Michel Banabila

At the beginning of this journey, I had no clear idea of what I was getting into. What started as a simple poem, with embedded audio links referencing a selection of recordings I had made over the past few years and published on Metalabel and my website, eventually evolved into a video project designed as a proposal for an installation. Ultimately, it culminated in this music album.

I am incredibly grateful for the amazing voice recordings that friends and family from all over the world sent me, each recorded on their phones or with other devices. Every voice here is uniquely recognisable and reflects how I know them. I truly enjoyed working with these recordings, focusing on their personalities and the distinctive sound of their languages.

Throughout the process, I found myself questioning why I was doing this. I suppose the simple answer is that I felt the need to create something warm, something that embraced diversity, in contrast to my government's fucking migration policies, its deceit toward the Palestinian people, and all these hate posts circulating online in this time. For me, making music has always been a way to stay sane, and I have always loved working with voice recordings.