Sebastian Mullaert & Henrik Frendin - Hind

Facts Sometimes things in life come full circle. One example is HIND, a project by the acclaimed and Grammis-nominated musicians Sebastian Mullaert and Henrik Frendin. For over 40 years, they have combined research and creative experimentation within the space of contemporary electroacoustic music.

The two first met in 2006 at the Malmö Academy of Music. After a brilliant career in the electronic dance music scene, Sebastian drew attention from established international media such as Mixmag, FACT, Electronic Beats and Crack, and was twice nominated for a Swedish Grammis, both for his solo work and for his project Minilogue. Resident Advisor voted him among the Top Live Acts in the World for his commanding performances at Boiler Room, Berghain and Fabric, reaching every corner of the globe. Mullaert became interested in returning to his roots as a classically trained musician and searched for new ways to integrate classical and electronic music. This culminated in his remarkable Natthall with the Zurich Philharmonic Orchestra, which was featured in BBC Music Magazine's Top 10 Post Classical Albums of 2020.

Meanwhile, Henrik Frendin toured internationally to promote his solo album Viola con Forza, which was nominated for a Grammis in the Classical Solo category. At the time, Henrik was considered one of Scandinavia's leading violists. The album was a collection of works by leading Swedish composers, all pieces dedicated to Henrik. To realize his vision of expanding and developing the sound palette of an electroacoustic string instrument, a new amplified string instrument called the Electric Viola Grande was built and created by Richard Rolf specifically for him. This unique five-string viola sets a new standard for authentic sound and design in electroacoustic instrument making. Frendin's first stage appearance with the new instrument was at the Wiener Concerthaus as a solo artist at Lange Nacht der Neue Klänge. Naturally, this sparked Mullaert's interest, so he signed up for private lessons with the viola professor.

Fast forward to 2024, and the duo reunites in the HIND project, with nature as the main inspiration and starting point.
It was an up-close experience with a young wild deer and its protective mother while the two meditated in the forest, which gave the album its name. "To be almost overwhelmed by nature's beauty. It was a rather magical moment that has never happened to me before, or to anyone I know for that matter," says Sebastian.

With the album HIND, both Mullaert's and Frendin's creative practices and their different musical backgrounds are brought to a new level of technical and artistic achievement. The opening track Dawn unfolds calmly: the sun rises, the darkness clears. Meanwhile, the lively Stepping Stone and the title track Hind elegantly use melody, rhythm and harmony. They are the result of a series of long recording sessions in which Frendin's playing is processed, looped and distorted in real time by Mullaert, while Frendin adds string layers in real time through improvisation and Mullaert performs multilayer looping.

The heavenly Starling Solitude and airy Stardance breathe freely like nature itself, creating an atmospheric delight. There is an audible dialogue between the two artists that blurs the boundaries between acoustic and electronic music, with experimentation and freedom at its center.
"I woke up one morning with this vision, curious about how our different sound worlds would match and create some form of synchronicity," says Henrik.

The gentle tones of The Fog and the deeply ethereal soundscapes of Another Form of Wings reveal two artists with a deep connection to sound and to each other, while the introspective Embrace has a beautifully ghostly atmosphere that slowly emerges.