Henrique Vaz - De Silenti Natura - Tape

Biomes are little worlds of organic relationships, full of struggles, symbiosis, and sheer obsolete noise. In "De Silenti Natura," Henrique Vaz is meticulously crafting synthetic auditory biomes, sprouting from their own fuzzy logic. Unfolding across two distinct acts, the Brazilian artist interprets and replicates the complex, often ambiguous sounds of (un)natural environments, creating imaginary systems to inhabit over two sides of tape. The soundscape of the first side and title track is entirely algorithmically synthesized, with no samples used, leveraging Supercollider for real-time sound generation. The environment thus built is a flourishing one, seemingly unable to escape its own grandeur as insect-like buzzing and crackles expands into mountain ranges and forests of erupting sonorous drama. The second side introduces 'hydrophone' water synthesizers, submerged in a goldfish bowl to interface with the unfurling waves of electronic chords, creating a unique blend of damp and unwieldy sloshing movements, prismatically scattered into a luscious soundscape, and resembling everything from the bridge of a starship to the echoed drip-drip of stalactites.

Both sides of the album slowly unwrap and uncrinkle, revealing layers of hisses, distant digital choirs, warm enveloping chords, and juddering bleeps. Despite their unwieldy and strange nature, myriad elements convey a familiar sense of environment, flitting between the blossoming of new (manmade) life and the doom and destruction of the (real) world.

As the ringing of bells (fully synthetic; no samples were used) hove into view during the closing movement of side one, a simulacrum cacophony of voices is ushered in. It’s a reminder of the holy nature of sound itself, beamed into our heads intangibly. The flipside’s water ritual, frantically dunking ‘water synthesizers’ to birth swooping melodies and yawning tones, is jabbing at sleeping giants. It’s pushing and pulling the stars in the night sky into place. It’s both a simple act of beautiful creation, and a storm in a teacup. 

De Silenti Natura (2021)
An essay on the "silence of the models", the "modes of silence", the "silence as a module" and the idealistic/liturgical conceptions of the "sonorus".
An artificial environment (modeling aural stratum of biomes with fuzzy logic). All sounds are algorithmically synthesised, no samples used (Lua2SC/C++).
Algorithm computed at the studio of the Institute of Arts and Design of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora in partnership with the research group Gambioluteria: From the Workaround-Oriented Programming to the Notch of Post-Digital Lutherie.

Hidrofonias (2023)
An essay on the "nature of models," the "modes of nature," "nature as a module," and idealistic conceptions of the naturalities of natures.
For a handmade hydrophonic synthesizer.
Recorded at the studio of the Institute of Arts and Design of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora in partnership with the Laboratory of Image and Creation in Dance of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and the research group Gambioluteria: From the Workaround-Oriented Programming to the Notch of Post-Digital Lutherie.

Composed, recorded and mixed by Henrique Vaz
Mastered by Adam Badí Donoval
Cover art, drawings and notes by Henrique Vaz
Layout and text by Michaela Cagáňová
Words by Tristan Bath
Photography by Michaela Cagáňová