Grand River (Interview)

Today we’re listening to Grand River, an electronic music project from Dutch-Italian composer Aimée Portioli. She grew up in the Netherlands and a small town in Italy, where she was “surrounded by nature and open spaces,” as she told us. She studied classical guitar and piano, and recorded her first music on her parents’ computer in the ‘90s. We’re listening to her new record, Tuning the Wind, a near-40 minute piece that blends wind recordings with synths and began as a sound art installation. We’re also playing her 2023 record, All Above, which is more synth-forward and upbeat. A conversation with Aimée follows the streaming links.

Tuning the Wind - Grand River (36m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

All Above - Grand River (40m, some voice recordings in the background)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

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What’s your earliest memory of music?

I have several early memories, but one of the most vivid is attending church with my grandmother and singing alongside the choir. At the age of five, I joined the choir myself. Another memory is listening to my cousin playing the guitar, watching and hearing him sparked my curiosity to explore the instrument and made me want to play it as well. I also remember my mother frequently listening to music at home.

Where did you grow up?

Until the age of eleven, in the Netherlands, and after that in Italy, in a small town surrounded by nature and open spaces.

How did you start creating your own music – what were your earliest recordings?

I began with classical guitar and later studied piano during my childhood, although I was already playing with toy keyboards when I was even younger. Over time, I became increasingly interested in recording the songs I was writing, exploring the layering and manipulation of sounds. My earliest recordings were made on my parents’ computer in the late 1990s. I listened to a wide range of genres, from rock and classical music to more acoustic, songwriter-based compositions. The list would be long if I were to name all the artists who inspired me.

Tell us about the recording process for Tuning the Wind.

The process was slow and patient. I began by collecting wind recordings and subdividing them into folders and categories: gusts, steady wind, soft wind, whistling wind, and so on.

Depending on the strength and character of each recording, I began to consider how I could use them, for example, combining a steady wind with a drone to create a continuous foundation. A gust, with its sudden, forceful movement, could be played in sync with notes from a dynamic synthesiser part, adding emphasis to the melody and turning it into a chord. Different wind intensities created different feelings: a steady wind conveyed something calm and soothing, while powerful gusts or sharp whistling sounds felt much more aggressive.

I then integrated all of this material into the compositional process in my studio in Berlin where there were numerous instruments involved.

Tell us about the decision to format Tuning the Wind as one long track instead of breaking it up into several.

The work was conceived as a continuous movement rather than a collection of separate pieces. It was originally created as part of a sound installation in 2022.

How do you discover new music these days?

I mostly discover new music through curated newsletters and by following the releases of labels that I like and follow.

What are you working on next?

I am currently working on my first solo sound installation, which will premiere this summer in a contemporary art museum, and I’m very excited about it.

In addition, I am working on new music and two commissioned projects in collaboration with visual artists.