Reading The Outlaw Ocean can best be described as inspiring — for me as a person and as an artist. Each chapter of the book resonated with me and influenced the creation of my tracks in a different way, enabling me to create an EP that captures the isolation, conflict and occasional beauty expressed in Ian’s reporting. Most of the time, EDM serves as a chance to provide music that helps us take solace from the darker parts of life. This music project has given me the platform to venture into something different from that - to tell real stories that address sensitive issues while still doing what I love. Many will read The Outlaw Ocean and contemplate it’s contents before returning to their everyday lives. Yet for the people Ian spoke with in his reporting, these stories are their everyday lives — an endless stream of grueling labor, fear and tragedy on the lawless seas. But the idea that someone could hear my music and be moved to investigate further is precisely why this collaboration is so important.

MDK