>> Unrealities

[Enofa]

>> Unrealities - 8 compositions ( 2hr 50mins )

in the spirit of Audio Art commissions by radio stations across Europe in the early 1970s ( partly because Avant-garde composers found it difficult to have their work performed ) Eight Compositions by The Future Sound of London were created to accompany the Touched Music Album launch evenings (2019 to 2025)


1. The Waste Ground 30:00
2. The Desolate Waste Ground 29:54
3. The Exhibition Hall 30:05
4. Cloudforms 29:48
5. The subconscious mind communicates 29:27
6. Wells Cathedral 14:21
7. Source of Uncertainty 06:42
8. Viewed from a Rural hill 07:38

[mtnsportr]

What is this

[Enofa]

30 minute warmups for the last six Touched Music album launch shows.


The Waste Ground is from the Mind Maps 3 launch
The Desolate Waste Ground is from the Mind Maps 4 launch
The Exhibition Hall is from the Mind Maps 5 launch
Cloudforms is from the Mind Maps 6 launch
The Subconscious Mind Communicates is from the Trip Maps 3 launch
Wells Cathedral, Source of Uncertainty and Viewed From a Rural Hill are from tonight's broadcast

[MoritzMB]

this is amazing!

[Wangokango]

Is this all based in the ambient side room of the FSOL/AA world? Three hours of which would be dream come true territory for me!

[moxlox]

Whoah looks good! Any hint at a later CD or vinyl release like they did with Calendars and Music for Books? Probably not given the length.

I love the artwork too.

[Enofa]

I’ve not heard anything about a physical release, at that length is certainly seems unlikely.

[mcbpete]

Fantastic to be able to listen to these in their full on lossless quality - bought and downloading now. Thanks Brian for giving these incredible tracks a 'proper' release

[Enofa]

So after a few listens, the first three are still very much in the abstract realm, I'm struggling to fully get to grips with them. Some really nice sound design, especially on 'The Exhibition Hall', but on the whole they're not giving me really vivid imagery or atmospheres.
The other three (or five) are a different matter, I'm absolutely loving these. Really deep, rich, quite melodic in places, thick atmospheres, proper Environments / Globular vibes, the snippets of rhythm add much needed variety. This is absolutely my kind of FSOL.

I think a CD with Cloudforms, The Subconscious Mind Communicates, Wells Cathedral and Viewed from a Rural Hill would probably be my favourite FSOL release since... hmm, Environment 5/6 era.

[moxlox]

Agree, Viewed from a Rural Hill is top tier FSOL ambience. Wells Cathedral is a great soundscape, and I like Source of Uncertainty.

First three are too art installation for me to sit down and listen to specifically, and I love super ambient material so a bit surprising. May be in the background when I am doing something I need to concentrate on.

Viewed from a Rural Hill being listened to again and again.

[mcbpete]

Enofa - Do you think Brian would ever consider actually making these as sound installations in a specifically curated environment ? Just imagining these playing in a vast dark room with the sounds completely surrounding you - like a virtual reality world but in just sound ! Even something like when Autechre performed live in the vast Barbican hall in pitch black would work a treat !

[DVE2054]

Listening to it right now, but since I'm only at the 'exhibition hall', I'll write later. Just came here to comment on the cover image. I went in thinking it was a pile of coal (or, say, "a rural hill") but - having bought it and seeing the high-res - it looks more and more AI generated to me. I'm no expert on granular flows, but seen from up close those pellets forming the hill look 'fishy'. Maybe it's just me.

[mcbpete]

Hmmm tricky to tell if it's CGI (and created with something like Terragen), a photo with a very tweaked field of view and edge-sharpened and recoloured, an AI creation, or quite what

[Pandemonium]

From what I know talking to the BinDog multiple times - it's done the same way they've always did it - real photos (always), then usually altered, stitched, collaged, old skool filters, new skool photoshop, future skool AI -- << some or all of those

Both B and his big bro use Midjourney since it was beta; Alan was/is some kind of early adopter / consultant of that software.

So yeah, most likely a real photo that has been regurgitated a few times

[DVE2054]

Thanks for you opinions.
I'm still listening to the album, actually making a writeup on individual track which I'll post here when done. BUT just had to come here to say this: at 3.33 in 'the Exhibition Hall' suddenly the music cuts out and there's a 6-second long sinusoidal beep that can scare the shit out of anyone chilling out to this. I think it's purposeful and quite cruel TBH, a sick joke. I just opened my copy in Audacity and removed that. Noticeably it comes between two disjoint environments (which you hear better once rid of that beep) but I can't explain it otherwise than: "let's show people how hard it is to crossfade and what they'd miss if we stop doing that", or so...
Just a heads up.
Will be back later with track descriptions...