État Daniel Wohl

DANIEL WOHL

ÉTAT

New Amsterdam and Nonesuch Records released composer-performer Daniel Wohl’s album État on May 31, 2019. The album features electro-acoustic pieces written by Wohl, and includes guest performances by Poliça’s Channy Leaneagh with co-production by Son Lux’s Ryan Lott and mmph. État, recorded with members of yMusic and the Calder Quartet, is the third release in a new partnership between the two record labels, established with the goal of enabling contemporary American composers to realize creative ambitions that might not otherwise be achievable.

Van Magazine noted that, through the use of Wohl’s electro-acoustic elements “The sound he creates is a seamless emulsification of the two.”

Born and raised in Paris and currently residing in Los Angeles, Daniel Wohl is consistently celebrated for his distinctive blend of electronics with acoustic instrumentation to “surprising and provocative effect” (NPR). On État, Wohl pushes this combination to a new level, exploring the new dimensions that masterful production can provide. “While being fascinated with classically notated acoustic composition I also became interested in all the music production tools currently available and was drawn towards combining both methods,” Wohl explains. “I wanted to get as deep as I could into the production of sound.”

État, which in French means “state,” references an evocative image, both ancient and futuristic, that Wohl kept imagining as he created the music—an artifact from the past that holds a message, buried deep in the earth and slowly becoming exposed, until it is discoverable. “I find the notion pretty fascinating,” Wohl says, “that something is always there— knowledge, experience, an idea—you just need to be in the right state, or have the right lens, to be able to perceive it.”

Track listing:

Melt
Ships
Orbit
Move Slow
Angel (feat. Poliça)
Aftermath
Primal
Dream Sequence
Subray

Strings: Michi Wiancko, Eliza Bagg, Rob Moose, Nadia Sirota, Eric Byers, Andie Springer, Mariel Roberts
Percussion: Matt Evans (“Primal”)
Piano: Dustin O’Halloran (“Dream Sequence”), Daniel Wohl (“Melt”, “Orbit”)
Vocals: Channy Leaneagh (“Angel”), Eliza Bagg (“Subray”)
Synthesizer: Ryan Olson (“Subray”)
Clarinet: Ken Thomson (“Subray”, “Angel”)
Flute: Alex Sopp (“Angel”, “Subray”)

All songs written by Daniel Wohl
Published by G. Schirmer, Inc. (ASCAP)
Produced by Daniel Wohl
Co-produced by Ryan Lott and mmph
Additional production by Ryan Olson
Mixed by Daniel Wohl, Ryan Lott, and Josh Eustis

Mastered by Joe Lambert
Score Preparation: Nate Thatcher, JP Merz
Cover Art by Abigail Portner
Design by Christine Im

“Angel” commissioned bySymphony Space for Poliça and Stargaze Ensemble

“Melt” commissioned by Sound Expedition

“Orbit”, “Ships”, and “Subray” commissioned by the Alexander Whitley Dance Company

“Primal” remix of Junction commissioned by the Living Earth Show