Release schedule:
March 15. Digital single Hind
April 19. Digital single Star Dance
May 24. Album and LP Hind
Sometimes in life things fall into a perfect circle. One such example is the project ‘HIND’ by acclaimed Swedish Grammy nominated musicians Sebastian Mullaert and Henrik Frendin, constituting the pinnacle of over 40 years of combined research and creative explorations in the space of contemporary electro-acoustic music.
The first encounter between the two was back in 2006 at the Malmö Academy of Music. Following an illustrious career in the electronic dance music scene, Sebastian received support from tastemakers like Mixmag, FACT, Electronic Beats and Crack and nominated twice for Swedish Grammy both for his solo work and under his Minilogue project. He was voted in the “Top Live Acts In The World” by Resident Advisor, for his awe inspiring performances touching all corners of the globe form Boiler Room, through Berghain and Fabric. Mullaert became interested in returning to his roots as a classically trained musician, seeking novel ways of integrating classical and electronic music, culminating in his stunning “Natthall” LP with Zurich Philharmonic Orchestra which featured in the BBC Music Magazine “Top 10 Post Classical Albums” of 2020.
Meanwhile, Frendin was touring internationally promoting his solo album ‘Viola con Forza’ (2004), nominated for a Swedish Grammy in the category ‘Classical solo’, at that time already considered one of Scandinavia´s leading violists.
This album was a compilation of works by leading Swedish composers, all pieces dedicated to Frendin. To meet his vision of expanding and developing the sound palette of an electro-acoustical string instrument, a new amplified string instrument called Electric Viola Grande, built, and created by Richard Rolf, was constructed especially for him. This unique five-string viola set a new standard of authentic sound and design in the field of electro-acoustical instrument making. Frendin´s first appearance on stage with the new instrument was at a performance in Wiener Concerthaus as a feathured solo artist at “Lange Nacht der Neue Klänge”.
Naturally, this sparked Mullaert’s interest, so he enrolled for private lessons with the viola professor Frendin.
Fast forward to 2024 and the pair reunited for the resulting ‘HIND’ project, with the main inspiration and starting point nature, and it was an up-close experience with a baby wild deer and its protective mother while they were both meditating in the woods from which the album takes its name. “Almost getting showered by the beauty of nature – it was quite a magical moment that has never happened to me before or anyone else I know for that matter,” adds Mullaert.
Across ‘HIND’, both Mullaert and Frendin’s creative practises and different musical backgrounds are taken to a new level of technical and artistic achievement. Album opener ‘Dawn’ peacefully unfolds – the sun comes up, the darkness clears – while the sprightly ‘Stepping Stone’ and album title track ‘Hind’ elegantly use melody, rhythm, and harmony; a result of a series of long takes in which Frendin’s playing is processed, looped, and warped in real time by Mullaert, with Frendin adding real-time string layers through improvisation and Mullaert performing multilayer looping.
Elsewhere, the celestial ‘Starling Solitude’ and breezy ‘Stardance’ flow and breath freely like nature itself creating an atmospheric treat. There is a sonic dialogue between the two artists that blurs boundaries between acoustic and electronic music and that has at its core experimentation and freedom. “I woke up one morning getting this vision about the curiosity of how our different worlds of sound would match together and to create some kind of synchronicity,” adds Frendin.
The gentle ripples of ‘The Fogs’ and the deeply ethereal soundscapes of ‘Another Form of Wings’ reveal two artists with a deep connection to sound and to one another, while the introspective ‘Embrace’ has a beautifully haunting ambience that slowly emerges.
Credits:
Henrik Frendin – Electric Viola, 5-string Electric Viola Grande, Fender Rhodes.
Sebastian Mullaert – Live Electronics, Live Looping.
All music composed and performed by Sebastian Mullaert & Henrik Frendin.
Recorded at Circle of Life studio, Röstånga & in-discourse studios, Malmö – Sweden.
Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Silas Bieri at In-Discourse Studios.
Video Production by In-discourse AB: Alexis Rodríguez Cancino and Emma Ribbing
Studio Assistant: Teodor Heijkenskjöld
Produced by Sebastian Mullaert.
Cover artwork & graphic design by Gus Gustavsson.
Electric violas constructed by Richard Rolf.
Cat nr: lamour192
Management by Niko Seizov at starling.works
PR by 9PR
REVIEWS AND MEDIA COVERAGE
The Strad
“Violist Henrik Frendin shares how his search for the perfect sound palette led him to commission two bespoke instruments by Richard Rolf”
Read full post at: https://www.thestrad.com/lutherie/truly-unique-henrik-frendin-on-his-custom-made-electric-viola-and-five-string-bass-viola/17935.article
Headphone commute – In the studio with Sebastian Mullaert
“I began playing the electric organ when I was seven years old, then took up the violin at age nine and the piano at age eleven. I played in orchestras and ensembles almost every day of the week. During my mid-teens, I joined a pop band, and when I was 19, I began my first serious attempts at creating electronic music. So, the first piece of gear was the Yamaha electric organ.”
Read full post at: https://headphonecommute.com/2024/05/14/in-the-studio-with-sebastian-mullaert/
Electronic Groove
Sebastian Mullaert shares five tips for igniting your artistic spark
Sebastian Mullaert’s music reminds us to simply be. The Swedish artist has a distinct approach to life and his art, focusing on tranquility, Zen meditation, creativity, and nature—especially the forest near his home in Röstånga.
Read full post at: https://electronicgroove.com/sebastian-mullaert-studio-tips-2024/
Video premiere for Dawn on Stationary Travels
“On one hand, the new album Hind could simply be described as a pair of musicians – namely Sebastian Mullaert & Henrik Frendin – alone in a studio improvising with their respective instruments. Step back and take in the wider context of how they got there, however, and you can see how calling it “the pinnacle of over 40 years of combined research and creative explorations in the space of contemporary electro-acoustic music” would not be hyperbole.”
Read full post at: https://stationarytravels.wordpress.com/2024/05/17/video-premiere-dawn-by-sebastian-mullaert-henrik-frendin/
BBC RADIO 6 MUSIC (New Music Fix)
Played: Stad Dance (1h 56m 40s)
Listen: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001xwjk
Lost & Found podcast interview with Sebastian Mullaert
Listen: https://www.buzzsprout.com/190475/14819259
Interview in Fifteen Question
https://15questions.net/interview/sebastian-mullaert-and-henrik-frendin-talk-about-their-collaboration/page-1/
BBC RADIO 6 MUSIC (New Music Fix)
Played: Hind
Listen (49m 34s) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001wy4z
Orb Mag
Music and video premiere
https://www.orbmag.com/music/premiere/sebastian-mullaert-henrik-frendin-hind-radio-edit/
Groove.de DJ Lists top album by Mathias Schaffhäuser
https://groove.de/2024/08/14/die-groove-dj-charts-mit-bailey-ibbs-baugruppe-90-gwaen-lukas-meunier-mathias-schaffhaeuser-olivia-mendez-und-groove-attack-records/
Gefle Dagblad
“Gävletiketten Lamour släpper en högprofilerad platta 24 maj digitalt och på dubbel-lp. Sebastian Mullaert och Henrik Frendins album ”Hind”. Detta är ett samarbete mellan Mullaert som kommer från den elektroniska dansmusikvärlden och bland annat har Grammisnomineringar på cv:t. …”
Read full post at: https://www.gd.se/2024-03-28/nu-slapper-hon-nytt-igen-gavleartisten-foljer-upp-debuten/
Radio
P3 Mix med Samir Yosufi 241028
Played: Dawn & Boar Groove
Listen: https://sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/p3-klubbmixskon-vag-4-med-samir-yosufi