The Mistral, is a strong wind that commonly occurs in southern France, blowing down from the north along the lower Rhône River valley toward the Mediterranean Sea. As the wind reaches the Rhône delta, gusts can often hit speeds of 130 km (about 80 miles) per hour.

This recording was taken from the bedroom window of an old "Mas" (farmhouse) just outside Barbentane (Bouches-du-Rhône) with the mics pointing directly at a Plane tree (platane)at least 250 years old.

Sound Devices Mix Pre 6 + 2 x Sennheiser MKH 8040s (ORTF)
24.08.2021

Strong "Mistral" Wind - Barbentane, France

Rubbing smudges from my eyes
Now things are falling into focus
It's only now I realise
How much I let go by unnoticed

But now, now I see the birds

But somehow I was missing something
A little too self-involved I guess
'Cause I always made a point of looking
But I was too focussed on the emptiness

But now, now I see the space
Now I see the light

Living in a world of pure imagination
As if I were condemned to dream
But I've begun to see that magic 
Ain't nearly as unreal as in might seem

'Cause now, now I see the birds

And I wonder how one comes to see the things they couldn't see before
I was blind but now I see the beauty that I never truly saw 

And so, not another moment wasted
Oh, not another moment more

Now I See the Birds

This is a track I wrote for a special collaborative project (more on that latter). It was inspired by a poem by Robert Creeley called 'Tunnels'.

Time isn't

Homemade VIDEO, shot on summer 2021 tour: https://youtu.be/Cb2j3lcyiZs

Streaming platforms: https://ffm.to/ze2gpp0

London-based 7-piece Cable Street Collective’s latest single, ‘The Wolf’, is an upbeat banger guaranteed “to make you dance your beep off”. 

The track, which features their signature combination of thumping dance rhythms, African-influenced guitars and an addictive chorus, was written during lockdown, with demos flying back and forth over Zoom calls – and an early version of the band playing it “together” appeared online in March 2021, with each member recording their parts from home. 

Despite the knock-on effects of lockdowns on the live music sector, Cable Street Collective road tested The Wolf extensively this summer, playing at Latitude, among others, on a 17-date summer festival tour. The band recently announced a further UK tour for February 2022.


While the music of The Wolf is upbeat, the lyrics deal with darker themes. “It’s about subconsciously seeking out toxic relationships as a means of self-flagellation,” explains singer Fiona Jane. “That absurdity, when you’re most comfortable in relationships that are bad for you, is fascinating.”

The Wolf

Heiwa (Peace)

This is an edited excerpt from an overnight to morning recording made at the shore of the Coorong saltwater lagoon, for anyone who might be curious to dip in and get a taste of one way a Coorong dawn might sound, and how it did sound on this particular morning. The microphones were placed in amongst reeds near the tip of the point of land jutting out into the water, which can be seen in the track photo. This excerpt begins from around 06:25 (ACDT). Calm, cool weather conditions, with considerable condensation.

I've come to the conclusion that listening to recordings - and especially raw, unprocessed recordings - of the Coorong environment may be an acquired taste (although the taste may be acquired from a familiarity with other coastal environments and ecosystems with a similar kind of soundscape). The incessant 
 'Coorong roar' takes some getting used to, particularly when heard through headphones. It took me a long time to accept it and immerse myself in it; but eventually I found that other much quieter but higher-pitched natural details - like the calls of birds, and even the sounds of their interactions with the water of the lagoon and the air itself as they wing through it - can still be quite clearly discerned within the soundspace, without the aid of low frequency attenuation. The adjustment in my attention was more effective than an adjustment in EQ.* (A special thank you to Jan Eerala for helping to catalyse this intuition and shift in my perception (although it only works for natural sounds, of course).)

96/32 > 48/24. Edited excerpt, not processed.

Recorded on land of the Ngarrindjeri people that is now a national park.
_______________________
*Having said that, though, there are still situations in which I will use EQ for certain Coorong recordings: for example, when the subject is a specific detail, rather than the experience of the soundscape or soundfield as an integral whole.

2022.02.20 A Coorong Dawn. Waterline. Late Summer.

Single Release: 
https://alpharomeomusic.bandcamp.com/album/german-radio
Written and Produced by Jeremy Jones and Rodrigo Passannanti 
Vocals by Jeremy Jones

End Of An Era - Video: youtu.be/en_nCRxhBYI 

End Of An Era - Andrew D Brooks Video edit: youtu.be/5OjfuTsfmOM 

Digital Stores: share.amuse.io/track/alpha-romeo-german-radio
license

End Of An Era

Another trip into far away yet far better times... This piece features the "Childhood Memories" library from Pianobook. Cover photo by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash

Childhood Memories

Reflections ripple in invisible corridors where every movement carries meaning. The air vibrates with silent lessons hidden among shadows and flames. Nothing speaks, yet everything teaches: the way light envelops itself in absence, the way silence responds to its own echo. Beyond the veil of intention, consciousness lingers like dust in sunlight, showing that wisdom is not found, but remembered.

Aurora Drift

Fading Light by Ray Mel

sensorium dei

composer, producer, false-prophet
-- 'On the grounds of indecency' will be out on Oct 11th

Time isn't

Swoop and Cross