Review | By textura
Silva Datum Musica | PLEIN AIR
Only on Gruenrekorder, it seems, would a release appear claiming to present “recordings from a plant-driven synthesizer” and focusing on “plant bioacoustics.” The German label has a reputation for bringing unusual projects into the world, and its dedication to the strange and fascinating is one of the things to admire most about the imprint. This latest outing (issued in an LP edition of 300) certainly qualifies as different: to record the material, Tim Collins and Reiko Goto worked with a custom-built instrument that uses software programming by Chris Malcom and scientific sensors to produce “real-time tree leaf data.” Said device transcribes into sound form (data-sonification, in other words) the ‘music‘ produced by leaves, material whose timbre and volume are determined not only by the specific tree type but also conditions in the immediate environment such as temperature, light, carbon dioxide, and humidity. […]