Genius Loci is Released Today
A Sonic Seance, using sound to uncover the 'spirit of the place'. Our latest release, free for all paid supporters, is out today on vinyl, Bandcamp digital and interactive website.
It was with some sadness I learned that the Het Hem munitions factory-turned-gallery and event space is to close this month. It seems more timely than ever that we’re releasing Genius Loci - an album that is centred around the use of sound to capture the hidden history of the building, that will now no longer be accessible to the public.
LISTEN/BUY:
Genius Loci references the notion of the protective 'spirit of place' from ancient Roman times, I used a vintage accordion to capture the acoustic properties of the Het Hem building in Zaandam, Netherlands - enabling me to travel through time using sound.Â
In this music, you can hear ghosts from a previous, more sinister time - the paranoia of cold war panic - echoes of misfiring bullets ricocheting around the 200m subterranean shooting range and the overwhelmingly vast vibrations of the main expo space. The music also instills a sense of hope, a wistful desire for a brighter and more peaceful future where the spirits are vanquished. Are we there yet? Â
A former munitions and gun testing factory, Het Hem is a space full of character made up of a range of rooms that each hold a different acoustic property. On Genius Loci, I am interested in the connection between sound, space and time.
I used an accordion as a drone instrument to capture a variety of resonances using microphones placed around each room to tell a unique story in each song. Thank to Karl Choueiri for the help with the microphone placements and recording/mastering.
We worked with visual artist Simon Dirks who used LiDAR technology to map the visual characteristic of each space. We then created an interactive website using the new Flo Gen AI technology we’ve been building at Swell Studio.
Here is a clip:
All A State Of Flo supporters will get a free digital copy of the album as well as a free Ambient Flo ‘zine. If you pledge your support this month, we’ll send you a free copy of the vinyl too (you just need to pay for postage). Sign up below: