// Letters to YVYNYL //

Samana - I’ll Keep You With Me

 / If you’re like me, you need to get your heart broken on a daily basis. I seek music like this, to keep my own spirit in check. Am I okay? Am I alive? Large portions of my mental space hovers in that place. Wales-based duo Rebecca Rose Harris and Franklin Mockett write music with that truth in a daily practice, based purely on the way they craft melody, and tap into the capacity of her low, mystical voice. They wrote to me about how they’ve built their sound, their story, and how they view this life.

Dear Mark,

It is a pleasure to write to you and I hope this letter finds you well.

I am writing to you from across the Atlantic Ocean. The valley, from beyond our window, is shrouded in autumn’s palate of geological golds, fading greens and burnt reds. As the days proceed, the nature that surrounds our solitary farmhouse becomes increasingly different. I regard the season of autumn to be a reflection of change and of movement both in the land and within oneself. It is for this very reason I feel it is an appropriate time for me to write you this letter and share with you our story.

My partner and I are Samana.

A year ago we packed the bare necessities of our lives into our thirty-year old van Govinda and left England with 300 Euro’s to write a body of music born from freedom, instincts and belief. We removed ourselves from all restraints and commitments and journeyed by map and compass across the far reaches of Europe to write in the isolated forests of Slovenia, the mountain peaks of Austria, the holy valleys of Montenegro, the golden farmlands of Serbia and the secret communities of Hungary. We made ancient pilgrimages, slept beneath the stars and washed all year round in lakes and rivers. 

We devoted every element of our existence and progression to the development of our music. We performed it ritualistically on the streets to people of passing towns and villages to share the essence of our work intimately and personally in its rawest form, defying language barriers and division. From Indian summers through to winter snowstorms we gathered interest and support from people of all walks of life whose kindness allowed us to travel like this for a year, taking us to the furthest reaches of Albania and back again. 

Having composed an album on the road, we returned to the UK and took residence in an old farmhouse in the Brecon Beacons. We have since built an analogue recording studio and darkroom, where we compose and record our music and develop and print our photographs. Requiem is an insight into our lives and what is to come.

With Heart,

Rebecca & Franklin

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