Planetary Interscapes Episode 4: ‘Between Tides’ by Born in 11986

Planetary 
Interscapes
— Episode four

“Between Tides”

Sound mixed and compiled by Born in 1986
Visual interpretation by Max Binski

—

Welcome to the Planetary Interscapes podcast series. 14 years after its debut on Pluie/Noir and 100+ audio-visual podcasts later, the series is reborn in collaboration with Rings of Neptune. Planetary Interscapes will follow the same motto and feature audio collages, mixes, live interviews, and live recordings from artists, friends, and other collectives we admire, visually interpreted by our favourite graphic wizards.

For episode four, we welcome Born in 1986 (aka Luca Calo) to the series, presenting a selection of ethereal ambient works with cinematic framing. The mix draws inspiration from his daily life and from everything unfolding around him during a period he describes as transitional.

Scroll down for an interview with Luca. Pour yourself a cup of tea, press play, and enjoy.

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INTERVIEW — BORN IN 1986

Hi Luca, welcome to the P/N Interscapes series. How have you been?

Hi Bruno, thank you for this invitation, it’s a real pleasure to take part in it.
Summer has just ended, which makes me feel a bit melancholic because it’s one of my favorite seasons… but to be honest I’m also excited for autumn and winter, as I have new challenges ahead.

Berlin can be quite a challenging place to live. Is it still giving you as much as it asks in return? Do you ever think about moving back to Italy, or have your roots taken hold here?

I was born in a small village near Varese, close to the Swiss border, just north of Milan and not far from Como. My father, though, comes from the South, near Lecce, and in a way I feel that’s where my real roots are. Whenever I can, I love to spend time there, and honestly I’ve been thinking that maybe one day I could go to live there.

I’ve been living in Berlin for 10 years now. For me, it has always been challenging; it’s a city you can deeply love one day, and hate the next. It’s a place where you can easily get lost (and I have, many times), but at the same time it gives you so much back.

I would describe my life in Berlin in “phases,” where I can recognise moments of change over the years, in myself, in the city, and in the people around me. I often think about moving away, mainly because my biggest struggle here is the weather. But on the other hand, what Berlin gives back in terms of work, art (in all forms), and inspiration is something I don’t think I could find anywhere else. That’s why I’m still here.

(3) / (4)

“I would describe my life in Berlin in “phases,” where I can recognise moments of change over the years, in myself, in the city, and in the people around me.”

Being a booking agent, managing record labels YAY and 3NO, and more recently launching CONCENTRIC with Simone Merli—how do all these projects connect and influence each other?

I always try to keep things quite separate, especially in terms of my main role as a booking agent. Born in 1986 is more like an escape from reality for me, while the record labels I’ve run reflect my personal journey. In this sense, Concentric connects with Born in 1986, where YAY and 3NO Records are more tied to Luca, to a different side of me.

What’s next for Concentric? What are your plans for the label, and could you tell us a bit more about the project?

Concentric Records is a label I run together with Simone Merli (Soundwalk Collective). Interestingly, we both come from the same area in Italy, but we didn’t meet there; it was music that brought us together. We share a strong connection, and since we come from two different fields, that difference actually makes the project even stronger. 

Concentric Records was born from the need to release something meaningful through our musical knowledge. We see it as a platform where artists can truly express themselves. That’s also why we organise showcases and curate a monthly radio show on Refuge Worldwide.

In the near future, after a little break, we are coming back with a new release on vinyl produced by ATOM TM. ATOM is definitely one of the producers that inspires me the most, and I’m grateful to have him releasing on my label. 

“Concentric Records was born from the need to release something meaningful through our musical knowledge. We see it as a platform where artists can truly express themselves.“

Born in 1986 is a DJ name I can definitely relate to. We’re both ’86 kids, so I imagine we’ve lived through many of the same historical moments and probably share some life experiences. We’ve witnessed massive changes—especially technological ones. Do you feel this has shaped you personally, as well as your musical taste?

Absolutely, being born in 1986 means growing up right in the middle of an incredible cultural and technological transition. From the analog world of tapes, VHS, and the very first video games, to the digital revolution of the internet, social media, and music production tools, we’ve experienced both sides. On a personal level, this shaped me to be curious and adaptable. I carry with me the nostalgia and warmth of that pre-digital era, but at the same time, I embrace the possibilities technology has brought us. Musically, I think it gave me a broad perspective: I value the rawness and imperfections of older sounds, while also exploring the precision and innovation that new tools allow

“‘I carry with me the nostalgia and warmth of that pre-digital era, but at the same time I embrace the possibilities technology has brought us.”

 

Tell us more about ‘Between tides’. How, why, and when was it recorded?

The mix was recorded at my place in Berlin. I drew inspiration from my daily life and from everything happening around me. I’m living through a moment of transition, and I feel that this transition really inspired me to put the mix together.

Where will you be performing over the next few months? Any showcases planned for your imprints?

I just played two gigs in August: one at CDV in Berlin for the 10 years of Off The Grid, and the other at Opera Festival in Sicily. I was really impressed by this festival, the curation, the people, and the location are something quite unusual to find in Italy, especially in the South. I highly recommend it.
I’m currently working with Simone on a Concentric showcase at Zenner in Berlin. Then, together with Simone, my good friend e/tape, and Tobias, we’ll be playing in Milan on October 10th for a very special event: to celebrate the birthday of our dear friend Loris, one of the purest souls, who sadly left us less than a year ago.

"I'm opening a new label called Mutual Connection. This will be my first solo project, as the other labels I run are in partnership with someone else."

Any other plans for the near future?

I’m opening a new label called Mutual Connection. This will be my first solo project, as the other labels I run are in partnership with someone else. Mutual Connection will be dedicated to experimental, ambient, and boundary-free electronic music. I don’t want to give it a single direction; I’d rather keep myself open to exploring what’s happening around me. The first release will come out on cassette and digital, produced by my good friend Ascion: 12 tracks floating between genres, mostly industrial, noise, ambient, and something a bit punk.

(3) / (4)

Personal photos:

(1) Tuglie, located in the Lecce area, where Luca’s grandfather was born.

(2) A red car with Luca inside — it was his grandfather’s car, a car he loves driving when he goes back, as it really reconnects Luca to him and brings back so many memories.

(3) One of the most flavorful pastas Luca ever had. It’s from Le Macare, and it’s a reinterpretation of pasta e patate, made with scampi and green Tabasco.
(4) A dessert called pasticciotto, typical of the Lecce area and one of my his sweets. It’s a homemade pastry filled with cream.

Links:

@rentonauta
@concentric_records
@mutual_connection_records
@3n0_records
@yayevent
@cleymoore

https://concentricrecords.bandcamp.com/

Planetary Interscapes— Episode three – Nies

Planetary Interscapes
— Episode three

“Learning and Forgetting and Learning Again”

Sound mixed and compiled by Nies
Visual interpretation by Max Binski

Welcome to the Planetary Interscapes podcast series. 10 years after its debut on Pluie/Noir and 90 audio-visual podcasts later, the series is reborn in collaboration with Rings of Neptune. Planetary Interscapes will follow the same motto and feature audio collages, mixes, live interviews, and live recordings from artists, friends, and other collectives we admire, visually interpreted by our favourite graphic wizards.

We’re delighted to welcome Nies (aka Denise Pakes) to the series, presenting a musical selection that gracefully transcends time and space. Bruno and Denise share a connection that spans over a decade — rooted in countless musical collaborations and a deep, enduring friendship. Having Denise in the series was not only long overdue but truly essential. The video artwork was created by Bruno, under his audio-visual alias Max Binski. Scroll down to read the interview, pour yourself a cup of tea, press play, and enjoy.

INTERVIEW — NIES

A pleasure to finally have you in this series. How are you, dear?

My pleasure too, dear. Thank you for the invitation—it’s an honour to be part of the Pluie/Noir Interscapes series. I’m moving with the currents of change, both personally and creatively. A lot has been shifting recently, and I’m trusting the process, even in the midst of the storm.

Your journey with sound has taken many shapes over the years. How would you describe your artistic evolution and the main influences that have shaped it?

My background is actually rooted in the visual arts—I studied Image & Sound at the Art Academy and Conservatory in The Hague, where I explored video, installations, and live visuals. Early on, I was working with VJing, first using VHS tapes, then dia, overhead, and film projectors, experimenting with analog and digital formats. But over time, I felt an increasing pull toward sound as its own expressive medium, beyond its role as an accompaniment to visuals. I wanted to understand sound more deeply, especially in terms of composition and spatial diffusion. This curiosity led me to Paris at INA GRM, where I completed a master’s degree “Création Musicale & Arts Sonores”, an institution that had already been a major influence on my sonic explorations. Studying there was a dream come true—learning directly from some of my favourite electroacoustic and acousmatic composers, and immersing myself in techniques that expanded my perception of sound. It brought together many aspects of my creative practice, allowing me to explore multichannel sound diffusion, spatial composition, and the sculpting of sound in a way that felt almost physical. 

I come from a more experimental background, both in audio and visual arts, these two elements have always been interconnected for me. They feed into each other, and I approach sound with a visual sensibility — textures, depth, and movement.

“For me, creating a mix is never just about selecting tracks—it’s about
capturing a moment in time, a feeling, a subconscious narrative that unfolds
as I go. I approach it very intuitively, letting myself be guided by the flow rather
than overthinking it.”

Your mixes and soundscapes often blur the lines between DJing, storytelling, and sonic experimentation. What’s your approach when curating a mix, and how does intuition play a role in the process?

There’s something almost magical about that process, allowing one sound to lead naturally to the next, as if it’s already mapped out in some invisible way. It’s about surrendering to the moment—when I stop interfering and just listen, everything seems to fall into place, like happy accidents meant to be. I also love playing with words in the same way—cutting them up, rearranging them, and creating new meaning from fragments. This approach directly translates to my work with sound, where I treat textures, voices, and rhythms as pieces of a larger sonic collage. 

The Poèmes Électroniques series was born from this idea. I had been writing a lot of cut-up poetry, and I wanted to bring these fragmented narratives into a sonic space—merging spoken word with layered soundscapes to create something fluid and immersive. Ultimately, my mixes are about storytelling, but not in a linear way. They are abstract narratives—something felt rather than explained, a journey where every listener might take away something different. It’s this open-ended nature that keeps the process exciting for me.

“Coming from a visual background has had a huge impact on the way I approach sound.“

Can you tell us about the mix you created for this episode? Was there a particular
concept, mood, or narrative guiding your selection?

“Learning and Forgetting and Learning Again” came from a personal period in my life. I was experiencing a neurological issue that put intense pressure on a nerve in my head, causing memory loss in my daily life. Simple things would slip away, like they had been erased, and it gave me a completely new perspective on learning, remembering, and how fragile those processes can be. This mix is a reflection of that time—a sonic exploration of forgetting, relearning, and the cyclical nature of knowledge and perception. It also touches on the idea that learning never truly stops, but sometimes we have to unlearn in order to absorb things differently. That process of erasing and rediscovering became the core of this mix. I structured it as a sound collage, where moments appear and dissolve, fragments weave in and out, and memory itself feels fluid rather than fixed. The opening and closing tracks were clear from the start, also as a kind of homage to Ryuichi Sakamoto, while everything in between was woven into a sonic tapestry—an ever-evolving landscape of atmospheres.

“Space plays a fundamental role in how I create and experience sound“

 
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Beyond DJing and music composition, you’re involved in other creative disciplines. How do these different mediums inform and inspire your work with sound?

For me, sound and image are in constant dialogue—one can inspire the other, and often they merge in unexpected ways. I love composing sound for visuals, but also the reverse—creating music and then finding an image that somehow fits, as if they were always meant to exist together.
There’s something magical about that kind of synchronicity. A lot of my inspiration comes from daily life, especially through movement and observation. Walking with our dog is a big part of my process—it forces me to slow down, to listen deeply, and to see details I might otherwise overlook. I often take photos of small textures, shapes, or patterns I notice along the way, or record environmental sounds that catch my ear. On the moment, I don’t necessarily know how they’ll be used, but they always find their way back into my work in some form. It’s like collecting fragments of the world, pieces of a larger puzzle that will later reveal their place.

photo_2025-03-29_13-22-37

What role does space—both physical and conceptual—play in your music and
artistic expression?

I’m fascinated by how we perceive space—how sound interacts with an environment, how it moves, how it shapes our sense of place. When composing or performing, I think about space not just as a backdrop but as an instrument itself. This is especially present in my work with multichannel speaker systems like the Acousmonium, where sound can physically move through space, creating an immersive, almost sculptural experience. Spatialization—how sound is positioned and diffused—adds another layer of expression, allowing me to guide the listener on both an audible and physical journey. I also work with psychoacoustics, exploring how sound can alter perception, and I’m deeply interested in sound as a form of memory—how a space carries its own sonic imprint. Whether it’s field recording a specific location, composing site-specific pieces, or working with what I call sonorigins (sound origins tied to heritage), I see sound as a way to capture and preserve the genius loci—the spirit of a place.

Over the years, you’ve been part of collectives and communities that emphasize collaboration. How important is that aspect of creation to you, and how do you navigate the balance between personal expression and collective synergy?

Collaboration is something I deeply value because it creates possibilities that wouldn’t exist otherwise. When you work with others, you open up new perspectives, new ways of thinking and making that you couldn’t have arrived at alone. It’s a process of exchange, of allowing something unexpected to emerge through shared creativity. At the same time, personal expression is essential—it’s where you refine your own voice and develop your artistic language. I love working solo, diving into my own world, but I also find that collaboration brings a kind of expansion—it stretches you beyond your habitual ways of working. I think the key is balance: personal creation gives you a foundation, and collaboration allows you to break beyond it. The two feed each other in a very organic way.

Looking ahead, are there any upcoming projects, collaborations, or creative directions you’re excited to explore?

There’s a lot unfolding right now that I’m really excited about. With RON, we’re shifting into a new phase that feels very aligned with where we are creatively. We’re focusing more on creation in a broad sense, for sync purposes, exhibitions, listening sessions, and collective collaborations. It feels like a natural evolution, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it takes shape.
I’m also working on Gazon with my man David, which is a project we had set aside for a while but recently picked up again. It’s bringing us a lot of joy, and it feels like the right time to dive back into it.
Another area that’s been inspiring me is radiophonic composition. Working on Poney.FM’s radio platform has sparked new ideas, and I want to explore that further. I created a radiophonic piece for Sonic Heritage, which ties into my love for sound preservation and site-specific storytelling and I just finished an EP for Caracteres, a label from Quito, Ecuador. In process with new works, which are  reflections of recent experiences I translate into audiovisual works.

If you could soundtrack any film, exhibition, or moment in time, what would it be and
why?

If I could soundtrack a moment in time, it would be the expansion of the universe. This theme has been deeply present in my life—not just as a scientific concept but as something that sparks wonder and imagination. Every night, I read to my son from books by astrophysicists like Hubert Reeves, exploring the Big Bang, cosmic evolution, and the latest research about the universe. It’s a beautiful ritual, one that blends science with poetry, fact with the unknown. What fascinates me about the expansion of the universe is that it’s both an ongoing event and something beyond human comprehension—constantly unfolding, shifting, and evolving. Sonically, this could be an endless exploration of textures, frequencies, and spatial depth, mirroring the vastness and motion of the cosmos. There’s something humbling about contemplating the scale of it all, yet at the same time, it connects to something profoundly personal—our own inner expansions, our growth, our learning, our ability to shift perspectives and marvel at the universe.

What’s something you’ve been deeply inspired by lately—whether music-related or
beyond?

Lately, I’ve been very inspired by being in the moment. It’s something I’ve been reading more about—this idea of not letting the ego interfere, not dwelling on the past or obsessing over the future, but just being here. It’s such a simple idea, yet it’s one of the hardest things to practice in daily life. Becoming aware of when the mind slips away and gently bringing yourself back—whether through music, movement, or simply observing the present moment—has been an ongoing exploration for me.
This theme has also made its way into my creative process. I’ve been thinking about how creation itself can be a way to stay present. Instead of viewing it as an outcome-driven act—where you’re focused on a final product—it can be a form of meditation, a practice, a way of grounding yourself in the now. When I’m fully immersed in making something, I’m no longer lost in past thoughts or future worries. It’s like shifting from the mind into the body, letting intuition take over. That’s actually where Sonic Meditations came from. I wanted to translate this idea into sound—a series of guided sonic collages inspired by books and practices that have helped me feel more centered. In a way, it’s how I process the world around me, offering a sonic space where the listener, too, can slow down and reconnect.

Tracklist:

Life, Life ~ Ryuichi Sakamoto
The Painted Room ~ Lisa Lekerfeldt
Hyphae ~ Gonubie
Tooth, Wallflower ~ Li Yilei
Sous Espace ~ Accalmie
Little Faith ~ Gigi Masin
4U ~ Nueen
Under ~ Hviledag
Levi’s Synth ~ Khotin
Till Hurricane Bisect ~ KMRU
Pallet Fork ~ Madelyn Merkey
Flaurent ~ Ilkae
Anti-Stress for Babies & Families ~ Suso Saiz
Everything, Everywhere ~ Alaskan Tapes
Fullmoon ~ Ryuichi Sakamoto

Lastly, tell us about your future plans.

After 12 years in Paris, I moved back to my home country; the Netherlands. It feels like the right time—there are many exciting developments happening here, and I feel like there’s more space to create.
I like to focus more on working in live settings. I recently did my first spoken word live performance, which was completely out of my comfort zone, but it opened up something new—another layer of expression that I’d love to explore further. Another focus for me is blurring the lines between image and sound, exploring new ways to tell stories through both mediums, and experimenting with multichannel compositions across installations and live performances.

But beyond all that, I remind myself that everything is always in process.
There’s no fixed destination, just an unfolding path—one that I’m excited to keep following.

Links:

www.instagram.com/soundslikenies
www.soundslikenies.com
www.maxbinski.com

Planetary Interscapes 002

Planetary Interscapes
— Episode two

“13357”

Sound mixed and compiled by Karolina & Piotr
Visual interpretation by Max Binski

Welcome to the Planetary Interscapes podcast series. 10 years after its debut on Pluie/Noir and 90 audio-visual podcasts later, the series is reborn in collaboration with Rings of Neptune. Planetary Interscapes will follow the same motto and feature audio collages, mixes, live interviews, and live recordings from artists, friends, and other collectives we admire, visually interpreted by our favourite graphic wizards.

It took us a while, but here we are — episode two of Planetary Interscapes, “13357”, powered by Pluie/Noir and Rings of Neptune.

We welcome Polish talents Karolina & Piotr to the series with a musical selection that undoubtedly stands the test of time. Artwork by Cleymoore, signed as Max Binski, giving the honours to the fresh reboot. You can scroll down for interviews, serve a nice cup of tea, press play and enjoy. 

Karolina & Piotr

INTERVIEW — KAROLINA & PIOTR

Hi Karolina & Piotr, welcome to the P/N Interscapes series. How have you been?

We are good. We had just finished food and sat on the stairs at Frankfurter Tor, observing people and chilling.

Are you both living in Berlin? Did you meet here or in Poland? Why Berlin?

Yes, we are both living in Berlin. We’ve had some common friends in Poznań, Poland and we met there, but we became friends in Berlin.

Piotr: For me, it’s been seven years in the city. When I was still in Poland, I reached the point where I wanted and needed change and a fresh start. Moving to Warsaw was also in the picture, but I decided to start in a new country. Berlin’s electronic music access and offer was, of course, one of the main motivations. 

Karolina: I have wanted to move to Berlin since 2013 or 14 for similar reasons. Access to events and music, which Berlin can offer, was a big one for me, but I also wanted to live abroad. It took some time for this dream to come true, but finally, in 2017, I arrived here to stay (following my first Get Perlonized and Melliflow weekender at Hoppetosse).

“In recent years, the Polish underground music scene has become much faster than it used to be (like many other scenes in different countries).”

How’s the underground scene in Poland? Is there a space for the sounds you both explore?

In recent years, the Polish underground electronic music scene has become much faster than it used to be (like many other scenes in different countries). As a result, a big part of the club audience doesn’t see genres like minimal, house, and deep as music to enjoy during the prime time, but rather as a background for party pregame. More intense styles are more popular currently. So, as you can imagine, there is no massive space for ambient. However, a few significant initiatives like “Salon Ambientu” are conducted in different cities across Poland. We definitely see the potential to develop spaces and events with ambient music in our country.

Is ambient music and sound healing a common interest? Is the interest in such music and settings rising? 

Absolutely. We see a rise and increased interest in slower paces, ambient stages and experiencing electronic music that way. From our perspective, ambient is mature music and life experience (or getting older, haha) can allow listeners and also us to explore these sounds. It can be more needed than ever, especially in the fast-changing, eruptive times we’re experiencing now.

Karolina: I feel that there is a lot of potential to introduce many new people to the listening experience of electronic music. It’s different from the usual format, but every clubgoer needs to chill from time to time. When I speak with friends or people who are into electronic music, plenty of them never thought that ambient could touch them and that they may spend a big part of the evening or night on ambient/downtempo stages in clubs and festivals. 

“It’s different from the usual format, but every clubgoer needs to chill from time to time. When I speak with friends or people who are into electronic music, plenty of them never thought that ambient could touch them“

Apart from Piotr’s Late Night Shift Recs and Karol’s Cosmic Interviews, what other projects are you working on (separately or together)?

Piotr: My main focus is on the project with Karolina and starting my own label. I have been playing very sporadically for a long time, which has allowed me to think about my direction. The fact is that I have a great affection for music and cannot imagine an everyday life without it. There has always been a need for me to leave something tangible in this field, and thanks to the talented artists in Poland, I decided to start a label that will focus on promoting Polish artists who explore deeper sound. I have always associated minimal, deep or minimal-techno music with long sets and endless parties, so I decided to call my label Late Night Shirt Records. I will be pleased to release the music of great Polish artists such as Serasso, Aleksander Erdmann, Elvira, Schrill, and Gogan on the first records. The whole thing is not just music. I want to create a platform that brings together Polish artists from various art forms. Therefore, the graphic design is the responsibility of a visual artist from Wroclaw, Feliks Marciniak. The album’s first cover was created by an artist from Pomerania, Piotr Pastusiak. Soon, we will start with the promotion of the first record! Stay tuned 🙂

Karolina: After conducting interviews by myself at Cosmic Podcast and later with Lorenzo Chiabotti at Planet Release, I feel like my role in talking and discussing electronic music has ended. In recent times, I put my focus solely on music and swam away from journalism. Apart from digging and mixing records, I’m focused on conducting sound baths using singing bowls (also Tibetan bowls) and mixing ambient records live. I’ve been inspired by numerous sound baths attended earlier this year – from singing bowls, gongs and tuning forks. After lots of practice this summer, I’m working on bringing this project to the wider public. Things are in progress.

Karolina · Cosmic Interviews vol.24 – Jeyoh

“‘The whole thing is not just music. I want to create a platform that brings together Polish artists from various art forms. “

 
IMG-20230804-WA0009

Tell us more about “13357”: How, why and when was it recorded?

In 2022 our friends Gabriela and Robbin, founders of the Zeevonk project, created a beautiful 3-day event dedicated to the fauna and flora of deep seas and oceans and was called “Underwater Love”. They invited us for opening day to play ambient, downtempo tunes, representing how we see underwater life. We were invited to play separately but decided to try playing together. It worked very well, but we didn’t record it at the event. Afterwards, we decided to do a recording session similar to Zeevonk’s Underwater Love selection. We were very happy with the result, so we started doing it regularly in one of the apartments. This mix is a result of the second session. We didn’t want to keep these mixes for ourselves but share them with others, so we started researching suitable platforms (like yours). 

Short, medium and long-term goals?

We aim to continue recording sets and publish them on beloved and respected platforms. As a second goal, we would love to play together in one of our favourite places – CDV, Hoppetosse etc and a nice festival. The ultimate goal of this project is to explore music and have fun!



Links:

www.instagram.com/_cosmic_carol/
www.instagram.com/eyeseeyoup/
www.soundcloud.com/karolina_j
www.maxbinski.com

 

Planetary Interscapes 001

Planetary Interscapes
— Episode one

“Heavy Meadows”

Sound mixed and compiled by Clovis
Visual interpretation by Max Binski

Welcome to the Planetary Interscapes podcast series. 10 years after its debut on Pluie/Noir and 90 audio-visual podcasts later, the series is reborn in collaboration with Rings of Neptune. Planetary Interscapes will follow the same motto and feature audio collages, mixes, live interviews, and live recordings from artists, friends, and other collectives we admire, visually interpreted by our favourite graphic wizards.

Hiatus over, Pluie/Noir podcasts are back, this time with a name little name change, in anticipation of a new collaboration with Rings of Neptune. This podcast has been ready for over a year, but the series was put on pause due to the uncertainty of Pluie/Noir’s next steps.

We’re delighted to welcome Clovis to the series. Clovis’s music selection is remarkably timeless and perfect for the last moments of Winter (in the Northern Hemisphere, mind us). Artwork by Cleymoore himself, signed as Max Binski, giving the honours to the fresh reboot. You can scroll down for interviews, serve a nice cup of tea, press play and enjoy. 

clovis

INTERVIEW — CLOVIS

Hi Clovis, welcome to the Planetary Interscapes series. How have you been?

Thank you. I am finally feeling back to life again after the strange time warp of the last two years.  

You recently moved back to Berlin? Is this a long-term goal? Why Berlin?

I left Berlin for Bucharest during the pandemic in search of a change of scenery and to make music with my close friend Herodot in his amazing studio. Nothing much was happening in Berlin for me during the lockdowns, and I felt I needed to move somewhere to challenge myself and try something different. It was a very interesting experience, and I grew a lot in the new spaces I discovered there, but I always aimed to return to Berlin. 

My connection to Berlin is much deeper. All of my favourite friends and musical peers are here, mostly revolving around Club Der Visionaere, a fantastic musical hub where I feel very much at home. I’m very excited for what is to come now that we are normally back open for what seems like a much-needed proper Berlin summer. 

“All of my favourite friends and musical peers are here, mostly revolving around Club Der Visionaere, a fantastic musical hub where I feel very much at home.”

As an American, how stark are the differences in the musical panorama and mindset of people post-pandemic? Did something change?

The energy I felt at parties even last year after the end of the first round of restrictions was incredible. There is a whole new generation of people going out after two years of restrictions now. While many trends are exactly the same, there is an openness to fresh sounds and possibilities in the USA. 

We have a new crop of DJs and DIY crews building their own communities that are extremely important to any healthy scene. We still live under a capitalist grind and a very rigid gridlocked political system, but there is a lot of hope and gusto going around. The pandemic has really made many of us, myself included, realize the value of our cherished musical spaces and communities and how much we need them, and seemed to spur a strong reinvestment in them so that they may continue to endure against whatever obstacles come in front of them.

“We started collecting music from friends that we felt needed a home, as any label starts.“

You’ve recently created a label of your own. What’s Understory about, and how has the project been developing?

Understory was born out of myself and my best friend, and great American, Matt Foley, realising we have a very similar music ethos. We like a lot of different music styles but have very strong singular taste. We started collecting music from friends that we felt needed a home, as any label starts. The pandemic was obviously a difficult time to release your first two records….but they did well, and we are going to continue. We have a large 20+ track bandcamp compilation that just released. We collected it slowly over the last two years, and I am very happy about it, having become a big fan of this format for bandcamp during the last two years. The proceeds will be used to fund our next vinyl releases!

 

Are you thinking of investing more or your own productions too? Will we see a solo Clovis release anytime soon? 

Some of the music I made during the pandemic with Herodot will be released on his label Unanim. Some has already come out on our Understory compilation and elsewhere, like Trommel’s large Christmas charity compilation. As far as my own work, I plan to finally build my own studio in Berlin as I settle into a permanent place.    

“‘During the whole pandemic, I had been collecting a lot of music to help me relax and tune out”

 
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Tell us more about “Heavy Meadows”: How, why and when was it recorded?

This mix was recorded in early December 2021 in Bucharest when the 2nd winter of lockdowns hit everyone quite hard. During the whole pandemic, I had been collecting a lot of more ambient and experimental music to help me relax and tune out of the hysteria and madness of the world and take my mind elsewhere. 

Putting the puzzle together for this seemed daunting at first because any direction is possible, but in the end, it came together quite quickly and naturally. I think it goes through a full spectrum of emotions and feelings and is a dear collection of artists and pieces I love, put together in a way that makes sense to me. It was mixed as a collage in Ableton, without pitching any music and arranging and letting tracks work together naturally and harmonically. The title comes from something a friend said to me as a joke at CDV, and in the absence of any better idea, it seemed to fit. 

Are you performing such mixes live anytime soon? 

I’ve been enjoying exploring this kind of music live at Kranut in Bucharest during the past 2 years and elsewhere. There are a lot of new venues and events that are giving this kind of music a space to be properly presented, it’s nice that “experimental chill-out floors” and whole festivals based around this like Intrinsic are coming back! 

8) Short, medium and long-term goals?

All three: Eat more ramen.

Tracklist:

Anton Kubikov – Levitation
The Dead Texan – The Struggle
Hugo – Eone 1
Pan•American – The Cloud Room
Yo La Tengo – Acera Or The Witches’ Dance
Ryan Crosson – Anniversary
Harold Budd – Down The Slopes To The Meadow
Hotel Neon – Monolith
Max Richter – Infra 1
Brian McBride – Beekeepers vs Warfare Criminals
The Soft Pink Truth – Shall
Harold Budd – Abandoned Cities
Ground Tactics – Drealms
Shcaa – Until We Meet
Daisy Moon – Halcyon
Huerta – Plant Memory
Jon Hassell – Manga Scene
Daniel Pemberton – No Wisdom
Dan Berkson – Unity
Lenny – Making To Me
Rithma – Ambien after Vicodin
Nikolaienko – Ambianta IV
Jon Hassell – Dreaming
Mike Shannon – Her Everything
Kamran Sadeghi – Unknown Hour Of Feedback
Terry Riley, Kronos Quartet – One Earth, One People, One Love
Jonny Greenwood – Sandalwood II

—

Screenshot 2023-03-03 at 10.54.53

INTERVIEW — MAX BINSKI (aka CLEYMOORE)

Coming Soon

 

Links:

www.instagram.com/clovis_understory
www.instagram.com/clovisphotos
www.instagram.com/__understory__
www.maxbinski.com

 

Pluie/Noir Interscapes 11

Pluie/Noir
Interscapes 11

“Shake The Mind”

Sound mixed and compiled by Davy
Visual interpretation by Max Binski

Welcome to the new Pluie/Noir podcast series. 9 years after our debut we decided to press the reboot button and return to our roots. With a new format and back to a regular monthly schedule, Pluie/Noir Interscapes will feature audio collages, mixes, live interviews, and live recordings from P/N artists, friends, and other collectives we admire.

 

 Interscapes 011 welcomes Davy Vandegaer – The DJ, producer and Futurepast curator – for a very personal and bold sonic ride full of twists and turns and plenty of room for introspection. Digital artwork using gradient manipulation techniques by Max Binski, the Pluie/Noir and Rings of Neptune head-honcho aka Cleymoore. Interviews below: 

Davy 1

INTERVIEW — DAVY

Hi Davy, welcome to the PN Interscapes series. How are you feeling lately?

Hey Bruno. Thanks for having me.

Am feeling good, thank you. Especially since clubs re-opened earlier this summer, I got very motivated and excited again about the future of electronic music – and club subsistence in general. I was lucky to play in some exciting gigs already, including club Kalt in Strasbourg and Belgium at C12, Listen Festival, and Voltage, which was the first after 18 months, and to be honest, I felt quite moved by the whole thing. Fingers crossed that we can get through the upcoming winter without any major issues.

Are you keeping active & creative since last year? You feel this past period had an impact on you and your music?

I certainly did manage to keep active. Even though reality got entirely upside down, and it was quite a punch in many ways, I have to admit it impacted me in a pretty positive way in terms of creativity and time management. I could entirely focus on studio work and take my time in there, which I enjoyed a lot. At the beginning of COVID, I started finalizing many projects, structuring and labeling them, including my debut album, which I’m very excited about. If all the timings run as planned, it will be coming beginning of 2022. 

“At the beginning of COVID, I started finalizing many projects, structuring and labeling them, including my debut album, which I’m very excited about.“

Did it also have an impact on your imprint futurepast and its creative direction? Will you explore ambient and downtempo further on futurepast, on par with your podcast series?

Definitely, by perceiving how isolation and alarming news got under our skin and being lucky enough to have the chance to observe and reflect on the situation. As a result, I started the parallel “Alternative Earth” series (only digital) that focuses on more experimental music, not just ambient and downtempo but with an open mindset for many genres, even instrumental or mixed (instrumental-electronic). Indeed a bit similar to the direction of our podcast series, where the aim is to push boundaries of (electronic) music and get very personal mixes from the artists involved. 


So you’ve been working on new music? What is driving your creativity lately and what are you focusing on?

On the producing hand, I have spent most of my time making music these last two years, experimenting with different styles and concepts. There are two new aliases in the pipeline which I can’t wait to reveal, such as the projects they brought to life. I can get inspiration from many different channels: moods, exhibitions, live events, the city, nature, and just by turning knobs in the studio. It’s very often the synths and drum machines that guide me somewhere as if they knew already what had to be created that day if that makes sense.

“…by perceiving how isolation and alarming news got under our skin and being lucky enough to have the chance to observe and reflect on the situation. As a result, I started the parallel “Alternative Earth” series‘…”

 

Tell us more about your contribution to the series, “Shake The Mind”? What was your creative process and idea for this mix, when and how did you record it?

I love challenging myself to experiment with different moods and genres in a podcast and try creating a journey with it, like storytelling to take the listener to different places. With this ‘Shake The Mind‘ mix, I started picking records randomly from my experimental shelves and going with the flow, from super slow to 142bpm towards the end, which was an interesting challenge. I had created 75% of the mix spontaneously. Then I prepared a bit of an ending to it to mix the whole thing again from the start. A lot of the records in the mix had been on my shelves for 5-6 years, pretty much untouched, but knowing I would do something with them someday, so here it is.
 For that reason, this mix became quite special to me personally.

Setup used: 2 x Technics 1210MK2, Allen & Heath Xone92

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Any personal projects on your mind apart from music production and DJ’ing?  

We launched a T-shirt campaign in summer with Futurepast record label to raise awareness about the climate change crisis we are living, donating a percentage to Rainforresttrust. This organization actively protects the Amazon rainforest. I can genuinely feel connected to nature when spending time in it, taking pictures, and going on hikes. It inspires me and is where I always find a peaceful mind. Nature is by far the most beautiful art form there is, I find it. I will definitely keep trying to combine the art of sound-making and nature in my musical language. Possibilities are infinite.

Short, medium and long term goals?

Short term: A new Futurepast release is coming out mid-November by legendary Swedish trio ‘Frak.’ For decades, they have had a sound of their own, which I always admire and support! I feel honored and proud to release them. 


Medium: My debut album coming out early next year is definitely my big personal highlight. I’m counting down the days to it. I can’t wait for it to see the light.

Long term goals: To keep working with music for as long as my body allows it, improve my skills on my path, keep learning, and always prioritize curiosity and fun above all.

“My debut album coming out early next year is definitely my big personal highlight. I’m counting down the days to it. I can’t wait for it to see the light.”

 

Photos by Leandra Rollo, Rebecca Steimer, Davy Vandegaer

Tracklist: 

Healing Force Project– Analogic Prospectus – Acido
Oni Ayhun – OAR004-B – Oni Ayhun Records
Harry K. – Sense – Elektrolux
Gamma – Prang! – Big Dada Recordings
The Posterboys Of The Apocalypse – Dick Slots – Violent Turd
Duplex – P.O.M. (Time Dilation) Remix by Heinrich Mueller – Clone
Smea – Koala Grip – Börft
John Hughes Daydream – Drinking Gasoline – Cut Mistake Music
Tolouse Low Trax – Metal Tent – Antinote
Small Fish With Spine – SQ4 – Apollo
DM – untitled – Hör Zu!
John Hughes Daydream – Ebony Eyes – Cut mistake Music
B.W.P. Experiments – Download – Bonzai
Tritop – Reume – INFRACom!
Pavel Miljakov – Metal Ambience II – The Trilogy Tapes
Global Communication – Excerpts From The Land Of The Rising Sun – Evolution 17. Small Fish With Spine – The Hilltop – Apollo
John Hughes Daydream – Walk The Walk – Cut Mistake Music
Larry Heard – 25 years from Alpha – Black Market Records
Flexi – Untitled (Atelier Records)
M Gun – Intent – Futurepast
Drexciya – Habitat ‘O’ Negative – Tresor
Itinerant Dubs – Monkey – Itinerant Dub
Vintage Future – The Toxin – Underground Resistance
Suburban Knight – Night Vision – Underground Resistance
Plastikman – Digital / Divide – Novamute
Receptor – Antenas – Winsom Music
Silex – Holder – Vibrant Music
Jeff Mills – Glen21 – Tomorrow
Noisome – Dentate Gyrus – Kontakte

 

Buy the music you love — don’t stream your life away !

Links:

soundcloud.com/davyvandegaer
Futurepast Soundcloud
Futurepast IG
Futurepast Bandcamp
www.maxbinski.com

–
W: https://pluienoir.tumblr.com
M: info (at) pluienoir.com

Dynamic Range: The 9th Passenger Aboard the Nostromo

Dynamic
Range: 
Unveiling the Invisible 9th Passenger
Aboard the Nostromo 
—

Words by Bruno Santos aka Cleymoore
Reading time: 16 minutes

 
This is an essay on the role of sound and music in our inherent perception of fantasy films, taking 1979’s “Alien” as the main subject.
Although the article contains no spoilers, at least one viewing of the movie is recommended before reading. 
 

 

Celebrated and admired throughout history, cinema is a peculiar but expansive source of both wonder and outstanding inspiration. Being exposed to a world different from our own can be a mesmerizing experience, one that has the power to influence entire generations. Audio-visual experiences that transcend time & space.

Consider the Science Fiction genres: We were used to marveling at a reality that was different from ours, but ever since we landed on the Moon in 1969 our cinematic depictions of space started to seem ever more uncanny. Back in 1979, the science-fiction horror film “Alien” directed by Ridley Scott and written by Dan O’Bannon hit the cinemas with moderate success. Dubbed “Alien: The 8th Passenger”, it follows the crew of the commercial spacecraft Nostromo, who encounter the now-iconic Alien, a deadly and primal extraterrestrial being, in an unknown planetoid after receiving a distress signal. It was undoubtedly the most terrifying film I’ve experienced during my childhood. 

Fast-forward to 2020, and SpaceX is also shooting people into space in a commercial aircraft, and I can’t help but wonder how familiar it all seems. But science-fiction is a hefty topic. Instead, I want to explore and dissect the role of sound and music in our inherent perception of fantasy films and explore why “Alien” was, and still is, a terrifying Sci-Fi tale.

Alien is a film about primal fear – namely, the fear of the unknown – and every character and set piece in it has a life of its own. The visual aesthetics adopted by Ridley Scott for the spacecraft Nostromo and its interiors are quite grim: Massive engines and weirdly shaped structures, hulking pieces of unstylish sharp metal, long dark corridors, hanging chains everywhere as if looking into metal gibbets, bizarre hypersleep gear and obsolete CRT display screens. These are shockingly contrasted by bleak interior design structures of the purest white, reminiscent of the sterility found in most of “2001 Space Odyssey” spaceship scenes, providing a powerful dynamic range to its visuals. The look and feel of the planetoid LV-426, The Derelict and the ominous Alien itself were all H.R. Giger’s creations. The interior of the Derelict, by comparison, resembles more a living organism than a spacegoing vessel, with bony walls, circular gangways, narrow passages, and extremely sexual undertones. 

Computers and interior design of the Nostromo
Corridors of the Nostromo
Steam-rooms of the Nostromo
The Derelict
Inside The Derelict: Space Jockey
Inside The Derelict's anatomy
Eggs

“every character and set piece in it has a life of its own”

Giger’s perversion over nature and matter echoes throughout the entire film, and it’s arguably one of its most unsettling elements. It’s also a quite visceral film, depicting violence that’s not only graphical but also profoundly symbolical: there’s allusions of rape in the Alien’s highly sexualized attacks or the Facehugger’s forced impregnation, grotesque depictions of childbirth agony in the famous Chestburster scene, and nods to extreme sexual transfiguration in the Alien’s visual motifs and artefacts, often shifting the whole setup to the Freudian realm. But there’s another element in particular that drives this discomfort to new heights: the sound, and it’s outstanding dynamic range.

Composed by Jerry Goldsmith, Alien’s soundtrack is one of the most chillingly effective horror scores in film history, and most likely one of his most outstanding achievements. From the ghostly trumpet & flute melodies of its central theme to the sleek, spine-tingling textures and long-decaying echoes of its most suspenseful arrangements, Goldsmith’s craft relies on a carefully executed orchestration to full effect. It juxtaposes the cold emptiness of space with its stellar, awe-inspiring beauty.

Although, Jerry Goldsmith didn’t precisely score Alien’s opening credits as heard in the film. His take on the opening credits was a much calmer, romantic take on the vastness of space and its alluring grace – miles away from the straightforward and obscure version you hear in the film, which carries a slightly menacing and dissonant tone. Goldsmith originally intended these incongruous moments to be used later in the movie. Still, Ridley Scott and editor Terry Rawlings decided the film needed to convey horror right from the start. Which of the two opening themes was more appropriate? I think it boils down to cinematic taste or vision. The rather romantic motif, classically composed in glorious harmony that subverts the audience slightly; versus the horror inducing theme, focused on 2 major/minor chords played back & forth in a hexatonic scale, which amongst ghastly textures evokes instant dread.

Alien’s bony-chilling opening sequence is drenched in mystery and an overwhelming sense of dread.

Regardless of its brilliance and/or effectiveness, the music editing process of the film was, in fact, a complete disaster, and suffered from a colossally controversial post-production stage. From temp tracking to the final piece, both director and editor saw fit to chop Jerry Goldsmith’s music into bits and pieces, and even replacing it with cues from other scores he composed in the past, specifically 1962’s pseudobiographical movie “Freud”. Goldsmith’s ending theme for “Alien” was also, quite pointlessly, replaced by Howard Hanson’s opus “Symphony No. 2 – Romantic“. 

But however badly his work was treated, the effect of the final score on one’s psyche is quite a nerve-wracking, unforgettable experience. And while it may not quite compete with the Satanic heights of the composers score to “The Omen”, which was the composer’s only Oscar thus far, Alien’s sound structure conveys a very unique horror in itself. One that is both familiar and otherwordly, often blurring the lines between music score and diegetic sound (sound fx/foley). It expands our understanding of the world within the film itself in a game of tone and contrast. 

“A score without a range of different moments and moods will more often than not result in a movie soundtrack that has little to no dynamic range.” 

And while the theme of science fiction concerns a grasp of the known, horror is usually defined by the human struggle with the unknown and our quest to survive horrifying circumstances. Unless, of course, we talk about the likes of Jordan Peele and his cinematic depiction of real-life social horrors. Music in horror films plays an extremely critical role in establishing the requited amount of mystery, trepidation, and fear. In conventional horror movies, this seems quite a straightforward task, but when the mysterious beauty of space is a character on its own, quietness plays a fundamental role. That’s where the dynamic range of sound becomes extremely important, and an indispensable tool for emotional support.

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In cinematic photography, the dynamic range is the difference between the darkest and lightest tones of a scene, what one might consider pure black and pure white. In sound, it describes the ratio between the quietest and the loudest noise in a musical instrument, musical arrangement or piece of electronic equipment.

A score without a range of different moments and moods will more often than not result in a movie soundtrack that has little to no dynamic range. Alien is a beautiful example of a soundtrack that has been carefully designed to have moments of calm quietness, often evoking a mixture of fear and awe, versus moments of intense action that result in high volume sound, music and dialogue.

It creates a structured experience, and the audio-visual dynamics grow from these structures as well, building the intensity of a moment before that specific intense moment actually occurs, driving the audience. Junji Ito comes to mind: page after page of his mangas usually grow slowly in tone and dread, only to deliver enormous shocks or to drop the reader into the uncanny valley after a simple page turn. Using such dynamics, he subdues the reader, and masterfully controls the narrative.

Uzumaki-eyeball
From right to left, the masterful subdued shocks of Shunji Ito.

Most of the film’s alien settings use quietness as a tool to elevate its otherwordly sounds and enable razor-sharp emotional manipulation. Long moments of calm allow clarity and provide the space and headroom needed for delicate gain staging, from the quietest wind to the loudest echo of strings and drums. These elements ebb and flow in a very dynamic and organic manner, and inject subconscious themes of gripping bodily invasion, attack and infection. But there’s a constant melodic cue that cuts through the film, evoking different emotions depending on its tempo, volume or tone.

Goldsmith’s known to employ flexible secondary motifs in addition to the central theme by using smaller repeated musical statements throughout the whole score  and in Alien there are specific timbres and melodies recurrently recalled. Virtually every cue has a life of its own that is born from the same core, something which assists the score’s musicality and motion. The Alien’s leitmotif, the 2-note and sometimes 3-note flute arrangement, is a constant: it continually reminds you everything alien, and the fact that it’s employed in its most introspective moments mutates it into something all the more terrifying.

“Long moments of calm allow clarity and provide the space and headroom needed for delicate gain staging”

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Maestro-Echoplex-EP-2-Tape-Echo-Cover-3-1

The scoring on LV-426 and the discovery and subsequent investigation of The Derelict ship is a great sonic representation of everything Alien. Goldsmith used his familiarity with acoustic and electronic elements to create an engaging atmosphere of atypical nature. The famous “alien wind” effect was generated using the Indian instrument Shankha run through the Echoplex tape delay machine – an industry standard for this effect at the time and the successor to the EchoSonic, one of the earliest magnetic tape delay & amplifier machines from 1959. Cues like “The Alien Planet” and “The Shaft” are an accurate depiction of incoming horror and aggressive action through the innovative use of echoes and reverbs on its orchestral and percussive parts.

To create the sound for the alien and its world, Goldsmith used an array of intriguing instruments, including a Didgeridoo, original from the Australian Aboriginal tribes, and the Serpent, a unique wind instrument originally from France that resembles a giant snake – and a distant ancestor of the modern tuba. Goldsmith also used detuned wind and string effects to convey stress (influenced by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki). The wise use of magnetic tape delays on drums or these unusual instruments represents the terror of the unknown world and its ominous central creature. 

Some pieces like “Facehugger” or “Breakaway” demonstrate some of the composers most aggressive and challenging writing, making full use of the dynamic range by carefully mixing foley with instrumentation under precise volume shifting. These quiet moments contrasted by nervous sounds very quickly break-the-nerve of the listener and subconsciously implant ideas of severe aggression. It becomes a very feral experience.

Understanding dynamic range is key to achieving a good sound, just like understanding contrast is key to achieving the right image. Goldsmith’s soundtrack has vast differences between the loudest peaks in its cues and its quietest sounds, resulting in a very unique dynamic range – one that eventually requires a specific sound system to fully enjoy. 

“Understanding dynamic range is key to achieving a good sound, just like understanding contrast is key to achieving the right image.”

Considering the cinema nowadays is becoming more and more a living-room thing, such a soundtrack could feel either too loud or too quiet at times, primarily when heard in smaller sound systems / TVs. If we were to apply severe levels of compression to the soundtrack to achieve higher volume and a shorter frequency window we would gain an overall feeling of increased ‘loudness’ and virtually making it sound better in such environments. At the same time, loud moments would be toned down, and quietness wouldn’t be so mysterious, severely impacting the whole emotional articulation of all its parts.

I do believe, although, that such a score wouldn’t be nearly as dynamic nowadays; this is mostly due to the approach most current musicians and audio engineers have towards volume. The loudness range of the sound before mastering or even mixing has increased at the same time as compressing/limiting has been getting more dramatic, a tendency born out of the stylistic changes in music during the era of the ‘loudness war’ — aka the ’90s. This quest for volume became an industry standard, with platforms like Spotify employing Loudness Normalization with the use of digital limiter algorithms that quite often break the dynamic range of a track. These platforms state louder tracks have often been cited as sounding better to listeners, so normalization was employed to avoid unfair advantage between songs with different volumes or dynamic ranges.

“The loudness range of the sound before mastering or even mixing has increased at the same time as compressing/limiting has been getting more dramatic.”

I’m often puzzled by such perceptions of loudness and sound quality in music. They make me wonder if, for instance, ambient music mixes should be mastered or normalized. Virtually everyone would be able to listen to it clearly, even on lo-fi speakers, and accessibility should be a concern. But moments in the mix that should ebb and flow, be it in emotion or volume, would probably be spoiled and taken miles away from the original intentions of its creator.

In 2017, Mondo re-issued Alien’s OST in a gorgeous special edition 4xLP package that included both Goldsmith’s original vision and Scott’s edits, transferred, remastered and restored from the original multi-track tapes, and its native dynamic range impeccably preserved. But, however remarkable, the original soundtrack album, also re-issued by Mondo, remains the best way to listen to the score as envisioned by the composer: an utterly authentic soundscape of atonal motifs bookended by its Romantic theme. It elevated the original material from overblown b-movie to interstellar artistic heights and serves even today as a perfect example of pioneering sonic artistry full of character, where its details and dynamics make it a character of its own — the 9th passenger aboard the Nostromo.

Links:

discogs
mondo shop
imdb
alien universe

Sources:

roger ebert
plot & theme
jerry goldsmith online
sound on sound