9 Rooms Stewart Allan

• 1 Silver Wings 04:05
• 2 The End Is the Start 05:09
• 3 Shall We Dance 04:04
• 4 Skin Come Alive 03:47
• 5 Glow 03:54
• 6 Rocks Against Bullets 05:06
• 7 New Moon 04:55
• 8 Chasing Stars in Paradise 05:03
• 9 When We Say Goodbye 03:55
• Total Runtime 39:58

Info for 9 Rooms

Stewart Allan's 9 Rooms has been a long time coming, with some songs taking shape over many years. During that time, Stewart has been searching for the right sonic framework for his work, a sound world that would serve the aesthetic and intellectual aspects of his writing as well as complementing the emotional heart of his writing.

The key to it was to find the right collaborator, and in 2018 he invited ambient guitarist and music producer, Arli Lieberman, to work on one of his songs, to see if Arli's unique approach to music production and Stewart's creative and artistic sensibilities were compatible. The result was the track, 'The End is the Start', a clear indication that the synergy between Stewart and Arli's respective sound worlds was going to produce something truly unique.

The nine tracks on the album are rich in layered textures and ambiences, wide-screen atmospheric currents that ebb and flow through nine journeys beyond the ordinary into an immersive musical universe that serves as an ideal environment for Stewart's thoughtful lyrics and finely-honed melodies.

9 Rooms presents nine mini-universes, each representing a significant junction in Stewart Allan’s life that traverse themes of loss, change, and intimacy.

The album’s producer, Arli Liberman, has pushed the sound of the album to the extremes of the stereo field, his oceanic-soundscapes swelling and surging forward, but always anchored by Stewart’s vocal. At the heart of each song, master drummer/percussionist Chris O’Connor (Trinity Roots, Phoenix Foundation, SJD) laid down earthy grooves that urge the listener to palpably engage with the unfolding narrative. Chris’s tasty layers of percussive texture included drum kit, the Irish Bodhran, and a raft of experimental sounds, such an anchor chain dropping onto a cymbal and an array of tiny fairy bells tied to a floor tom skin.

The album was mixed and mastered through a plethora of valve technology by Chris Chetland at Kog Studios, giving it an unmistakably warm, lush, inviting sound.

Stewart Allan, Dobro guitar backing vocals
Arli Liberman, guitars, bass
Chris O’Connor, drums, percussion
Caitlin Smith, backing vocals
Huia Hamon, backing vocals
Anton Morgan, backing vocals

Stewart Allan
is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Aotearoa, New Zealand. ​

From singing behind the Iron Curtain, touring Japan and New Zealand as well as directing and writing music for stage and screen, he sings, plays guitar, piano and sitar. ​

Stewart began his career with a performance of an original song ‘Younger Days’ for Queen Elizabeth II at the Ellerslie Racecourse as part of her NZ tour in 1986. He represented New Zealand at the 1988 Sopot Music festival in Poland (then known as the Eastern Block version of Eurovision). Performing in front of a crowd of 30,000 and a TV audience of over 100 million, he went on to win the Best New Artist Award with his original song ‘Can’t You See’, produced by Jacek Sylwin and Kiwi Producer Alan Jansson (OMC-How Bizarre).

Staying behind the Iron Curtain for six months at the age of 20, he was invited to be a guest performer for Lithuania’s first beauty competition (Ms Lietuva) as the country began to emerge from Soviet control. During a brutally cold Polish winter he worked with Polish rock star Obywatel GC (Citizen GC) https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obywatel_GC on an album that debuted at the Cannes film festival in 1989. ​

Returning to NZ, manager Paul Ellis took him into the fold. There, he met Shona Laing, eventually singing backing vocals on her anti-war song 'Banned' from the 1992 album ‘New On Earth’ (Columbia/Sony). During the 90s, he played in various original bands, performing a sell-out show at Ponsonby’s Gluepot and at one point finding himself as the piano accompanist for The Diamond Lil Drag comedy Show. In 1990 he flew to Los Angeles and competed in the Hollywood-based show Star Search, making the top three against an international field. In 1993, he recorded and released a self-funded album New Moon. Provisionally signed to Edge/Sony Records, he recorded his first single Never ‘Be the Same’, produced by Steve Garden. ​

At the age of 25, Stewart went back to University to finish his Music degree, majoring in composition. Throwing himself into the world of secondary school music education, he taught and mentored groups such as Adeaze https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adeaze and concert pianist Sylvia Jiang, all the while continuing his song writing and composing. His passion has been to gift his knowledge and wisdom to thousands of young musicians as a teacher and mentor. ​

As a composer, he has been offered several commissions for orchestra, choirs and large-scale multi-media live performances including a Centenary theme and a water ballet. These have been performed at schools and public events including the Auckland Town Hall. His choral works have been performed on national radio and television. As one of the few sitar players in NZ, he was invited to perform The Beatles’ ‘Within Without You’ as part of Mike Chunn’s A Strange Days Night in 2014. In 2012 Stewart was musical Director of The Big Rethink at Q Theatre and has kept a close association with the area of Mental Health, including sound design for the live installations such as Hearing Voices and music for Rakau Roroa–an interactive mental health education platform. ​

In 2010, Stewart collaborated with close friend Anton Morgan on his second album ‘Shimmer’. Mastered at the iconic Abbey Road Studios, the songs brimmed with gorgeous melodies and Beatle-esque touches. The songs were unveiled through a range of events in Anton’s hometown Kuala Lumpur and Stewart’s local Titirangi Festival of Music. ​

Stewart started working on his current album, ‘9 Rooms’, in 2018. Looking to create a unique sound for the album, he sought out ambient guitarist /producer Arli Lieberman, and recording began with the track ‘The End is the Start’. The synergy in sound worlds was clear from the beginning and the two agreed to work on the rest of the 9 Rooms album. ​

The single ‘Shall We Dance’ will be released on April 29, 2021, with the album 9 Rooms to be released on Rattle records October 2021.

This album contains no booklet.