A successful record label founder has won her second international award for her own music.
Helen Meissner, who recently started making her own tracks having promoted independent singer-songwriters for the last 10 years, has bagged an award from Clouzine for her soon-to-be released EP, Orchestral Manoeuvres.
Helen, under the artist name MidLifeMix, first found herself creating music last summer having just turned 54.
She had spent the previous decade tirelessly supporting independent musicians via her altruistic Hertfordshire-based label Folkstock Records from her Walkern home.
But when she found the muse, it was not for folky tunes. No one was more astonished than Helen herself to be creating a genre fluid collection of six instrumental tracks which had a distinctive dance and house feel.
This went on to win a Best Dance EP award.
Joyride, the opening track on the EP, was entered into the Cambridge 105 Unsigned Chart run by Tim Willett in September, and has remained in the top five ever since.
Meanwhile, Helen has been busy creating new music.
“I am thrilled with the reaction Orchestral Manoeuvres has received, before it’s even released!
"This was an experiment for me. I had no idea how much studying music, being in orchestras (and choirs) in my formative years had influenced an innate sense of composition, which until last summer, I had never explored.
"This award recognises the challenges of blending classical with contemporary.
"Each of the four ‘movements’ is only a few minutes long, melodic, dramatic and deliberately radio-friendly. "
Helen added: "The four tracks relate loosely to the traditional structure of a symphony – with the second movement being ‘Adagio’ and third a ‘Scherzo’ in particular.
"They are not pretending to be a real orchestra, I am making the most of the available technology on GarageBand to create sounds which appeal to me.
"If they also appeal to others this is wonderfully encouraging!"
MidLifeMix is releasing Orchestral Manoeuvres on the usual streaming platforms at the end of February.
However, the EP is available now as a download and also a physical CD via her website and Bandcamp page.
Her other releases are available on Spotify.
For more, visit www.midlifemix.co.uk
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