Hemlock Printers 50th Anniversary
Hemlock Printers - a venerable print shop in Vancouver - recently celebrated their 50th anniversary and I was lucky enough to write some music to help them reach their half century in style.
Orchestrated by the talented Jarmain Productions, I spent a day wandering their Burnaby location with a backpack full of microphones, recording printing machines from the distant past and those that look liks they're from the future. Taking those sounds home, I cleaned up the audio, and orchestrated a growing symphony of whirrs and clacks to help narrate Hemlock's long and successful history.
As usual with Jarmain Productions, everything went smoothly at a quick pace, and PostPro Media did a great job putting everything together. Thanks again to all of the staff at Hemlock for taking such good care of us! They were all so good and enthused about helping me get the audio I needed. I only wish I had longer to explore the buzz of the factory.
Yuika feat Sachie Sunaga
Five years ago, I visited Japan for the first time. Eager to absorb the culture, I wanted to visit as many festivals as possible - except there was only one during my month-long visit. Crap.
That soured me at the time, but it ended up being a huge blessing because that's where I met Felicity Tillack from Where Next Japan. In the past few months, Felicity and I reconnected and have been working together on a theme song for her debut film, "Impossible to Imagine" - a film that explores issues around identity, and how Japan is struggling to adapt and become more inclusive in the modern era.
In line with the film's plot, we wanted to marry Eastern (Sachie Sunaga) and Western (my Canadian self) sounds together for something new. I borrowed the Japanese scales and some of the typical instruments (kotos and shakuhachi), but also sounds from the environment like wooden blocks and Shinto bells. All of that sits on my usual aesthetic.
A whole lot of talented people lent their skills to make this song happen. Big ups to Jacob James Henry from Akamatsu Creative for recording and producing the vocals in Japan, William Yagi Lewis for the cover photograph, Yukiko Ito for lending her likeness, and of course, Sachie Sunaga for lyrics and vocals. Everyone was rounded up by Felicity. What mad hustle.
We're all excited it's out and we hope you like it! As always, thanks so much as always for listening, everyone! Yuika is available everywhere at this link. It's my first Japanese-language song, so I'd love to hear what you think!
Lyrics
ゆらゆら揺れるこころ
My heart is swinging and wavering
さらさら川面にくゆる （薫る）
Running on the surface of the river
春夏秋冬と
Spring, summer, autumn, winter
彩る織りなす螺旋
A twisting spiral of colours
ひとつ
one
ふたつ
two
いと（愛）おしむ思いは
My of love for you
遥かまで紡ぐ
Woven over long distances
きらきら気づいた気もち
The discovery of a sparkling feeling
ひらひら表も裏も
flutters back and forth.
朝露きだした世界
The world has started breathing
ひとり
One person
ふたり
Two people
寄り添う面影は胸の中包む
A picture of us warm together fills my heart
Rare Disease Foundation: "Whole Picture"
Last week, I wrote some music for the Rare Disease Foundation. I feel like I’ve lived a privileged life. Even in dark times, I’ve always been guided to a way to make things better. Let’s make sure these folks find one too.
Well done to the good people at 123w for the creative! Here's their description of the piece:
"Nearly 3 million Canadians have a rare disease. With as little as $3,500, the Rare Disease Foundation can fund the research needed to cure one. To lay out the facts—and show the impact even a small donation can have—we turned a class photo into a living infographic. Lena, a little girl suffering from a rare disease in real life, stands alone. Her classmates appear and disappear around her as the statistics are read, highlighting just how little money is needed to help cure children like her."
Want to help? Learn more about the Rare Disease Foundation.
"Play Sharp" for the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin Laptop
My first commercial in Taiwan! MSI just announced this handsome laptop, the GS65 Stealth Thin, and they brought me on to write music for its launch commercial. As a big fan of the GE63VR, it was an honour working on some of their hardware (and with Overwatch footage too!)
Kollectv feat Lilian Leopold
Featuring Lilian Leopold, this latest short by Kollectv takes us on a romp through some of my favourite places in the world, the trails of North Vancouver.
The creative was looking for a hybrid sound, a blend of tribal and nature-inspired tones sitting on an electronic foundation. Narratively, we wanted to paint the picture of a hunt, one that would escalate throughout the piece. As always with this team, I was more than happy to oblige with an original score.
If you liked this, we also worked together on commercials for the Vancouver Art Gallery and Kal Tire that you might enjoy. Thanks as always for listening!