Wintec tutor’s “experimental” solo album

Local musician Kent Macpherson has released a new album, for which he “threw himself at the mercy” of his piano.

McPherson, a composer and tutor at the Waikato Institute of Technology, has deliberately taken a trip out of his comfort zone to put together his first solo album in six years.

The title, ‘As the Ice Fell we Became Light’, is inspired by the titles of works of such composers as Johan Johansson and Olafur Arnalds, Mr Macpherson said.

He said the titles of some of his tracks, however, are “more literal than others”.

“’Ella on the Wheel at Night’, that’s literally a reference to my daughter’s mouse Ella. I did a field recording of the mouse running on the wheel, it was squeaking. And I thought, ‘that’s got a rhythm to it. I can use that,’” Mr Macpherson said.

Many other tracks on the album have some story behind them, from a nightmare about his son sinking to a feeling of disconnection from family. Macpherson describes the music as “spiritual” and said he wanted to attempt something new.

“I wanted to create a body of work out of fragments and ideas…I’ve done a lot of weird experimental stuff over the years. It’s hard to say what the overriding arc of it is, there’s no story going on, it’s not a concept album.”

Mr Macpherson’s expertise with a wide range of instruments, many of them foreign, came in in handy more than once.

These instruments include the Cavaquinho, a European guitar, and the Guzheng, a Chinese zither, as well as various Maori and Aboriginal instruments.

“The Maori used instruments as healing tools. So if you’re going to use them for music, maybe you’re doing the wrong thing in the first place. The Aboriginals of Australia have a similar attitude towards their instruments, like the didgeridoo, which is really for spiritual awakening.”

He says his work is based on “humanness”, which he describes as “art that resonates with your subconscious and your soul.”

Mr Macpherson’s twenty-five year career as a musician has seen him perform with acts such as Haco and Burning Giraffe, as well as working on films as composer and sound designer.

More of Kent’s work can be seen here.