Olec Mün: Musical Murmurations

‘And you can tell everybody, this is Your Song,’ Elton John once said. Composers and songwriters have been dedicating their art to people at least since the dawn of musical invention. To dedicate words and music to a person is one thing, but what about music without words? I think to do that is even more special when the music is less direct and more open to interpretation. This is what Olec Mün does on his new album, 'Vögel'.

Originally from Argentina, musician and composer Olec Mün released his first solo album in 2018 entitled ‘Septenio’, a minimalistic but passionate record as demonstrated in the music video for ‘Me molesta la luz.’ Olec’s follow-up, ‘Reconciliation’, is a solo piano album released in September 2020.

Mün continued composing and released his third album in March called ‘Makara’ in collaboration with Michael Sarian. Recorded remotely, Makara was a lockdown project that stretched between Mün’s home in Barcelona and Sarian’s in Brooklyn, New York. Olec Mün’s lockdown composing has yielded another album now, released in June and entitled 'Vögel'.

Almost entirely composed and performed on piano, Vögel begins with ‘Merle’, the album’s first single. There is much beauty to be heard here in the minor melancholia. This is no grand thumping at the instrument, but rather a gesture of solidarity with quiet peace. The way this is recorded makes it sound more percussive, almost like the keys themselves are mic’ed up to capture the very movement of Olec Mün’s fingers on each note. At first I considered it was headphone bleed from a metronome, but what is to say there was one at all?

The pace is altered with ‘Churrinche’, Olec Mün’s right hand dancing up and down each chord while his left pads forward. My mind conjures the image of a figure skater in slow motion, even though I know the album was inspired by nothing of the sort. Mün’s initial inspiration for this collection stems from the birds outside his window during the first 2020 lockdown, who were shown to have far more freedom in those times than an entire civilisation avoiding each other.

‘Storni’ is the only composition on Vögel that features another musician. Here, Italian composer Laura Masotto contributes violin with Olec Mün keeping the rhythm in a similar way to Churrinche. It’s hard not to focus on Masotto’s gorgeous playing, which has a lot of body to it due to her recording multiple layers. They seem to sweep in and out of focus, more in the way it was composed rather than any post-production effort. At under three minutes in length, Storni is over far too quickly. I could listen to a whole album of Mün and Masotto’s musical chemistry.

‘Paloma’ Single Artwork by Alessandro Lugoboni.

Vögel’s second single comes in the form of ‘Paloma’. The album’s artwork by Alessandro Lugoboni was also extended to include each of the singles, as pictured above. Lugoboni’s minimalistic approach reflects Olec Mün’s music well, a fitting visual accompaniment. Paloma is slower, more delicate than Storni. Inspired by the birdsong he heard outside his window, Olec asked fans of his music to send him audio recordings of birds from their locale. Soon, Mün was receiving recordings from his native Argentina, to Italy, Germany and even as far as Australia. He compiled these into a sound collage he played whilst composing the pieces on this album. It’s on Paloma where I can really imagine this scenario vividly.

‘Luscinia’ returns to the thought-provoking sound of Merle. I think when performing it’s possible for a musician’s mind to wander. This is the kind of music I would play when my mind is elsewhere. The notes are perfect, the hands are doing all the work as if they themselves are the brain. I liken it to driving, when you reach your destination without realising you had been on autopilot all that time. It’s interesting to hear that kind of thought exploration captured in a composition like this, something at all I wasn’t expecting. At least…this is what I think when I hear Luscinia.

You might argue that every piece on Vögel could well be soundtrack material, but I think this is particularly true of ‘Grulla’. Indeed, Olec Mün’s approach to composition is well suited to such an endeavour in the right circumstance, especially as he has the talent to record and produce his own music to a high standard. So clear is the recording of Grulla, you can hear the clicking of a particular key, and even the sound of Olec Mün exhaling as he performs the piece. This is no over-produced collection of songs that furthers the gap between composer and listener, this is a very human work written at a time when humanity needed each other more than ever.

Vögel is brought to a close with the album’s third single ‘Gavina’. The melody here is laid out almost as if someone is singing on top of the chords. For the first half of the song, Olec’s approach is slower, like he’s showing the melody to the listener for them to memorise. Once this is done, Mün speeds up to see if you’ve caught on. One of the most beautiful moments on this album is when Olec Mün extends this piece up another octave. This comes in the final moments of Gavina, almost like Vögel is given a happy ending. I can’t help but have a smile on my face.

Continue reading for our Q&A with Olec Mün. We ask about the composing and recording aspects of Vögel, the artwork by Alessandro Lugoboni and collaborating with Laura Masotto and Michael Sarian, plus much more.

1. Your new album 'Vögel' is almost entirely performed on piano. When did you begin composing these pieces? What was the first composition written?

This question is not easy to answer since some melodies have been around me for a couple of years. Particularly “Paloma” was the first motive to come to me, in Argentina in 2018. However, there was just the motive which I did not know how to develop. Then came “Gavina” which I also started composing in a house by the beach when I moved to Spain in 2019. But again, there was only the motive, which I could only play in a loop without much expectations. That often happens with some songs. They suddenly arrive but then something in me needs to settle in order for them to continue, and that may take two months or two years. That is why composing teaches, amongst other things, about patience.

Then came the famous lockdown in the beginnings of 2020. With all my plans vanished, I sat on the piano looking at the free birds flying past my window and that instant sparked the idea of composing to the birds. That meant finishing these two pieces I had started and allowing myself to receive more tunes with this similar pace and perfume.

2. Tell me about the recording process. Where were the pieces recorded? Did it all come together fairly quickly?

The recording process took place in Barcelona during August 2020. I had been playing the tunes almost every day for the last few weeks in order to go prepared to the studio. The producer suggested recording during the night, which I found really interesting. So we turned the lights off and lit a couple of candles to help with the mood. In two nights we recorded the whole album. I think it is very important to feel comfortable and safe while recording, especially in the type of music I make, where I need to be able to hold the space of silence.

3. The single and album artworks are curious, what do those pieces depict?

The artwork was done marvellously by Alessandro Lugo, Lady Blunt Records´ designer. The starlings were a great inspiration for this album. These are the small black birds that fly in enormous flocks and create geometric shapes, like dancing choreographies. These events in the sky are called “starling murmurations”. You can check the videos on the internet. I find these moments so magical and inspiring. I love the idea of nature creating art and beauty. In fact, that is the real art, the living art that does not pretend to be in museums, exhibitions or albums. It is just the expression of creation.

We wanted to reproduce this idea visually, suggesting the starlings murmuration with shapes and forms that are diffuse in order for the viewer to put in his or her own interpretation, attune to the music of Vögel, where there are no lyrics and the listener can travel wherever he or she needs to.

4. Laura Masotto performs violin on 'Storni', what was it like to work with her?

I love that you ask this question next, since it is tied with the previous one. “Storni” means “starlings” in Italian. I used to listen to “Vögel” songs while watching the starling murmurations in videos. The piece “Storni” had no name yet, but I knew I wanted Laura Masotto to collaborate on it. So I sent it to her and she returned to me with many ideas of lines and harmonies, one better than the other. It was not easy to decide since each idea had its own beauty, but after some conversations we decided and Laura recorded the final takes. We later decided to call it Storni since it suited perfectly. This dance performed between piano and strings is so attune to the dance made by the starlings in the sky. I strongly suggest listening to Storni while watching a starling murmuration.

Working with Laura is so pleasant and inspiring, since we share similar musical languages and paths of composition. The idea of a motive repeating itself, developing, adding layers and textures into it, playing with dynamics, etc. A great part of making music is being able to meet other people like Laura from around the world, allowing music to connect us from deeper and subtler levels of the Soul.

5. If you could create a music video for one of these pieces, which would it be? What would the music video look like?

That´s a great question, since it is something I am thinking about right now! On one hand I would love to see a dancer perform on one of these songs, on the other hand I would love an artist to make a visual animation of the starlings making shapes in the skies. So I am bouncing between these two ideas, or I could make both, why not? I think “Paloma” would suit well for a choreography and “Storni” for the animation in the sky. I still need to find a visual creator which can manifest in video what I convey in music.

6. Each piece on this album is dedicated to a specific person. Is there someone you'd like to mention and thank now?

The people whom I dedicated each song to know exactly who they are, since I shared with them the process of composition and also the selection of the name of each piece.  I will not get tired of thanking each one of them for the support and the love I receive. I thank every day for the opportunity I have to dedicate my days to music and art. I thank my True Self for sticking out, for letting itself be known through the creations that emerge within. I thank the people that listen to my music and connect with it, and the people that help spread the message, like you at Moths and Giraffes. Thank you!

7. For the 'Makara' album, you worked with Michael Sarian, what was that experience like?

I´ve known Michael for more than twenty years now. We went to school together, shared maths and literature lessons, playgrounds, bands and choirs, vacations. I just remembered I tried my first cigarette with Michael! We have this almost brotherly relationship.

He has been living in New York for many years, and although we knew about each other´s lives we obviously did not share the day to day. We had always talked about doing something together but it was just a desire which seemed quite difficult because of the distance and because we were making different kinds of music. However, as an unexpected gift from the strangest 2020, due to the pandemic we started talking and sharing our day to day internal and artistic paths. I was experimenting with synthesisers and he was experimenting with effects on his trumpet, so we decided to try and fuse our worlds. Music travelled from Barcelona to Brooklyn, back and forth for a couple of months until we suddenly had a record which we both felt was interesting enough to share with the world. I still think it does, since it is original and authentic, difficult to categorize and defiant to listen.

We liked it so much that we are now close to finishing a second part that we hope to release soon.

8. What would be your ideal scenario in performing 'Vögel' live?

I dream of playing “Vögel” where it deserves to be played: in the open air, with a great sky above and the birds passing by, sharing their own chants as a background soundscape.

9. Looking to the future, could there be more music released by you in 2021? Have you continued composing this year?

Yes! I hope to release a couple of piano solo singles in the second half of this 2021, as well as the new album with Michael Sarian.  I also have a couple of collaborations with great musicians such as Sergi Boal, Ben Moore and Chiara Dubey, which I hope to deliver soon.

I want to record a new album this year as well, which will hopefully be released by 2022. This flow of composition and manifestation needs to be attended and nurtured!

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To purchase the works of Olec Mün, visit his Bandcamp page.

For the ‘Makara’ album by Olec Mün and Michael Sarian, visit the Piano and Coffee Records Bandcamp here.

For more information about Olec Mün, visit his official website.

Follow Olec Mün on Facebook @olecmunmusic, @olec.mun on Instagram and on Twitter @munolec.

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