News & Updates
New collaborations, new thoma, remixes
2022 has turned out to be a beautiful year of personal growth, reflection, new lessons and new connections.
First, I have been spending an increasing amount of time in Europe in the last few years, and this has led to some new musical connections. One is the Luxembourgish jazz band Jambal, with whom I’ve completed their debut album this year. This collaboration was a really beautiful one, with each of us bringing very different skillsets and mindsets to the table but also coming together in really deep ways. I made a series of compositions remotely while living in Austin and later London in the spring and summer, and then we spent a couple weeks hashing them out in the studio and making them into living breathing works. The band were all great.. Arthur on vibraphone, Ben on trumpet, Maxime on bass and Luca on drums, while I added some guitar and synth here and there. I’m very proud of this album and can’t wait to share it next year. There will certainly be more to come.
I also have been seeking out new remixers, especially from different parts of the world, and 2023 will see the release of a Refractions remix album. In particular I’ll have remixes from familiar names such as Glue70 and Throwing Snow, plus new friends such as Kalaido, Simmerdown, Henry Keen, and Ben Blackadder.
I’ve also been working on some neoclassical works more recently. My album with Gregory Allison in 2021, A Light for Dark Moments, set me more clearly on that path and gave me many ideas of further explorations in that direction. I’ve completed a piano and violin album with Gregory and talented pianist Taylor Mackall, which we will release next year. I’ve also just released a small EP with violist Patrick Behnke, which consists of meditative loops made in a cathedral. I’m also working on an album I started in the pandemic, with friend and cellist Isaac Takeuchi. This could see a release towards the end of 2023 or early 2024.
Finally, Thoma has new material that we’ve been brewing since 2020, when we came together in the pandemic in Oklahoma. It was a memorable and nostalgic moment for me, recalling the playfulness and openness of my childhood. I think this playfulness and exploration certainly comes through in the feel and mood of the album, titled Pictures of Infinity. In addition to its being made on Ben’s family’s land, where I spent a lot of time when I was a kid, the album features many performances and moments from friends from Oklahoma, such as Billy Reid on drums (with whom Ben and I played in bands in high school) and a local flute player. We also used field recordings made on the land, such as the sound of rain hitting Ben’s vintage Airstream trailer (where many pieces were created), and the unique sonic waves of the summer cicadas. This album will be coming out on my friend Asta Hiroki’s new imprint Folded Music based in the UK. Asta is a good friend and a hardworking promo wizard, and it’s been wonderful to see him build this label from the ground up. We’re very happy to be releasing with him.
PNW Spring 2022 Showcase
I’m excited to announce that I’m partnering with some friends I met recently in Portland, namely Kalaido and Kennebec, to put on some shows in the Pacific Northwest, namely Portland, Seattle, and Eugene. I’ll be performing as Thoma and Rohne will join us for the Seattle show while Lapa will join us for the Eugene and Portland shows.
Thoma - Salt SPring EP
Ben (Askanse) and I are super excited to announce a new EP titled Salt Spring, to be released on Loci Records on November 15. In addition to the Wax Tailor tour, there will be some dates across the midwest and a few in Canada, in support of Com Truise, to promote the new material. Check the tour page for more details on that.
This EP was a long time in the making, it was really the first iteration of the Thoma project in terms of us meeting up and really sitting down to write music together. We chose to spend a month living on a farm on Salt Spring Island off the coast of British Columbia and lived a truly amazing life there, eating organic food every day, swimming, hiking, and being in nature just generally. It was a really special time of my life that I’ll cherish forever, and I’m really happy to have this EP to help me remember and cherish it. We hope you enjoy it.
Wax tailor US tour support
I’m excited to announce that I’ve been booked as Thoma to support Wax Tailor on the west coast leg of his tour, with dates in San Diego, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Portland, from September 25-28.
Apart from a few isolated small gigs these are the first live shows as Thoma I’ve done and I’m proud and grateful to be able to share all the new music we’ve made in a live setting. Tickets can be purchased from the Thoma facebook page.
2019
Hey, it’s been a while since I’ve updated this. I’m going to start doing so more regularly now (I hope), but I’ve been super busy writing lots of music and collaborating with different artists. Last year, as some of you probably know, I released my album Kosame (my sixth album) with Loci Records. Since then, I’ve been working on lots of other projects, but I also have new solo material which will be released soon.
I have a new solo album that is ready to go and being mastered, which will have a proper announcement soon.
There is also new Thoma material, with a new label, that will also be announced in the coming weeks.
Finally, I have been working on a side project with Los Angeles-based harpist and vocalist Nailah Hunter. We are in the recording process now but all the songs have been written, and I am very excited to share this soon.
Stay inspired.
Tristan
Tamalpais
My new album is called Tamalpais. You can find it on my bandcamp.
This album expresses the feelings of excitement and exploration I felt as my travels last summer in Europe were coming to an end and I was starting a new journey in southern California at a philosophy Phd program. I had been to southern California several times before, visiting friends, but living here has been nothing short of exhilarating. It has just reminded me even more how much I love California as a whole. The sheer amount of creative talent and artistic events happening in this area are staggering. I've met lots of inspiring people already, and I hope to meet more. I've also been to many beautiful places that have inspired some of my music, such as Joshua Tree and the Channel Islands of California. I hope this album can accompany the simple moments of pure joy that we too often pass over in our lives, from a scenic drive with the windows down to a beautiful view atop a mountain to becoming intimate with someone for the first time. Thank you for listening.
loci records
I've joined Emancipator's downtempo label Loci Records, which has released my album 'The Diver' (here's the link).
I am truly honored and proud to be a part of this label of like-minded artists, adn I hope to be able to collaborate with them both in the studio and in performances in the future. Lapa (Ilya Goldberg) contributed his beautiful cello and viola work to my album The Diver, which you can hear on the track 'Raindrop.'
In the future I plan to do more remixes and collaborative tracks with artists on the label.
