Inside Cycles by Leonard Maassen

A digital-psychedelic journey through intricate, evolving sound worlds...

All the musical elements are fluid and in motion. Contemporary technology allows us to constantly shift the characteristics of instruments, creating musical themes not only by changing the notes we hear, but by changing the sound of the notes as they reoccur.

While producing the album, I was very inspired by my natural surroundings. The music feels elemental and rooted in the cycles of life. ‘Inside Cycles’ references day/night, love/loss and birth/death, as well as bodily cycles, planetary orbits and seasons. I sing about the sun, the rain, the moon, planets, flowers as metaphors for emotional experiences. I would often walk around a park or a forest listening to the music. That's where a lot of this influence came from. If I could recommend one interesting way to listen to the album, it would be to take it on a walk with headphones!

Originally, I tried to make the whole album without drums. As a drummer, I wanted to challenge myself to write music that feels propulsive and rhythmically interesting, but doesn't use traditional drum sounds. In the end, some drums did end up on the record, but the initial approach allowed some really interesting things to emerge. The last three tracks of the album especially showcase this idea. They’re completely driven by synthesizer and vocal sounds and punctuated by occasional percussive hits.

While being focused on developing my electronic sound, it was also great to collaborate with some amazing musicians. The saxophone (Benjy Sandler) on 'Time Remembered' (which is inspired by a Bill Evans composition) references the jazz language which is also a feature in my first EP. On “Colours”, I was exploring folk storytelling through an electronic, abstract lens. The second vocal (Erin Snape) really foregrounds the idea of multiple perspectives to the same story.

Along with the almost orchestral-sounding arrangements towards the end of the record, the violin on 'Time Remembered' and 'Show Me (The Way)' (Yente Lottman) references the classical canon - especially Bach, Beethoven, Ravel - as well as contemporaries like Anna Thorvaldsdottir and Arvo Pärt.

The classical tradition is very strong in Germany and my early music education came from this direction. Classical music still inspires me to this day, but the way we see this history is also problematic in a lot of ways. It has been very interesting for me to explore and challenge my relation to this lineage, and I'd like to explore it more in future.

After my first EP, Lillies (2021), Inside Cycles includes much more developed, intimate vocals, while keeping atmospheric and journeying electronic arrangements. I leaned into the electronics, making a trippy cosmic journey with existential lyrics.

It was really refreshing to explore synthesizers, electronic vocal processing and free-form arrangements. Producing the album allowed me to find a depth and vulnerability of expression that feels really intimate. For me, the best art is the most personal and raw.

Leonard Maassen is a storyteller exploring the intersection of human and environmental consciousness.

Born in Paris and growing up in Germany, France and London, his music is palpably fluid, always shifting in texture and form.

Inside Cycles (2024)
Lillies EP (2021)

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