Olafur Arnalds

Produced by Matthew Halsall, Gondwana Records is delighted to announce Horizons the debut album by Leeds-based saxophonist, composer and band-leader Jasmine Myra.

Brand new works and covers from renowned Composers of Film, Electronic And Alternative Contemporary Classical Music; Hildur Guðnadóttir, Ólafur Arnalds, Nainita Desai and A Winged Victory For The Sullen. This new collection of meditative and otherworldly choral recordings transcends genres and features six brand-new compositions interspersed with eight newly arranged covers from renowned composers. In this space-inspired concept album, VOCES8 leads listeners on an introspective journey beyond our world, inviting them to escape for an hour of contemplative and calming music. The voices of VOCES8 are intermingled with ethereal strings, harp, bowed vibraphones and, in one of the new compositions, a sample of the Sputnik satellite.

The Hania Rani (piano) and Dobrawa Czocher (cello) duo stands as living proof that purely instrumental music has its rightful place on the contemporary music scene and is able to draw an increasingly broad spectrum of listeners. The genre of these ladies‘ music can be described as the more and more prominent “modern classic“, represented by artists such as e.g. Nils Frahm, Olafur Arnalds or Max Richter.

Born into a musical family in Argentina, Sebastian Plano is a classically-trained contemporary composer and multi-instrumentalist. Exploring his strong roots in folk music and tango, and enchanted by the resonance of electronic music, he began to interpret his influences with his own sounds at age 12. His music draws from a wide pool of influences. Indeed, it is influenced by much of classical music, but we also find similarities to some soundtrack composers, as well as certain musicians such as Ólafur Arnalds, Sigur Rós, Arvo Pärt, Nils Frahm and Max Richter. Plano has gained international acclaim with albums 'Arrhythmical Part of Hearts' and 'Impetus', placing him as one of the pioneering artists combining classical and electronic elements.

"I feel like 'Home' is a second part of the same book, that the start was in 'Esja', a musical prelude to a real plot. I feel Home is a story with an ending, so the next book can tell a totally different one. I am constantly looking for new ways of expression. I am curious where 'Home' will lead me and my music". — Hania Rani

We are super proud to announce ‘Ghosts’, showcasing the sound of an ever-evolving artist who passes repeatedly and gracefully between musical worlds: as composer, singer, songwriter, and producer. This album builds on Rani’s earlier successes ‘Esja’ and ‘Home’ with an expanded yet still minimal setup of piano, keyboards, synths and foregrounds her mysterious, bewitching voice. Ghosts is also an album of collaborations as Rani is joined by Patrick Watson, who breathes unearthly life into the ethereal ‘Dancing with Ghosts’. ‘Whispering House’ written and recorded with her friend Ólafur Arnalds, casts a peaceful, ineluctable spell; and Portico Quartet’s Duncan Bellamy contributes vital loops to ‘Don’t Break My Heart’ and ‘Thin Line’.