Augmented Landscapes is a collaborative work melding acoustic and electronic sound elements with field recordings.

The acoustic element is provided by double bass and prepared double bass, played along a continuum of conventional and extended techniques. The electronic element, which consists in the granular synthesis of acoustic double bass performances, broadens the instrument’s sound palette to encompass varied and unconventional colorations.

When these elements are matched to the overheard sounds captured by these field recordings, a perspective emerges that is analogous to a hypothetical landscape augmented by a multiplication of dimensions both sonic and spatial. Points of reference shift as aural features constantly rearrange themselves in relation to each other, creating a series of gestalts in which figure and field alternate, blend and separate in varying combinations. Here familiar sounds mutate into something unfamiliar before becoming familiar once again.

Chris Lynn: field recordings and cover photo
Daniel Barbiero: double bass, prepared double bass, and granular synthesizer