The album's title, 'Miru Mira,' means "to see" in Japanese and Spanish consecutively. Senses play a significant role in this daring collaboration between percussionist Shayna Dunkelman and composer Javier Areal Vélez. Combining a playful exploration of the senses with phonological connections between Spanish and Japanese languages, ‘Miru Mira’ takes inspiration and finds connection through linguistics and sound.

Shayna and Javier’s collaboration was slow to materialize, taking nearly ten years. The two improvisers first met in New York at a concert in 2012 and then later reconnected in Argentina in 2017. Javier organized a visit of Shayna's band at the time (Xiu Xiu) to perform at RUIDO, an experimental music series he curates. Eventually, the two improvisers resolved to play together and a plan to record materialized quickly and organically. Fran López, an artist/musician/engineer friend from Argentina who lives in NYC, attended the duo’s only gig in Brooklyn and offered to record them right away.

As the plan for recording materialized, the studio and engineering of the record sharpened in focus to celebrate and capture the live and unique feel of a guitar and drum duo. Fran proposed the band put the guitar amp opposite to the drum set, facing each other directly. This way, the amp bleeds into all of the drum’s mics, but in a balanced way and the guitar sound resonates in the drumset itself. Miru Mira’s phonological song title convention connects to the aural resonance of the live and organic sound captured in the studio. “Both Shayna and I tend to play quite loud,” according to Javier, “so it was a very warm session, keeping the intense energy of a gig almost.”

Javier Areal Vélez is a composer, improviser and curator, who performs mostly on electric guitar, with or without objects stuffed between its strings. His musical approach relies heavily on a primal technique that emphasizes timbre and rhythm, avoiding traditional forms in favor of intensity and dynamic contrast. The physicality of his interactions with the guitar create estranged sonic entities that evolve haphazardly outside of specific genres. In the later years, his solo work has included also the development of AI entities that listen and improvise with Javier via the use of samples, synthesis and mechanical robots. Javier has performed concerts in Argentina, America, Europe and Asia, and has released recordings in a dozen independent labels worldwide as a soloist, band member, and through collaborations with artists such as Violeta García, Chris Pitsiokos, Audrey Chen, Brian Chase, Shayna Dunkelman, Nicola Hein, Ryoko Ono and Jorge Espinal. Javier is the founder and director of RUIDO experimental music festival since its inception in 2017. He is also the coordinator of the Sound Arts Center (CASo) of the Ministry of Culture of Argentina.
www.javierarealvelez.com.ar
www.instagram.com/javierarealvelez


Shayna Dunkelman is a musician and percussionist based in Brooklyn, NY. Dunkelman is known for her versatile and unique techniques, and use of electronics to access a sonic pallet not found in acoustic percussion. In addition to solo performances, Dunkelman performs with Pulitzer Award-winning composer Du Yun, Balún, Emily Wells, Grammy Award-Winning Attacca Quartet, Ali Sethi, and her percussion duo Nomon with her sister Nava. Born and raised in Tokyo to an Indonesian mother and an American father, Dunkelman became a multi-instrumentalist performing alongside her mother. Dunkelman became increasingly active in the alternative music scene as a member of the band Xiu Xiu, touring the world for 6 years. As part of Xiu Xiu, Dunkelman shared stages with Genesis P-Orridge (Psychic TV), Sun Ra Arkestra, Alessandro Cortini (Nine Inch Nails) to name a few. Dunkelman has recorded and performed with pioneers of avant-garde experimental musicians such as Yuka C. Honda, John Zorn, Yoko Ono, and Thurston Moore and performed at Carnegie Hall, Centre Pompidou, The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, The MET, Terminal 5, QAGOMA among others.
www.shaynadunkelmanmusic.com