When I joined The Outlaw Ocean Music Project, my goal was to create music that listeners would find appropriate to the theme of The Outlaw Ocean book. Rather than background music or a soundtrack, I aimed to produce full-fledged neo-classical music that stands on its own. When I read the book, the story of the sea slave, Lang Long, captured me emotionally, which is why Lang Long's Dream became the central part of my three-movement piece. The central theme of the movement is based on the chanting of Cambodian fishermen.

I am aware that, based on current trends, the Earth is heading towards a slow, ecological catastrophe and there is a heroic struggle to stop or, at least, slow down this process.

I was also aware of slavery and piracy on the high seas. The strength of the storytelling of The Outlaw Ocean, however, is that it puts all of these problems in a physical situation. I felt like I could almost become a character in the book. Hopefully, the stories will motivate readers to change and take action.

If there are many more books like Ian's that inspire composers, then there is definitely a future for melding music with journalism.

Chris Palmer