Šarūnė Zurba, a Lithuanian lifestyle photographer based out of Vilnius, released a series of atmospheric photos named Final Exam. In this series, Šarūnė Zurba utilises light terrifically in her photos to reflect and create a feeling of uncertainty and pressure.
You can find more work Šarūnė Zurba here.
Previously featured Aaron Taos has come back with another stunner of a song named Denial. The song comes from his latest album Birthday Boy. Denial effectuates euphonious vocals by Aaron Taos and equally terrific lines by Tedy Brewski. Denial is a must-listen for any true music lover.
Reveries, a German-based band lead by Max Altmeyer, have released their latest piece Dream Life Forever. In this fun-vibe track, the band deliver a tuneful beat, catchy lyrics and a colourful production that will have you listening for days to come. The track is from their self-named six-track EP Reveries.
The third and final track of this sound selection is Banause by Kaiserdisco, a duo known for their brilliant Techno artistry. In this dance floor fitting track, the duo delivers a high-pace beat which begets a floury of monstrous synths (the good type). Banause is a nightlife hit.
Stijn Hoekstra, a Netherlands-based cinematographer and photographer, has released a stunning series of photos named Cinematic Morroco where he explored the country of Morocco over a period of three weeks.
You can find more work by Stijn Hoekstra here.
Kevin Krautgartner, a German-born photographer, has released the second part of his Australian Salt series.
Discussing the series Krautgartner wrote: “Salt evaporation ponds, also called salterns, are shallow artificial ponds designed to extract salts from sea water. To make it’s sea salt, many companies in Australia are using a method called “solar evaporation”. Solar salt is produced by the action of sun and wind on seawater in large ponds. The seawater evaporates in successive ponds until the seawater is fully concentrated and the salt then crystallizes on the floor of the pond. Due to variable algal concentrations, vivid colors, from bright blue to deep red, are created in the evaporation ponds. The color indicates the salinity of the ponds.”
You can find more work by Kevin Krautgartner here.
Justyna Hołubowska-Chrząszczak, a Polish illustrator and graphic designer, has released a series of illustration for a Polish book publisher Zielona Sowa. The illustrations are named Snow White and feature eye-pleasing colours, easy to understand narrative and a well mastered style of illustration.
You can find more work by Justyna Hołubowska-Chrząszczak here.
Stian Klo, a Norwegian-born photographer, has released a beautiful series of photos named Finnish Lapland, in which Klo explores the stunning nature of Finland.
Talking about the series Stian Klo wrote: “I visited the Finnish Lapland back in early January 2019. I had high expectations having seen many great images from the area, but I was left completely speechless by its pure and natural beauty. I’ve never experienced such low temperatures (-37 degrees Celsius), but it was all worth it. Already booked my next trip for 2020.”
You can find more splendid work by Stian Klo here.
Matthew Thorne, an Australian film director and photographer, has released a series named The Sand That Ate The Sea. Like his other works, this series has a raw-feel to it and focuses on themes such as community, land, and spirituality. The Sand That Ate The Sea will also be released as a short film. The release date of the short film is yet to be confirmed.
You can find more work by Matthew Thorne here.
Skander Khlif, a Munich-based photographer and visual storyteller, has released a series of photos named Stories From Bangkok. The series is part of a larger travel series where Skander Khlif explores Asia by travelling across different countries and photographing people in their everyday life.
You can find more work by Skander Khlif here.
Getting quality headphones is becoming harder and harder, not because the quality is not out there but because of the sheer amount of companies making low-quality, overpriced headphones. Here is a list of some of best Over-Ear Headphones for Under £100
| Name: |
Sennheiser HD 4.40 BT, Over-Ear Wireless Bluetooth Headphones |
|---|---|
| Features: |
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| Why We Like It: | Well adjustable and comfy. Well balanced sound. |
| Price | £79 – Buy Here (Amazon) |
| Name: |
Audio-Technica ATH-M40X Professional Headphones – Black |
|---|---|
| Features: |
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| Why We Like It: | Perfect for music producers. Top-notch price for the quality. |
| Price | £79 – Buy Here (Amazon) |
| Name: |
AKG K612PRO Reference Open-Back, Over-Ear Studio Headphones |
|---|---|
| Features: |
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| Why We Like It: | Lovely design with solid quality. AKG have done it again! |
| Price | £79 – Buy Here (Amazon) |
All of these headphones are fairly priced and whilst there is a tonne of other headphones competing for this spot, we must name the Audio Technica’s as our favourites. These headphones have stunning sound and have always been reliable when it comes to travelling and working in harsher environments.
Belle Chen, an Australian-Taiwanese pianist, has joined us for an interview to talk about her latest recently released album Departure.
Good thanks!
I’ve been playing piano since I was 5, although I think the real love for music came during my teenage years – during this time music became my vital way to truly communicate to the world. I knew I wanted a life in music then, and this thought stays the same to this day!
The idea for ‘Departure’ came from listening to traditional music from around the world — I had been listening to a lot of Gamelan, Chinese traditional music, Flamenco, Zimbabwean Shona music… and I became obsessively curious about how these timbres may able to be achieved through the piano.
It was one of these ideas that I could not stop thinking about, so I knew this would be my next album!
I often joke about the challenge of creating ‘Departure’ was trying not to break the piano… but in all seriousness, one of the main challenges of creating ‘Departure’ was to be brave enough to make the choices.. “to call the shots” so to speak.
Traditional instruments and sounds come with their respective contexts of culture, meaning, history… each instrument is indicative of the belief system and ways of living of the people who the instruments belong to. And thus, to take these timbres and refer to these instruments out of their original context and to develop new pieces based on Western language was a decision that only came after many, many nights of back and forth.
It was all very much in my head – but this would be one of the big hurdles I had to mentally get over (apart from not breaking the piano).
My manager would probably say arranging for a 200kg piano to be lugged down to a basement recording studio was also a challenge too… And my engineer would probably say the session that ran consecutively from 10am to 4am was particularly memorable (I had written a chart with 32 overlay parts, some to be looped, and each with 6 microphones in capture…).
In the end, it was really fun – we’re all very proud of the album.
I advocate for equality — love them all.
Original, provocative, curious.
I am playing quite a few live performances this year, with shows taking me around the UK and to Italy, Sweden, China etc.
There are also plans to transform ‘Departure’ into a live multimedia show with a very respected artist, which is cool.
And… I’ve started drafting my next ‘thing’ too!
For me… Culture is both the result of and the essence behind humankind’s behaviour and actions. Culture is to humanity what colours are to painting.
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