Aukai

This morning, I’m delighted to share my time with the music of Markus Sieber, who has been enchanting my studio space with the sounds of his charango (and sometimes ronroco) as Aukai since the release of Branches of Sun in 2018. Over nearly a decade and three full-length releases on his very own aukaimusic, Markus carefully perfected his craft of gentle strumming and plucking the Bolivian nylon-string “lute,” producing harmonically rich compositions. There are beautiful melodies, yes, but there is also a beautiful glow at the heart of each instrumental piece. This time, Markus finds himself in the celebrated Saal 3 studio inside Berlin’s historic Funkhaus complex (adopted and upgraded by Nils Frahm), integrating the gorgeous sounds of his classical octave guitar and a baritone charango with those of reed organ, celeste, synths, and, of course, the piano, with the acoustics of the space. “It felt contained,” says Markus about the studio, “like being in an underground cave, protected from an outside world, with a stillness waiting to respond to the quietest, most tender tones of my charango and guitar, yet equally waiting to respond to the crushing sound waves of the studio’s reed organ.” The result is a collection of minimalist, fragile, and honest pieces that continue to reach in and touch the soul.