Rafael Anton Irisarri

Rafael Anton Irisarri

Rafael Anton Irisarri is an American composer, producer, and sound engineer who lives and works in New York. A self-taught musician, he has released numerous albums throughout his career on labels such as Ghostly International, Room40, Morr Music, and A Strangely Isolated Place. His records straddle the boundaries of ambient, drone, and experimental music, often combining contemporary classical and electronic elements.

His music often creates a melancholic, cinematic atmosphere dominated by slowly unfolding soundscapes, deep tones, and dense textures. The influence of post-classical music is also evident in his compositions, creating a unique, intimate soundscape through string instruments, piano, and sophisticated electronic modifications.

Throughout his career, he has collaborated with numerous renowned musicians, such as Lawrence English and Simon Scott (Slowdive). Irisarri's meticulous approach is evident in both his compositions and his work as a sound engineer, with clients including such renowned performers as Terry Riley, William Basinski, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Grouper, MONO, Devendra Banhart, and Eluvium.

His best-known album, The North Bend (2010), evokes the atmosphere of the American Northwest, while Solastalgia (2019) is an emotional imprint of climate anxiety and environmental change. His music is particularly popular among filmmakers and visual artists, as it is ideal for meditation, installations, or as background music for moving images. Irisarri's art builds narratives through sound, telling quiet but deeply moving sonic stories with elemental force.

Sabw

Sabw (Csaba Bognár) explores the boundaries of abstract, atmospheric, and dark-toned electronica. He has released material on the ASAN Music Group, Free Sequence, and Pluto Sound labels, and is co-founder of the N° Space audiovisual workshop and performance space. Completed Disillusionment is Sabw's deepest and most cinematic work to date. The four tracks – including Elephant and Dream Deferral – offer an intense experience both musically and visually: every sound overflows physical boundaries, producing powerful physical and emotional responses. Beneath the dense textures and grandiose soundscapes, a surprisingly personal, passionate world emerges, as if Sabw were constructing a map from sounds to survive a nervous breakdown. The special nature of this evening is confirmed by the fact that the album was mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri.

swanasa

swanasa is an electronic music artist known for his immersive soundscapes, which combine elements of ambient and drone with deeply transcendental themes. He uses organic field recordings and synthetic sound design in his work, exploring the subtle interactions between nature and technology. His sound art is born from the search for "the shaping of time into space," a fusion of analog and digital, ancient and contemporary elements. He draws inspiration from the worlds of totemism, Jungian psychology, and Taoism.

His first EP, when you need to rest, let the sounds hold you (2023, EXILES), featured on Abul Mogard's Rinse.fr mix and was praised by The Quietus. His second EP was released in 2024 on the A Strangely Isolated Place label. These two albums form the basis of his live performance Life, Death, Life.

In 2020, he was one of the winners of the Telekom Electronic Beats competition and performed at several international festivals, including Blue Noise in Germany, INTONAL in Sweden, and O.Z.O.R.A., DAAD, UH Fest, and INOTA in Hungary. He has performed alongside artists such as Abul Mogard and Rafael Anton Irisarri himself.