Last December, a 30 minute mp3 named “built_off_off_mix_5_cello7” unexpectedly guided our travels through New Zealand. The file had a way of draping terrains, scoring moments of wonder across myriad landscapes, colors both vibrant and muted, golden and glacial. Landon Speers, an interdisciplinary artist (and friend of S&S) from the ‘prairies of western Canada’ now living in Brooklyn, sent over the rough edit for feedback. This was the early days of Aluphor, his serene new album as Headaches, out today on Human Pitch. A series of pulsing movements—built primarily from synth and cello—Aluphor can inspire sensory awareness, over time proving itself very generous, understated, and fully realized ambient work.
Landon is an accomplished photographer, and his eye informs the album’s tasteful artwork and audiovisual stream (embedded below via FACT). He’s a dreamer for sure, drawn to “people’s ability to have heightened visceral experiences when listening to music.” Here, in loose conversation, he explores this interaction between mediums: