Daylight Music has been providing a lunchtime oasis of calm on Saturdays for 15 years now. Over the years this family-friendly show has provided lush quiche and cake washed down with gallons of tea and coffee while musicians soothe the frenetic soul of Londoners with outstanding and thought provoking artists that have included over the years, Blick Bassy, Frank Sidebottom, Poppy Ackroyd, Nick Heyward, Hiss Golden Messenger, Haiku Salut, Kathryn Williams, Ed Dowie, Nils Frahm and the annual Lost Map Records Christmas show. Also celebrating 15 years is Berlin-based label Sonic Pieces who had curated this show with Ben from Daylight. The label have produced over 50 releases from artists working in the liminal spaces between contemporary classical and avant-garde. Today’s show was at St. John’s church in Leytonstone, East London.
First to play was Erik K Skodvin, one half of Deaf Center. He started with softly played guitar notes, but it soon became apparent that 6-strings were simply the jumping off point into a sonic universe, one that he opened up using a bank of effects pedals at his feet. His minimal playing was orchestrated through spinning dials and pedal switches so that sound began to warp, loop, and become stretched. Everything would swirl and fold in on itself becoming a miasma of sound that could ebb and flow like Prospero controlling the elements. Skodvin created a journey through time and space; the kind of thing you could imagine would be on a playlist for SETI employees. You’ll hear the applause at the end of this improvised piece is slow to start and that’s because it took the audience some time to break free of the reverie it created.  Â
Watch Erik K Skodvin’s performance here
Next on the bill was Sumie, one of my favourite all-time artists since first hearing her eponymous debut album in 2013. In over 10 years I have travelled to see her Sweden, Norway and far-flung Essex and this show marked the first time she had played in the UK since October 2019. Sumie’s voice is disarming in its purity, and with only the gentle rotation of her guitar playing you are drawn under her spell and this Daylight audience barely moved once she started playing. We were treated to a mixture of established songs such as ‘Hunting Sky’, ‘Speed Into’ and ‘Show Talked Windows’ as well as brand new songs which will be appear on Sumie’s forthcoming album set to be released in 2025.Â
The new material is as perfect as anything already in her songbook and closer in tone to the magnificent Mirou EP. There was the quiet reflection of ‘Daydreamer’, the effortless drift between major and minor in ‘Dahlia’, ‘Stardust In Valleys’ which builds from a plaintive beginning to a strummed Fardo-like melancholy, and the tender lullaby ‘My Arms’. I would also like to give a special mention for Sumie’s friend and fellow Gothenburg musician Max Lindahl who travelled with her and played trumpet on a few songs. His melodies are faultless and the control he has over his instrument is astonishing given that he can fade a note in from nowhere and float it like mist over Sumie’s music. Â
Sumie’s set: Daydreamer | Hunting Sky (with Max) | Dahlia | Stardust In Valleys (with Max) | Speed into | Show Talked Windows | My ArmsÂ
Watch Sumie’s performance here
The final act of the day is Deaf Center with Erik K Skodvin returning to the stage with pianist Otto A Totland. His piano playing was subtle and moving as if he was barely breathing on the keys to create heart-breaking motifs. Erik took those phrases, captured like fireflies, and morphed their sound with his array of effects pedals into layers of ethereal sounds, once again translating the vastness of space into music. The piano in turn responded by adding spread chords and flourishes that danced with the electronic reverberations. The symbiotic relationship of taking analogue piano and treating it with effects could be a disaster, but with the palpable sensitivity and trust between these two it blends perfectly. Very early on Otto played a high-up line which was caught by Erik and repeated through the piece, returning like a long-lost friend. It’s hard to believe that something so accomplished and beautiful was completely improvised.Â
Watch Deaf Center’s performance here
Whether you are religious or not there is something about being in a church that adds an extra depth to the experience. It’s an environment that works well for ambient music as it enhances the experience encouraging the listener to be drawn in and give themselves over to the music in a form of meditation. Also noteworthy was the beautiful playing of Mazy Day who provided organ music between the acts and has the album Go ‘Swish out on November 29th. Â
The current season of Daylight Music continues until the end of December and you can see the full list of forthcoming shows on their events page. Â
Sumie socials: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | InstagramÂ
Deaf Center & Erik K Skodvin: Facebook | Bandcamp | WebsiteÂ
Daylight Music: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Bluesky
Review by Paul F Cook
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