My latest press release for the Bigo & Twigetti record label is promoting composer Jim Perkins’ new single, Lullaby for Mathilda. Watch the video and read the full release below.

Composer and producer Jim Perkins has shared the video for his new single Lullaby for Mathilda, which is released on 18th October - the second in a series of new singles, being released over the next few months. Fans of artists such as Max Richter, Olafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm will love Jim’s approach to modern classical music, which draws on influences from electronic and experimental music. 

This instrumental track is an exercise in creating the maximum impact with the quietest possible sounds. Built on a quiet piano arpeggio, layers of violins and soprano vocals expand around it, these elements are then bound together by a synth pad that runs through the space between them.

“Everything about this track is very soft,” says Jim. “I wanted to make something that would gently surround the listener. It really came about from experimenting with sounds to create something soft and delicate sounding but also immersive and which surrounds the listener (especially when listening on headphones) providing a kind of lush and encapsulating listening experience.

“It sort of reminds me of gentle rainfall as the piano notes trickle down one by one and the warm waves of voice, violin and synths remind me of sitting somewhere warm watching the rain from inside.

“The soprano melodies that sit on top of everything just came to me quite instinctively when I was putting everything together so I invited Joanna Forbes L'estrange to sing these lines which are soaring and beautiful.”

After completing the piece, Jim decided to dedicate it to his young daughter, becoming a soundscape to become part of her nighttime routine. 

“I like the idea of writing for or dedicating pieces of music to people,” he says. “Before she goes to sleep Mathilda listens to stories and music on a Yoto player and I thought this gentle and calm piece of music might help her to go prepare to go to sleep so I decided to dedicate it to her and add it to her bedtime listening.”

Jim’s fourth studio album Imprints was released in 2023. With four solo piano pieces as a centrepiece, each was then re-recorded one note at a time with double bass, cello, viola and violin - creating in a ghostly imprint of the original. Finally, both versions were combined, bringing new depth and feel to the original piece. Each version or the four pieces was included on the record, both deconstructing the compositional process and taking the listener on an enveloping journey. 

Having taken such a structured approach with Imprints, Jim wanted his next project to be more freeing, working on one composition at a time without a wider concept in mind. Leaving things somewhat to chance became the idea, the work linked simply by being created in the same space and time. They became a record of his life and mindset over the period they were created. 

“I like the idea of making something, putting it out then moving onto the next thing rather than releasing one album every couple of years,” says Jim. “When I create something and I'm excited by it, I want to share it whilst I am still enthusiastic about it. Releasing music regularly allows me to have more of a conversation with listeners about the music as it's released and as they engage with it.”

The first of these single releases, Between the Sea and the Sky [listen here], arrived in September. Written for 12 piece string ensemble, the piece is based on the sight and feeling of looking out to sea. Using each instrument to evoke the layers of that view, the piece includes random - or aleatoric - elements, allowing the players to interpret parts of the score, meaning no two performances are quite the same - like the sea and sky themselves. 

With over 400,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and more than 50 million plays across all streaming services, Jim Perkins is a growing force in contemporary classical music. Thoughtful and emotive, his work is layered and intricate but with a lightness that draws the listener into the music before opening it up to them. As an accomplished music producer as well, Jim incorporates the studio as a tool in his composition - using recording techniques both to ensure the clear delivery of his vision and also to create and manipulate sound itself. 

Jim is also the founder of independent record label Bigo & Twigetti, an innovative, forward-thinking company that adopted a digital-first approach long before the wider classical music industry embraced streaming. Shunning the perceived stuffiness of the genre, the label has always had something of a punk ethos to it, and is known for encouraging experimentation and creative freedom in its artists. This has attracted musicians normally found recording Hollywood soundtracks or touring with major rock bands to make the label their home and a place to stretch themselves creatively. 

As a composer, Jim’s work has been performed at The Institute of Contemporary Arts, The National Portrait Gallery, the South Bank Centre and Margate’s Turner Contemporary. His music has been streamed over 20 million times and has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 6 Music, NPR, WNYC and RTE. He has released four full length albums, Grains (2011), Constance (2015), Pools (2019) and Imprints (2023).

Jim Perkins: 

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Bigo & Twigetti: 

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