Skip to main content

aliya-ismangil
13th March 2017

‘Changing Stations’ music album tells story of synaesthesia

Manchester composer, Daniel Liam Glyn, uses music to tell a story of his neurological condition and his love for London
Categories: ,
TLDR

Synaesthesia is a neurological condition where a triggering of one sense also triggers another. People can experience synaesthesia differently, and scientists are still not sure exactly how many different types there are.

A common experience in those with synaesthesia is perceiving letters as colours. Daniel Liam Glyn, a Manchester composer, who has Grapheme Colour Synaesthesia, said: “I perceive musical notes and key signatures in colour along with letters, words and numbers.”
A move to London inspired Glyn to work on this project to portray his experience of London and his synaesthesia. The album, ‘Changing Stations’, was released in October 2016.

“I have composed each Underground line using the colour from the map and used the thoughts of feelings from each colour and underground journey when deciding my style for each piece.”
The songs on his album reflect different aspects of the commuter’s journey on the London tube. ‘Monday’ has the feel of constant frantic energy from the minor pulsing chords under eerie synth sounds.

‘Route C’  is a confusing amalgamation of sounds, notes and speech, reflecting the haphazard contrasts of the different stations on a line. The Northern line is represented in the song ‘Abode’, which starts as a wistful piano piece, the speed and volume ebbing and flowing, like the stop and starts of a tube train.

However, Glyn intends for his music to be seen as more than just an album. “It’s also an autobiographical story about how my brain works, the neuroscience behind my Synaesthesia and how it can invokes creativity for me to work on something musical,” he says.

“It showcases my love for London and the vast amount of diverse commuters…through the city each day. I hope to not only inspire other artists, but to also raise awareness for Synaesthesia across Manchester and all over.”

The album can be streamed on Spotify and you can find out more about the project on his website. Glyn is also on Twitter as @DanielLiamGlyn.


More Coverage

Nearly half of student gamblers are gambling more than they can afford

The majority of students (60%) had gambled in the past 12 months, although this was a decrease from last year (71%) 

Pro-Palestinian student groups occupy Simon Building in protest against University

Manchester Leftist Action have occupied the Simon Building to protest alleged University connections with Israel, along with students from UoM Rent Strike and Youth Front for Palestine

Nominations for Students’ Union Awards 2024 now open

Students can nominate themselves or others for the awards, which fall into four separate categories, with each award having its own awards night

UNiDAYS announce opening of Student Woman of the Year competition

The UNiDAYS-run competition aims to support female students who are making a difference and offers a £10,000 first prize for entrepreneurial initiatives