After playing the guitar for several bands, Tali recently returned to his first love: the piano.
He started playing the piano in a 2015. unable to bring his guitar with him during to deployment to the Middle East, he had to improvise to maintain his commitment to creating music.
The Michigan native describes the song as a “fun little track where the inspiration came from the cheesy but soulful synths in 80’s movies that my oldest sister would watch on repeat”
The solo piano is a piece filled with softness, elegance, and refinement. Its three themes, with joyful and optimistic accents, unfold with both majesty and delicacy. At the crossroads of classical, jazz, and pop, this work remains very accessible to the ear while being rich in writing and structure.
The interplay of minor and major tonalities gives it a unique charm, a distinctive character, and a singular grace.
The song explores the emotional aftermath of deep love, guiding listeners through a journey of heartbreak, self-discovery, and personal growth.
“Papa” is a heartfelt ode to resilience and transformation.
Born Olena Kim in Ukraine with Korean and Nigerian roots, The AYAMI reflects on past relationships through the song, embracing forgiveness and the lessons learned, while confidently stepping into a stronger, wiser version of herself.
“Papa is the first song where my soul truly speaks on its own, without fear or pressure” The AYAMI shares. “After years of emotional dependence and losing many projects, I finally took control, rebuilt myself, and chose to move forward. This track is not just music—it’s my declaration that nothing and no one will ever stop me again.”
DJ ARTO is known for fusing tribal chants, African guitars with high-impact percussive drops.
While Italian native Stéphane Salerno describes his music as “Vinyl soul meets digital groove” and includes elements of funk, deep house and Afro House music in his works.
An improvised piano piece recorded in a single take in his Reykjavík studio, it’s the second of three tracks that will form The Chromatic Sessions EP.
“Red” is a partner piece to Gold — released in July — with a final chromatic track called “Blue” set to follow.
The theme of colours emerged organically during the process of writing and recording. “It wasn’t something pre-planned,” says Dustin, who has also been nominated for an Academy Award. “I was improvising on the piano every day, and I realised I was always thinking about colours as I wrote. When you have the mic set up and you’re recording, it puts you into deep focus. There’s something about that red light being on that really pulls you into the moment.”
O’Halloran has long experienced synaesthesia — a mingling of the senses that may sound familiar to many. It can be something as simple as a taste snapping us back to a place we’ve been, a familiar scent triggering a powerful emotional flashback, or — in Dustin’s case — a certain sound evoking the feeling of a colour.
“I believe that people are more synesthetic than they realise,” he says. “It’s something that you can tune into. All sensations are ultimately translated in the brain — and I think you can learn to connect different parts of those sensations together.”
Such connections are a theme that runs through The Chromatic Sessions — including the connection between Dustin and his audience. All of the Chromatic singles come with downloadable sheet music when bought on Bandcamp, allowing listeners to play the music themselves.
It’s a gesture born of O’Halloran’s wish to forge a closer relationship with his listeners.
“Releasing music digitally feels so distant and disconnected,” he says. “And I think we’re all looking for connection. When people get involved in playing the music, it becomes part of them in a different way. It becomes communal. It becomes theirs.”