The Old Peace sits apart from everything else in this catalogue. It is not a solo release, it is not electronic, and it exists because someone asked for it.
Alec Wildey was a listener of both Steven Wilson and Riverside. After a terminal cancer diagnosis on Christmas Eve 2013, he approached the two musicians and asked whether they would put one of his poems to music. They agreed. Wildey died on 25 August 2014, aged 26, and the recording was released that October.
At a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Artists | Mariusz Duda & Steven Wilson |
| Title | The Old Peace |
| Words | From a poem by Alec Wildey |
| Original release | 30 October 2014, as a paid download |
| Remaster | 30 October 2024, remixed and remastered by Steven Wilson |
| Label (2024) | Kscope |
| Duration | 5:54 |
| Style | Chamber folk, acoustic |
| Proceeds | Split between the medical centre that cared for Wildey and other cancer support charities |
The background
The charity arrangement was set out plainly at the time: half of the proceeds went to the medical centre that had cared for Wildey during his final months, and half to other cancer support organisations.
It is worth being precise about the authorship, because it is the whole point of the record. The words are Wildey’s. Duda and Wilson provided the setting and the performance. That division is unusual enough in itself, and it is the reason the song is credited the way it is.
The 2024 remaster
For the tenth anniversary of the original release, Steven Wilson newly remixed and remastered the recording, and it was issued digitally on 30 October 2024 through Kscope. That release brought the song to the major streaming services for the first time; before it, the track had only ever been available as a direct download.
Anyone who bought the 2014 version will find the remaster noticeably cleaner, but the arrangement is unchanged — this is a remix rather than a re-recording.
How it sounds
Sparse and acoustic, with the two voices blended rather than trading verses, it has more in common with the quieter end of either musician’s catalogue than with Riverside or with the solo electronic albums. Listeners often reach for Storm Corrosion, Wilson’s project with Mikael Åkerfeldt, as the nearest comparison, and the melancholy, unhurried quality is similar.
In the context of this catalogue it is closest in spirit to the Subcutaneous songs that came six years later — calm vocals, acoustic accompaniment, nothing hurried.
Where it sits
This remains the only released collaboration between Duda and Wilson under their own names. It predates the solo electronic catalogue entirely: the first of those albums, Lockdown Spaces, did not appear until 2020.
Where to listen
The 2024 remaster is on Kscope’s Bandcamp page and the major streaming services. The Kscope artist page carries the wider catalogue.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote the words?
Alec Wildey, a listener of both Steven Wilson and Riverside, who asked the two musicians to set his poem to music after a terminal cancer diagnosis. He died in August 2014, aged 26.
When was it released?
The original download appeared on 30 October 2014. A version remixed and remastered by Steven Wilson for the tenth anniversary followed on 30 October 2024 through Kscope, reaching streaming services for the first time.
Did the proceeds go to charity?
Yes. For the 2014 release, half went to the medical centre that cared for Wildey in his final months and half to other cancer support charities.
Is there a full Duda and Wilson album?
No. The Old Peace is a standalone single and remains their only released collaboration under their own names.
Sources
- Kscope Bandcamp release page — 2024 release date, duration and label.
- Louder — reporting on the tenth-anniversary remix and remaster.
- Discogs — original 2014 release details.
If anything on this page misrepresents Alec Wildey or the circumstances of the recording, tell us and it will be corrected immediately.