My favorite part of working on The Outlaw Ocean Music Project was shifting through the wealth of sound samples provided from Ian’s reporting trips and prose provided in the book, and piecing out what I could translate musically. From the hour-long audiobook unveiling the dark and mysterious world of The Outlaw Ocean to the cawing of birds, there was so much to explore and use creatively. I found much inspiration from the simple sound of bells tolling, which I immediately began to imagine melding it into the melody for a hip-hop section in one of my songs. The timing in Ian’s recording of it is inimitable and precise, just as all the storytelling is in The Outlaw Ocean.  

I’ve never been part of a project that accompanied another body of work that gives life to the songs. This has been a unique experience for me as an artist. It provided me with an opportunity to push myself to think outside the box and use subtle elements to really elevate a song. The Outlaw Ocean Music Project is an incredibly innovative way to inform people about this reporting and, more importantly, these stories and issues. Ian paints such a clear and perspective-shifting picture of the problems at hand.

PIERCE