Realizing the novelty of the concept, Daniele Leoni used a video to explain why he joined forces with investigative reporter Ian Urbina to draw attention to human rights and environmental abuses at sea within The Outlaw Ocean Music Project.
The Outlaw Ocean Music Project, run by the label Synesthesia Media, is a global and expansive effort to disseminate The Outlaw Ocean Project’s investigative journalism to a broader audience by releasing music inspired by offshore reporting.
Spanning genres from classical to hip-hop to electronic, hundreds of musicians from around the world have joined the effort. Many of the artists who participate in the project draw from an audio archive of field recordings captured by Urbina while reporting offshore.
Leoni is a composer and pianist based in Modena, Italy. In 2015, he published his first album as a piano solo, “Piccoli Segreti.” Leoni pleased his fans with the release of his second album, “Sogni all specchio” in 2017. Adding to his discography in 2020, Leoni published his third collection of original piano scores with his album, “Dewdrop.” That same year, the artist released his EP “Eril’s Dream” with The Outlaw Ocean Music Project.
In the video posted by The Outlaw Ocean Project, Leoni emphasizes the need to educate his listeners about Urbina’s reporting in his 2019 book The Outlaw Ocean.
“Ian’s reporting is indispensable to understanding a world that might otherwise remain removed from the daily lives of many,” Leoni said. “As such, it’s important to draw attention to it through evocative stories, like those in the chapters, ‘Adelaide’s Voyage’ and ‘Middlemen,’ as well as through song.”
Leoni reflects on the extra flare his music adds to Urbina’s written storytelling.
“With my tracks, I tried to create music that has a dramatic and intense atmosphere that mirrors the tales in the book. I hope to take the listener on a journey of the imagination,” he said.
“Eril’s Dream” by Daniele Leoni is available in all stores, including Apple Music, YouTube, and Spotify.
Synesthesia Media announces new waves of releases monthly on its social media.
About The Outlaw Ocean Project:
The Outlaw Ocean Project is a non-profit journalism organization founded by Ian Urbina that produces investigative stories about environmental and human rights concerns at sea globally. The project seeks to not only produce polished, narrative investigative journalism, but also to amplify that reportage by converting it into other other mediums to reach new audiences all over the world.
