More about this project: Creative cultural diplomacy through music

We are so excited to connect two rich and influential musical cultures through this rare collaborative project. We've come so far, and with your vital support we'll further new forms of music and do some creative cultural diplomacy with the Muslim world.  We've invested so much to create an opportunity where the creativity of these two parts of the world can speak to each other. Your support, which gets you tons of great music, is crucial to finishing this project.

The Short Story

After multiple recording trips to Indonesia Kai Riedl (formerly of the band Macha) and engineer Suny Lyons put together a stunning and diverse 12 album series of traditional music from the island of Java, a place with a historically rich and highly influential musical culture.  Java Indonesia is home to some of the most unique and majestic music on earth and we (Kai and Suny) did our best (through multiple self-funded trips) to create the introduction to it. Hear it for yourself at www.javasounds.org.

 Then, in an effort to make new forms of music and show sonic solidarity with musicians in Java, we built new songs with the sounds in these field recordings. We took loops, samples and segments of songs and remixed, re-imagined, and integrated them into a variety of styles with musicians from Athens Georgia, a place itself with an influential musical history and thriving scene. Over a 2 year period we worked with over 20 fantastic musicians from Athens who perform in a variety of styles including pop, dance, ambient, electronica and experimental. Hear some rough mixes on our facebook page and get a little more info at ournewsilence.com.

So many amazing people have put forth their efforts to create this unprecedented musical dialogue.

Who- Directed by Kai Riedl (Macha), this project already includes collaborations with Kate Pierson (the B-52's) Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink (Azure Ray), Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Andy Lemaster (Now Its Overhead/Lemaster), Andrew Reiger (Elf Power), John Fernandez (The Olivia Tremor Control), Graham Ulicny (Reptar), Jeremy Wheatley, Killick Hinds, Kyle Dawkins (Maps and Transit), Barrett Martin (Tuatara), Heather McIntosh (The Instruments), Josh McKay (Macha/ATEM), and the list of amazing talent goes on, not to mention the dozens of musicians we have worked with in Indonesia. A ton of fantastic musicians have put effort into this project.

The goal of this campaign is to complete our studio work (properly mix and master our songs), print some cds and vinyl, help pay for promotional costs (so others can hear it!) and do a web-casted show from here in Athens Georgia. 

Your contribution is vital to finishing this project and gets you tons of wonderful music from Athens and Indonesia (among other things).

A little more info

-The basis for a relationship between Java, Indonesia and Athens, Georgia may not be immediately clear. They are separated by language, religion, culture - and over ten thousand miles. Despite these seemingly limiting factors, there is one means of communication that needs no interpreter - music. Java and Athens are both known for their vibrant musical cultures, and it is through sound that the two places find their common ground. The music of Java has inspired composers for hundreds of years. We wanted to know how those styles, instruments, and performances could freshly come together to create new forms of music through a collaborative project that was inspiring and culturally insightful for listeners around the world.

(and if you've read this far click this link for a few free Indonesian songs that we recorded) Cheers.

this project has been supported in part by .