Instituto de Psicogeografía Psicogeografía II (October 2024)
60 min sound collage featuring field recordings, radio broadcasts,
synth textures and noises, and tape loops. Continuation of the
first part.
Listen and download
Notes
This 60-minute tape is the second installment in the "Psychogeography" series.
The field recordings capture a variety of sounds, including the chirping of Mexican grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus), crickets and cicadas, a banda de guerra, people singing, the streets of Guanajuato, and the roosters and dogs from the city's outskirts.
Many of the noise textures were recorded using copper coils (magnetic microphones) and faulty audio electronics that emitted subtle feedback or picked up RF interference that was greatly amplified. Additional sound sources include modular synths, radio broadcasts, a heartbeat, strings and percussion recorded through contact microphones and processed with effects.
Side B features tape loops. Inspired by the cut-up technique of Burroughs and Gysin, we recorded a 90-minute cassette with the initial version of this project, then randomly cut, tore, wrinkled, stretched, and burned the magnetic tape to create looped and distorted noises. The result is a cut-up deconstruction of the original recording, layered with found sounds and radio voices.
2023-2024, Guanajuato, México.
This work is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Reviews
The A side [...] is a languid mélange of earth and electricity. Abstract musical threads spool outward from a variety of sources and then melt into embraces from the natural world: radio chatter dissolves into insect swarm, emf sputter meets anxious footsteps. So much care was taken in assembling these collages, acts of respect and admiration for the world in all its imperfections. [...] Things get a bit more tense on the B, with garbled commentators narrating a nighttime drama of birdsong and obtuse electronics.