RUST is a riveting conceptual success from Genoese artist Guido Affini. Utilizing hydrophones to capture Ligurian Sea wrecks and industrial port noise, Affini processes various drawn sounds through granular synthesis, infusing seamlessly within fully absorbing soundscapes. “These recordings made through hydro phonic techniques are a cross-section of the noise pollution that pervades the industrialized seabed of our seas: the acoustic emanations of commercial ports, the oscillations of wrecks on the seabed, engines, the alarms of cargo ships,” Affini explains.
Audibly resembling a night trek through an ominous cityscape, “RUSTY GHOST” moves with swelling, cinematic flair. Initial sporadic frequencies clamor with cavernous depth, assuming a more whirring, industrial continuousness as the first-minute turn passes. Whooshing effects glide into a glimmering, ghostly intrigue thereafter. Tones of unsettling, higher-pitched airiness emerge prior to the subdued conclusion, where sounds of trickling water and simmering rumbles exude a post-apocalyptic feeling; the EP quickly establishes its riveting atmospheric prowess with this track, cleverly utilizing recordings made near a wreck off the Ligurian Sea.
The ensuing “HYDRO CHECK” retains the eerily nocturnal atmospheric element, while also injecting a more infectious rhythmic pulsating. That bustling undercurrent remains constant throughout, bolstered by various clanging and simmering effects that add to a wholly memorable soundscape; its conclusion is particularly eerie, somewhat resembling a plane falling from the sky.
Next up, “CONDENSATION” features a low-toned vibration drawn from the slippage of a hydrophone cable resting on the edge of a barge; the resulting tension was processed via granular synths, adding further to a soundscape that truly resembles a seabed or marina in the still of night. Finale “50 KM FROM THE COAST” continues a sense of isolation, situated far from shore with only creaking ocean sounds keeping one company. RUST is a wholly immersive conceptual success from Guido Affini.
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“HYDRO CHECK” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
