Then until now

Jan 14, 2023, 10:55 AM

"Leopard seals are curious creatures, they’re relatively unstudied mammals. Seven leopard seal vocalizations were recorded, mirrored by the seven instruments in the song; a drum kit, stick percussion, a Jupiter pad, acoustic strings, a piano, and two synthesizer leads played on a Memorymoog.

"The field recordings appear in various forms throughout the track. Firstly, the white noise of the recordings is used amongst the percussion for some extra sizzle. Secondly, the leopard seal sounds are filtered, pitched, and put through various granular effects to create various soundscapes of different sizes and shapes that run throughout the track.

"I wanted to create a space that was neither strictly electronic nor acoustic. Musically, I tried to capture the idea of the creatures’ solitude and monotony through a lens of mystery and intrigue; a slow collage of repeating melodies, chords that cause comfort and discomfort, and resolution found in strange places."

Leopard seal reimagined by Droja.

Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds