After building a name for himself with the album “May be Sometime,” streamed on BBC radios back in 2008, Jon Redfern comes back to the music scene with ‘Wu Wei,’ available on all streaming platforms on October 15th.
The journey starts with the track “11 Year Old,” offering a glimpse into the world through a child’s eyes, where innocence meets the stark realities of adulthood. The song’s evocative lyrics, such as “what grown-ups see when they lie to themselves for protection,” serve as a poignant introduction to a musical journey that revisits Jon’s intense childhood. The album’s sonic tapestry, blending electronic, synthesized, and acoustic elements, invites listeners to dance with their inner child in a futuristic soundscape. It’s as if we’re guided by a wiser, higher self who has traversed a spectrum of experiences, from dystopia to nirvana.
Rooted in the Taoist philosophy of “Wu Wei,” Jon’s higher self brings a spiritual insight, advocating the art of flowing with nature and surrendering to the universal currents that shape our lives. Surrendering to the flow served as an enlightenment of sorts, leading Jon to game-changing encounters. Notably, a devoted admirer, Jim Lewcock, played a pivotal role in funding and inspiring his return to music. Another serendipitous moment occurred when Jon’s friend, former Florence and the Machine bassist Mark Saunders, left a set of guitar strings on his table, reigniting the spark that fueled a four-year creative process resulting in “Wu Wei.” The album resonates with the wisdom of philosopher Alan Watts, commemorated in track #5. This song delves into transcendental reflections on identity and belonging, transcending geographical and existential boundaries, akin to the timeless verses of Walt Whitman.
“Wu Wei” represents Jon’s foray into digital art, where unique AI animations combine with the music to offer a dreamlike experience. This experiment offers a glimpse into a more extensive project, “Wu Wei Stories,” set to launch after the album. This endeavor aims to unite visual artists, musicians, philosophers, and AI in a synesthetic digital art space designed to facilitate the absorption of wisdom, immersing the audience in a multisensorial way of receiving a message or listening to a story.
Jon Redfern’s upcoming ‘Wu Wei’ signifies an artistic renaissance, entering a post-historical realm where ancestral wisdom converges with futurism, creating a fresh landscape of expression for the information age, and most importantly, inviting everyone to surrender to the power of ‘Wu Wei’ in their lives.
If you’re intrigued by this journey, Jon has recently launched an Instagram page, along with other relevant links, available here.
