Starchitect David Adjaye and sibling musician Peter, aka AJ Kwame, are set to release a vinyl record of their sonic collaborations – a fusion of architecture and sound.

The album, titled Dialogues, is a 10-track compilation of compositions Peter has created for his brother’s architecture.

‘David says I’m the ears and he’s the eyes,’ Peter says of their working relationship. ‘When I see architecture I hear sounds – I respond to the visual. David responds to sound – he creates with a soundtrack in his mind.’

The collaboration first started in 2003 with the Asymmetric Chamber – an architectural installation that Manchester’s CUBE gallery commissioned David to design. As part of the work, Peter composed a soundscape titled ‘Echoes’ to play in the space. The music is the final track on the upcoming vinyl release.

Asymmetric Chamber
Asymmetric Chamber

‘He’s a very artistic architect,’ Peter says of his brother. ‘For Asymmetric Chamber, he drew a picture for what the sound would look like. I came back with a soundtrack the next day.’

Other tracks on the album include compositions responding to David’s Nobel Peace Centre and the Stephen Lawrence Centre. There’s also the neatly titled ‘Dirty House Music’, which takes cues not from the genre but the Dirty House, an art studio and apartment building David designed for artists Tim Noble and Sue Webster.

‘The idea was to create something not just visual and physical, but a soundtrack to create a whole narrative,’ adds Peter.

‘Because we’re brothers, we’re able to be very frank about our inspiration. We have that trust.’

Dialogues – a double vinyl gatefold with a 16-page booklet – will be released by The Vinyl Factory, together with Music for Architecture, on 8 July.

David and Peter Adjaye's 'Dialogues' vinyl

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