Skyminds - Echoes On The Shore (2024)

Skyminds is the collaborative musical duo of Michael Henning (Selaroda, DJ Megasoup) and Sean Conrad (Channelers, Ashan), now based in Berkeley, CA and Seattle, WA respectively. Echoes On The Shore is their fourth album and follows their 2022 release Terra Preta on Not Not Fun. This is perhaps their most reflective and meditative collection to date. This album has less of the divergent eclecticism and dynamic intensity that has characterized their previous releases, instead opting to limit the range to mellower grooves and colorful atmospherics. That said, this work doesn’t skimp on the rich textures and abundant instrumentation that has been integral to their sound thus far.

As has been true from the start, improvisation is at the heart of this music, with every piece starting as a spontaneous dialogue. And those extemporaneous tendencies are an intrinsic quality to Skyminds’ work; everything is grown from those seeds. The most potent parts are stitched together with as much humanity, emotion, and imperfection intact as possible. This is followed by further improvisations and edits piled on top until completion. However, the track “Springtime,” recorded live at the incredible Vintage Synthesizer Museum (before its move down south to Los Angeles), is the first time an un-edited improvisation has made its way onto a Skyminds album. Ultimately, Echoes On The Shore is a monument to their friendship and a deeply shared musical connection spanning the last 10 years.