From the outset, the audio painted an underwater scene with flowing water and distinctive sound effects. As it transitioned to sound from the air, suggesting a pufferfish being lifted from water, I heard the continuous flow of water from a faucet and brushing sounds, indicating the fish being cleaned. The middle section featured repetitive faucet sounds, followed by a culmination of all previously heard sounds. My ears felt submerged again, akin to the illusion of consuming improperly prepared pufferfish. I discerned underwater sounds followed by intensifying background music. Towards the end, my ears resurfaced with fading footsteps, yet the sudden shift to footsteps left me contemplating the composer's message.

Listening to this for the third time, I feel like I am getting a better understanding of the narrative Wingate was trying to create. It seems to me that Wingate was going through his normal morning routine of brushing his teeth when his subconscious mind began to wander, triggered by the squeaking of the faucet turning on and off and launching him into a daydream of sorts. I actually think the composition is meant to be a loop, and the actual narrative is a flashback after emerging from the daydream as indicated by the sound of rapid flipping of pages at the very beginning of the composition and disorienting cacophony of bubbles and water sounds before the narrative begins. Then towards the end we hear an oscillating sound that rapidly increases in frequency perhaps signifying Wingate imagining himself traveling through a tube or portal, maybe even the faucet itself, before eventually returning to reality as we hear the faucet dripping before he retreats back down the stairs.

In this segment the composer uses pure sounds which include walking, the shutting of a door, turning off and on of a faucet, and brushing of teeth right after muffled and spacious sounds in order to begin creating structure and telling a narrative. He also uses panning of these sounds to mimic the real world and how we may hear them depending on our different positioning when they were made. This entire sequence is all about story telling through sound, and us a listeners having recognized these sounds from everyday life can put together the picture in our minds of what's happening.

This sound piece by Wingate is extremely visual , and even surrealist to me. I appreciate his use of stereo, and full surrounding sound, transferring from right to left ears within the entirety of the work and I found that particularly effective when pulling the listener in almost by force (because of how we perceive sound surrounding us in everyday life). The narrative I found in this piece is a reference to the nature of a bathroom, continuously. That was really the only place I could find myself linking back to logically because we are drained into the drain/into the sink and everything after that is a pressing and pulling, stretching and compressing, dividing and compiling shapes and colors. (PT1)

It reminded me of the 'Big Bang' a little bit, with how there is the center point then crazy expansion out in all the directions, then given a product of everything that is more easily organized (visually). When looking at the opportunities to create structure, Mark has pulled down every wall (personally) somehow there can be this organized, sequential chaos without time to comprehend each individual part in the moment, you just have to hear it as a whole. (PT2)

The increasing pace of the tap noises creates an ominous environment. The sudden change in pitch sounds like an evil laughter and is sharp to the ear. It also creates a warping effect as though the subject is being transported to somewhere.

Here the sound of the sink is not mixed in with the droning background noise, creating some interesting depth at this point. It feels as if something is slowly approaching

Here the sound is very crisp with a lot of accent on the high end. Its a sharp contrast from the shifting low and high end in the beginning, feeling like a filter bank was put on it

That oscillating tone is very interesting, on how its tone changes as it speeds up. It reminds me of what happens when a delay knob is shifted while repeating sound

I hear some water sound and some everyday life sounds like door lock and tooth-brushing. Then the sound starts to become distant and unfamiliar, it's like a bird mixed with different other creatures. It reminds me of an art film I have viewed named <<Memoria>>. It sounds like an origin of a kind of animal and how it evolves and thrives, then you come back to the real life.

SCULPTURE 1 / I cant sleep when i think of you

INTERVIEW + TRACKLIST >  https://inverted-audio.com/feature/opal-tapes/
ORDER MERCH > https://everpress.com/invertedaudio

For our second merchandise collaboration we team up with @opal-tapes to present a limited collection of premium organic tees and jumpers, adorned with a four-way print designed by Berlin-based musician, illustrator and artist @fredmannnn.

For the occasion, Stephen has recorded a 100% Opal Tapes retrospective label mix, providing a shape-shifting auditory journey through Opal Tapes' discography, composed entirely from music released on Opal Tapes and sub-labels Black Opal, VANILLA, and Zabte Sote.

In our interview, we discuss why Stephen founded the label, the importance of the work behind Opal Tapes' impeccable A&R, their considerations when reaching out to artists and supporting their craft, and sharing the story of how Opal came to release music from legendary artists Max Ravitz aka @PATRICIAAA and Brian Leeds aka @huerco_s — plus the story behind the simple yet enigmatic name.

100%

100% Opal Tapes

Canadian artist Hildegard Westerkamp narrates her walk around Kitsilano Beach in Vancouver, British Columbia. She also delves into the process of how she treats the sounds in the studio to highlight elements, and imagines different sound dreams from them.

Things to think about:

Westerkamp says “I could shock you or fool you by saying the soundscape is this loud…but it is more like this” (1:40–2:00). What does she mean? What is the difference between the two versions of the soundscape she presents and how do you think she created the difference?
Do you see the images she describes in her dreams too? What kind of images or situations do they conjure for you?

Kits Beach Sound Walk (1989) by Hildegard Westerkamp

From the composer: "GATES is an electroacoustic composition that was partly inspired by the Pleiades constellation. A musical mapping of an image of the constellation occurs in the middle and at the conclusion of the composition. One can hear this depiction in the 'wood block' timbres."

Things to think about:

How might the title “Gates” refer to events or gestures?
There are multiple divisions of time happening simultaneously in this piece — slow and fast. How do these layers interact with each other, and how are they differentiated?
Nichols creates sounds from recordings of real objects and instruments. Are there any sounds for which you recognize these sources specifically? Does this recognition affect your immersion in the piece as a listener?

"Gates" by John Nichols III (2013)

From the composer: “Pufferfish can change their appearance by expanding or contracting their bodies at will by swallowing air or water. Known and respected for its dangerous toxicity, the pufferfish must be expertly prepared by a master sushi chef or the result can be a highly unpleasant or even fatal meal. On the other hand, if prepared properly it rewards the anxious diner with a delicious culinary experience accompanied by an overall feeling of well-being or euphoria.”

Things to think about:

Do you think the composer is trying to tell a narrative with these sounds?
How does repetition work in this piece to create structure and alter our understanding of certain sounds?

"Pufferfish" by Mark Wingate (1996)

Group 1 - "Course of Action" - Anika and Isaiah

Group 3 - "Bridging Cultures" - Veronica and Yangqing

Group 4 - "Peter Griffin's Apology" - Archer and Jinx

Group 5 - "Can Humans Understand Birds?" - Sofia and Yilin

(copyrighted music muted to avoid takedown)

Group 2 - "Podcast Podcast" - Aaron and Miles

Fragmentation // Eyot Soundscape

BS083 - Passage through the blue mist w/ Prince of Gosplan
@dekatmemwa

Prince of Gosplan (the alter-ego project behind the De Kat Memwa guestmix series) joins our own podcast with a sonic collage to explore and re-assess personal memories, emotions, events and places.
His "Passage through the blue mist" mix ties altogether classical music and jazz, melancholic poetry, Eurasian folk, spoken word and field recordings from his St. Petersburg native city. A blend of sorrow and hope: lending emotional depth while hinting at a spark of light in the darkest corners of the soul. Far from freezing you in time with cumbersome memories, this spiritual passage through the blue mist shall trace a movement from anxiety and loss toward an inner renewal.

Here are a few words from Prince of Gosplan about his mix:
"This is probably the most personal thing I’ve done under the Prince of Gosplan name. It’s a space where the imagined and the intimate blur — where I try to process memories, emotions, and places by shaping them into a kind of sonic essay. Maybe I’m overcomplicating it, and all these semiotics only make sense to me. In the end, it’s just a selection of tracks that were mixed in particular order, but the process itself feels strangely therapeutic to me. And that’s reason enough to keep doing it.
This particular mix was also shaped by impressions from reading diaries, works of autofiction, and essays — stories where protagonists face emotional challenges, yet eventually find the strength to move forward. That narrative arc resonated deeply with me. In fact, the cover of the mix features a frame from Hedgehog in the Fog by Yuri Norstein — a masterpiece that I see as a quiet meditation on getting lost, confronting inner fears, and coming out the other side altered, maybe softer, maybe stronger. Each sonic fragment in this collage carries part of that transformative journey. It flows through symbolic phases: drowning; resurrection; fragile and quiet joy; sadness and disorientation; then movement, searching, and finally rebuilding with a hope for better. And yes — blue is my favorite color. It holds sorrow and light at once, and to me, that’s where transformation begins."

Artwork taken from "Hedgehog in the Fog" (1975 Soviet animated film directed by Yuri Norstein).

BS083 - Prince of Gosplan

:: MaliFoliSofia ::
Mali is a country in Westafrica which Stini Arn has visited regularly over the past ten years. Foli means “music” or “rhythm” in Bambara. And Sofia adds a philosophical touch, Stini Arns personal attempt of an interpretation by composing the recorded sounds she heard in Mali. It shows her fascination for a world which is accoustically based on work rhythms, her fascination for the uninhibited and intentional use of repetitions, that create a magical event out of an action or a word, a meditative evocation, a meaningful act or in other words: music!

Stini Arn (CH)
| sound artist |
Stini Arn is a sound traveller that collects and researches sounds and uses them for her musical compositions for theater, film, radio plays and installations. For her performances she invents instruments that produce sound from daily objects and work tools. Koffertechnik is one of them that she made from a wheeled suitcase which contains the electronic device and serves at the same time as the sound producer with its wheels, handle and plastic shell. Webstall is her latest work which consists of a loom that transforms to a musical instrument by added electronical and mechanical elements that amplify and and modify the rhythmic sound of weaving. Her inspiration were several trips to Mali where there still don’t exist machines for most of the work and which makes the place very musical by the man-made rhythmical sounds. Especially the story about the pounding of the women with the mortar which was the inspiration for the men to create the drum, was a revelation for her.
WEB :: www.stiniarn.ch / www.taktstoff.com

"Pufferfish" by Mark Wingate (1996)

Jason Charney IA 202

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