“2 Minutes in Indiana” is a curated album by Ameliorate Records on a $25 vinyl record supported through a crowdfunding campaign. With 19 days left, 11 more people need to purchase the record to get to their goal of 100 buyers before it’s released physically. It will be digitally available in early February after the campaign ends.
“I put out an open call to artists on social media with this challenge: to create a new solely instrumental composition that lasts exactly two minutes,” Ameliorate Records owner Andrew Gustin said. “The theme is to capture what living in Indiana feels like to you.”.
Gustin said he wanted 20 Indiana artists to make a track of what it feels like to live in Indiana. He said he included 20 artists because a vinyl is 40 minutes long.
Gustin said he created this record label at the beginning of last year. He said his goal was to bring Indiana music communities together. This prompt, “2 Minutes in Indiana,” was a project he started after being involved in a similar album.
A record label in Amsterdam involved a one-minute track submitted by Gustin for an album with no theme. Gustin said he had expanded the time limit to two minutes and created a theme of what it feels like to live in Indiana.
Although most of the album involves natural sound and synthesizers, Gustin said he did not put any limits on what type of music the artists would make.
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Gustin’s piece, under the moniker Loud Diamond, was named “Willow Tree.” He said the theme of his track was the slower Indiana pace and how it takes a long time for things to change.
“My daughter was pretty young at that time and I wrote this with her sitting in my lap and playing the piano with one hand, I'm holding her with the other,” Gustin said. “So it's kind of a simple little melody that I could just play over and over and it soothed her.”
Gustin said instrumental music doesn’t get the proper attention it deserves, especially on vinyl. He said he wanted this album to exist physically and not get lost online.
Ameliorate Records’ work can be found on their Bandcamp account.
After production costs, any proceeds from this album will be donated to the Musical Family Tree, a local nonprofit organization, Gustin said.
Gustin said he believes the open-minded nature of IU students and residents in Bloomington will make them a receptive and appreciative audience to the “2 Minutes in Indiana” album.
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Jennasen, an Indianapolis-based musician, contributed to this project. Her track involved a nature component with a gentle feeling, she said, to reflect how Indiana has always been her home.
Jennasen said she got the idea for her track, called “On Holliday,” at a park she frequents called Holliday Park in Indianapolis. She was trying to evoke calmness and serenity, she said, as living in a big city while finding spots of nature feels like home to her.
Jennasen said she is excited that Gustin is getting the album pressed on vinyl.
“It gives the work as a whole a chance to really thrive and be appreciated for what it is instead of just digitally distributing it immediately,” Jennasen said.
Mark Tester, an Indianapolis musician, also contributed to the album. Tester’s music may be found on his Bandcamp account. He described living in Indiana as feeling mellow.
Tester said he tried to keep the feeling of chilling at home and domesticity in mind while working on his piece.
“A lot of the music I make is influenced by geography and where I’m actually at,” Tester said, “So it’s a pretty fitting thing for me.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the song titles for “On Holliday” and “Holliday Park.”
