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.
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.”
Yuma Yamaguchi—a Cannes Lions Award-winning composer known for his work in film, TV, and commercials—has launched a new music project titled Concordia.
The project kicks off with the release of the original track “Concordia” on Wednesday, April 2, followed by a biweekly remix series featuring top-tier musicians from around the globe.
Originally composed for CONCORDIA, Japan’s largest-scale interactive beach art projection event held at Odaiba Beach Park from November 2023 to January 2024, the track showcases Yamaguchi’s signature blend of minimalistic piano and orchestral textures. Featuring frequent collaborator and vocalist RANU, the piece builds to a powerful finale with intense percussion and beats.
The remix series features contributions from:
• Yuta Bandoh, acclaimed for his collaborations with artists like Kenshi Yonezu and Hikaru
Utada, and for scoring projects such as Kaiju No. 8, and Belle.
• bastiengoat, a California-based producer whose tracks have been played by top DJs worldwide, including during Yaeji’s set at Boiler Room: New York.
• Dorian Concept, the Vienna-born keyboardist and producer known for collaborations with Flying Lotus and Thundercat, who brings his intricate sonic palette to the project.
The music video, starring the performance collective NOMENTokyo, premiered on April 2 Directed by Shogo Tominaga (LQVE), the video is a collaboration with creative unit SEKAISEIFUKU—a partnership between Tominaga and NOMENTokyo—who translate the musical universe of Concordia into a lyrical and dreamlike visual narrative.
Artwork is by the acclaimed visual artist buggy, with logo and graphic design by Shunsuke Kosaka.
