CHRIS WATSON
Oceanus Pacificus
TS02
Touch 2008
02 Tracks. 05mins35secs
Format: 7″

Chris Watson returns to Touch with this limited run, the second in the label’s new Touch Sevens series. One of the best known and most highly regarded wild life recording artists, Watson delivers two recordings made in the Galapagos Islands in April 2006. Documenting the Humboldt current, and recorded at depths of 3 and 10 metres, the two short tracks capture underwater movements as rarely heard by the human ear. As the current pushes ahead continuously, it appears to affect the water in a slightly different way as the pressure increases. While the sound palette is clear and open at 3 metres, it becomes slightly more muffled and sombre deeper. The recordings on Oceanus Pacificus have been left totally untouched. Each represents a snippet of life, extracted from its original setting and brought to the surface.

Finding and cataloguing the natural sounds that we are all too busy or not responsive enough to notice has been Watson’s mission for near enough three decades now, tirelessly travelling the length and breadth of the world to patiently collect sounds and present them in various forms. While it is sometimes difficult to totally relate to sonic environments that are overall alien to most, even if it is by lack of attention, the task is rendered much easier and enjoyable by Watson’s dedication and commitment to gather the various sounds of life in its widest aspect.

3.8/5

Chris Watson | Touch
Buy: 7″