Of course, it’s a geological given that warmer temperatures are more conducive to animal activity and possibly even life itself, so why hasn’t a horror movie been made in which the widespread breath of life exaggerates and extends to previously inanimate objects? Grizzly bears emerge from hibernation (for instance in this cinematic tale), and once temperatures reach their rough peak around mid-July in the Northern Hemisphere, the bears have grown over 80 feet tall with tongues resembling large pink water slides. The keys on my keyboard need to be pressed with a fist, and the music of Mark Van Hoen and Mike Harding as drøne partially composes itself as a result of uncontrollable analogue momentum. Wait, that last part actually sort of happened?
Give credit to the heat and temporarily ignore the associated drought issues that have plagued California in recent years, because drøne’s debut album reversing into the future was partially borne out of A/C-less conditions in Los Angeles. Van Hoen (a.k.a. Locust) and Harding (co-founder of Touch) reportedly had a limited window in the morning before their equipment started overheating, and they used that time to harness field recordings, short wave radio, and modular synth into a decidedly electronic journey. Anna von Hausswolff of the sponsoring Pomperipossa label calls the album a “jewel.”
The album’s out April 16 on limited-edition vinyl (500 copies) as part of RSD 2016 and will also be available via Bandcamp on April 29. Go here for more info on the duo’s L.A. experience.
reversing into the future tracklisting:
Side A. this strange life l
Side B. this strange life lI
More about: drøne, Locust, Mark van Hoen, Mike Harding
