𝓼𝓪𝔂 is the first single for upcoming project album Mare Milionariæ.
It has been written during Catharæ's (Hugo Mir-Valette) residency by Marea Art Project, ECHOING.
"During the residency on the Amalfi Coast, Hugo Mir-Valette deepened his research on the Mediterranean by listening to the tides, the wind, and the mythologies they spread. He searched for fundamental notes with a simple portable synthesizer, the Casio SK-1, so that he could listen and compose outdoors. This happened at Cala la Gavitella, a rocky beach that reminded him of the Calanques in Marseille, where he could listen to all the nuances and subtleties of water.
«I feel that one can learn so much from the sea. Its fractal movements reveal the details of life, both static and always in motion. The immense views from Praiano allow distance and perspective to slow down, and observe a diversity of mood swings.»
This is how he composed Mare Milionariæ, a liquid sound performance in eight movements and themes, like jazz or concrete music. The work was done with piano and organ recorded at the Church of San Luca and post-produced at Casa l'Orto, with field recordings, granular textures, and sea-shaped sound effects.
«I work progressively, from natural to digital sounds, to design an open sound language that can accompany tales and stories. The performance texts are poems inspired by free speech, reflecting that globalization and mass tourism may change how we act or speak, but they will never change our cultural cores.»
During the residency, Mir-Valette dialogued with regular collaborators, notably Niccolò Moronato, who recorded the story of the abandoned ship in the port of Chioggia, the "Gladiatore", and Angela Saracino, who sang the "Cilentana", a traditional local song, which Mir-Valette then remixed for the final performance.
«The Sea is a complex environment, where we can be different but still bound together. It helps us live in the present, remember our stories. To try and write them again».
text by Imma Tralli, Marea Art Project
Mixed and mastered at editing.world.grid studio, Marseille.