Q+A with Adrian Leung, a.k.a Drexler
Olympia-5 is a tender collection of songs that grew out of improvised piano recordings sent to a parent during a period of illness.
Drexler is the ambient, contemporary classical project of composer and multi-instrumentalist Adrian Leung. His album Olympia-5 is a tender collection of songs that grew out of improvised piano recordings sent to his father during a period of illness. Olympia-5 conveys emotions related to family, memory and the desire to express care and comfort from a distance. The recordings are described by the artist as invitations to alternative modes of connectivity, free of words – a sort of counter to exchanges dominated by medical updates during his father’s time in hospital.
Personally, connection with people far away, sometimes even close by, never feels certain; it is dynamic and always in process, varying in intensity, depth and interpretation. Losing it can leave you to distrust the reassurance and relief that is sought and found in its process. That loss and distrust can lead to grief. It is that process of expression and interpretation, sometimes painful, luckily also joyful, that Drexler seems to capture with these songs.
Olympia-5’s track list is like flipping through an old photo album, but the pictures are words convey everyday items and snapshots. “Benson” is named after Benson and Hedges, the cigarettes his father used to smoke. “Ewing” recalls basketball player Patrick Ewing and a secret language shared among siblings. “One in Two Chance” refers to his father’s triple bypass surgery. “Olympia-5” is the name of a clinical trial that his father was supposed to participate in.
“At its core, this album is about care and that quiet, unsettling transition where you begin to look after your parents rather than the other way around,” Adrian explains. “It’s about distance, and the guilt that comes with building a life far from home as your parents grow older.”
Who should listen to Olympia-5?
I think Olympia-5 is for anyone who enjoys music that gives them space to think, to be present, to meditate, and to experience calm and stillness. I hope the themes of care and living far from home resonate with listeners and give them room to reflect on their own memories and experiences.
These songs began during a period of communicating with your father while he was in hospital, far away. Some were improvised piano recordings sent to him. How did he respond to these wordless messages?
I think art and music have always been things my dad finds hard to relate to. He often encouraged me to pursue a teaching diploma, even though I had always wanted to be a composer. As an immigrant from Hong Kong, I think stability was incredibly important to him, and careers like being a doctor, accountant, or lawyer felt safer paths. While I know he appreciated the gesture of me sending him the music, I don’t think he fully understands the love and intention behind it.. which is fine!
What is different about your forthcoming collection of songs on Olympia-5 compared to previous work?
The main difference is that these pieces all came from an improvisatory mindset. They were written very quickly and came directly from a need to process my thoughts about my father: what life might be like without him, living far away from him, and my childhood memories of him. I was initially hesitant to release a solo piano record, as there is so much of it out there, but it made sense to work on the piano so I could quickly write and send music to my dad.
You worked with mixing engineer Bobby Williams, who reimagined the recordings through pedals and textures. How did the songs evolve emotionally through this process? Would you ever release the original improvisations?
I don’t think I would release the original improvisations. I really love the way Bobby shaped these pieces and feel that this is how they should exist now. I am incredibly lucky to have worked with him -e is meticulous, open-minded, and deeply collaborative. For some tracks, I wanted the piano to sound natural and familiar. For others, I wanted something more abstract, dreamy, distorted, and textured. This contrast allows the listener to move through different emotional spaces, with each piece reflecting a different memory of my life with my dad.
Where does the name Drexler come from?
The name comes from Clyde Drexler, a basketball player from the 80s and 90s who played for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Aside from Drexler, you compose for film, television, and brands. Does having a specific audience or age group in mind change your approach?
When I work on film, television, or branded projects, my role is to serve the narrative and complement the imagery. With Drexler, the focus is on telling my own story. In terms of age, it’s not something I consciously consider when writing music.
You often work with filmmakers to create visual accompaniments to your music. What do you look for in a collaborator?
Many of the filmmakers I worked with on this project are artists I have collaborated with before or people whose work I admire. I feel very fortunate that so many talented directors gave me their time and energy. I think the initial hope was that they would connect with the story behind the music, then take it somewhere personal. I’m a believer that once the music is released, it no longer belongs solely to me. I hope that listeners will find their own meanings from the pieces and similarly for the filmmakers, I hope the music will inspire something that helps tell their own story.
Filmmaker Hannah Papacek Harper put your song “Prague” to words and visuals with a short film. Can you tell us a bit about that collaboration?
The words in the video for “Prague” were all written by Hannah. We discussed the themes behind the music and her film is a response from those conversations. Returning to the US for the first time in many years, she also began to reflect on family roots which were left dormant.
“When one does not have a solid sense of place, life is an ongoing search for kinship with other wandering souls. This collaboration with Adrian has been a way to share our constant tearing between two places. Returning to the USA for the first time in 16 years, I was also tending to family roots kept untouched for so long. These tendrils are the ones that also bind me to my father, and they opened that space for me to reflect on Adrian’s own intentions to connect with his. His track Prague triggered my obsessive creative process which brings me to listen to music on repeat while writing. While walking the streets with this tune in my ears and my old camera in hand, I was able to process both grief and uncertainty through a space of co-creation and through the grounding structure of architecture in this place that was both so foreign and familiar to me.” Hannah Papacek Harper
What do you have planned for 2026?
I’m currently discussing an album launch in Edinburgh, where I live. This would take place in February and would be a hybrid of a film screening, live performance, and listening party. I’m also working on new string music that I hope to develop with an ensemble and potentially tour. Alongside this, I’ve recently been inspired by artists like Labrinth, Rosalía, Sampha, and Fred Again, and am interested in exploring something more modern, incorporating beats and potentially moving towards a more lyric-driven, song-based structure.
Piano compositions are not my usual go-to, but I’m so glad Olympia-5 found me. I kept returning to “Cleanse” for a strange familiarity that I could not place, until finally it came to me: John Lennon’s “Imagine” and the theme from M*A*S*H (“Suicide Is Painless” by Johnny Mandel), two hefty moods stricken with sadness. Drexler’s track notes confirm the song reflects a low point in his father’s recovery.
2026 already feels like a great year for ambient and loud calm sounds. The headspace that amcan afford the listener. Let me know what you’re listening to, what’s clearing your head or keeping you connected.
//wendy