Lawrence English: Viento | 4ZZZ Brisbane 102.1FM

- Curiosity and a penchant for adventure are the driving forces which propelled self-described philosopher of listening Lawrence English to Antarctica in 2010. Under invitation from the Argentine Antarctic Division the Meanjin/Brisbane based composer, artist and curator was given a license to explore and capture the sounds of the coldest, direst and windiest environments on earth. The outcome of this expedition was the captivating field recordings, Viento (Patagonia) and Viento (Antarctica), which have been remixed, remastered and re-released on compact disc through his own label Room 40 with an accompanying forty page photo book.

On route to Antarctica and in the face of a windstorm which grounded the troupe at Rio Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina for several days, English sought stimulation from the outside cold rather than from the inside warmth of Truco (a popular Argentine card game) and yerba mate (their national drink) with his companions. To label the resulting nineteen minutes and sixteen seconds of Viento (Patagonia) as serendipitous though would belie his preparedness of mind. While there is no doubting English’s ear for listening and fortitude to capture the fierceness and eolian sounds created by Patagonian winds, it is his keenness to seize the unexpected opportunities presented to him by extreme weather events which defines this release. On Viento (Patagonia) wind relentlessly washes and sprays abandoned outposts and inanimate objects creating a wave of noise and friction against intermittent pelting and a series of unidentifiable impacts. Wobbling and blustering winds ensue, and the intensity of turbulence is maintained until the recording is abruptly ended.

When the weather lifted, English flew south and set about documenting the virtually uninhabited and harshest environment on earth, Antarctica. Rustling, howling and whistling winds terrorise and harmonise the landscape during blizzards at Mariambo and Esperanza on Viento (Antarctica). For sixteen minutes and twenty two seconds the listener is subjected to the roaring katabatic winds of Antarctica in summer temperatures of minus forty and minus fifty degrees centigrade. The experience is one of sensory overload and there is a prevailing feeling of the magnificent and enduring nature of wind which thrives where little else can survive.

Even if you are not a storm chaser there is wonderment to be found in this listening experience. What really sets Viento apart from its contemporaries, and English apart from his, too, is his propensity to see opportunities in, and embrace situations and circumstances which are forced upon him and/or outside of his control.

- Tristan Birrell.