Kid Koala’s New Collab Album Feat. Trixie Whitley Streaming In Full w/ PopMatters + Out This Friday

KID KOALA

New Collab Album Music To Draw To: Io

Feat. Trixie Whitley Streaming In Full w/ PopMatters
Photo Credit: AJ Korkidakis

Out This Friday, 1/25 Via Arts & Crafts

“mesmerizing and thought-provoking…a soundtrack to your creativity” – PopMatters
“A moving collaboration, the dominant vocal seems to bring out fresh elements in the Canadian artist’s work, while his challenging atmospherics have a painterly touch.” – Clash
“an impressionistic 3.5 minutes that looks like footage from a satellite doing a close fly-by of the sun.” – Billboard
“the ethereal vibes allow room for the listeners’ own creativity…beautiful” – BrooklynVegan
“serenely awe-struck lullaby, with Trixie Whitley’s hushed, hazy voice” – New York Times
“‘melancholic hooks of a beat-less beauty.” – Self-Titled

Visionary scratch DJ and producer Kid Koala (aka Eric San) is preparing to release his much anticipated collaborative album Music To Draw To: Io featuring Belgian-American vocalist Trixie Whitley this Friday, January 25th via Arts & Crafts. In anticipation, today the album is available to stream in full via PopMatters ahead of its release. About the new album, San comments:

“I’m very excited to release Io, this second instalment in the Music To Draw To series. It was recorded layer by layer in the studio over the last two winters. It was an honor to have Trixie Whitley appear on several songs as I’ve been a fan of her work for many years. This album is meant for those long travel days or quiet evenings. Grab your sketchbooks and headphones and find a quiet place to zone in. I wish you many hours of productivity!”

The 18-track Music To Draw To: Io is a collection of transportive electronic creations that glint with the otherworldly blues of Trixie Whitley. The 70-minute exploration is a constellation of ambient meditations and haunted lullabies inspired by music that allows space for the listener’s own imagination. The first volume of the series was 2017’s Music To Draw To: Satellite, which featured vocalist Emilíana Torríni, and received praise from Pitchfork, Bandcamp and VICE, among others.

Koala and Whitley drew inspiration from the story of Io in Greek mythology, in which Io – first priestess of the Goddess Hera, the sinister wife of Zeus – is tormented by Hera over her husband’s love interest in her. This interplay resonates in the background of the album’s arc of plotlines – a tale of the turbulent modern global psyche, transcendently personified by Whitley’s soulful character and Koala’s intuitive imagination.

The album is available in double vinyl, sketchbook CD, and all digital formats. “Lost At Sea” follows the singles “All For You” and “Hera’s Song” featuring Trixie Whitley, and the instrumental “Allotropic.”

Koala is set to host another one of his staple ‘Music To Draw To’ sessions in conjunction with the album, beginning with four launch events at Montreal’s SATosphere dome, featuring Whitley and visuals by chemical puppeteer Karina Bleau. In addition, Koala’s stepping up his touring game in 2019 with a Satellite Turntable Orchestra and with Nufonia Must Fall concerts going global this year. See below for a full list of tour dates, and tickets are available here.

Listen/Share Music To Draw To: Io via PopMatters

Kid Koala Upcoming Tour Dates
1/24: Montreal, QC @ SAT (6:30pm / 9pm)
1/25: Montreal, QC @ SAT (6:30pm / 9pm)
1/27: Los Angeles, CA @ Giant Robot Gallery (2pm // 7pm)
1/30: Ottawa, ON @ Black Squirrel Books
2/6: San Francisco, CA @ SF Jazz (Listening Party)
2/7: San Francisco, CA @ SF Jazz (Nufonia Must Fall)
2/8: San Francisco, CA @ SF Jazz (Nufonia Must Fall)
2/9: San Francisco, CA @ SF Jazz (Nufonia Must Fall)
2/10: San Francisco, CA @ SF Jazz (Nufonia Must Fall) (3pm // 7pm)
2/13: San Jose CA @ Hammer Theatre (Nufonia Must Fall)
2/14: San Jose CA @ Hammer Theatre (Nufonia Must Fall)
2/15: San Jose CA @ Hammer Theatre (Nufonia Must Fall)
2/18: St. Catherines, ON @ FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (Satellite Turntable Orchestra – 7pm / 9:30pm)
2/19: St. Catherines, ON @ FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (Satellite Turntable Orchestra – 7pm / 9:30pm)
2/20: St. Catherines, ON @ FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (Satellite Turntable Orchestra – 2pm / 7pm / 9:30pm)
4/26: College Park, MD @ MilkBoy ArtHouse (Satellite Turntable Orchestra)
4/27: College Park, MD @ The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (Robot Dance Party)
5/2: Chapel Hill, MD @ Current ArtSpace + Studio (UNC @ Chapel Hill)
5/3: Chapel Hill, MD @ Current ArtSpace + Studio (UNC @ Chapel Hill)
5/4: Chapel Hill, MD @ Current ArtSpace + Studio (UNC @ Chapel Hill)
5/5: Chapel Hill, MD @ Current ArtSpace + Studio (UNC @ Chapel Hill)

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