Watch: Rostam Shares the Story Behind the "Half-Light" Track "Gwan"

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In a new video, Rostam deconstructs his song "Gwan," a track on his debut album, Half-Light, that references the traditional tunes "Suo Gân" and "Simple Gifts." "I think there's something worthy about striving to make the most complex music that you can but still use melodies," he says; "and maybe using melodies that people know makes it more interesting, because then you can kind of track the evolution of stuff." Watch how he made the song in the video here. Rostam performs at The Growlers Six festival in LA this Saturday and starts a European tour at the Pitchfork Avant-Garde Festival in Paris November 1.

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Rostam has released a video in which he deconstructs his song "Gwan," a track on his debut album, Half-Light. He notes the song's cello part, which references two traditional tunes: the Welsh lullaby "Suo Gân" and the Shaker song "Simple Gifts." "I think there's something worthy about striving to make the most complex music that you can but still use melodies," Rostam says; "and maybe using melodies that people know makes it more interesting, because then you can kind of track the evolution of stuff." Watch how he constructed the song in the video, directed by Alex Chaloff, below.

To pick up a copy of Half-Light, head to your local music shop, iTunes, Amazon, or the Nonesuch Store, where CD and vinyl orders include a download of the complete album at checkout, and listen to the album on Apple Music and Spotify. There's also a limited-edition yellow vinyl version of the album available exclusively at Vinyl Me Please, which premiered this behind-the-scenes "Gwan" video earlier today.

Tickets went on sale for Rostam's newly announced North American tour on Friday. He performs at The Growlers Six festival in Los Angeles this Saturday and heads to Europe to tour next week, starting at the Pitchfork Avant-Garde Festival in Paris on November 1. For tour details and tickets, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.

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Rostam: On "Gwan" [video]
  • Monday, October 23, 2017
    Watch: Rostam Shares the Story Behind the "Half-Light" Track "Gwan"

    Rostam has released a video in which he deconstructs his song "Gwan," a track on his debut album, Half-Light. He notes the song's cello part, which references two traditional tunes: the Welsh lullaby "Suo Gân" and the Shaker song "Simple Gifts." "I think there's something worthy about striving to make the most complex music that you can but still use melodies," Rostam says; "and maybe using melodies that people know makes it more interesting, because then you can kind of track the evolution of stuff." Watch how he constructed the song in the video, directed by Alex Chaloff, below.

    To pick up a copy of Half-Light, head to your local music shop, iTunes, Amazon, or the Nonesuch Store, where CD and vinyl orders include a download of the complete album at checkout, and listen to the album on Apple Music and Spotify. There's also a limited-edition yellow vinyl version of the album available exclusively at Vinyl Me Please, which premiered this behind-the-scenes "Gwan" video earlier today.

    Tickets went on sale for Rostam's newly announced North American tour on Friday. He performs at The Growlers Six festival in Los Angeles this Saturday and heads to Europe to tour next week, starting at the Pitchfork Avant-Garde Festival in Paris on November 1. For tour details and tickets, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.

    Journal Articles:Artist NewsVideo

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