Field Recordings II is here
We teamed-up with Apple Music to prove that getting out to nature stimulates creativity
We're stoked to unveil the second serving of our Field Recordings project, which sends some of our most exciting musicians out to nature to help break through writer's block, fuel creativity and benefit mentally from outdoors immersion. Scientists have proven that regular time in nature is the best refresher there is for coming up with new ideas or projects gone dormant. There's no better way to see that come to life than through art.
This year, we've changed things up and teamed with Apple Music to release these tracks in immersive spatial audio. Spatial is basically surround sound for your ears. When we first experience it, we knew we had to build it into Field Recordings. It puts you in the centre of the music, so you can feel the benefits of being in the wilderness without ever leaving your desk. We're incredibly lucky to have had the two-time Grammy-winning Eric J Dubowsky, who's worked on records for Flume, Odesza and Chet Faker, mix these for us.
We also sent veteran producer and all-time legend Wade Keighran out to our locations to capture these environments in 360 sound, so listening to them will transport you to the cabins where they were conceived. Very soon we'll also be releasing these nature sounds on their own, so you can tune into the wilderness for concentration and relaxation.
Find out more about this year's graduating class and listen to Field Recordings II, exclusively in spatial on Apple Music, below.
Why send artists to nature?
You know that old saying 'pressure makes diamonds'? Well, that's all well and good until you're so stressed out you can't see straight, trapped in a room no windows and bad lighting, trying to come up with the next big idea. Creativity means a lot of things to a lot of different people, but we feel there's no purer expression of it in practice than writing music.
Over the last 3 years, we've helped Australian and Kiwi artists break out of the touring/recording/writing hamster wheel, spend some time in the outdoors and recalibrate their creative process. By understanding how they experience nature, and how it helps them, we can all learn about the the true potential of the wilderness to unlock new parts of our brain that the 9-5 grind often puts to sleep.
Ngaiire
Four times ARIA-nominee and national treasure Ngaiire has been pushing the boundaries of pop, R&B and soul for over a decade. Her unmistakeable soaring voice takes on a new dimension for 'Found', a return to her folky roots inspired by her nature sessions at Das and Heike. Travelling both solo and with her young family, Ngaiire relished the opportunity to immerse herself in the wild after a tough year.
"I'm super grateful for the experience, because it really just turned things around in a way that you guys probably didn't even know. This is just like scratching the surface of what it's done for me. It's given me a new lease on life."
Milan Ring
One of Australia's most enxciting hybrid talents, Milan is an incredible singer, rapper, writer, producer, engineer and multi-instrumentalist. There's very little she can't do, as evidenced by the phenomenal track 'Bound', which mixes Spanish influences with her signature R&B sound. Milan loved her nature sessions at Sufjan and Jojo.
"It was also one of the first times I went away into nature, with no reception for a few days by myself, so it was a particularly liberating and life-changing experience, one which I will definitely do again."
Miiesha
Winner of the Best Soul/R&B Artist at least year's ARIA Awards, Miiesha has had an incredible trajectory in the past five years. The proud Pitjantjatjara and Torres Strait Islander woman's breathtaking delivery has won her plaudits across the country as she relays stories of heartbreak and heartache with effortless vocal dexterity. Miiesha and co-writer, guitarist Sarah Koppen, headed out to Tibor during a marathon touring run earlier this year to disconnect from the madness and enjoy some serenity. Judging by the sound of their track 'Eventually', it looks like some mountain time definitely did the trick.
Wallace
Wallace is an electro-soul, future-boogie wunderkind based in Wellington that has also spent time in Sydney and London. She's Jazz-trained, has toured with the likes of Little Simz and Jordan Rakei and drops jaws every time she steps on stage. After a long stint in UK lockdown, Wallace returned to New Zealand to regroup musically. She spent time scouting one of our yet-to-be-announced locations to help write the epic 'Further Away' for Field Recordings II.
"No matter what genre you fall under I feel like a sense of calm is important when creating. Give your mind space in a world filled with noise."
Tiana Khasi
With a voice like liquid gold and the musical chops to match, Brisbane-via-Melbourne's Tiana Khasi is an artist to watch. With only a few records out in the world (but more on the way), Khasi has already piqued the interest of some of the world's most formidable tastemakers, including Gilles Peterson with her future soul that nods to her Samoan and Indian lineage. She's an AIR award nominee, a BBC featured artist and now an Unyoked Field Recordings resident, having written and recorded at Louka and Ottessa.
"The whole experience of being off the grid at both locations was key. With no internet to endlessly scroll away, the days felt generous and I came to realise how much comparison and social media voyeurism can stifle creativity."
Ruby Gill
You might remember Ruby's name, as she's a previous winner of our Unyoked Writers Residency. It turns out that in addition to being a skilled poet, Ruby's also a brilliant singer-songwriter. Her deeply personal tunes have been finding audiences in all the right places this year as she gets set to release her debut album. We're stoked to have Ruby back in the saddle with a beautiful song originally conceived during her first residency, 'If God Is the Pigeon.' This piece was also produced by Ex-Olympian, who was in our first Field Recordings cohort. We love it when our family comes together.
"I have always been drawn to the focus and freedom of solitude. For 6 months I was excited to visit these tiny monasteries of silence and nature. But out there in the forests and creek beds, I have never felt more in communion. I wrote constantly, read deeply and wore only enough clothes to be warm. I am so grateful for the chance to unsoak the curled-up thoughts inside me. "