A Closer Listen
Formigas Sonoras (Sound Ants) was released in 2021, and since then Luís Antero has continued to record the creatures with which he shares his name. An amusing correspondence reveals that some of his friends call him Ant-Man, as he’s been recording ants since 2010. But why ants? The ant-swer (sorry) is that their sound worlds are so intricate, and their timbres so flexible. Even when unadorned, the sounds suggest musique concrète; add electronic processing, and the comparisons deepen.
While the field recordings were made in Alvoco and Várzeas e São Gião (Oliveira do Hospital), Piódão (Arganil) and Sabugueiro (Seia), ants are pretty much everywhere, and only a keen ear can detect the sonic differences between species. More important are the social relationships of ants, as well as their communication skills, daily work ethic, and intricate architectures. Perhaps this complexity, more than any other feature, is highlighted on Formigas Sonoras II. Immediately one can hear the crunching and other movements. Antero contributes a drone to the early part of the piece, although the accumulation of sounds produces its own lower end. Humans normally don’t listen to ants, but put in perspective, these creatures are loud.
A sonic shift occurs at the three-minute mark; one hears what sounds like a helicopter, although it’s unlikely ants have developed such technology (imagined by the technocratic ants of Quantumania). The impression is one of multiple interrelated tasks performed above and below. The steadiness of the work is laudable, as one cannot help but anthropomorphize; ants are dependable workers, and they don’t seem to take coffee breaks. In the ninth minute, a watery sound develops, adding to the lushness of the recording, suggesting the passing of weather systems and their effect on the colony. New sounds rise to the surface, less crunching than rubbing and communicating. When only two minutes remain in the soundscape, Antero introduces an electronic pattern; dance, ants, dance!
Recent books such as Ed Yong’s An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us (which includes a generous section on ants) highlight the value of biodiversity. But sometimes a sound is worth a thousand words, and Antero is able to teach and entertain in equal measure, with a recording as compact as an ant’s body and just as efficient. (Richard Allen)
Thu Jun 08 00:01:15 GMT 2023