Marcel Borrack

talking about his new album Sun Dust

Marcel Borrack came into the radio show I present every Tuesday 12-2pm on Melbourne’ Triple R FM to talk about his new album Sun Dust.

I have been aware of Marcels music over the last five years or more through his pop band the Mini Bikes and then his great guitar instrumental album of several years ago, The Telecaster Diaries.

Now he is releasing a new TD Band (Telecaster Diaries Band) single - Mullumbimby Nights - and then a week later an instrumental album with a much wider range of sounds and textures, Sun Dust. Here is how Marcel described it in an email.

“Several years ago, I came across the documentary Music of Satyajit Ray and was completely captivated. His creative process, and the music itself resonates deeply with the natural world. Sonically the productions are bold, inventive, and full of character. They use space masterfully to create mood and drama, and they strive for individuality over blandness, or at least that’s what I hear. Sun Dust is a collection of instrumental music inspired by Ray’s work.

On Sun Dust I use Indian instruments such as sitar and bansuri but acoustic guitar is at the heart of the music. While Ray’s work was an important touchstone throughout the project, the intention was not to create a pastiche, but to use it as a foundation for my own musical explorations. Over time I’ve developed a guitar tuning that allows melodies to emerge naturally, forming the basis of each composition. From these initial ideas the pieces gradually unfold through layers of overdubbed instruments including banjo and mandolin, with melodies weaving around one another in an ongoing conversation. The process is intuitive and exploratory allowing each piece to find its own shape and character.

I wanted the music to evoke a sense of the organic: sitting beside a river, the solemnity of a forest, or the feeling of hot sun on your skin. Exploring these visceral sensations was an appealing departure from my usual approach to songwriting. It offered a way to be creatively adventurous while gaining a fresh perspective on the music-making process. I like to think of it as film music without a film.

For me, writing music is something I want to do every day. I’m constantly seeking to explore, learn and evolve, so bringing new sounds, influences and ideas into my projects will always be an important part of that journey.”

Music of Satyajit Ray (1984) | English Documentary | A Journey Through Indian Cinema's Golden Era