Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Australian bassist-composer Joseph Franklin announces his second album, Amen, out on Earshift Music. Recorded in NYC, the album features Franklin alongside an impressive collaboration with pianist Marc Hannaford and drummer Satoshi Takeishi.

Amen showcases Franklin's intriguing compositions, featuring intricate rhythmic relationships between the players and the merging of acoustic and electronic elements. The music moves effortlessly between strict compositions to highly powerful improvisations, soundscape electronica to through-composed piano trio explorations. "I'm not into the virtuoso solo as a focus," says Franklin, "but rather, solo moments emerging as a property of form."

The music was workshopped over several performances and recorded at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, NYC. Hannaford, a leading light of his generation in his exploration of rhythm, was a major influence on the sound of the album. Now a mentoring figure for aspirational musicians such as Franklin, Hannaford was a guiding force on the album. "For a long time, I've been fascinated by Marc's approaches to music making," says Franklin, "I was thrilled at the opportunity to work with him." Hannaford's oft collaborator and fellow-NYC resident, drummer-composer-electronic artist Satoshi Takeishi brings his lateral thinking and multi-dimensional background to the project. "Working with someone as musically diverse as Satoshi is an expansive experience - he is a deep reservoir of musical knowledge," says Franklin.

Franklin has composed for a range of ensembles throughout Australia including the Flinders Quartet, the Australian Youth Orchestra, Ensemble Nouveau and The Music Box Project. He is a former member of indie-rock band, Dukes of Windsor, and has performed at numerous concerts and festivals around Europe, the US, Turkey and Australia. He is currently developing solo musical language for the bass guitar.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

This project is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

1. cloud | space | earth -- 2. amen -- 3. dark horse -- 4. maple and bone -- 5. moon crab -- 6. hammer gut.