanas, Kammerorchester Basel – Duet [Deutsche Grammophon] 03:14
  3. Punch Brothers – Passepied (Debussy) [Nonesuch] 07:59
  4. David Lang, Hilary Hahn, Cory Smythe 11.27
  5. Chris Gall, Bernhard Schimplesberger – New Life [GLM Music] 14:17
  6. Firefly Burning – Pioneer [Firefly Burning Records] 17:18
  7. Chick Corea, Bobby McFerrin – Even For Me (Live) [GRP] 22.19
  8. Nik Bärtsch – Modul 4 25:26
  9. Fofoulah – Fighting Chance [Glitterbeat] 30.34
  10. Donnacha Dennehy, Nadia Sirota, Liam Byrne – Tessellatum – Part 1 [Bedroom Community] 32:20
  11. Fred Thomas – Fall, Leaves, Fall 35:01
  12. Tigran Hamasyan – Lilac [Nonesuch] 41.07
  13. Caroline Shaw – Limestone & Felt [Nonesuch / New Amsterdam Records] 45:10
  14. A Winged Victory fot the Sullen – Atomos VIII [Erased Tapes] 51:19
  15. Eric Whitacre, Eric Whitacre Singers – Sleep [Decca] 56:07
  16. Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou – Mother’s Love [Buda Musique] 61:36

Quest Ensemble unveil new single ‘The Boatman’

Photo: Zoe Maxwell

We are nearing the release of The Other Side, the upcoming second album from Quest Ensemble. Pianist Filipe Sousa, cellist Tara Franks and violinist Preetha Narayanan, the three masterful musicians who make up the London based trio, had previously shared the gorgeous and poignant ‘Moment’, serving as the first single from the album. Ahead of its release on June 19th, Quest Ensemble are charming us again with another stunning single,’The Boatman’. Here it is.

Quest Ensemble announce new album, The Other Side, and share lead single ‘Moment’

Scheduled for release in June, The Other Side is the second album from London based trio Quest Ensemble, following their highly acclaimed 2014 debut record Footfall.
Filipe Sousa (piano), Tara Franks (cello) and Preetha Narayanan (violin), who make up Quest Ensemble, are masterful musicians composing mesmeric cinematic pieces, which reflect and blend their backgrounds in western classical, Indian classical, jazz and improvisational technique. “Quest Ensemble’s compositions fuse layered melodies and rhythmic patterns to create contrapuntal webs of sound”, describes the press release. “The process involves sharing improvised ideas, building up layers of music on each instrument to create a patchwork of musical themes with a rich vein of surging Reichian rhythms underpinning each.”

For a taste of what to expect ahead of the album’s release on June 5th, take a listen to the gorgeous and poignant first single ‘Moment’.