25 October 2024
What was the inspiration behind the album?
I began listening to birdsongs during the Covid time, a time when the whole world became quieter. In the little village, Campinho in Portugal, I experienced dawn chorus for the first time. It was the most beautiful music I have ever heard.
Ever since then, I began to love birdsongs, particularly the complexity of their language. I took what struck me the most in their musicality and ‘composed’ them into the music. But really, all other elements are to support their songs, like they are the main singers of the album.
I recorded all the birdsongs in Lost Communications 失絡之聲 in the UK, Mongolia, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The music also includes other non-human sounds, like water flowing, fire cracking, traffic sounds I encountered on the journey of recording the birdsongs. Different from most ‘peaceful’ natural music, I want to express both the darkness and lightness I experienced in nature. By sharing these sounds, I hope we can all feel more connected and inspire greater kindness to other living creatures.
Did the pandemic have an impact when recording the album?
Yes, the pandemic had a significant impact. It gave me the space and time to immerse myself in the quiet city more deeply and reflect on my own relationship with it. The lockdowns allowed for a kind of forced introspection, which ultimately influenced the album’s direction. While the field recordings of birdsong and nature were crucial to the concept, being in the quiet city helped me rethink how we communicate and connect, not just with each other but with the environment.
How long did the album take to create from start to finish?
The album took around a year to fully come together. It was a gradual process of collecting field recordings in the UK, Mongolia, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, experimenting with electronic soundscapes, and refining the compositions. The layering of organic and electronic elements took time, as I wanted to ensure that each track maintained a balance between nature’s spontaneity and the structured world of electronic music.
Which track was written first?
Blackcap was the first track I wrote. When I was in the Savernake Forest, a blackcap sings next to me in a rain. The song had some magic – feeling like it was leading me to a deeper consciousness of the forest. For me, the journey of Lost Communications 失絡之聲 started there and that was the first track of the album.
Do you have any personal favourite tracks?
They are all very unique experience for me so I can’t really say which one is my favourite.
Were any tracks difficult to write?
Black-collared Starling (Hong Kong) was the one. It was quite difficult arriving Hong Kong after the very peaceful and beautiful time in the west mountain area in China. So at the beginning I was really not used to the noise and busy city. I recorded the birds and just produced a lot of noise I thought. But after few weeks, I started changing my perspectives and was able to appreciate both the nature and people thrive to survive in the environment. So I was kind of having some enlightenment and wrote the piece.
What do you have coming up in the next 12 months?
Over the next 12 months, I’m focusing on live performances to bring the album to life in an immersive way, starting with the album release gig at 93 Feet East on November 7, 2024 and the tour in Liverpool, Birmingham, Brighton and Glasgow. My live shows will incorporate audiovisual elements, collaborating with Ian Gallagher to use AI-driven visuals that respond in real-time to the music.
At the same time, I’m starting the next phase of Lost Communications – Underwater, a live performance project that delves into the acoustic world of marine life. Using hydrophones, I will capture and explore sounds from coral, fish, and other sea creatures, blending them with electronic music to create soundscapes. I will also work on techniques to manipulate sounds in real-time using a hydrophone placed in a fish tank during live performances (with water without fish). I will work with my Creative Technologist partner Ian Gallagher for projection design. By positioning a projector under the fish tank, the water will cast different lights and images, resulting in an evocative live underwater experience for audiences.
Genre: Electronica, Experimental Electronic, IDM
Released: 25th October 2024
You can find out more about An-Ting and “Lost Communications 失絡之聲” on her website or via Amazon Music, Apple Music, Bandcamp, Deezer, Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, Tidal, TikTok, X (Twitter) or YouTube. You can find out more about her upcoming tour dates here.
You can read my Independent Music Monday interview with An-Ting here.
HOME 