Can’s Irmin Schmidt has a new solo album on the way, titled Requiem.
Split into two parts that clock in together at 41 minutes, the LP sees 89-year-old Schmidt play prepared and unprepared piano alongside environmental field recordings captured in the surroundings of his home in Southern France.
After feeling compelled to record the sounds of a nightingale singing in his garden, Schmidt went on to build up an archive of further sounds, covering water, birds and frog noises. The piano-playing that appears on the record was spontaneous and edited at a later date, with the help of long-time collaborator René Tinner.
In a statement, Schmidt said: “In nature, I find so much music, and that becomes a kind of dialogue.”
Listen to an extract of Requiem below.
Mute / Future Days will release Requiem on 24 April 2026.
