After the premature silly-season hysteria around the stranded whale Timmy, the timing in this country is probably somewhat unfavourable for releasing, of all things, a concept album about – and partly for – whales. Especially since even as the French producer Rone, one cannot avoid imitating whale song on the synth and incorporating real whale sounds into some of the tracks. That with Megaptera, the scientific name for the humpback whale, Rone nevertheless manages not to slide either into kitschy nature-documentary atmosphere or into esoteric-functional ambient terrain for meditation and falling asleep cannot be credited to him highly enough. Between field recordings such as »Premier Contact« and crisp club tracks such as »Verba Aliena«, and amid all the atmospheric to hectic synth arpeggios, one always hears the curiosity and fascination for the subject.
Rone first became aware of marine mammals through videos by sailors in which dolphins, among others, reacted to his music. With a diver and filmmaker as well as an expert in bioacoustics, he therefore set out by boat along the Breton coast, where Rone wanted to attract whales with the help of a specially designed modular synth. With the rigour of a scientific team, strict observation protocols were kept, yet soon it was no longer only about music for whales, but about the meaning of waiting, the presence of these gentle giants, and silence at sea and in nature. It should also be added that Megaptera does not sound like a dry, cerebral seminar result either – another point in its favour.
Megaptera
