Coyote Studio's Severin Solovej Album Release- VOYAGE!

Coyote Studio prides itself on our range and flexibility- from vivid and colourful illustrations, surreal designs, portraits, character design, animation, tattoo design, and children’s book illustration. Abigail Roscoe has the range and flexibility that allow for variety, versatility, and improvisation.

As such, it only makes sense that our in-house musician shows a similar range and flexibility. Leif Kurt has proven that he is not only able to keep up with my fast-paced ideas, but he is able to improv from my ideas and inspire me with his ability to create music that paints a story in my head. We’re working on some fun audio-visual collaborations we are excited to reveal in the future, but for now, we are thrilled to announce the highly anticipated debut album release from Leif Kurt, aka Severin Solovej. With a profound passion for electronic and ambient music, Sev invites listeners on an ethereal journey through a mesmerizing world of sound with his first album, Voyage.

Voyage is a captivating exploration of ambience music, offering a unique blend of experimental elements and surreal sonic landscapes. Drawing inspiration from the realms of electronic music and his interest in the genre, this album defies conventions and takes listeners on an introspective and thought-provoking musical experience.

Every track on Voyage is meticulously crafted, demonstrating Sev’s exceptional talent and ability to weave intricate sonic textures. From dreamlike melodies to meticulously layered atmospheres, each composition showcases Sev’s dedication to creating immersive soundscapes that transcend traditional boundaries.

Severin Solovej infuses his compositions with a sense of improvisation and freedom, resulting in a truly unique and evolving sound. Sev combines elements of ambient, electronic, and experimental music in a way that combines elements from his influences to create a dive into ambient music feels entirely fresh and innovative.

We invite you to join us on Wednesday, June 21st as Leif Kurt unveils their debut album, Voyage.

We're In It Together- behind the scenes animating Rich Aucoin's Music Video

In between projects recently, I've been working on an animated music video for Rich Aucoin, among other projects. It's almost done, and now that I'm looking back through months of work as I edit and finalize this video, I thought it would be fun to share a reflection on the process behind this project. 

A scene from We’re In It Together, featuring Mexico City in the background

Last year, I was getting ready for a big international move. Like every other young adult at this time, it feels like climate anxiety is a persistent feeling in the back of my head, and the lack of certainty about our future makes planning hard. As I traveled through my old stomping grounds in Canada and Mexico, the feeling became more and more persistent: we need to do something, but was I born too late to make a change? was I part of the last generation of kids in my province who will remember summer as a fun, carefree time instead of a dreadful smoke-covered sign of a changing world? 

While addressing the somber realities of climate change, it was crucial to maintain an overall sense of hope and empowerment. To achieve this, I interspersed moments of resilience and positivity throughout the video. I also used visual metaphors to drive home the idea that no matter where we are, we all are connected to the same earth, and need to find it within ourselves to step up and do our part.  These scenes, while abstract, I feel convey the powerful determination of the human spirit. The bursts of colour and fluid movement symbolize us all as one- human. Our history shows us that no matter what we faced, the moments of joy and connection we create during our short time on this planet are irreplaceable. We've been laughing, singing, telling stories, making art, and making music since we lived in caves. A deeply unifying experience, and a uniquely human one at that, is the creation of art. Through art, we can be seen, and we can inspire others to care about the things we hold dear. I wanted to channel the energy and passion I have for conservation into a visual experience, and mixed with Rich's amazing music, create an energizing video that plants a seed of hope. 

As a kid, I started a recycling initiative at my school in Mexico. I'd organize food drives in my school and neighborhood, and volunteer to help stray animals. I thought it was easy to make change happen- in my naive and innocent childhood perspective, I thought the reason things were the way they were was because of a lack of awareness. The more involved I got in trying to make a difference, the more disillusioned I became. The problem was much bigger and much scarier than I could begin to comprehend. Still, I try to do what I can to help within my means. I donate my artwork and time to Caribou conservation alliance, in hopes that the passion I have for wildlife and education can help make a positive impact. Then, I heard Rich's song "We're In It Together" and right away, a new idea was born. I could see the animation clearly in my head- I wanted to make art that could complement Rich's art, and send the same message. 

The enchanting song "We're In It Together" by Rich Aucoin became the driving force behind this creative journey. Its inspiring lyrics and powerful message of unity resonated deeply with me. I envisioned a hand-drawn animated music video that would visually capture the essence of community, interconnectedness, and our shared responsibility in facing the challenges of climate change. In the early stages of pre-production, I immersed myself in the song's lyrics, melody, and atmosphere.

I wanted the visuals to mirror the emotional journey conveyed by the music. To achieve this, I decided to blend elements of motion design, typography, and hand-drawn animation. The music video's narrative needed to address the serious issue of climate change while maintaining a sense of optimism and hope. I meticulously crafted visuals that depicted the interconnectedness of all living beings and the collective effort required to combat climate challenges.

To visually represent the theme of community and unity, I chose a vibrant color palette, emphasizing warm and earthy tones to evoke a sense of connection to nature. The hand-drawn animation added an organic and personal touch to the visuals, enhancing the emotional impact. 

Animating a music video requires a meticulous approach. I started by sketching keyframes and storyboarding the entire video. This allowed me to establish the visual flow and rhythm that would synchronize with the music. Using various animation techniques, such as traditional frame-by-frame animation and editing, I brought the illustrations to life.

After completing the animation, I focused on refining the visuals and ensuring they were perfectly synchronized with the music. This involved fine-tuning the timing, transitions, and effects. Crafting a music video is an exhilarating and collaborative journey that combines artistic expression, storytelling, and technical prowess. Through the hand-drawn animated music video for "We're In It Together," I sought to create a visual experience that not only highlighted the urgency of climate change but also instilled a sense of hope and unity in viewers.

Artist Feature- Leif Kurt

The immersive feeling that mood and ambient soundtracks have is certainly an art to be mastered, and emerging musician Leif Kurt is well on his way. 

Today, I am eager to kick off our Artist Feature articles with my good friend Leif here. I am hoping that this first feature and interview can get you excited for the projects to come! 

In our upcoming animations, Leif and I plan to explore narratives through mood building and abstract visual storytelling.  After the debut of my thesis Dreamweavers,  we have been working on laying down the path for our future collaborations- it's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun too. There's something about working on projects like this with someone I'm so close with- it feels like Leif is able to understand the direction I'm going in with my work, and the music he comes up with compliments the narratives that are already there while creating a whole new narrative of their own. 

Poster for my thesis, Dreamweavers

I feel comfortable saying that we just "click", and our creative vision seems to align very well.  Our collaborations are born from the experiences we've had together, whether it be midnight talks on the porch,  fun errands around Bern, walks to small villages in the scorching Italian sun, and even the difficult moments when I was coping with my newfound disability and needed a friend to talk to.  Finding someone that just "gets" me feels particularly important to me because while most of my collaborations with other artists have been a great deal of fun, collaborating with someone who knows me so well feels like we are both on the same page, with the same vision, always. 

I feel like I can tell Leif a crazy, abstract mess of an idea and somehow he can see where I am going with the idea before it's even a full storyboard. 

This brings me to our current projects- Leif and I are currently developing an experimental narrative piece as practice for both of us. The concept is as follows- I send him a short prompt, a one-sentence story. From that prompt, he composes a piece based on the mood he interpreted from the sentence, and then he hands over whatever he has composed for me to animate. It is an interesting narrative experiment because so far the song he sent me for the first sentence I wrote was everything I imagined and more when thinking of that scene and mood... perhaps, I should consider the fact that my friend could be a mind reader. 

We'll find out in the following interview! 

Leif Kurt and myself the day we released Dreamweavers to the public

Tell us a bit about yourself, Leif! 

Leif: Hi, I'm Leif Kurt. I'm a musician based in Bern, Switzerland. It's a lovely city, with a lot of inspiration for artists and musicians alike with its bustling creative scene. It's great. 

Me: Shoutout to Bern, everybody loves Bern. 

We resumed the interview shortly after, as we got carried away talking about the beautiful city and I was laughing a little too hard. Back to Leif. 

Shoutout to Bern

Leif: I am working on learning new instruments, currently polishing up my Saxophone skills, and eventually I hope to play the clarinet as well. I have a lot of respect for multi instrumentalist musicians, and I hope that through enough dedication and practice I can also master a few instruments as well. 

That sounds absolutely fantastic! What inspired you to start making music? 

I've always had a knack for music, and have been playing instruments since the age of 7.

During the pandemic, I decided to take the chance to dive in and try to follow my passion- might as well, right? I have found out a lot in this time- the things I like, the things I don't like, and the things I want to do and will continue working towards. 

I'm learning a lot, and I'm focusing a lot on my growth as a musician. I'm even applying to a pre-college program, as I believe that having a more structured approach could also help me learn a lot more and advance this passion further. 

That sounds wonderful- As an artist, I find that while learning and growing I started getting into a rhythm, and really learning how my own creative process worked. Being a musician,  What is your favourite part about the creative process? 

The point where it clicks, and the ideas all flow together. Usually, I get into a mindset where I'm wondering "oh no, what have I done? Am I making this for me?" And I sometimes don't know how to advance some projects further. Some take off, and some stagnate and fizzle out. 

Yeah, it must be similar to how I have hundreds of unfinished sketches for compositions that just didn't really speak to me- it's OK to let some ideas go and focus on what clicks! 

What was it like to work on an animation like Dreamweavers? What did you learn from that experience? 

It was daunting at first, the time when i started work on this animation I had only been composing my own tracks for half a year, and felt like there was still so much to learn but it was an interesting experience.

Actually,  the original track I had composed for Dreamweavers definitely didn't "click" for me- it was a bloated, overworked piece that just didn't go anywhere. Perhaps I was q bit stressed out, knowing this project was your thesis and I hadn't ever composed for an animation before. I felt like I let it get out of control and didn't even know which direction it was going I the first place. After putting our heads together and modifying a track I had composed for fun, I found that I was on a roll. Suddenly, it all clicked, and we made it work perfectly with qll the visuals and ideas we both had. I feel like we took an unconventional route to get to the end destination, but we got there. 

Yeah, we did! And Dreamweavers got a lot of positive attention- I am so thankful that our first collaboration went so well.  Aside from the work we've planned for ourselves, What kind of animated projects would you like to work on? 

Personally, as a big anime nerd, I have to say "composing for an Anime, of course". 

I'm very familiar with it, and the way music in the scenes is used to create mood and aid the narrative. Animations with a good soundtrack stay with you, and a lot of animated films have had that effect on people because of their soundtrack too. 

I agree! I think back to the Animations I love and grew up with and to this day I still listen to some soundtracks from movies I couldn't get enough of. Which game and movie soundtracks do you feel stand out to you? 

The one that stuck with me the longest would be the soundtrack for an older game called Rise of Nations. That soundtrack always stuck with me, and I too listen to a  lot of game and movie tracks. They've got a way of just pulling you in, and the immersive feeling of these games is in the music, for me. 

Now, as for other media-  man in the high castle, Psychopass, Ghost in the Shell, Game of Thrones, Witcher 3. 

These soundtracks are iconic, and for good reason. They've definitely stood out to me, and they're all very different styles from each other. Much like that iconic Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack, I feel like the Game Of Thrones soundtrack is just as recognisable, if not more. But it's not just about being recognisable but also how well they deliver the feeling and tone of the narrative. 

Hypothetically, You can collaborate with any  musician- who would it be and why? 

It's hard to narrow it down to one, I thought about this question for a long time. 

The person I'd choose would be Yugo Kanno, an animation composer who's known for his work in Jojo's Bizzare Adventures. 

If you could be mentored by any musician, who would it be? 

Very, very difficult question....there's certainly many. But, my final answer would have to be City Girl. After all, she's the reason I explored making music digitally in the first place. Her video where she samples her cat made me realise that I had everything available to me to start composing, and so I did. 

Thank you for your time, Leif. I'm really glad we got this chance to talk about your music more, and I'm eager to share previews of our upcoming projects as things progress. 

For now, you can check out the animation we did for my Bachelor's thesis,  Dreamweavers. 

Thank you for reading, and see you next week for a new blog post.