Spanish artist Atilio Doreste was, until know at least, an unknown entity for me. If the information I have read up on him is correct and up to date, he is currently a professor and researcher at a university, and outside of this he is also a sound artist, performance artist and photographer. As a phonographer he has released some 50 productions to date. “Radio Chaos and Nature” dates back to 2013, and was released through Post Global Recordings.

Post Global Recordings have ambient music as a specialty, and in this case the ambient creations are field recordings. Creations that, in a purebred form, in truth exists outside of the realm of music as such. And this is exactly what this is.

On the four recordings presented here, all comes across as unedited sound captures, documenting sequences of life the recorder of the material have had. One of them revolve around nature sounds broken up by sounds made of people, one revolves around nature sounds broken up by radio static and radio noise, one is a combination of these and the final one consists of what may or may not be a fireplace sound combined with radio noises and radio static.

If there is any greater purpose to these recordings I do not know. The nature sounds are as appealing as these may be, with bird chirps, water sounds, some possible wind noise here and there and the occasional insect buzzing by. Tranquil, relaxing sounds. The human made sounds and the radio static breaks up this idyllic setting though, leading to thoughts about how humans invade and destroy the tranquility of nature. The final fireplace and radio noise and static creation may document a person searching for something relevant or interesting to experience at home in the evening, and not finding anything of the sort, that may be a reflection on the often superficial lives people have.

What the artist intended and desired with the capture of these sounds is difficult to tell, in truth, and while these soundscapes invites to associations their very nature makes these a case to be enjoyed by a finite and limited crowd I suspect. Still, if field recordings is something you have a great interest in, especially ones apparently not tinkered with, this is a production you may want to seek out at some point.

My rating: 40/100

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Track list:
Chamoco // Cráter // Herques // Ucanca

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Links:
https://www.atiliodoreste.net/
https://post-global.com/