As part of Luminate, we turn the spotlight on one of the finest new experimental record labels to emerge out of the UK, Tonal Union, with two of their artists performing in a co-headline night of genre-blurring minimalism.

Akusmi is the new project moniker of French-born, London based composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Pascal Bideau, who signs to the new Tonal Union imprint for the release of his album ‘Fleeting Future.’  With its hallucinatory, genre-defying blend of minimalism, cosmic jazz and Fourth World influences, and in its quest for optimism in the face of unknown and limitless possibility. ‘Fleeting Future’ stands apart as an inventive and inspirational debut released on June 24th, 2022.

The Guardian highly praised it as their Contemporary Album of the month in experimental music. The creation of the album’s richly colourful and multi-layered sound world was originally inspired by Bideau’s journey to Indonesia, where he immersed himself in traditional Gamelan and gong music.

‘Lines’ from 2023 is an exhilarating new collection of works born from the desire to take where the acclaimed debut album ‘Fleeting Future’ left off — in search of a new forms. Generous support came from BBC Radio 1 – Benji B and BBC 6 Music’s Tom Ravenscroft.

‘Akusmi crafts an often-jubilant, forward-thinking sound from a vocabulary of past futures’ The Quietus

Blue Lake is the musical moniker of American-born, Copenhagen-based multidisciplinary artist and musician Jason Dungan, whose most recent album Sun Arcs was released in 2023 to much critical acclaim including being named Best New Music by Pitchfork with an 8.2 review. It follows 2022’s release ‘Stikling’, earning a nomination for ‘Album of the Year’ at the Danish Music Awards plus warm praise from The Hum blog and musicians and DJs alike including Jack Rollo (Time is Away/NTS) and Carla dal Forno. A self taught player, Dungan began freely experimenting with self-built multi-string instruments, preferring to build his own hybrid 48-string zither and working in the realms of left-field ambient music, off kilter folk and improvised acoustic minimalism.

The starting point of ‘Sun Arcs’ saw Jason travel for a week alone to Andersabo, a cabin set in the idyllic Swedish woods just outside of Unnaryd, known also as the music project, festival and residency space which has been run by Dungan since 2016, hosting artists like Sofie Birch, Johan Carøe and Ellen Arkbro. Whilst writing 1-2 pieces per day, a conscious decision was made to leave behind everyday distractions and shut out the outside world to instead focus on the natural passage of time as Dungan recalls:

Weaving between self-built zithers, drones, clarinets, slide guitars and drum machines, ‘Sun Arcs’ is a beautifully unique sound offering with inventive, free spirited and DIY sensibility.

‘The recordings on Sun Arcs conjure a similarly intimate view, one that can feel both magical in its simplicity and all the more compelling for what’s just out of frame.’ Pitchfork, Best New Music