6 Longform editions for imagining new realms
Since 2018, Longform Editions has been bringing together a diverse range of established and emerging artists from all over the world to create absorptive listening experiences for the everyday.
Intrigued by their roster that is expansive as it is inclusive, we reached out to Andrew Khedoori to share with us his favorite longform editions that create the perfect sonic backdrop for his current state of mind.
“I made my selections from a farm where I was staying, essentially surrounded by vast green expanse and sedate animals. Perhaps that scene prompted most of these choices: I think about the breadth of the world and its possibilities in these spaces more than within the daily urban grind. Many of the works we’ve released are about spaces both real and imagined, often blurring the lines between both those realms, prompting feelings of re-evaluation and freedom. They are worlds unto themselves. As much as I love songs and what they can conjure in a short time, longer pieces have a different focus and perspective. I love having both in my life.”
r beny – we grow in a gleam
I have two small children and the task of leaving them to sleep is often long and fraught. Music figures highly in the process after reading. I can choose from many Longform Editions works for us all to listen to, but this one from r beny has the right touch. It is beautiful, peaceful and meditative and it hangs like the last lingering light of the evening.
Danny Paul Grody – Sunrise, Looking East
Whenever I want to open out, feel rejuvenated or reset, it’s likely I’ll put on some work from Danny Paul Grody. Danny and I connected a decade ago. I struck up a conversation with him online back then, asking him to recommend places to stay in his hometown of San Francisco. He detailed all sorts of areas and accommodations for nearly an hour then offered his own home to me. Danny’s approach to life is the same as his approach to music. It is caring and considerately handled, but never precious.
Angel Bat Dawid – Harkening Etudes
Even when the subject matter is dark and confronting, there is a sense of joy in Angel Bat Dawid’s work that mainlines to the heart. Harkening Etudes was made for Longform Editions by Angel specifically to convey the joy of listening to music to ‘let your ears breathe’. There’s a lovely, uplifting feeling of contentment every time I take this incredible, singular work in.
Gavilán Rayna Russom – Trans Feminist Symphonic Music
This truly epic work is awe-inspiring and reminds me there is so much more out there in the world beyond my own headspace. One of the great things about curating Longform Editions is being exposed to thought processes and perspectives we have either not encountered previously or been able to give voice to ourselves. You can be initially attracted to the way someone composes with sound – that’s important – and Longform Editions offers a chance to go deeper with a focus within an expanded space. Music is of course a powerful artform for this, and this piece captures that ideal perfectly.
Valentina Magaletti – Different Rooms
I suppose I want to listen to this piece from the ever-amazing Valentina Magaletti for the same reason I might want to watch a David Lynch film. The whole act places you in a state of unknowing from the start, there is no circuitous route and a devilish mix of horror and comedy throughout. We’re all willing to get twisted in some way from time to time – Valentina makes it a wicked pleasure to do so.
Megan Alice Clune – Digital Auras
Megan Alice Clune’s work has that disembodying, unmooring feeling and Digital Auras captures our agency in the digital space. We’re wrapped in it, but never truly wholly connected. It may be the search for that connection keeping us going back to the temporal wheel. I love how I feel I can float within this piece, even if it can also feel somewhat ominous at times, like thinking someone is looking over your shoulder.
