Descending down a steep slope, I slowly enter a cavern populated with dripping stalactites, swinging wind chimes, and wondering whispers. The dark atmosphere soaks up the humidity of a distant buzzing organism and spews it out through DSP filters and control voltage modulated synths. Through repetitive patterns, nested recursion, and looped iterations, Lissom experiments with data-structure-precise evolving soundscapes, that compile and burst into tiny binary sonic fragments, binding themselves to receptors in the membrane of the synapse. This purely ambient and atmospheric work is built on field recordings, acoustic sources, and synthesised sounds, all pulling me farther, deeper, and away from the perceived reality. In this cave I sit for hours, contemplating the harmony of the spheres and the dissonance of our souls. While the nature lives in agreement, humanity is polluted by one unconscious thought: “I am not enough”. With this exploration of sound, I descend to the most sacred base, where I am everything that I could ever be, one with being.
Tana Sprague is an Oakland, CA based sound and video artist, releasing her debut album on Dragon’s Eye Recordings under the Lissom moniker. Sprague’s intention behind her work is indeed to “manipulate awareness of time, space, place, and scale.” Her goal is accomplished through measured tones and hypnotic beatless rhythms. ““Inspired by the elegant complexity of organic forms, she utilises various electronic and digital devices to synthesise a similar enveloping intricacy“. On Nest of Iterations, Sprague demonstrates her complete control of sound design, which she no doubt perfected through her studies in Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts at the University of California.
Nest of Iterations is an excellent addition to Yann Novak’s collection of works on his Dragon’s Eye Recordings label. Released as a 250 limited edition 5″ CD-R, this work will surely become a sought after collector’s item to those marvelling in the works of Carsten Nicolai (Alva Noto), Taylor Dupree, Richard Chartier, and Evan Bartholomew. While browsing the label’s catalogue, don’t forget to check out the work by Yann Novak, Marc Manning, Steve Peters, and previously reviewed Kamran Sadeghi.
