ORGAN THING: Australian piano player Josh Cohen announces debut album Weird Time Signature and released a new single Reminiscence…

There’s something rather warm and inviting about the texture of this first rather fine piece of music Josh Cohen’s new album, something organic, something delightful, reflective, there’s a glow to the simplicity, the restriant…

“Weird Time Signature is Josh’s debut full-length album of original solo piano works, due for release on June 2, 2023, on his new label DNTWIG. “Reminiscence was written around the time that my grandfather in New Zealand passed away on the morning of my birthday when Melbourne was in a lockdown. Unable to attend the funeral due to travel restrictions, I remember fully accepting the reality of the situation about a month later in the middle of playing this track when the very thought of including him somehow on this record made me burst into tears. It’s funny how sometimes the grieving process hits you at the strangest of times when you least expect it.” @joshohemusic

Album details

“This track was recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people. I wish to acknowledge them as Traditional Owners. I would also like to pay my respects to their Elders, past and present, and Aboriginal Elders of other communities”.

The press release

Today, Australian composer and pianist Josh Cohen has announced that he will release his debut album Weird Time Signature on June 2nd via DNTWIG. Along side this news, he has also shared new single ‘Reminiscence’, a piece inspired by Cohen’s love of Aphex Twin.

Cohen, who is known for his unique style that merges jazz and modern classical music, as well as spirited live performances inspired by electronic music sets, says of the single:

“This track was inspired by the feeling I get every time I listen to Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works 85–92. It was written around the time that my grandfather passed away on the morning of my birthday when Melbourne was in a lockdown. Unable to attend the funeral due to travel restrictions, I remember fully accepting the reality of the situation about a month later in the middle of playing this track when the very thought of including him somehow on this record made me burst into tears. It’s funny how sometimes grieving hits you at the strangest of times when you least expect it.”

Recorded remotely between Cohen’s apartment in Melbourne and Dutch producer and engineer Gijs van Klooster’s (Joep Beving and Hania Rani) studio in Amsterdam, Weird Time Signature is a piano record for fans of electronic music.

Josh Cohen’s innovative and improvisational approach to playing conjures all the dynamism of iconic electronic music producers merging it with the rich atmospheres of impressionist pianists. A unique synthesis of classical and jazz training underscores Cohen’s sound but it is the sense of space, simplicity and intensity of emotion that have driven over 19 million YouTube views and granted Radiohead’s approval for songbooks featuring Cohen’s idiosyncratic arrangements to be released by their publisher Faber Music.

Cohen’s live performances are also a defining part of his artistry, and his main stage appearances in festivals throughout 2022 have fast become critical highlights and audience favourites. A series of live-streamed, improvised events have also enraptured audiences with their audacious energy and dynamism, a vigour which seems more akin to that of a DJ playing a live set than a classical pianist.

In a world that is oversaturated with neo-classical piano records, Weird Time Signature feels like it offers a completely fresh perspective. “I deliberately and very consciously set the limitation for my album to only use a piano with no other keyboard instruments or synths,” he continues. “Setting this limitation in my creative process really enabled me to hone in on what I can extract out of one instrument, which I absolutely adore. That challenge really excites me.”