Harkening Critters - Various Artists - 3xCD

* this release comes with a pdf booklet *

forms of minutiae presents 'harkening critters', the label’s second non-profit compilation of field recordings and soundscape compositions highlighting, this time, the incredible variety of animal signals.

Stemming from the archaic verb “harken” which means “to listen” or “to give respectful attention to”, indeed, this gathering of contributions from 32 field recordists and sound artists from across the world tunes in to the plethora of vocalizations, mechanical emanations, and any other acoustics phenomenon produced by animals.

Over the course of 4 hours, the compilation invites listeners to immerse themselves in non-human semantics and sonic traces, spanning from the little-known vibroscape of insects, the hiccuping calls of hammer-headed bats, the peculiar gurgles of rock ptarmigans, the eerie signals of ribbon seals, the formic attacks of ants, a detour to the rhythm of yeast, the rustles of pink river dolphins, to the whimsical cries of tropical frogs, and many more.

Yet, the title 'harkening critters' holds an ambiguity. Are the critters being listened to, or are they the ones listening? Who is who?

Praise:

"The field recording highlight of the season [...] bound to be one of the releases of the year" — A Closer Listen

"...if you make it to the end, you might forget that it was stitched together by humans." — Pitchfork

"It's not only a testament to the diversity of Earth's voices, but also a reminder of our role in safeguarding them. For anyone seeking a quiet but profound connection to the world" — Chain D.L.K.

"... laying the groundwork for an in-depth discussion about how we perceive, mediate, and interpret places, moments, and the non-human inhabitants of this world..." — field notes

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This release comes with a booklet (PDF and printed) in which each contribution is accompanied by a text and a picture shared by the artists, which give deeper insights into the recordings. These can also be found alongside each track on Bandcamp.

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All proceeds from this release will be donated to the organisation, Friends of the Earth, to support them in their long-term objectives, which includes:

- Halting and reversing environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources, nurturing the earth's ecological and cultural diversity, and securing sustainable livelihoods.
- Collectively ensuring environmental, social, economic, gender and political justice, human dignity, and respect for human rights and peoples' rights so as to secure sustainable societies.
- Exposing, delegitimising and dismantling corporate power and neoliberalism development, and stopping corporate control over government and institutional decision making.

Learn more about Friends of the Earth and their objectives at www.foei.org

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We also hope that this compilation can serve as an instructive resource for any educational bodies or curious ears.

Released: 20. September 2024

3xCD — 6 panels sleeve — limited edition of 150
printed and manufactured with monotype pressing
A5 booklet — 76 pages, stapled — limited edition of 50

sounds recorded and arranged by → alëna korolëva, alyssa moxley, andrew pekler, artificial memory trace, cheryl e. leonard, diane barbé, felicity mangan, félix blume, gina lo, grégoire chauvot, izabela dłużyk, jana irmert, jonáš gruska, joshua bonnetta, juan josé lópez díez, katharina schmidt, kmru, léa paintandre, ludwig berger, marc namblard, martha mutiso, max wolf, mélia roger, murmer, nikki sheth, nikos sotirelis, pablo diserens, patricia wolf, raphael malfliet, selu herraiz, stéphane marin, yoichi kamimura

texts and pictures by each artist - unless mentioned otherwise

cover picture by slavek kwi
curated by pablo diserens and mathieu bonnafous
forms of minutiae — fom12 — 2024