“Magic Madness Sadness is my latest musical exploration of the phantasmagoric folds between reality and fantasy,” Marhulets says of the album. Alongside his own contributions, the recording features renowned artists such as composer and pianist Marina Baranova—who is also his wife—as well as members of the internationally acclaimed Flex Ensemble: Kana Sugimura, Anna Szulc, and Martha Bijlsma.

Inspiration: parallel worlds and fading memories

The music of Magic Madness Sadness draws inspiration from the Emmy-winning animated series Adventure Time and the popular podcast Weird Studies, hosted by Phil Ford and J. F. Martell. Both explore the hidden structures of parallel realities—worlds that feel real yet remain invisible in everyday life, leaving only fleeting traces.

“The album reflects how memories fade, how magic and melancholy intertwine, and how we all, in a certain sense, inhabit these quiet, parallel spaces,” Marhulets explains. “For me, composing is an act of navigating these worlds—an attempt to give voice, through music, to moments that would otherwise remain unspoken.”