Saint John musician Dakota Quinn creates compelling audio imagery on latest release.
Isolate | Deteriorate is the debut EP from Ophelya, the ambient, soundscape recording project by Saint John musician Dakota Quinn. Across the EP’s five tracks, Quinn offers an audio montage blending a variety of synths and audio manipulations to create an assemblage rich with imagery and imagination.
“All the melodies were written on my Yamaha Tenori-on, sequencing my synthesizers,” said Quinn. “The tracks were generally recorded on my 1/4″ four-track tape machine, often in different speeds than the final product. I used a number of sound sources, including shortwave radio, the actual percussive elements of the tape machine itself, a few synthesizers, and my voice.”
The EP opens with an eerily manipulated human voice that helps offer a unique sense of physical presence to the drone-driven, soundscapes Quinn presents. Returning throughout Isolate | Deteriorate’s approximately 17 minute running time, the vocal patterns help keep the music grounded in urban imagery as Quinn carries the listener through a host of simple, moving melodic shifts.
Highly recommended for fans of drone and ambient sound experiments.
