Alex Albrecht - Hiriketiya (2026)

Hiriketiya is a small, enclosed bay on Sri Lanka’s southern coast, where jungle leans toward the water and the days unfold without urgency.

Passing through in 2025 on the way to Europe, Alex Albrecht spent a week here at MOND’s artist residency, recording and exchanging ideas with Sri Lankan musicians Dhyan Basho on sitar, Dinelka Liyanage on electronics, Uvindu Perera on double bass and Pasindu Herath on saxophone. Their performances appear throughout the album, sampled and recontextualised, influencing its melodic language, pacing and tone.

Much of the music was shaped directly by its surroundings. Field recordings were gathered across Hiriketiya, and instruments were played wherever it felt necessary. This included rocks beside the ocean where waves set irregular rhythms, tall grasslands where wind and insects bled into the recordings, and open decks overlooking the sea. Round Table captures this approach most clearly. Recorded while sitting together overlooking the ocean, a large steel table in front of the group gradually became part of the composition, used instinctively as an unplanned percussive element.

The album gathers fragments, recordings, electronic sketches and field sounds, assembling them into a continuous listening experience shaped by place and recollection. MOND owners Jess and Renato foster an environment that supports artists without directing them, creating space for focus, trust and connection.

The result is a record shaped by Hiriketiya’s enclosed bay, dense vegetation, heat and night air. Music formed through listening, restraint, missed recordings and the sensation of being temporarily held by a place.