Musician, DJ, and RTÉ 2FM broadcaster Graham Smyth has announced his debut album, Music For Babies To Rave And Sleep To, set for release on 5 September 2025 via Practise Music. The project blends playfulness with serious musical craft and is designed for both children and adults. The album is split into two sound worlds: Side A, built around a toy piano, and Side B, shaped by a toy kalimba. Each side offers tracks for both raving and sleeping, with interludes that echo the natural rise and fall of energy.
To mark the announcement, Smyth has released the album’s first single, “Toy Pianonono (For Raving),” a track that flips lullaby tropes into a miniature rave. The song features high pitches, rocking bass rhythms, and breakbeats inspired by the sounds children make—pounding, tapping, rubbing, and clapping. “I think this track is the best taster of the album,” Smyth says. “During my research, I learned that babies’ heart rates are about 50% faster than adults’ (Dr. Caspar Addyman, The Laughing Baby), so it made sense to bring drum & bass energy into the mix. Hopefully, parents and kids can share a micro-rave together.”
Smyth’s journey to this debut has been anything but straightforward. A classically trained pianist, drummer, and percussionist, he nearly abandoned music altogether after walking away from bands and setting aside his producer dreams to become a management consultant. Yet music eventually pulled him back. His DJing work reignited his passion, leading him into broadcasting with RTÉ 2FM. A toy kalimba gifted to him on his birthday became the catalyst for a new wave of creativity, and when he became an uncle for the first time, he found fresh motivation to create music that could nourish children’s development while still being exciting for adults.
The project is grounded in both personal experience and academic research. Smyth consulted studies and worked with a music psychologist to ensure his ideas had scientific backing. He discovered that babies respond to faster tempos and often interact with instruments in unconventional ways—banging, rubbing, or even trying to chew them. These playful gestures inspired the percussive textures woven throughout the album. To refine his sound, Smyth enlisted the help of ambient composer Gareth Quinn Redmond, known for his work with Villagers, James Vincent McMorrow, and Ye Vagabonds. Their collaboration introduced layers of texture and context, while also shaping the idea of musical build-ups and comedowns to mimic the rave-to-rest cycle.
With Music For Babies To Rave And Sleep To, Smyth joins artists like They Might Be Giants and Imogen Heap in creating music that bridges the gap between generations. Where others leaned toward pop, Smyth draws from electronic and ambient traditions, with nods to Aphex Twin and Burial. “Side A leans more towards younger listeners, while Side B speaks to the parents,” Smyth explains. “I want this to be a gateway into music—something families can experience together.”
Looking ahead, Smyth hopes to take the project into the live space with an interactive show called Music To Interact With. In these performances, stripped-back versions of the album’s songs would be hooked up to pedals, oscillators, and resonators, allowing children and parents alike to shape the sounds in real time. “Research shows that playful sound interaction can improve toddlers’ communication, social, and emotional skills,” Smyth says. “Imagine parents and children together, shaping the music as it’s being performed. That’s where I’d love to take this.”
