Dave PHILLIPS
“South Africa recordings”

2CD + 16 page booklet in a 6-panel cardboard sleeve. Edition of 300.
Raw field recordings. Immersion. Listening beyond sound.
Nature speaks languages. we can “hear” them, but do we listen, do we try to understand? floods, tornados, land erosion, global warming, et cetera – these are but the most obvious examples of nature speaking.

these discs contain nature’s sounds with this particular intention/communication in mind. the field recordist in the role of a mediator. aesthetic choices are but departing points. the quality of attention defines the quality of experience. of hearing. of listening and understanding. then the exploration may begin.

tongues speaking, senses responding, resonating and reverberating. altered states. immersion – being part of something. south african wildlife and its soundscapes are in-your-face. but disappearing. forced away by human supremacy/stupidity. hear: night soundscapes with bubbling kassinas in riparian woodland. tremolo sand frogs and anuran night chorales. a semi-dry river bed after sunset. climatic events at the billion year old mmabolela rock. vigorous toad night chanting at a small lake. curious and vocal desert crows. cicada serenades, solos, duets and ensembles – frequency rapture. transpiration, flies and ears. barking geckos ringing in the night. night-insects crooning. howling jackals and roaring lions. hundreds of doves at a waterhole – the magic of avian movement in unison. wandering hyenas meeting family at their den. a mountain forest stream.
primate vocalisations. a morning river walk. the atmosphere of a gorge. swamp forests, wind and clicking katydids. a hippopotami laughing. dung beetles in flight. swamp life. squirrel voices from beyond. an egyptian fruit bat cave.

these recordings have been equalised and arranged. panning is used. no other audio treatments, effects or manipulations have been applied. many tracks are single recordings, a few are layered. each disc is one continuous listening session. alternative playback on headphones is suggested. maximum volume yields maximum effects.

recorded in mmabolela game reserve (‘sonic mmabolela’, limpopo province), kgalagadi transfrontier national park (northern cape province), marloth nature reserve (western cape province), addo national park (eastern cape province), oribi gorge nature reserve (kwazulu-natal province), amatigulu nature reserve (kwazulu-natal province), isimangaliso wetland park (kwazulu-natal province), south africa, november 2015 to january 2016. photos by nathalie dreier and dp complement the soundscapes.

topography: riparian woodlands (mmabolela), sand dune desert (kgalagadi), semi-arid karoo (addo, mmabolela), hilly forests (marloth, oribi), riverine and swamp forests (amatigulu), savannas, subtropical dune forests and wetlands (isimangaliso). day temperatures between 30° and 43°C.