Fugue State Shares Debut Single “We Are Lasting” ft. Maia Friedman

Switch Hit Records announces the signing of Fugue State, a new collaborative project led by Northampton, MA-based composer, producer, and engineer Dan Langa. Neither solo project nor traditional ensemble, Fugue State was born out of a compositional methodology: an obsessive cultivation of studio recordings with a rotating cast of musicians, transformed into spectral, unrecognizable forms.

To introduce the project, Fugue State is sharing its debut single, “We Are Lasting.” Co-produced with Grammy-winning composer William Brittelle (Roomful of Teeth, Justin Vernon), the track originated from a spontaneous improvised session between Langa on Moog and New York-based artist Erika Dohi on piano.

Langa explains:

“That improvisation became the foundation, and we slowly built everything on top of it.”

The song evolved organically over subsequent sessions at Figure8 Recordings, with Langa and his collaborators continually returning to it between tracking other material, layering synths, voices, violin, and harp. Vocals from Maia Friedman (Dirty Projectors, Coco) anchor the track with a repeated, meditative mantra that expands outward, lending the single its introspective warmth and sense of organic growth.

Langa explains:

“Every layer added is a reaction to what came before it. Even the vague but comforting message behind the words becomes a mantra that blooms outward. This was the first Fugue State track that found its identity, and I often found comfort in it during the creative process—whether for artistic inspiration or just a moment to take a breath.”

While Dan Langa has released several works under his own name, Fugue State marks a clear evolution in his practice—rooted in years of studio-based collaboration as a producer, engineer, and composer. Built from documented improvisations and long-form listening, the project treats collaboration as a compositional method, drawing from Langa’s work across electroacoustic music, film, and multimedia performance. Operating at the intersection of textural sound design and collective authorship, Fugue State foregrounds process and accumulation to arrive at its own otherworldly sound.

Fugue State “We Are Lasting” single artwork