Sky River Music — pointillist tree by David Bayo

Sky River Music

Records & Tea  ·  Est. NYC, 2025

Live the ritual

Label art by David Bayo
300,000 dots of ink on paper
See it being made →

01
The river
in the sky

Above the Amazon rainforest there is a river. Twenty billion tonnes of water a day, released by the leaves one droplet at a time, traveling as invisible vapor. A thousand miles away, they become rain.

Music moves the same way. Impossible to trace and carried through an invisible medium, it still transforms whomever it reaches.

Tea leaves also give their water to the sky. Carrying stories of mountain and soil, they only come to life when reintroduced to water.

Our label celebrates these inexplicable journeys. We believe in experiencing them together, because it's the ritual that transports us.

02   Four circles

Everything we make is round, and everything we make is measured in time.

Vinyl record, from aboveLP
18:46 a side Compact disc, from aboveCD
51:03 end to end Rolled oolong leaves in a platterLeaf
0:30 first pour Mug seen from aboveMug
24 hrs in the kiln

A record, a disc, a leaf, a mug.
Together they become more than the sum of their parts.

03   Records

In The Arms Of A True Believer — cover
Runtime33:30
ReleaseOct. 30, 2026
Pressing180 g, 300 copies
Pressed atOptimal, Germany
FormatLP, CD, Digital
Full record →

SRM 1004

In The Arms Of A True Believer

Oded Tzur

Brazilian Candomble percussion, Euphonium and Piccolo duets, and ceremonial raga music come together to present the final chapter in a trilogy of albums about Tzur's wife Isabela. Through a 6-piece band and unique orchestration, the composer narrates a tour de force of musical storytelling.

Written right after the birth of Tzur's son, each piece in the suite corresponds to a specific moment — the first ultrasound, the first night at the hospital, a lullaby sung before and after his birth.

LP CD Digital
With tea & mug — $89 Just the LP — $35

Pre-order — records ship Nov 6, downloads arrive Oct 30

The Catalog Edition — $159 →

Make A Sound — cover
Runtime51:02
ReleaseMar. 6, 2026
Pressing180 g, 300 copies
Pressed atOptimal, Germany
FormatLP, CD, Digital
Full record →

SRM 1003

Make A Sound

Oded Tzur

Make A Sound presents the perspective of a young parent as they grapple with the horrors of war. The title track takes a stand against the futility of blind hatred, initiating an intimate meditation on the nature of human solidarity.

“This — the first release from Tzur's label, Sky River Music — promises music of extraordinary quality, both in musicianship and emotional depth” — David Bruggink, All About Jazz

LP CD Digital
With tea & mug — $89 Just the LP — $35

Pre-order — records ship Nov 6, downloads arrive today

The Catalog Edition — $159 →

“Tea is nought but this: first you heat the water, then you make the tea.”

Sen no Rikyū, 1522–1591  ·  tr. Okakura, 1906

04   Tea

Ali Shan Oolong

Taiwan  ·  1,300 m

High mountain oolong, lightly oxidized and rolled into dark pellets that look like a botanical scroll until water finds them, then open into whole leaves and take up half the pot. Dry, it smells of forest — pine, a little lavender. Brewed, it pours a bright transparent yellow: lilies, ripe peach, something buttery, and a faint bitterness that keeps the aftertaste going long after the cup.

One farm, one farmer, spring after spring. Picked by hand in late April; the leaves open dark green, the mark of a slope that gets its share of sun.

L-theanine, found almost exclusively in the tea plant, has been shown in controlled EEG studies to increase alpha-wave activity, the brain’s signature of relaxed attention. 1 High-mountain tea, grown slowly in cool thin air, holds more of it.

1  Nobre, Rao & Owen 2008  ·  Gómez-Ramírez et al. 2007

25 g — $18

Pre-order — ships Nov 6

Rolled Ali Shan oolong in a platter
First infusion0:30
Each one after+0:10
InfusionsFive, at least
Water95 °C
Leaf5 g / 150 ml

The leaves keep going about as long as a record does. Put one on, brew until it ends.

Charcoal Roasted Oolong

Taiwan  ·  Yong Lung

Lightly oxidized oolong, expertly slow roasted to perfection. Dry, the leaves carry the classic Dong Ding fragrance — caramelized, warm sweetness. The brew pours a clear, shiny orange and smells of ripe fruit; the taste is smooth and creamy, with a tangy note that adds power to the aftertaste. A balanced example of how roasting can turn the leaves sweeter with their freshness intact.

Grown at Yong Lung and harvested in April. The stems of the open leaves are torn, the mark of a tea picked by hand.

25 g — $20

Pre-order — ships Nov 6

Charcoal roasted oolong in a platter
First infusion0:30
Each one after+0:10
InfusionsSix, easily
Water95 °C
Leaf5 g / 150 ml

Roasted leaves are typically an afternoon brew - the bolder sibling of Ali Shan. 

05   The mug

The mug
Volume250 ml
Keeps warmOne record side
In the kiln24 hours
PorcelainDehua, China

The Mug

Dehua porcelain, the white the French once called the pearl of the porcelain world, is marked by a unique translucence caused by its rare glass-and-crystal chemistry. It carries David Bayo's 300,000 ink dots: a small gallery brewing excellent tea. The material's heat retention allows the full flavor to bloom in the cup. The body is wide enough for the leaves to open and reveal their most subtle notes as they gradually unfurl. When the record is over, the aftertaste still rings true.

Three pieces: mug, strainer, and lid, made from the same high-grade porcelain. Infusion after infusion, all in one vessel.

Mug — $50

Pre-order — ships Nov 6

06   The pairing

The record, the leaf, the mug

Each stands on its own. Together they make an evening of it: put the needle down, pour the first thirty seconds, and don't do anything else.

Pairing — $89 saves $14  ·  ships worldwide

One record, one mug, 25 g of leaf  ·  also on CD or digital

Pre-order — ships Nov 6

With both teas — $103 →

One record, one mug, 25 g of each tea

The Catalog Edition — $159 →

Both records on vinyl, one mug, 50 g of each tea