'Dreamscapes' - the EP and sheet music bundle from The Laszlo Project, out December 3rd
The Laszlo Project releases Dreamscapes EP and official sheet music bundle on Dec 3rd 2021
Dreamscapes features the four singles: Kyoto Rain, Nagoya Moon, Longing and Frenetics, which have already amassed over 200,000 streams on Spotify
Jamie Cullum supports the release with Kyoto Rain airplay on BBC Radio 2
Listen to Dreamscapes here
26 November, 2021 - The 2021 EP from The Laszlo Project (a.k.a Aaron Wheeler) is Dreamscapes - a masterful 4-track record that continues a decades-long experimentation in sound from a composer who never fails to delight and beguile.
Laszlo returns to his roots on this EP, with colourful, dream-like piano melodies. From the beautifully reflective monsoon of Kyoto Rain to the taste-the-rainbow wackiness of Frenetics, Dreamscapes undoubtably takes the listener on a journey into the ether.
It is a marked departure from the synth and funk of The Laszlo Project’s 2020 release, Press Start. “Dreamscapes has a more organic sound palate - real instrumentation and a heavier emphasis on improvised solos,” says Aaron.
With early support on Jamie Cullum’s Jazz Show (BBC Radio 2), and Nick Luscombe (ex-BBC Radio 3), as well as continual placement on Spotify’s Jazz UK and Changes playlists, Dreamscapes has already amassed more than 200,000 streams on Spotify alone.
Central to the concept of the EP was the accompanying artwork and animations, created by London-based artist Adam Davies. “This was a really visual process; we struck gold when we discovered Adam, he really understood how these songs take visual form.”
Davies also drew from a key influence over Aaron’s music; that of Japanese composers Joe Hisaishi (best known for scoring the Studio Ghibli films), Nobuo Uematsu (known for the Final Fantasy video game series) and virtuoso jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara. “It made sense for the Japanese aesthetic to permeate not only across the sound and song titles - Kyoto Rain and Nagoya Moon - but also on the covers,” says Aaron. “So you can see it in the architecture; in the brush strokes and the use of colour; even the way that it’s animated.” The final EP artwork combines elements from each of the four single covers, bringing the works together optically as well as aurally.
Across the EP, vocals from Phoebe-Wright-Spinks add alternating haunting or joyful depth, whilst the talents of Michael Underwood (saxophone and flute), Simon Joiner (trumpet and flugel horn), Sam Gale (trombone) and Sophie Alloway (drums) give the record texture and a wonderful fluidity - perhaps most notably on the crescendoed outro to nostalgic Longing.
Accompanying the release are the official sheet music downloads for all four tracks, transcribed by Tom Knowles. The bundle will be available to purchase from Bandcamp and the official Lydian Collective store from December 3rd, and Dreamscapes will be available to stream everywhere from January 14 2022.
Dreamscapes tracklist:
Kyoto Rain
Nagoya Moon
Longing
Frenetics
For more information, interview and review requests, please contact
Hey Boo! Creative: +44(0)7876 247358 / alex@heyboocreative.com / https://heyboocreative.com