nightport by steven leak

"nightport" was inspired by some of the paintings of J.M.W. Turner, as well as by a poem by Charles Swinburne entitled "A Channel Crossing".

In creating this music, my intention has been to sonically describe the actual and metaphoric experience of being at sea in a storm, and periodically seeing glimpses of the smeared coloured lights of home on a distant shore.

The idea of being subject to powerful, natural and unnatural forces beyond our control, while seeing (and feeling in that seeing) something of the safety and security of "home", was a constant companion as each of these pieces of music were created.

My own sense is that in the gritty, smeary, graininess of the sound is contained something of the quality of Turner's paintings and also, something of the quality of what my friend Tobias Reber terms the "beaugliful": a quality, that in the instance of this music, hovers in that liminal space between beauty and the utterly raw and visceral.

I am a Canadian musician who creates soundscapes that are created with Arturia Microfreak and Minifreak synthesizers various electronic devices , pre-recorded loops, field recordings, and found sounds. I am a member of "The Forever Moment" a band where I co-create music with Mark Cook.