For most people, buying a house is an important achievement that requires plenty of sacrifices. For Michigan-based artist Mark Swanson, that meant selling all of his instruments (he had been playing music for years). Well, all but his keyboard, which he tried to sell as well but could not find a decent offer for it. A few years later, when Mark felt the itch to play music again, he had to use the only instrument he still had: the keyboard, which not only explains how The Aquaerials started but also his sound. Influenced by artists who should be familiar to regular readers such as Ólafur Arnalds, Max Richter, and Sigur Rós; Mark creates minimalist neoclassical compositions that are simple yet beautiful.
Insomniac’s Respite, the latest single from The Aquaerials, is an instrumental piano piece that was inspired by sleeplessness and a general feeling of anxiety. However, being an instrumental piece, each listener can interpret it in a different way. Composed, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Mark himself in his home studio, Insomniac’s Respite is a delicate track that is as serene as a lullaby. If you want to relax, this is the perfect track for you. Enjoy.
Featured on the following mixtapes:
Everything 
Relax
Beautiful and contemplative. What a shame he had to sell nearly all his instruments though.
A shame indeed but at least he managed to keep one. Glad you enjoyed it!
No shame at all. If I still sat around with those instruments littering the walls and floors, I probably would have never actually written any real music with them.
Thank you for sharing my story!
Thank you for reading. Honestly, it’s not a shame. Getting rid of all that stuff meant I only had one thing to focus on when I started writing music again. Having all those instruments around just made me feel anxious and overwhelmed.
Hey Mark, thanks for clarifying. I’m really sorry for the extremely late reply. I never received any notifications telling me that you had left these comments. I just found out totally by chance!