Soil Sounds by David Vélez

This piece consists of a one-take underground audio recording made in a pot planted with victoria rhubarb (Rheum Rhabarbarum) and spontaneously inhabited by nocturnal red earthworms (their bright red colour and attenuated clitellum suggests they are Perionyx Excavatus). The microphones I used were a LOM Geofon, an Aquarian H3 mini-hydrophone and a JRF piezo contact microphone, all located 10 cms inside surface. The recording device was a Zoom H4. In the set up I acoustically isolated the plant pot with cardboard and thick textiles so the microphones picked up the less external vibration sources as possible. I subtly edited the original take to remove parts where the Geofon picked up the resonance of large vehicles passing by. In post-production, I applied subtle noise reduction and EQ to enhance the sounds recorded inside the pot. Recording made between 1:00 and 3:00 AM on Sunday 28th of April on Lindley, Huddersfield.