ROBERT HENKE – SIGNAL TO NOISE VOL. II
Robert Henke released the first edition of Signal To Noise in 2004. The CD presented two tracks called Signal To Noise I and II, as well as ‘Studies for Thunder’. (The latter track is one of the most impressive sounds of thunder you’ll ever hear – but it should be noted that the sounds are completely artificial and not natural.)
The Signal to Noise tracks on that album were created with the Yamaha SY77 FM synthesizer dating from from 1989 – a synth often used in Henke‘s work. But it’s not just the synth you hear: Henke ‘applied filtering, pitch-shifting and processed the material using granular resynthesis, aiming to achieve erosion and diffusion of the sound, whilst preserving some of the original movements. The signal became the noise’.
More than 20 years later, Signal To Noise Vol. II picks up where the first volume left off: this time with six tracks Signal To Noise III – IX. As could be expected, the album once again offers 66 minutes of extremely immersive dronescapes.
While entirely synthetic in origin, Robert Henke shapes them into something profoundly organic. This may very well be the result of the compositional process: ‘For each piece, I recorded four tracks: one with a very low note, one with a medium-low note, one with a high note, and one where I played freely, following my intuition.’
The tracks were completed with some editing, noise reduction and occasionally adding reverb and pitch shifting – and the result is a perfect (drone) ambient album to drift away on.
If you like(d) 2004’s Signal To Noise, this follow-up clearly is a no-brainer. On the other hand – if you like this music and are not yet familiar with the 2004 CD, be sure to check that album out too (even though the CD version itself it out of stock).
Note: you can find the digital version on Bandcamp, but not the physical CD. These are available from Boomkat or Hardwax.
