Sound of Fractures Aims to Rethink the Artist-Audience Relationship and Explores Human Connection in New Single, Willow’s Heartbeat
“Drawing from the culture of UK dance music, hip-hop and soul, the Londoner’s musical ethos, based around the concept of finding beauty in imperfection” – DMY Magazine
“Fusing atmospheric sounds to compose a sophisticated yet mellow sound, “IRL” demonstrates how Sound of Fractures is pushing boundaries.” – Magnetic Magazine
British electronic artist and producer Jamie Reddington, known as Sound of Fractures, is introducing his uniquely powerful new single “Willow’s Heartbeat”. Set to be featured in his upcoming album “Scenes”, an interactive album encouraging fans to share their cherished memories and photographs in response to each track, transforming them into a unique collection of “Scenes”.
The song begins by incorporating the rhythmic pulse of his daughter’s heartbeat, setting the stage for sharp synth chords and an energetic breakbeat drum sequence. The rich sonic landscape elicits profound emotions through expansive synth melodies and subtle echoes of sampled vocals in the backdrop. Sound of Fractures combines elements from Jamie XX and Burial with sampling audio, like his daughter’s heartbeat and everyday life, to craft a unique form of deeply emotional electronic music.
According to Reddington, “Music goes beyond sound; it taps into the memories and emotions it awakens. ‘Scenes’ gives a tangible shape to this connection and preserves it in a recognisable form for fans to own. Each song, along with its corresponding ‘Scene,’ will populate a digital gallery, serving as a record of how music intersects with life’s moments in today’s social media-driven world.”
The concept of world-building is at the core of Jamie’s vision. In an era where music has been commodified, and artist identities often diluted, Sound of Fractures provides an alternative approach. Jamie emphasises, “World Building involves creating connections that foster strong emotional bonds around an artist’s music. In today’s digital age, music is not just a product; it’s an entire world that fans should aspire to engage with and feel a part of.”
Having explored the fusion of web2 and web3, as previously demonstrated in his “IRL” EP, Jamie is no stranger to experimenting with new formats and ways to fund his music. His passion for innovation has not only established him as a trailblazer but has also showcased the potential of new models for building artist-audience relationships without relying on major tech gatekeepers. His new album will be launched alongside an interactive platform where users upload and create authentic, shareable visual content using memories set to the backdrop of his music. This process starts with the artwork for “Willows Heartbeat”, which was created by his fans via his scenes platform where users upload image content.
Sound of Fractures speaks on the inspiration for Willow’s Heartbeat, “The thing that matters to me most is that my music makes me feel something, it’s become this way for me to record my life and embed my story into what I create. I like the idea that the people I love and maybe their children will listen back one day and start to pick through the music and find all these memories buried in there. I always start writing with some kind of sample I recorded on my phone, and while digging through my audio notes I found this recording of my daughter’s heartbeat.. I recorded it during one of the early scans and had totally forgotten about it.. I knew instantly that this was the starting point for me that day. I feel like the only thing we can rely on to help us stand out these days is to be ourselves, it’s the one thing we can count on that makes us unique. Putting my life into my music is my way of doing that, and it has become my ‘why’.
Those early scans can be a terrifying time, you are a bundle of nerves and heading into this great big unknown, and there is something so visceral about hearing that living heartbeat the first time. It’s one of those life moments where you are overwhelmed by emotions that you don’t quite understand, and yet you are also scared to let yourself feel them in case something goes wrong. Every time I hear this song it takes me back to that feeling, and for me, that’s what music should do: transport you somewhere. So really it’s about moments, impactful moments that music so often attaches itself to. It’s what makes music both challenging to earn a living from in the modern visual world, but also what makes it unique… It soundtracks our experiences and bonds to them forever.”
Release date: December 1st, 2023.