AKA 14 | Radioscapes
Nicolas Montgermont - 2017
Picture disc 12″, booklet.
Radioscapes is a record that invites the listener to discover the electromagnetic landscapes that surround us.
The two sides of the vinyl propose to listen and to observe two very different radio contexts: the Paris ring road (Side A) and an isolated farm in the French countryside (Side B). In each location, the whole radio spectrum was methodically recorded during a period of two weeks and then transcribed into a single audio track. On each side, an image representing the levels of the received frequencies is printed under the groove in synchronization with the sound.
Radioscapes is an exploration of existing artificial and natural signals. As the record rotates, the frequencies follow one another, as on a radio where the button would be slowly turned: one successively travels across Wi-Fi waves, mobile phones, hydrogen lines observed in astronomy, satellites exchanges, military and aeronautical communications, FM and AM radios, and thunderstorm interferences …
The record is accompanied by a silk-screened booklet that brings together a text by astrophysicist Eric Chassefière detailing the physical properties of radio waves and their implementation in radio astronomy and the protocol used to carry out the recording of waves.
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SIDE A. Malakoff – 48°49’13″N 2°18’37″E
Recorded in Uchronies, Malakoff, France in August 2015
Electromagnetic context:
. Dense urban area
. 300 m from the Paris ring
. 4 km from the Eiffel tower emitter
SIDE B. Besseuil – 46°33’32″N 4°39’19″E
Recorded in Le Lieu Dit, Besseuil, France in April 2015.
Electromagnetic context:
. Isolated farm in rural area
. 500 m from a high speed train track
. 10 km from an aeronautical reporting point
Concept by Cécile Beau & Nicolas Montgermont
Recordings & Data processing by Nicolas Montgermont
Texts by Éric Chassefière
English translation by Harold Schellinx
Mastering by Yann Leguay
Vinyl master by Flo Kaufmann
Graphic design by Jean Baptiste Parré
Produced by ARTKILLART – 2017
With the support of Rurart / CNAP / SCAN – DRAC & Région Rhône-Alpes / Uchronies / Lieu Dit / DÉSERT NUMÉRIQUE
Nicolas Montgermont – 2017
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35€ – Europe Shipping (15€)
40 € – Worldwide Shipping (20€)