Aside from photography, music is a huge love of mine, It stands to reason that it's just a matter of time before I took on a project where the two interests meet. For the last two years I've been shooting portraits of musicians engaged in their art. These portraits are all about the connection between musician and medium and where then connection takes both musician and listener. As with every personal project, new ideas and new projects and are born. I have to admit there has not been a project I have worked on in some time that I can say I am as proud to be a part of as I am of the album photography shot for Asif Illyas' new album solo album Synesthesia.
The dictionary defines Synesthesia as "the subjective experience of a sense other than the one being stimulated."
The music created by Asif on his new solo album is exactly that. An audio experience composed and delivered in such a stunning and beautifully full way that when you listen to it you can practically see colours, feel the textures and float through tones on each track.
It was so nice to not only collaborate with a close friend, but someone who also happens to have such a deep appreciation for imagery, both in a literal sense and through his music. The main image for the album is a painting done my Asif. Using that painting and the music itself as inspiration we where able to create a series of photographs to be used as supporting elements used throughout the entire album, from the back cover, to the gatefold, the inside booklet and even the vinyl record labels themselves. (Yup you read right, the main release is a 4 side vinyal, of course the album will be available on CD and digital release as well) Here are some of the images used.
The physical environment in each shot is meant to reflect the textures and tones of the music. Each scientific flask contains a liquid with the colour of each individual track.
To truly appreciate these concepts you should listen to listen to the album.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WffMhmDMgwE
Heres an acoustic version on one of the tracks on the album:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVSbX7aKgys&feature=youtu.be
The album release date is Friday, April 19th. Asif is playing songs from the new album at a concert that evening at the music room. You can buy tickets here:
http://etixnow.com/events/asif-illyas-apr-19
