A Message from the Artist:

This is MADA, a collection of some of my favorite audio recordings captured during my 2016
expedition to Madagascar. These sounds are part of a much larger project
executed with the support of Centre ValBio, The Safina Center, and the National
Geographic Society, and is featured in the film “Remixing Madagascar” which premiered
in 2020.

If you would like to learn more about our work on this project, please visit
RemixingMadagascar.com. To learn more about my work, visit benmirin.com or follow
me @benmirin on Instagram.

On a personal note, working in Madagascar was the first time I truly fell in love with the
art of field recording. As a musician, I record and sample sounds from nature into
electronic music and perform at concert venues to promote conservation around the
world. Madagascar was my first expedition to capture my own sounds for later use in
music, and when I met my subjects in their natural habitats I was astounded by how
profound it was to sit immersed in nature, and simply to absorb the voices of my
surroundings. Each of the voices you will hear in this collection has been shaped by
millions of years of evolution to resonate and balance with other acoustic elements in its
environment, and communicate critical signals for animals to survive. That I can be a
vehicle for those voices, and bring them into your homes and lives, is an honor and a
privilege.

Special thanks are due to all the members of my team, from the United States and
Madagascar, who helped make this work possible. Please watch Remixing Madagascar
to meet them and experience their amazing work.

Thank you for listening!

Benjamin H. Mirin, Ph.D. aka Ecotone

A Note on Conservation:
In just a few more years, it is entirely possible that some of the voices in this collection
will have been extinguished forever. As of 2020, over 90 percent of Madagascar’s native
forests have been destroyed for agriculture, and they are still being cut down today. If
you would like to learn how you can support conservation in Madagascar, please visit
CentreValBio.org.

Liner Notes: available upon request

Example:

Track 01: Dawn in Talatakely
Dawn in Ranomafana National Park is our first chance to listen to this forest waking up.
As the sounds of nocturnal insects fade with the dark of night, birds and lemurs begin
rustling through stands of bamboo and broad-leaf trees on their way to the day’s first
feeding. Magpie Robins are the first songbirds to announce themselves, singing to
proclaim that they have survived the night and are still guarding their territories from the
day before. Soon after, Pitta-like Ground Rollers begin to whoop! The symphony builds
to a crescendo around 5:30am, in what is known as a dawn chorus. It is perhaps the
best time of day to hear the true richness of Ranomafana.

Copyright Notice
The materials in this album are not to be shared or distributed without the express
consent of their creator, Benjamin Mirin. Copyright 2018, Registration No.
PA0002114909.

Album Art by Andy Thomas

Waking Up In Ranomafana

Traveling the world, making music from nature. benmirin.com