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Microcosms is an exploration of sonic landscapes through the lens of modular synthesis and field recordings. The album exists as a means of artistically capturing and presenting sonic material that exists outside of the human experience, making musical the invisible. In 2020, Jake Mehew was diagnosed with farsightedness, which led him to question whether there were also unheard sounds in everyday life with musical potential. This record is the culmination of nine months of captured field recordings, using traditional microphones and electromagnetic field receivers. Radio broadcasts, amplifiers, televisions, and generators became musical material once appropriate technology was implemented for examination. These samples were organized according to their musical potential, which then became the impetus for composition. The result is a collection of sound design, electronica, and ambient soundscapes, all created through modular sequencing and arrangement.
Originally existing as quadraphonic recordings, Microcosms was brought into MONOM Berlin and formatted for their 48:9 soundsystem using 4DSOUND spatial audio software. This work is presented in a binaural format, intended for stereo headphones, creating an auditory illusion positioning the listener within the center of a cube array of 57 speakers. Sounds appear omnidirectionally, with 360° of movement potential.
Mastering: Jake Mehew
Spatialisation augmentation and mixing: Jake Mehew, Shehryar Ahmed, Walter Neid
Artwork: Jake Mehew
Released via Mindspace Records