Sufjan Stevens is contributing songs to a new documentary about four self-taught ‘outsider’ musicians. The documentary, entitled Make, was the inspiration behind Stevens’ most recent studio album, The Age Of Adz, which came out in 2010.
As Pitchfork tells us, the film was directed by Scott Ogden and Malcolm Hearn, and profiles a quartet of musical autodidacts, the most prominent being the late Prophet Royal Robertson, whose painting it was that adorned the front cover of The Age of Adz – Sufjan even built much of the album around the life of Robertson, who died in 1997.
The other three artists in the documentary are Hawkins Bolden, Judith Scott, and Ike Morgan. Make is set for release on June 21 through Stevens’ own label Asthmatic Kitty. Stevens is quoted as saying the film is “a beautiful and insightful look at the sublime task of making art when nothing else will do.”
As well as Stevens, music comes from Marc Bianchi of Her Space Holiday, and Craig Montoro of Takka Takka. In addition, there are unreleased tracks from Oneida, Au Revoir Simone, Jim Guthrie and others.
Sufjan Stevens, who was in Australia earlier this year to play as part of the Sydney Festival, is currently touring The Age of Adz in Europe.
Here is a preview of Make:
