Ambient Italian composer, producer & former pilot, Ed Carlsen releases new album single, Drawn Ashore.

Following on from his latest single Undertow taken from forthcoming album Grains Of Gold, ambient Italian composer, producer and musician Ed Carlsen, releases his third album single, Drawn Ashore, available to stream and purchase today via XXIM Records (Sony Music Masterworks’ new label for innovative, post-genre instrumental music).

Releasing the upcoming album Grains Of Gold on the 17th September, his latest single follows on from singles Undertow and album title track Grains Of Gold, which also featured an accompanying music video. Continuing to build upon his remarkable discography featuring LPs such as The Journey Tapes, Elusive Frames and Morning Hour, Carlsen, a former pilot, continues to capture the essence of the theme of ‘place’, responding to his feelings and emotions of experiences in various European cities.

The forthcoming album, homes in his time spent in Hamburg during lockdown; written and created to reflect his feelings of displacement and desire for his hometown of Cagliari. On Grains Of Gold, he charts a journey to an idyllic fictional land which he calls, Larya – a city that appears in his mind and dreams, symbolising a place of perfect balance that he needs to reach in order to create music. His lockdown experiences in Hamburg directly inspired, Drawn Ashore, the first track he wrote on the journey to discover his Larya.

“When writing Drawn Ashore during lockdown, I was thinking that, whilst the world is in turmoil, I always had the option of going back to Sardinia – back to my roots. That was very comforting to me, being drawn back to the Sardinian Sea” – Ed Carlsen

Playing both guitar and piano, Carlsen’s early musical influences were diverse, however an interest in production led him to a degree in Music Technology at the London College of Music, where sound design and composition for film and visual media, further piqued his creativity. Combined with his unconventional approach to playing instruments, it gave his new work an intriguing edge; innovative, exciting & daring.

Prior to making the permanent and full-time choice to become a musician, Carlsen’s occupation was a pilot; an occupation that was perfect for someone with a thirst for travelling and new experiences. Although, he soon drifted away from this profession and back to music, which eventually took over and became his main passion once again.

The music he started creating was imbued with aspects from both of these two, disparate professions – the pilot and the musician. Technical yet meditative, precise yet poignant. “Feet on the ground, head in the sky,” is how he sums up this duality, highlighted by curious textures, crisp beats, hazy synth washes, delicate electronica all contrasting with a reflective sense of intimacy.

In early 2020, Carlsen moved to Hamburg, his mood informed not just by the emotion of once again starting anew in an unfamiliar place, but the unease of lockdown and the sense of dread enveloping the world. On September 17th, the culmination of Carlsen’s stay in Hamburg will be released as his latest body of work. A highly personal collection of ambient soundscapes, electronica and billowing crescendos, Grains Of Gold is now available to pre-order here.

Ed Carlsen – Drawn Ashore – Out now via XXIM Records