Diego Stocco

I've said this before, and now for something completely different.
But this time it really is. Plus he's a Mike Oldfield fan to boot.
Music from sand! Yep really from sand.

First out check this video of how he creates his "instruments".


In his own words the explanation is ........

I had some sandbags in the backyard that I used in November during a rainy day. I was moving them to a different spot when I heard the noise of the sand. I thought that maybe I could try a new sound design technique so I bought some piezo film transducers and started to experiment with them.
The entire track is created only out of tuned sand tones. No additional sounds or waveforms.
I emphasized the inner notes of the sand grains and mapped them on a sampler as a series of instruments. The grooves are all played live with various techniques, including taping two piezo films to my fingers.
I'd like to dedicate this work to Mike Oldfield. When I was a child I listened to his music and it opened my mind. That experience triggered my life passion to create the means to access sounds we've never heard before.

So, I'm guessing you have to be as intrigued as I was.
Check out the album right here. You will not be disappointed, this is an awesome piece of music.

Music From Sand is an experimental musical project where all the sounds have been created out of organic sources.
In "Music From Sand" the entire track is created only out of tuned sand tones. No additional sounds or waveforms. I emphasized the inner notes of the sand grains and mapped them on a sampler as a series of instruments. The grooves are all played live with various techniques, including taping two piezo films to my fingers.
In "Passage to Atlantis" I created additional sounds out of tuned water noises and immersive sound ambiences based on dolphin and whale sounds. The grooves are played with sand noises and water drops. Also in this case I didn't use additional sounds or waveforms.

You can also check out some of his earlier stuff, including music from trees right here.  And yes, I used that phrase on this post as well.