Aukai was born of composer/instrumentalist Markus Sieber’s desire to create music that could work in tandem with film, video, theatre and the visual arts. The compositions also grew out of Sieber’s love affair with the ‘Ronroco’, a plucked string instrument from Argentina. “This project has a lot to do with memories and imagination” explains Sieber, “I wanted to create a sonic space where music guides the listener into an inner journey.” Which explains why he came up with the name Aukai in the first place; it’s the Hawaiian word for a seafaring traveler, the sort of person who seeks out the stillness in uncertain waters. Sieber’s own journey has been an eventful one. Born in Germany, he played in alternative rock bands as a part of East Germany’s vibrant ‘90s rock scene before shifting his focus to work as a theater, film and tv actor in Berlin and St. Petersburg. A life-changing move to Mexico put him in touch with world and indigenous music, awakening a new musical mission. Moody, evocative and delicately filigreed, Aukai's pieces are often brief, but haunting. They stay with the listener long after the sounds have faded, like gently melting snow on a sunny hillside. Composer-instrumentalist Markus Sieber and his ensemble weave a beguiling cinematic soundscape. - Alan DiPerna