Following the death of his parents, Melbourne-based musician, composer, and producer Matt Lewin started the always-difficult task of sorting through possessions; one such item was an old reel-to-reel tape recorder, containing the outlines of 28 previously unheard compositions for voice and piano, made by his grandfather in the late 1960’s. Lewin took these sketches, interpreting them through his own unique compositional trope, avoiding using his father’s voice or reinterpreting the original compositions, adding instead an ambient, minimalist soundscape around the original recordings to create a unique father-and-son collaboration which reaches across the years.
What we’re left with is a hauntingly beautiful, peaceful-yet-uplifting collection of mellow, downtempo electronica, a deeply original, personal musical conversation which feels both timeless and remarkably contemporary. Lewin’s sympathetic approach allows space for the original compositions to breathe and grow, whilst adding up-to-date touches with synthesised and sequenced instrumentals evoking feelings of peace, tranquillity, hope, and solace.
Lewin’s album, ‘The Map Maker’, is released on March 18th; you can hear ‘Heirloom’ via BandCamp, and check out Spacecadet Lullabies here.
Review by Alex Holmes
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