A Closer Listen
Spoiler alert: if you don’t want to know the last sound on this album, stop reading now! We start at the end because that closing note – technically, the last note of the quarter-hour bonus track that comes with the CD – sums up all that has come before, and draws the set to completion. Any guesses?
The sound, perhaps ironic as the track is titled “Mr. Whistle,” is that of a ceremonial gong. The entire album is about peace: finding peace, then creating peace of one’s own. While listening, one may feel a similar level of holiness as the artist experienced in his travels.
These recordings were captured in multiple locations across Vietnam and brought home as sonic souvenirs. Returning to the studio, Ard Bit added some music of his own, part ambient, part drone, conveying the feeling of being in these settings, an aural accompaniment to the pre-existing sounds. One might call this second layer a sonic commentary. This is obviously the sixth of such forays, the previous installments hailing from Sri Lanka, Nolay, Poland, the Balkans and Bohemia. The artist resides in Rotterdam, and in-between field recording sets releases everything from drone to dub.
Most tracks begin with field recordings and develop from there. “Hue Rain” sets the stage by conveying the feeling of walking through a lush jungle, hearing the droplets fall on large, lush leaves. Conversation bubbles around the edges. According to the artist, it is early morning, and already people are up, going about their business. A ceremonial pounding on a mighty drum is offset by patient chimes, their decay extended by the artist. From here Ard Bit travels to Papillon Garden, where one can hear foreground conversation, splashed water, birdsong and waves. Synth notes bubble around barking dogs, cawing roosters and playing children. The gong is struck at measured intervals; it is still morning. Late in the piece, the transit system kicks into effect.
At the beginning of “Từ Hiếu Pagoda,” one hears what may be the same gong, vibrating at a slightly higher frequency. A ceremony has begun, the artist humbled to stumble upon it. Sounds that were previously obscured grow resonant and clear. Even without understanding the specific words, one understands the tone of reverent worship. The place is holy; the people are holy; the sound is holy; the silence is holy. After this the album turns playful, with a piece honoring the river frogs of Ha Giang; the track flips the script a bit, beginning with slowly unfurling melodies and birds, building to the amphibian encounter. The music is dialed back to make room for a different sort of music, a chorus of raucous communication, seemingly unaffected by the car horns and agitated canines.
The backdrop grows busier in the closing tracks, which reflect the bustle of marketplaces and motorcycles. While some might consider such sounds noise pollution, the local residents seem unruffled. The digital album fades to a fuzzy ending, while the addition of the bonus track shifts the perspective. In this piece the same sounds are revisited and reconsidered. Ard Bit may have left Vietnam behind, but has both internalized and externalized its tranquility. (Richard Allen)
Thu Sep 18 00:01:09 GMT 2025