
Listen to Kim Perlak and Francisco Mela's New Album, Recorded in a Single Afternoon The duo's debut album, Spaces, recorded live without edits or overdubs, is a testament to risk-taking, real-time connection, and crossing musical boundaries.
By
Tara Bellucci
April 25, 2025
Francisco Mela and Kim Perlak performing in January 2025
Image by Bryan Lasky
Collaboration is a constant on Berklees campus, and it doesnt stop with students. Spaces, an album by Kim Perlak, chair of the Guitar Department, and Francisco Mela, associate professor of percussion, is out April 25.
Spaces was recorded live face-to-face in one afternoon as single takes without edits, and is comprised of four three-movement suites, each one conjuring a vivid portrait of the natural environment. These blossom into intimate duo pieces with the addition of Mela's improvised percussion. The final piece, Squam Suite, is a wholly improvised work, revealing the chemistry discovered by Perlak and Mela in a short time.
The two faculty members first performed together in 2022 as part of a tribute to guitarist and educator Mick Goodrick. Shortly after, Mela approached Perlak about playing her music. I have so much respect and admiration for Mela, Perlak said. I didnt even think about it-I immediately said yes. He made me feel so comfortable and natural about it that I forgot to be nervous.
Francisco Mela and Kim Perlak
Courtesy of the artists
While they might seem an odd musical pairing-Perlak comes from a classical guitar background and Mela is known for improvisational jazz percussion-the result is magical. Francisco Mela and I are of different generations, different backgrounds, from different countries. We play two styles that are often seen as opposing. . . . There wasn't one person on the floor of either of our departments that wasn't completely surprised that we were forming a duo! Perlak said. This project would never have come about if we didn't care about one another.
She hopes that Spaces inspires others to take a risk and create something outside their comfort zone with someone who might be of a different genre or style. The power of personal connection, she said, is even more important in the digital age of solitude and separation.
Mela and I create space for each other and then we find space in the music, she said. Playing together has been a freeing experience. Each time we get together, its almost like weve started to communicate even before we start to play. The moment we see each other, we instantly enter a listening mode.
The Berklee connection doesnt stop at Mela and Perlak. Randy Roos '78, a Latin Grammy-winning engineer and faculty member, created a custom set up in his New Hampshire studio to allow for this through-composed, real-time collaboration, with the engineer situated in the room with the performers. This rare type of recording allows the artists and the engineer to communicate fully, and puts the listener in the center of the ensemble. Though its possible improvised, single-take albums may become more popular; Andr 3000s 2023 project New Blue Sun topped Billboards New Age chart in its first week.
Inspired by nature, Lake, Stream, and Riverwalk were originally solo guitar pieces composed by Perlak. Lake was written during a family vacation in a waterfront cottage in central Massachusetts, while Stream makes reference to an actual stream flowing trough the Berkshires as well as the stream of consciousness that wends from the water into the composer's imagination. Riverwalk was Perlak's first-ever composition, sparked by regular strolls along the Charles River. Squam Suite was spontaneously co-composed and inspired by the lake view outside Roos recording studio.
Space is a natural theme in Spaces-both in the music and improvisational style, but also in the way the recording makes space for each artist, the engineer, and the listener to come together. It brings the audience out of their daily lives and into the experience, Perlak said.
I also think it serves as a symbol to students to make space for one another in many different ways, she said. I can't think of a better reflection of Berklees values than that!
Listen to Spaces below:
Related Categories
News
Most Popular
Toto in the recording studio from Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary.
Photograph by Jim Hagopian/HBO
The Best Music Documentaries on Every Streaming Platform Explore groundbreaking music documentaries streaming across Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, and more. From intimate artist portraits to legendary concert films, discover the stories behind your favorite artists and iconic moments.
Latest
Berklee Online CEO and Cofounder Debbie Cavalier (left) and the Dominican Republic's Minister of Culture Roberto ngel Salcedo (right) shook hands after signing an articulation transfer agreement at Berklee's Boston campus on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
Image by Matthew Ryu
Berklee Online Signs Transfer Articulation with Conservatorio Nacional de M sica The new agreement allows CNM students in the Dominican Republic to transfer into an online bachelor's degree program through Berklee.
Park National will be the first band to tour Europe with the Berklee Popular Music Institute this May.
Asher Thomas
Berklee Popular Music Institute Announces UK Festival Debut and Tour Dates For the first time, BPMI will bring Berklee-affiliated artists and students to the European live music market.
Grigori Balasanyan BM '25, composition.
Image courtesy of the artist
Student Spotlight: Grigori Balasanyan The Armenian composer, who was named Boston Conservatory at Berklees 2025 student commencement speaker, talks about his operas premiere and the documentary being made about it, as well as his plans to continue his education at Boston Conservatory.
Read All
S
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
18/09/2025
NWSL Brings on Victory as Rightsholder, Expands Deals With CBS and ESPN for 202...
18/09/2025
CBS Sports Travels to Far Reaches of Europe To Tell Clubs' Stories During 20...
18/09/2025
The Great Integration: How Sports Media Leaders Are Making MAM, Storage, and Clo...
18/09/2025
Amazon launches Prime Vision for Champions League coverage By George Bevir
Tuesday, September 16, 2025 - 18:28
Print This Story
Amazon is rolling out its ...
18/09/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Canon USA's Rich Eilers, Yuji Tanaka Talk Novel' Feature,...
18/09/2025
NBC Sports Will Deploy a Pair of Dedicated Analysts On the Bench' for Peaco...
18/09/2025
Editor's Note:
The loss of our founder and friend Robert Redford, leaves us...
18/09/2025
Editor's Note:
The loss of our founder and friend Robert Redford, leaves us...
18/09/2025
Robert Redford talks with Lab fellows at the 1981 Directors Lab | 1981 Unknown for Sundance Institute
Editor's Note:
The loss of our founder and friend ...
18/09/2025
Forget just hearing a new album; last night, London lived one. Together with Spo...
18/09/2025
Spotify and Sony Music Group today announced an extension and expansion of their long-standing, successful global partnership. As part of their ongoing collabor...
18/09/2025
SBS Audio podcast helps new Australians keep their Head Above Water
17 September, 2025
Media releases
As Australia heads toward summer, comedians and good ...
18/09/2025
Football fans to watch the inaugural Australian Championship on SBS
18 September, 2025
Media releases
Images here
SBS and Football Australia are delighted...
18/09/2025
L3Harris's advanced large solid rocket motor eSR-73 is hot fire tested at the company's Camden, Arkansas site....
18/09/2025
August, the last month of the summer vacation, brought stability to the amount of time spent in front of the TV screen. The data shows that Polish viewers watch...
18/09/2025
WASHINGTON The controversy over ABC's decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel, continues to heat up, with FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez blasting ABCs decision to ...
18/09/2025
FOR-A America named Jo Aun as Senior Manager of Product Management and Engineering, reporting directly to Satoshi Kanemura, President and COO. In this new posit...
18/09/2025
MASV (massive.io), the fastest and most reliable large file transfer platform for media professionals and an IDC Innovator 2025 for Media & Entertainment*, toda...
18/09/2025
ThinkAnalytics, the global leader in video content discovery and persaonalization, today announced that Dish TV India, the leading content distribution company,...
18/09/2025
DirecTV continues to expand its women's sports offerings by adding Sports Fanatics' and Whoopi Goldberg's Free Ad-Supported Television (FAST) All Wo...
18/09/2025
WASHINGTON NextGen TV viewers are beginning to see what high dynamic range (HDR) brings to their football enjoyment with the launch of the sport's fall seas...
18/09/2025
WASHINGTON After issuing audit letters seeking Equal Employment Opportunity data from a randomly selected group of TV and radio stations in August, the Federal ...
18/09/2025
NEW YORK Warner Bros. Discovery and Nielsen have signed a new, long-term, multi-year deal that covers measurement for all Warner Bros. Discovery platforms acros...
18/09/2025
NEW YORK As part of its ongoing efforts to develop better measurement solutions, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) announced the launch of t...
18/09/2025
IRVING, Texas Following threats from the Federal Communications Commission and the announcement that the nations largest station group, Nexstar Media Group, wou...
18/09/2025
18 Sep 2025
VEON Inaugurates JazzCash Experience Lounge in Islamabad Dubai and Islamabad, September 18, 2025 - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital opera...
18/09/2025
Created by Tom Scharpling, Matt Berry and Natasha Lyonne, the new six-part serie...
18/09/2025
The eight-part sun-drenched thriller from Luther creator Neil Cross launches on ...
18/09/2025
Rohde & Schwarz announces new frequency models up to 54 GHz for R&S ZNB3000 vect...
18/09/2025
Individual phones could be tracked back to specific residential addresses
Sm...
18/09/2025
GeForce NOW is packing a monstrous punch this week. Dying Light: The Beast, the latest adrenaline fueled chapter in Techland's parkour meets survival horror...
18/09/2025
September 18 2025, 04:20 (PDT) Dolby Atmos arrives in Maruti Suzuki Victoris, e...
17/09/2025
Tech Focus: Audio Training, Part 2 - Manufacturers Offer Extensive Online Learni...
17/09/2025
Tech Focus: Audio Training, Part 1 - A1 Shortage Remains a Major-League Challeng...
17/09/2025
It was the ultimate convergence of pop culture and literary prestige: Last night, Dua Lipa brought her Service95 Book Club podcast to the stage for a special li...
17/09/2025
During August, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico showed an increase of 0.4% compared to the previous month, accounting for 25% of TV viewing.
Discl...
17/09/2025
CYPRESS, Calif. FOR-A America has named Jo Aun as senior manager of product engineering, a new role responsible for guiding the planning, development and rollou...
17/09/2025
PlayBox Neo, in partnership with CIS Group, a leading provider of media and broadcast technology solutions, has successfully deployed PlayBox Neo's Dual Cha...
17/09/2025
In a relationship that mirrors societal advances in sustainability, Brightline Lighting and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Headquarters have en...
17/09/2025
Clear-Com is proud to support the world-class productions of Alley Theatre, one of the oldest and largest nonprofit resident theatres in the United States. With...
17/09/2025
Arch Platform Technologies (www.archpt.io), a pioneer in automated, scalable cloud infrastructure for high-performance workflows, today announced a Strategic Co...
17/09/2025
Over 300 selected decision-makers from start-ups, corporates, and VC funds worldwide will gather for the third edition of the event, united by a single goal: to...
17/09/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, is excited to announce that its flagship Vantage platform and its next-generation AI capabilities re...
17/09/2025
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions that profitably connect the right content to the right audience, proudly announces its three Best of Show...
17/09/2025
In a move to further establish a firm foothold across South East Asia, PlayBox Neo, the well-respected name in broadcast playout and channel branding, has appoi...
17/09/2025
Wisycom, a global leader in advanced wireless audio solutions, announced two major wireless solutions at IBC 2025 (Stand 8.D30). This includes the Portable RF-o...
17/09/2025
Six Berklee Alumni Win Emmy Awards The recipients were recognized for their contributions to acclaimed programs Severance, The Studio, The Penguin, SNL50: The...
17/09/2025
Applications Open for Berklee in Santo Domingo The weeklong contemporary music program will run January 5-10, 2026.
By
Colette Greenstein
September 17, 2025
...