Etched Traumas is more than happy to release ‘Colony’ by Martin Hoogeboom. ‘Colony’ is a soundscape work based on the sounds of ants. Martin says about ‘Colony’ :

“It might be an ethical concern to fill an ant’s nest with molten aluminum, to let it cool down, and to then dig it up. But this is the only way to get a building that looks like it has been designed by an alien architect.

Recent studies have shown that ants regularly communicate with each other by sound. Most ants have a natural washboard and plectrum built-in into their stomach. By rubbing these against each other, they create sound. This enables the queen to order her workers. Researchers can record these sounds, which are the basis of Colony, with the newest audio techniques.

I gave sound designer Theo Calis and trumpet player Ed van den Berkel the following instructions for improvisation: autumn forest, cold, blue sky, strong wind, chasing clouds. In the same forest where you are enjoying your walk, a superorganism is building complex colonies. Like aliens on a new planet.”

An Etched Traumas ET60 release February 2014

Credits

Written and performed by Martin Hoogeboom, Ed van den Brekel & Theo Calis.
Ed van den Brekel (soundcloud.com/ed-trum-ped): trumpet & electronics.
Theo Calis: fractal rhythms/sounds, sound design, additional recording, mastering.
John Grzinich (maaheli.ee) & Veljo Runnel (soundcloud.com/estlander): field recordings
Adrian Smith (adrianalansmith.com )& Robert Hickling (home.olemiss.edu/~hickling/): ant sound recording.
Mayako Nakamura (mayakonakamura.jp/): artwork (‘Futatsuboshi – A Pair of stars’)

I am very grateful to everyone for their support and commitment to this project.