David Michael & Slavek Kwi — MMABOLELA
On MMABOLELA, both artists present sounds captured at the Mmabolela Reserve, located in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Both artists capture many of the same sounds found in the reserve, with each track title alluding to what animal/insect the listener is hearing. Throughout the 2 discs, we are greeted to an orchestra of indigenous wildlife including: beetles, crickets, hippopotamuses, baboons, bats, toads, terrapins, cicadas, frogs, varieties of birds, and many other sounds of the natural environment. Even in the liner notes, Mr. Michael acknowledges that he and Mr. Kwi recorded many of the exact events, though from slightly different perspectives. If I had to draw a contrast at all, Mr. Michael’s pieces sound like straight, raw field recordings. His pieces flow slowly and you get the sense that he is a patient observer soaking in the repetitive sounds of his natural environment. Mr. Kwi’s pieces sound like there was much more editing in his process and they tend to unfold at a faster pace. It goes without saying that despite the slightly different approaches to the same natural environment, both artists capture Mmabolela’s sounds in pristine clarity.
Once again Gruenrekorder and co have given the listener a ticket to a distant place, most of us will never step foot in. Through these recordings one feels like a world traveler, inspecting the majesty and minute details of Mmabolela’s natural splendors. For those that enjoy field recordings, consider this another worthy entry in your collection.