Emile Bojesen — Dépayesment

Dépayesment is a release that moves from spacy and alien, to droning and low key metallic soundscaping. It’s a lengthy two-track affair that finds  UK based sound-maker & academic Emile Bojesen, creating the work from processed/blurred field recordings of Rickmansworth & Winchester- where he's lived in the past. 

The CD/ digital album appeared in February of this year on Australian label Hemisphäre, which focuses on releasing work from outer limits and shadowlands of field recording. The CD version of the release came in an oversized mylar cover with two full-colour card inserts- it’s sadly all sold out now, and I can’t comment on it as I’m reviewing a digital promo.

Each of the tracks here roll in at the twenty nine-minute mark, and first, up we have “Autobiotechnics I II III”- this as its title suggests features three distinctive parts/ sections- with each of these have a decidedly alien soundscaping vibe. We open with a blend of rapidly rumbling-to-billowing drones, which are attacked ever so often by higher warbling tones. This part of the track feels akin to nearing some strange and surface shifting planet that keeps streaming out strange woozy-yet-searing light points towards your spacecraft. At around the twelve-minute mark, we shift into the next soundscape- here we find more set -yet- hovering warbling drone wooziness, this is edge by crisp grain edged bass wondering. If the first part was hovering above the planet now we’re coming into land, as the strange atmosphere batters and bays the craft, and the now larger more prevalent light textures constantly hitting and sometimes merging with your ship and your being.  The last and final shift happens in the last five or so minutes of the track- as the warbling becomes more layered waving and pressing in its attack, as you climb down off your ship to be slowly engulfed by the planet's busy floating atmosphere.

Next, we have "Dissociation", and this is a lot more set/ fixed in its unfold. We find here we find a constantly rising and slightly grand sounding drone- this is surrounded by rattling & cluttering metallic tone texturing, which sounds like the slow drawn out machine shread in thin sheets of steel, though with a waving/ hazed filter put on top. The track managers to be both sternly glowing, yet ringing clattering in its feel- at points, it feels like the metallic tones may fully form and take over the soundscape, yet they never do with Bojesen wonderful maintain that sweet spot between grand-yet-pressing wonder, and controlled/ captured rattle. This track certainly feels less alien than the first track- though I’m still getting a sci-fi vibe, bringing to mind climbing some vast and slowly wavering pyramid made of semi-fluid metal, as a heavy red sun presser down onto back.

Dépayesment offers up two very rewardingly different soundscapes, with each showing both Bojesen talented for morphing field recordings and creating compelling/ very visually soundscapes from the source materials. Pity this has gone out of print in its CD form, but still very much worth checking out a digital release- so head here to do so.