In five sequences, traditional sounds are explored within a contemporary context, offering an introspective gaze into beauty, fragility, fragmentation and the constant oscillation between calm and chaos. Antoinette Introspektive is an homage to the book “Archive Of Dreams: A Surrealist Impulse” published by Spector Books (Leipzig). It is rooted in the ethos of Bureau of Surrealist Research — a collective founded in Paris in 1924 to explore and archive dreams, desires, and unconscious processes.
Digital EP and limited tape edition available on all streaming platforms, Bandcamp and at BTWNLNS Sydney (105 Wilson St, Newtown 2042).
The EP opens with I Dream That I’m Not Sleeping (Prelude), a soothing piece where tape-delayed Classical strings intertwine with Blu Aloé’s whispering voice, inspired by the dreams of surrealist poet Paul Éluard.
Like Evian Water begins with a delicate violin composition underscored by a droning cello bass, balancing softness with a poignant tension between beautiful sadness and hope. The violin’s high notes gradually dissolve into ethereal spheric tones. A held breath — a moment of suspended stillness that lingers before the track gently descends into deeper, grounding tones that offer a soft release like an exhale.
The gently chopped, ethereal pad in the beginning of Soft Blade hints at what’s to come — a transition from classical themes to a more contemporary approach. Sharp synthesizer sounds blend with a field recording from the Australian coast, building layered textures that mirror chaotic emotions before retreating into quiet, ordered sequences. Despite the harsh, blade-like synths, there’s a lingering tenderness and fragility.
Entropie takes this further with distorted noise of signal interferences and a live recording of an organ performance at Kölner Dom that disrupts the sense of comfort. Shrill highs contrast with rumbling droning waves. A sudden buildup reaches a climax with chaotic, disorienting sonic layers before abruptly halting. This leads into an eerie, pitch-shifting AI voice, echoing the nocturnal musings of Claude Cahun before the tension fades.
Like Evian Water (slowed + reverb) provides a contrasting closure with its ethereal drone, resonating softly through the space like a healing balm after the previous track’s intensity. The persistent reverb, combined with the rich texture of the reel-to-reel tape machine sound, imparts a sense of warmth and peace, grounding the listener in a deep, meditative stillness, bringing the EP to a serene and tranquil resolution.
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