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“Snow Noise (Overhead).” Taken from the recently released - and freely downloadable - Instagr/am/bient compilation on Disquiet. This short piece was recorded using tape, guitar and electronics; although no sounds heard are of the actual guitar. I went out in a late-night blizzard and recorded all manner of electrical interferences and mechanical noises, then laid my mini-cassette recorder over my guitar’s pick-ups. The microphonic signal was then routed through my pedalboard, which ultimately fed into Ableton for a final round of processing and editing.

While the Instagram image that I was provided with as a starting point evokes a decidedly summery scene, the “Overhead Electric Power Lines” sign, coupled with the golden hue of sunshine that bathes the shot, brought to mind that particular low-level ambient hum that pervades our environment. When the snow hit, I knew I could capture that phenomena in its purest form. The processing techniques - coupled with the fact that the location recordings were captured with decidedly lo-fi magnetic tape - added a grainy character to that ambiance, creating a humid swell of sound that warmed my chilled studio.

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