Other Projects
Footwork Lullaby, 2024
viñu-vinu : live electronics, keyboards
Footwork Lullaby began as a research project while I was in creative residency at CEM in Chicoutimi in June 2023. I started listening to more breakbeats, Drum n' Bass, Footwork and UK Bass music and decided to explore these influences for my residency. In the first few weeks, I did a lot of research and emulation on rhythms, drum patterns, sound design and basses. I was trying to find the essence of the music, what works and what doesn't, and to find a personal way of recreating these aspects. At the same time, I couldn't help but create little song outlines around these new sounds and integrate them into my own sonic universe, which generally evolves around softer-sounding melodies and harmonies. I also found that mixing in piano, some field recordings and lush-sounding chords contrasted nicely with the heavier-sounding bass and drums. The contrast can also be found between the fast, syncopated rhythm of the juke and dnb influence and the tranquility of the ambient textures and pads used in the creation of the music.
The live set was premiered in June 2024 at the Sled Island Music and Art Festival. At the moment, I'm working on this music again, finishing the previous sketches, working on new pieces and finishing tracks that will be part of a new LP. This video is an excerpt of the full set and was filmed and recorded for the CJSW radio Live Sessions in collaboration with Sled Island Festival.
Echoes from Afar Live A/V, 2019
viñu-vinu,
MJ Farrell, live visuals
Echoes from Afar is inspired by unknown faraway lands and nature, its colorful and gorgeously evocative soundscapes seek the fine line between ambient experimental textures and downtempo beats all applied in live electronic music performances. All the tracks in this album were recorded live during a residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in December 2017 and in Montreal in the winter 2018. From this commitment to organic processes and spontaneity, emerge dreamlike sonic tapestries that develop naturally and let the listener’s mind drift between a state of consciousness and unconsciousness.
This Live A/V brings visual artist MJ Farrell magnetic tape and vhs aesthetic to the project. Oscillating between nature documentary source material and, either faded or vibrant, abstract tableaux created through video feedbacks and analog processes, MJ interacts with the music as an echo of what’s being played in the moment. In the same way, I improvise parts or change effects reflecting some unexpected turns he might bring on the screen. In this piece, we create space for a unique dialogue to happen, where sound and projections both feel like a distant memory. Echoes from Afar is a meditative and reflective experience that questions our place in the physical world and our relationship to nature.
Ambient / Experimental improvised live set, 2020
viñu-vinu: OP-1 + FX pedals
Live hardware set, 2019
viñu-vinu : digitakt, OP-1, FX pedals