By now composer/musician CJ Mirra has become known as the sound of cold water surfing.
Having scored over 20 audio-visual freesurfing experiments with filmmaker Chris McClean, the pair have forged an award winning partnership over the years, renowned for producing some of surfing’s most cinematic features. A body of work which takes viewers on an immersive and unrestrained journey, one where sound and imagery coincide in seamless harmony.
Translate is the first release and main theme from CJ Mirra’s official soundtrack to the eponymously named upcoming audio-visual experiment. An ode to the raging North Atlantic, the album – out this Autumn on State51 – unites ethereal orchestral movements with sublime electronic excursions, lo-fi moments and contributions from the likes of surfer/musician Lee Ann Curren.
The video for this first single Translate is created in collaboration with multi media artist Rebecca Smith of Urban Projections who reinterpreted the original surf footage from the film with her very digital aesthetic. “The video is one artist’s translation of the original film, using collaboration as protest against the current divisive political climate in Europe,” explains CJ Mirra.
“The original film footage is incredibly powerful, but amazingly delicate and elegant. It encapsulates the beauty and interconnectedness of us with the natural world; I really wanted to reflect this in a very digital way,” explains Rebecca Smith. “Much of my work juxtaposes these values with an overtly digital aesthetic. I played with creating wave studies from particles, taking the idea that one single point has a ripple effect out to others. This interconnectedness is something that really interests me. My aim was to encapsulate the feeling of power and beauty in the natural world, and reflect on our relationship with it.”
Translate released on The State51 Conspiracy is available 27th November 2020 on digital and ltd edition vinyl with the first single released 21st August.
