The ‘outdoors’ can mean a lot of things to different people. Some associate it with the wide-open glens of the Scottish Highlands, while for others it can be their local park or holiday destinations. What’s true for everyone – however you define the outdoors – is that the outdoors has a way of defining you, of inspiring you, of capturing a little part of you.

Combining the awe-inspiring impact of the outdoors with the music scene, what is produced can affect people dramatically. Through Mountain Radio – Merrell’s latest collaboration with Size? – we explore the connection between music and nature, and how this can transport people to different places.

Flora Win-Young is one of the collaborators on the project. The London-based DJ and

producer takes an ambient style, inspired by travel and the natural world.

“I grew up in central London and my family are all from some of the densest cities, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur” says Flora, “so I never had much experience with nature until I got older.”

Flora Win-Young is one of the collaborators on the project. and wears the Hut Wrap Ultra

“I was always afraid of the countryside and wilderness, being isolated in the middle of nowhere. In recent years, being able to travel as a part of my job as a journalist and then also as a DJ and musician meant I was able to explore so many places that I never could otherwise.

“I think new landscapes and cultures are the main inspirations for my work, from abandoned towns in the Arctic Circle and Icelandic volcanos, literary trails in Buenos Aires to the woods in remote islands in Japan – vastly differing scenes on the planet is what drives and moves me the most.”

As a Londoner, her favourite spots come from the 3,000 parks in London – which make up a fifth of the London area.

“For places in and near London, I’d say I have a lot of fondness for more developed spots like Syon Park, Hampstead and Richmond Park having often gone to them as a kid with my dad.”

The inspiration of her childhood in London, and travelling the world became embodied in Merrell’s Mountain Radio track, an original piece of music Flora put together.

Flora Win-Young

“The idea of it using field recordings was to evoke the sensory experience of London and its density and feeling” explains Flora, “contrasted or in continuation with the universality of nature and remoteness.”

And when she’s not taking in the green fields of London? Flora explains that she always has a project on the go:

“I’ve just started an experimental format record label called Doyenne focusing on the divine feminine which will be hosting a launch event at Cafe OTO in June. I’m also currently finishing a composition at Parisian sound institution INA GRM / GRM Tools, working on two scores and remixes for Nyege Nyege Tapes and a Japanese pop singer.”

For those looking to be transported to the outdoors through the power of music, visit the Mountain Radio page.

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