Developed from a trove of abandoned recordings and inspired by the unexpected discovery of his late uncle’s 78rpm classical and opera records, Quiet Pieces is a sonic self-portrait assembled from fragments of the past. Mogard manipulated these old records—slowing them down, layering textures, and running them through analog effects—to create an ethereal dialogue between eras. “These fragments, once further processed, became a source of inspiration for new compositions,” he explains. “Over time, I realised that the old pieces and the new material complemented each other.”
The result is a rich, liminal soundscape that drifts between the restrained and the intense. Tracks like “Constantly slipping away” and “Like a bird” pulse with raw, tactile energy, while “In a studded procession”—recorded with a Serge modular synthesiser at Stockholm’s EMS studio—builds to a cinematic crescendo. Subtle nods to late minimalist Phill Niblock surface throughout the album, whose posthumous work Mogard cites as an unexpected influence: “It pushed me to the edge of a space where I began to feel uncomfortable.”
Longtime collaborator Marja de Sanctis contributes the album artwork, featuring a photograph of the Temple of Jupiter Anxur overlooking the Mediterranean—an image that mirrors the album’s themes of time, place, and emotional resonance.
Pressed on eco-conscious BioVinyl, Quiet Pieces will be available in LP and digital formats. Pre-order and listen here: https://bit.ly/4ispPE1