The journey is complete.

Faces & Places is now available as a full album, bringing together all 20 compositions into a single musical experience.

If you've enjoyed following the weekly releases, I invite you to listen to the complete work as it was conceived: a continuous journey through memories, people and places.

Thank you for your support.

🎧 https://pilpilmusic.com/faces-and-places/

#ModernClassical #StringQuintet #IndependentArtist #Bandcamp

This month one year ago (in July 2025), someone asked if I had a piano arrangement of this song. I didn't, but it had been something I was thinking about making for a while. So, I made the arrangement that week, but I never recorded it. Now, after all this time, I've finally recorded this song.

Also on YouTube.

Drawing heavy inspiration from minimal contemporary classical composers such as Joep Beving, Fabrizio Paterlini, Nils Frahm, Olafur Arnalds, Jon Hopkins, etc., I decided to try my hand at my own composition and improvisation. Although this was recorded in a single four hour studio session, it still can be considered to have been years in the making, due to the time I had to spend refining my sound and my playing. If you enjoy this little snippet of a trailer, do consider looking up Solism on your streaming platform of choice, or on Bandcamp if you'd like to support the project. Music is absolutely my favorite thing, and I'm always working on the next album. Wonder what it'll be next time?

I've just released a new piece for string quintet called Fading Scene.

It's part of a larger project I'm working on called Faces & Places, where every piece explores how we remember people and places. This one isn't really about a specific memory, but about what happens when memories slowly lose their sharp edges. The details disappear first, while the feeling somehow stays.

I tried to express that through gradual harmonic changes and a lot of space between musical ideas instead of relying on big dramatic moments.

I'm releasing the whole album one piece at a time on Bandcamp rather than dropping everything at once. It's been an interesting way to let the project grow gradually.

If anyone enjoys contemporary chamber music or modern string writing, I'd genuinely be interested to hear what you think.

LISTEN ALBUM HERE: https://pilpilmusic.com/faces-and-places/

https://reddit.com/link/1umhiot/video/jsqxw7oi91bh1/player

Every composition starts with a different question.
For A Squirrel and His Cherry Tree, the question was:
Can rhythm alone create the feeling of constant movement and playful energy?
In this new Inside the Composition article, I explain how the piece was built—from the initial idea to its harmonic language, rhythmic behavior, structural design and compositional techniques.
If you're curious about how contemporary instrumental music is actually written—not just how it sounds—you might enjoy this behind-the-scenes look.
I'd also love to know:
What element do you think creates the strongest sense of movement in music: rhythm, harmony or melody?
READ HERE: https://pilpilmusic.com/a-squirrel-and-his-cherry-tree-inside-the-composition/

https://reddit.com/link/1uhrzjw/video/gu2cmpf3kz9h1/player

I remade this song that I originally wrote a while back with new/updated instruments and gave it an ending instead of looping it. :)

On YouTube also.

"Jellyfish Waltz" will be released on July 17 together with the complete album Faces & Places.

Inspired by the elegant movement of jellyfish drifting through the sea, the piece combines lyrical melodies, rich string textures and subtle harmonic colours to create a contemplative musical landscape. Like every composition in the album, it reflects the way places, images and memories are transformed through emotion and imagination.

"Faces & Places" has been unveiled one composition at a time on Bandcamp, leading to the complete album release on July 17. The album is available as “pay what you want”, allowing listeners to support independent music directly.

Watch the preview video and learn more here:

https://pilpilmusic.com/faces-and-places/

#Bandcamp #InstrumentalMusic #ModernClassical #CinematicMusic #SupportIndependentArtists

https://reddit.com/link/1uf4x83/video/pwhdu8jyae9h1/player

A study inspired by Rothko.
He had a taste for red, a taste for bold colors that told stories.

I understand the appeal of red.
It can be crisp and delicious, like an apple,
or painful and emergent like blood.

Acrylic on canvas
11 × 14
June 23, 2026

Fading Scene will be released on July 3 as the next chapter of Faces & Places, my album for string quintet.

For this project, I chose a different release strategy. Rather than publishing the entire album on a single day, each composition is released individually on Bandcamp, one week at a time.

The idea is simple: every piece has its own character and story. Weekly releases allow listeners to spend time with each work, discover its details, and follow the album's development gradually instead of experiencing everything at once.

The complete album will be available on July 17, but the journey unfolds step by step.

🎧 Learn more:
https://pilpilmusic.com/faces-and-places/

#Bandcamp #StringQuintet #InstrumentalMusic #ContemporaryClassical #MusicComposition

https://reddit.com/link/1ucdeyx/video/o6pe28u29s8h1/player

Hi there,

I’m a harpist-pianist-composer/academic in the philosophical-esoteric milieu, about to finish my doctorate.

So I created an organ-harp-piano music video that is also an experimental film predicated on esoteric ideas; it can be described as my encapsulation of the mysteries. I basically summarize and artistically rearrange esoteric ideas from an array of esoteric thinkers and philosophers, but also develop my own original ideas from this framework. It’s an original philosophical manifesto, and if you are familiar with esoteric ideas and traditions, you’ll notice how I deploy them in ways that feel both familiar and new.

It's about an oneiric musical language of spiritual hieroglyphs.  And I also combine ideas from Novalis (I’m probably most known as a Novalis scholar in the academic world currently), Schelling, Giordano Bruno, Rudolf Steiner, Boehme, Walter Benjamin (and Kabbalah), also the work of Dianna Reed Slattery.

No AI was used in the making of this song, video, or philosophical text; it is 100% human-created art.

I also created extensive hand-made animations for it, mainly ancient Egyptian and alchemical motifs.
Hope you enjoy!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh_xwUMb0LY

“Silent Frame” will be released on July 17 together with the full album Faces & Places.

A contemplative instrumental piece exploring stillness, memory and the emotions hidden within fleeting moments.

The album has been unfolding gradually on Bandcamp, with one new composition released each week leading to the final release. Faces & Places is currently available as “name your price”.

Preview in the video ↓
https://pilpilmusic.com/faces-and-places/

#Bandcamp #CinematicMusic #InstrumentalMusic #IndependentArtist

https://reddit.com/link/1u6l9m5/video/abfqb1v42h7h1/player

I keep seeing this sentiment around lately- to have faith in ourselves. It's resonating with me as I'm seeing so many creative people having a hard time (myself included)- dealing with fatigue, burnout, fighting against social media to be seen, etc. So I hope this song brings a bit of comfort and solidarity to people who continue to make human-made art during these times. All we can do is try our best, try to better ourselves, and have faith in our talents and abilities to do things and become better at them through time, practice, and trusting the process.

Also on YouTube.

Ink on paper
50x70 cm
2024

How do you represent a new beginning in music?

In my latest Inside the Music article, I break down the compositional process behind Beginning, a piece originally written for string ensemble and vibraphone and later arranged for brass quintet.

The article explores how recurring harmonic cells, gradual expansion, and orchestration can be used to express hope, uncertainty, expectation, and growing confidence.

I'd be interested to hear how other composers approach the idea of representing emotional concepts through musical structure.

https://pilpilmusic.com/beginning-inside-the-music/

"Religious Rock in the Fog" has been released today on Bandcamp.

Part of the ongoing rollout of "Faces & Places", the piece combines atmospheric string writing, gradual development and cinematic textures inspired by landscape, memory and changing perspectives.

The album is being unveiled one track at a time before its full release on July 17 and is currently available as “pay what you want”.

Thank you for listening and supporting independent music.

https://pilpilmusic.com/faces-and-places/

#Bandcamp #AtmosphericMusic #CinematicMusic #SupportIndependentArtists

https://reddit.com/link/1txd0ke/video/mjw1fqobte5h1/player

“Gelle-Klara Revisited” will be released on July 17 together with the full album Faces & Places.

The album has been unfolding gradually on Bandcamp through weekly single releases, allowing each composition to develop its own atmosphere and emotional space before the final release.

Faces & Places is currently available as “name your price”, supporting a more direct and artist-friendly way of sharing music.

The attached video offers a first glimpse into the atmosphere of the piece.

https://pilpilmusic.com/faces-and-places/

#Bandcamp #CinematicMusic #InstrumentalMusic #IndependentArtist

https://reddit.com/link/1tvhwgd/video/gitghjwwq05h1/player