Gonçalo F. Cardoso — Impressões de Outra Ilha (Borneo)

Gonçalo F. Cardoso is a soundscape and field recording artist who is also the label head of Discrepant.  His latest project is Impressões de Outra Ilha (Borneo), the Borneo edition of his "Impressions of another island" series, which uses field recordings of nature to paint portraits of natural locations.

The album begins with the serene sounds of bugs and birds in "Danum Valley & Canopy Walks".  These vivid sounds bring with them the energy of sunshine and open air.  The traditional flutes of the 2nd piece continue in the feeling of classic documentary style field recordings.  The recording quality is adequate, but not particularly modern or high definition, and the sense of space on the album is created by a layering of multiple recordings, rather than a well captured natural space.

As the recording progresses, electronic processing is introduced with a digital, glitchy feel that brings the album closer to the art ambient of labels like 12k and Line.  The reedy rattling of the animal sounds is broken down into granular fragments, and sterile drones flicker with an artificial sheen.  Sometimes these are layered with nature recordings, creating a surreal new environment.

It becomes clear that we are receiving something more than just the sound of the wildlife of Borneo.  With pieces like "Radio Borneo Etude 1", we are also receiving a sampling of everyday civilized life in Borneo.  This is epitomized with and the final piece "Kinabalu Free", sounding like Cardoso stumbled into somebody's birthday party or wedding, and started recording.  Through the sound of a distant mic, cocooned in-room noise, we hear a vocal performance of an R&B ballad.  This loan reminder of the world of human culture, here removed from its context, is a thoughtful ending to the album.

This album treats the theme of capturing the island of Borneo in a poetic, whimsical fashion, oscillating between raw recordings of nature, sounds of civilization and personal compositional contributions from Cardoso.  Though I was initially jarred by the presence of electronic sounds, the balance of elements turns out quite pleasant, each of the short pieces functioning as a journal entry from Cardoso's trip.  The album would perhaps be more relaxing a listen if it was comprised of pure nature recordings, but has a greater emotional resonance the way it currently is. To check it out for yourself drop by here