MUSIC IN EXILE RELEASES MIKEY YOUNG x MUSIC YARED REMIX EP & SHARE SECOND SINGLE
Photo credit: Luke Byrne
“... everything Mikey Young is involved with is solid gold!”
- Lodown Mag
“Feels like a first for this kind of Ethio - electronic fusion and it works.”
- Quinton Scott, Worldwide FM
“Super fresh!”
- Alex Ruder, KEXP
Music in Exile today announces the second single from the upcoming MIKEY YOUNG X MUSIC YARED REMIX EP. Mikey Young again lends his hand to remix a Music Yared original track in this new single,
‘Sindayo (Mikey Young’s Krar Remix)’ out April 9 via Music in Exile.
Premiering on April 7 via Music is My Sanctuary, Mikey Young’s second remix interpretation, Sindayo (Mikey Young’s Krar Remix) takes a more down-tempo, contemplative direction. Beginning with a heartbeat-like bass motif, the track has a meandering quality, gently introducing the listener to snippets of sounds from the original song. These sounds continue to build, reflecting and reverberating off each other, creating a sense of ease and meditation within a tempo-less soundscape.
This second single follows on from the first release from this EP, Sindayo (Mikey Young’s Masinko Remix), a synth-laden reworking that pairs the traditional character of Music Yared’s with contrasting electronic ideas. Synth pads and melodies swell and intertwine, samples interject, whilst grooving electronic beats underpin a new approach to texture.
Mikey Young’s legacy is well known throughout the Australian music scene, most notably as part of garage punk band Eddy Current Suppression Ring, and synth-driven outfit, Total Control. However, the talents of Young extend well beyond the performance setting to the world of engineering and mastering with his name appearing in the liner notes of an incredible number of releases, becoming something of a trademark of quality. In this release, Young showcases his skill and nuance, creating a remix where tradition and sonic exploration co-exist.
Anbessa Gebrehiwot and Haftu Reda are masterful players of krar and masinko, traditional string instruments from Eritrea and Ethiopia. Now based in Melbourne, Australia, the pair collaborate with multi-instrumentalist Dale Gorfinkel to create an innovative ensemble sound that celebrates their East African culture. The band's seemingly endless repertoire ranges from modern takes on folk songs to new, original compositions with Anbessa’s strong vocal presence a perfect match to Haftu’s sweet lyrical modesty.
Music Yared’s compositions are inspired by traditional Ethiopian and Eritrean folk songs and they sing about love, distance, separation and culture. Their songs also feature virtuosic mastery of traditional instruments - the krar, (a 5 string lyre style instrument), and the masinko (a single string violin-like instrument that is played using a bow.) Although inspired by tradition, Music Yared’s compositions embrace the notion that music is always developing and changing with the times. Taking influence from traditional folk songs, Music Yared finds newness and originality through their personal approach to their lyrics, their treatment of rhythm, and the creation of new beats. This change and openness to new sounds is also apparent in their instrumentation, as they pair their traditional instruments with drums, as well as samples of bass lines and percussion.
Given their openness to new musical approaches and experimentation, it only seems fitting for the songs of Music Yared to be remixed, allowing further exploration of their inherent musical attitudes towards change and development. In this Remix EP, Mikey Young traverses new sonic territory, pairing the traditional character of Music Yared with contrasting ideas from different sonic landscapes. The original songs are musically acknowledged before the listener is guided into different sonic worlds; synth pads and melodies swell and intertwine, samples interject, whilst grooving electronic beats underpin a new approach to texture and song structure.
Recorded by Dale Gorfinkel in Thornbury. Mixed and mastered by John Lee at Phaedra Studios.
Remixed & additional production by Mikey Young in Rye, Victoria.