A Closer Listen
This collection is so good that it may make prompt a move to the wetlands. The double album is the result of a SoundLapse project which united composers and field recording artists from Valdivia (Chile) and London, sharing sounds captured at the Valdivian wetlands and at the London Wetland Centre. The approaches are exciting and diverse, a cornucopia of sounds both natural and musical. Gruenrekorder’s extensive liner notes provide essential context, enhancing the experience. When the album has ended, one immediately wants to play it again.
The first disc is more field recording dominant, and begins with Felipe Otondo and Natán Ide Pizarro‘s “Oncal Mix,” an entire day of rainforest recordings distilled into six minutes. This leads to incredible dynamic contrast, as the timbres change far more rapidly than they would in real time, and the wind and waves share sonic space with the birds. Julia Schauerman combines hydrophone and above-water recordings to disorienting effect; passing planes become characters in the ongoing play, seeming to spark irritated responses from the denizens below. Daniel Pakdel references Soundgarden with “Black March Sun,” which again incorporates those planes, a clear example of noise pollution, “inviting listeners to ponder on the shadows they cast.” Kinder musical tones emerge as the artist seeks to counter the intrusive drone with ambient notes. Following the template of the opener, Leonardo Santos compresses Valdivia’s dawn-to-dusk soundscape into a single, human-free piece, allowing the listener to imagine a city overrun by toads and frogs.
The rain is falling in “Contested Territory,” as Max Elmore imagines the sonic space as a form of battleground between natural and unnatural, resident and invader, unobtrusive fauna and brash humanity. When Diego Benalcazar places Ecuadorian double flutes in the context of the forest, they sound like dueting birds, tricking the ear; the synthesis is sublime. Jerome Dodd‘s “Loss” is an audiovisual work, and although we can’t see the video, we can imagine it: a lone robin growing increasingly lost in the bustle and noise of London. We think this might also be a great children’s book, although not a cheerful one. The orchestral sounds seep in, dignified and mature, until one realizes the cost of drowning out local species. Disc One concludes with its longest piece, Adam Stanović‘s 13-minute “Encircled,” which begins with the sounds of motors, horns and sirens, and develops into a meditation on how even the most protected wetlands are encircled by cacophonies of sound. The same principle holds true for the people of London and other densely populated areas, in which true silence is nearly extinct.
Disc Two begins with Berk Yağlı‘s “False Awakening on a Mediterranean Island: Type 2′”. The artist writes of an identity crisis which began when he left his childhood home. The piece is like a fantasia, electro-acoustic in nature, signaling a shift in the second disc to more musical sounds. In contrast, Valentina Valderas‘ “Lemai” is dedicated to home and family, grounded in setting, secure in its interspecies soul. A warm brass melody gives way to the even warmer sounds of the island. The disc’s longest piece arrives early, Robert Colman‘s quarter hour “TQ 228770” filled with bats, birds and percussion, yielding an industrial timbre suited to its London location. Every time the focus shifts, the contrast grows greater. Angus Carlyle zeroes in on the planes, the title “2420 ft” representing the average altitude of their final approach to Heathrow; by including the sounds of children at play, the artist amplifies the irritation of the sounds. If we refuse to protect the sonic environment of other species, might we do it for our own?
Jiajing Zhao concentrates on the vibrational soundscape of the wetlands, incorporating insectoid and photosynthetic sounds. The result is strangely mechanical, even factory-like, a reflection of a world both familiar and strange. In “Sensibilidad Natural,” Nelchael Recabarren creates a pas-de-deus between musical elements and sampled sounds. The piano and synth seek not to overwhelm the rain and the birds, but to balance and accompany them, a metaphor for a healthy interaction with the biosphere. Sebastian Ubeda Mardones furthers the idea, attempting to capture a sense of peace in “Parque Etéreo” (“Ethereal Park”), ducks and frogs living alongside drums and guitar. Julia Pytko makes the message overt with the spoken word of “Changing the Balance,” prompting any who listen to consider the impact of all they have heard. It’s one thing to enjoy environmental sounds; it’s another to be affected by them; and it’s even another to act. A huge thank you to Adam Stanović and Felipe Otondo for curating this excellent collection; let’s hope the passion doesn’t end here. (Richard Allen)
Order page with sound samples
Thu Oct 16 00:01:23 GMT 2025