Don't wake me, I'm dreaming free
Dreaming Free started as a school project for me. I had never written a full-length album to that point, and had never undertaken a project even close to this magnitude. At the time, I thought it would be a follow-up to my solo folk EP. But, then I started playing with synths. And writing vocals with my wife Rebekah. And recording more with our drummer. The entire dynamic and style changed drastically, but I think that initial folk element of personal storytelling and song forms still stuck around.
We played shows. Lots of shows. We wrote a lot. I recorded and mixed demos and fleshed out songs constantly, often until the early hours of the morning. We released some singles, and all got together as a band with a bunch of our friends to listen to a song of ours play on the radio for the first time ever. I turned in the school project and graduated. But at that point, a good grade on a senior project was not what I was after. I wanted to finish this album, and for it to be the best version of itself it could possibly be.
After close to two years, I sat down by myself in the studio with the recently mastered audio files. I still remember this moment. I hit play and sat back. At first, I had feelings of anticipation, and excitement. I thought I would listen and take notes of feedback for the mastering engineer. But instead, all of a sudden, there were tears. Listening to the final recordings, it sunk in the for the first time… it was done. This two-year project that consumed my entire creative heart was finished, and was about to be let out into the world.
Only songwriters and producers truly know how much blood, sweat, and tears go into creating an entire album. But the special thing is that those albums can still mean so much to anyone else around the world who listens and is impacted in some way by it. As a music fan myself, I have a short list of albums by other musicians that have been incredibly meaningful for me at some point in my life.
When you’re in the moment of creating something, you don’t always step back to see the bigger picture. But in hindsight, we get to see the impact a creative pursuit had on us. For me personally, I think that Dreaming Free will go down as one of the most meaningful creative endeavors of my life. It changed the way I write, record, and even dream about future endeavors.
We’re in the midst of writing our third album now, and continually trying to stretch ourselves creatively, all the while still holding on to those roots that were so meaningful to us back in 2011 and 2012.
Whether Dreaming Free was meaningful for you at some point, or you’re hearing of Bora York for the first time, we are beyond grateful for you and your support. We love you all. Now, back to writing!
-Chris
Dreaming Free started as a school project for me. I had never written a full-length album to that point, and had never undertaken a project even close to this magnitude. At the time, I thought it would be a follow-up to my solo folk EP. But, then I started playing with synths. And writing vocals with my wife Rebekah. And recording more with our drummer. The entire dynamic and style changed drastically, but I think that initial folk element of personal storytelling and song forms still stuck around.
We played shows. Lots of shows. We wrote a lot. I recorded and mixed demos and fleshed out songs constantly, often until the early hours of the morning. We released some singles, and all got together as a band with a bunch of our friends to listen to a song of ours play on the radio for the first time ever. I turned in the school project and graduated. But at that point, a good grade on a senior project was not what I was after. I wanted to finish this album, and for it to be the best version of itself it could possibly be.
After close to two years, I sat down by myself in the studio with the recently mastered audio files. I still remember this moment. I hit play and sat back. At first, I had feelings of anticipation, and excitement. I thought I would listen and take notes of feedback for the mastering engineer. But instead, all of a sudden, there were tears. Listening to the final recordings, it sunk in the for the first time… it was done. This two-year project that consumed my entire creative heart was finished, and was about to be let out into the world.
Only songwriters and producers truly know how much blood, sweat, and tears go into creating an entire album. But the special thing is that those albums can still mean so much to anyone else around the world who listens and is impacted in some way by it. As a music fan myself, I have a short list of albums by other musicians that have been incredibly meaningful for me at some point in my life.
When you’re in the moment of creating something, you don’t always step back to see the bigger picture. But in hindsight, we get to see the impact a creative pursuit had on us. For me personally, I think that Dreaming Free will go down as one of the most meaningful creative endeavors of my life. It changed the way I write, record, and even dream about future endeavors.
We’re in the midst of writing our third album now, and continually trying to stretch ourselves creatively, all the while still holding on to those roots that were so meaningful to us back in 2011 and 2012.
Whether Dreaming Free was meaningful for you at some point, or you’re hearing of Bora York for the first time, we are beyond grateful for you and your support. We love you all. Now, back to writing!
-Chris
Early ambient sketches were crafted as early as 2007, often created in his bedroom on late nights. But it was not until the early fall of 2012 that the project became a focused reality. Bartels was in the midst of his final semester of music college, and in between classes, ended up writing and recording a full length album in the matter of a few weeks. It was a passionate pursuit that drove the inception of Elskavon’s debut Movements In Season.
Containing three less songs than Movements In Season yet nearly the same length as a whole, Elskavon's second album Release, exercises a bit more open space, minimalism, and droning techniques.
2014’s Reveal came a year later. It is the first Elskavon album that introduces drums and percussion, and touches on a more ethereal post-rock style, while still behind an ambient wash.
After three years since the last album, Skylight, Bartels' 4th LP, was released in January of 2018, garnering positive reviews from around the ambient and modern classical community.
Dreaming Free
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