Drowning Electret by simon whetham

http://www.everycontactleavesatrace.net/2016/11/26/drowning-electret-simon-whetham/

“Whetham at his most bloody-minded, the long, slow death of hydrophone recording” runs the blurb and leaves it at that. I’m not entirely sure what that means or what that might sound like, but what this CD has is a background of white noise and some pops and clicks foregrounded. Difficult to say how much it’s prepared or happenstance, but it’s certainly conceivable that this is the hydrophone’s workings coming to some sort of demise.

It’s in the main something approximating ambient noise, like rubbing thick rubs on contact mics interspersed with scratches and pops. Strangely enough, given that this is something like field recording, it reminds me a smidge of the sort of turntablism that was doing the rounds in the early 2000s — a more sedate Otomo Yoshihide or something.

I’m going to work on the basis that most of this record documents the decay of a hydrophone, presumably due to faulty casing or similar. So you get this odd effect where whatever’s not right in it seems to create these rhythmic or quasi-rhythmic sections — repetitious phrase-ishes that mutate in opaque cycles. Like every good sound-art record, this isn’t mastered for full volume effect (as is right and just) so there’s quite a dynamic range in this mostly-fairly-quiet number. I’m not a headphones kind of guy, but it’s definitely worth a listen on cans for full effect. Particularly as it’s one of those records that the fridge engine seems to sing along to. Which becomes doubly problematic as there’s a long period of very gradual decline in the recording, disappearing into a nothing-y vortex with only brief restitutions sporadically.

it’s one of those records that the fridge engine seems to sing along toIt’s a subtle and a quiet record and one that, despite the “bloody-minded” quip of the blurb, matches Whetham’s usual taste and nuance for sound. Assuming it’s process-based (most ECLAT seem to be that), it’s one of those where it’s a great recording of something. It never quite rises above a burble, but there’s enough detail there to make it a somewhat agonising listen, insofar as it’s worth concentrating on entirely (rather than it being rubbish, you understand). Applause, Herr Whetham."

-Kev Nickells-
http://freq.org.uk/reviews/simon-whetham-bang-the-bore-drowning-electret-twelve-tapes/

Repurposing environmental sound, space, found objects and salvaged devices, Simon Whetham presents sonic collages that are both meditative and thought provoking...

simonwhetham.co.uk