Les Biologistes Marins – If Places Were Sounds (JIPO Records, 2024)
If Places Were Sounds by Les Biologistes Marins pushes electroacoustic boundaries by fusing Japanese ambient electronic music influences with aquatic soundscapes. This debut album propels listeners into the depths of ocean-inspired environments and atmospheres, where deeply mesmerizing textures of water, video, and sound intertwine seamlessly.
The project is the brainchild of Beatrice Miniaci, a seasoned flutist, and Anton Sconosciuto, a multifaceted drummer, producer, and composer. Together, they use exquisitely crafted music and sound design to examine pressing issues like rising sea temperatures, water scarcity, and pollution. Their work aims not just to document these concerns but to embody them in sound, creating a compelling dialog between art and environmental consciousness.
The album’s development along Italy’s Ligurian coast, inspired by Miniaci’s 2024 global boat journey, marks the beginning of their collaborative journey. Video footage from her travels helped shape the auditory aesthetic of the album. The result is nine immersive compositions, all crafted by Les Biologistes Marins, except for “Clouds,” a tribute to Japanese ambient pioneer Hiroshi Yoshimura, whose influence reverberates through the entire work.
What started as spontaneous, improvisational sessions developed into a complex, multidisciplinary study on humanity’s relationship with water. Long-form improvisations with acoustic instruments like flute and percussion, paired with water manipulation, shape a soundscape as fluid and mutable as the ocean itself. The result is an album that strives to dissolve self-awareness, inviting listeners into a meditative state that mirrors the organic unpredictability of the sea.
Musicians: Beatrice Miniaci on vocals, flutes, water, Bontempi toy organ, objects, field recordings; and Anton Sconosciuto on vocals, percussion, water, Behringer Poly D synthesizer, objects, field recordings.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Luca Mazzenga in Rome, 2024
Composed and produced by Beatrice Miniaci and Anton Sconosciuto.
Artwork and design by plms.nx. Photos by Shelly de Luze.
Tour:
* 07/11 Spirit of Gravity, Brighton (UK)
* 08/11 Other Echoes, Margate (UK)
* 10/11 Avalon Cafè, London (UK)
* 12/11 The Muddy Puddle, London (UK)
* 14/11 AMP Studios x Intox Extravaganza, London (UK)
Buy If Places Were Sounds .