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

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)

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

Have you ever wondered what lies beneath the surface of Lake Burley Griffin? Come and explore the aural underwater environment Beneath the Surface.

This immersive soundscape is comprised of hydrophone (underwater microphone) recordings from Lake Burley Griffin, taking you on a journey from near where the Molonglo River and Jerrabomberra Wetlands flow into the Lake right through to Scrivener Dam.

Lake Burley Griffin has been the centrepiece of Canberra since the 1960’s. Locals and visitors alike enjoy the scenic body of water, and undertake a variety of activities on and around the lake. However very few people get to explore beneath the surface.

This soundscape was originally exhibited as part of an installation at Enlighten Festival 2019.

Credits
Artist and Project Manager: Tim Duck
Field Recordings: Tim Duck, Jeff Meklons, Lachlan Lipsett

Thanks
Enlighten, Ayla Pentikainen, Vickii Cotter (Visabel),
The Wired Lab, Peter Shea, Dayne Rathbone

What do you hear in the recordings?

Over 100 audio recordings were made by Tim Duck, Jeff Meklons and Lachlan Lipsett in January and February 2019. 20 of these recordings have been included in the final Beneath the Surface soundscape.

Here is a summary of what is included (please note that a lot of recordings overlap): 

00:00 - 00:26 – Person diving into the water

00:01 – 00:56 – Waterboatmen insects stridulating near where Jerrabomberra Creek runs into the Lake

00:37 – 01:14 – Electric boat (Go Boat) travelling out of Trevillian Quay

00:54 – 02:28 – Pirate Party Cruise boat idling at dock in Trevillian Quay from two perspectives

02:02 – 03:20 – Rain sequence including some wild noises near a stormwater drain from water and air movements

03:01 – 04:40 – Night time ambience near the Aspen Island footbridge

03:20 – 04:59 – Day time ambience and Carillion 2pm chime at Aspen Island

04:38 – 05:51 – Water movement at the small weir at Commmonwealth Park

05:33 – 06:25 – Captain Cook Memorial Jet and some other ambience including a truck passing by

05:24 – 07:19 – Rowers and following motor boat passing under Commonwealth Avenue Bridge

06:09 – 08:19 – Ambience from the pier near Mr Spokes Bike Hire (RIP) including footsteps on the Pier

07:38 – 09:03 – Kayaker passing by in Yarralumla Bay

08:19 – 10:17 – Unidentified creatures blowing bubbles from the Lake floor, with PA announcements and swimmers from the Trilogy Triathlon also contributing to the ambience

09:19 – 09:57 – Electrical hum from machinery (a pump maybe) near the corner of Lady Denman Drive and Parkes Way

09:31 – 10:13 – Ambience including traffic passing over the bridge at the Scrivener Dam wall

10:16 – 10:25 – Bringing the hydrophones out of the water

Beneath The Surface

:: 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

Stini Arn :: MaliFoliSofia

Tim is an audio and event professional, with an interest in music, film, comedy, art, creativity and the environment. His audio work includes music recording and mixing, field recording, sound art installations, location recording and audio post-production for film, television, radio, games, podcasts and whatever other multimedia format he can get his hands on. Tim undertakes most of his freelance business activities under the name Versed Productions.