In The Middle Of (2023)

All songs written and performed by Rafa Aslan and Zach Frampton.

Piano: Zach Frampton
Live electronics: Rafa Aslan

Produced by Rafa Aslan
Mixed by Rafa Aslan and Antoine Gallois
Mastered by Antoine Gallois
Lathe cut to vinyl by Jackson Darby at Personal Touch Vinyl
Artwork and Design by Roshan Leynes and Willem Deisigner

At its core, In the Middle Of is a conversation between pianist Zach Frampton and composer Rafa Aslan. Recorded in the dead of a Montreal winter, the album is an exploration of the textures and sonority of the piano as well as an exercise in sound design- all sounds heard on the project come directly from the instrument and no other sound sources were used.

Over the course of three months, Zach would brave the cold and come over to Rafa’s apartment for marathon recording sessions, taking up residence at an old upright piano that the two had literally placed at a diagonal in the middle of the kitchen/dining room. It was an unorthodox setup to be sure, yet the chords Zach tapped out were undeniably emotive, their poignancy further enhanced by Rafa, who would feverishly sample, edit and treat the audio in real time before feeding the fragments back into the room. As the hours and days passed, a unique kind of dialogue emerged, and while the setting undoubtedly looked chaotic—at one point, 50-foot cables were literally strung across the ceiling—the music the two made, while tinged with melancholy, exuded an intimate warmth.

In the months that followed, Rafa poured over hours of audio that they had recorded, material which captured not only their improvisations, but the sounds of the piano and the room itself. Littered with innumerable creaks, groans and even the breath sounds of its two contributors, the music retains a tangibly organic feel, reminding the listener that even at its most majestic, In The Middle Of was made in relatively modest environs.

A cozy suite of tinkling melodies, soft reverb and frozen time, the album makes for an elegant listen, yet it isn’t some haughty museum piece or bloodless academic exercise. It’s an earnest exploration, one whose delicate tones are perfect for moments of quiet contemplation and creeping isolation alike.