Emmy Award-winning composer Benjamin Wynn, AKA Deru, who did the sound design for the excellent animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, is releasing a limited edition, hand-held video projector to accompany his forthcoming '1979' album, out June 17th on Friends of Friends. The custom-built, wooden projector contains all the songs from the LP, along with short films created by visual artist Anthony Ciannamea. Deru says:
1979 is about memories, nostalgia, and the human experience. Memory is one of our greatest gifts; it gives us access to time, to identity, to dreams. Guided by the wisdom of Jackson Sonnanfeld-Arden, discoverer of the Nine Pure Tones, I created 1979 as a concept album through which I could share his brilliant theory, and my life-long infatuation with memory.
The unique project is a very limited edition and is $500. You can pre-order here. Check out a short film made for the project below to get a sense of the aesthetic, or preview one of the songs from the album here.
Here are some words about project from Deru himself:
Here it is. “1979” my new album in a handheld custom video projector.
Turn it on, and the album will beam to your walls.
1979 is about memories, nostalgia, and the human experience. Memory is one of our greatest gifts; it gives us access to time, to identity, to dreams. Guided by the wisdom of Jackson Sonnanfeld-Arden, discoverer of the Nine Pure Tones, I created 1979 as a concept album through which I could share his brilliant theory, and my life-long infatuation with memory.
Before music was such an easily traded commodity, it was often an experience to which people gave their full attention. Let’s bring that experience back. Let’s respect what music is worth.
Yours in the waves,
Deru
