SWOON, the Berlin label co-run by the Irish-born artist Sióg, has released its second compilation, Music for Bathing in Moonlight. All proceeds go to UNRWA.
Nine artists were invited to respond to a single prompt, “Music for Bathing in Moonlight”, and the record arrived to coincide with the full moon on October 26th. The result spans ambient, contemporary composition, dub and experimental electronics, exploring the moon, tides and the feeling of being outside after dark. A tiny physical edition of just 30 CDs was first available at a pre-release gathering at Ciao Ciao in Berlin on October 11th.
Some of the artists took the prompt literally. Halffish’s ‘Tidal Constituent’ turns the movement of the tides into sound, mapping the relative proportions of tidal constituents through oscillators and LFOs. Composer and bass recorder player Sylvia Hinz reimagines a work by Michele Abondano, while Venus Ex Machina, Sióg, Evalyn, Reinartz, pseudochorus, Ahni and pppainterrr each approach the idea from different corners.
SWOON began in 2020 as a mix series released with every full moon, then grew into Berlin parties and, this year, a label. Sióg runs it alongside Evalyn, with a focus on intimate, left-field music and what the label describes as a deliberately slow, community-led approach.
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Listen to Music for Bathing in Moonlight on Bandcamp.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
