A pioneer of the hang and one of the most interesting contemporary musicians, Manu Delago‘s technical ability and creativity knows no bounds. His album and film Parasol Peak, a giant sonic venture recorded with an ensemble of seven musicians on a mountaineering expedition in the Alps, was one of our 15 Albums Picks of 2018 and remains an absolute favourite. So we´re thrilled to know the Austrian percussionist and composer is ready to follow it up with a new album called Circadian. The album takes its name and inspiration from the concept of the body’s internal clock known as Circadian rhythms. A busy musician, collaborating and touring with the likes of Bjork, Anoushka Shankar, Poppy Ackroyd, the London Symphony Orchestra and Olafur Arnalds, amongst many more, the disruption of his own sleep cycles inform the album. “Before I made this album I had a phase of very intense touring with multiple trips to five different continents, without a break for several months”, explained Delago. “It literally felt like touring with four bands simultaneously and in my dreams the music and crews started to commingle. I found it interesting how my brain was trying to digest all these experiences during sleep hours. In fact, during REM sleep the brain is very creative. In that stressful touring period, I started to consciously appreciate sleep and how much it contributes to mastering any challenge.”

Circadian will see the light of day on September 13th through One Little Indian Records. Ahead of it, Delago is enticing us with the bewitching lead single ‘The Silent Flight of the Owl’. The track, written to emulate the sound of an owl’s wings, is an ode to an experience he had had: “I had an encounter with an owl while I was brushing my teeth late at night. The owl landed a metre away from me just outside the window on the ledge. It is very unusual for owls to come that close. When I told the story to the people who lived there, they didn’t believe me.” Wrap your ears around ‘The Silent Flight of the Owl’ now.