Drone Bath is a 50 minute, meditative wash of shifting sounds and textures, originally performed during the 2023 Flourish Festival.
Matt Carter
I was heading to work after dropping my son off at school. Having previously noted several existing road construction projects dotting across the city, I thought I was being clever in choosing a completely different route for my morning commute. As it turned out, most every other driver in the city that day was thinking the same thing. There we were, engines idling, clocks ticking, stuck in a communal queue as cyclists, joggers, and walkers moved past us all. It was the kind of driving experience that may have otherwise found me vocally directing traffic from behind the wheel (my go-tos are “Drive,” Drive!,” and “Drive your car!,” in that order). Lengthy, unexpected drives also have a tendency to inspire poor decisions in the fleeting seconds of an amber light’s existence. But not on this particular commute. I have Sabarah Pilon to thank for that.
As DenMother, Pilon creates layed sound experiments that run the gamut of electronic music. Take a dig through her extensive catalogue and you’ll hear a bit of everything. Working primarily with a sampler and a microphone, Pilon’s powerful compositions and live performances carry a balance between something familiar and something altogether new.
Although I wasn’t present for the actual Drone Bath performance back in June, my initial experience with DenMother’s recent release was still something special. Unlike those who had the opportunity to experience this piece of music as the foundation of a live performance during Flourish Festival’s 2023 programming, lying on the floor of a former yoga studio turned tattoo parlour, I was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic yet the effects, I imagine, were similar. My heart rate slowed, my breathing got deeper, I became more aware of my surroundings, and my appreciation for music’s ability to completely define a specific moment in time grew exponentially.
Drone Bath was released September 5, 2023.
