Some weeks back I packed my bags with my camping essentials, field recording and camera gear and drove off into the wilderness. My mission was not only to sleep one night alone in the forest, but also to visit one of Swedens beautiful nature reserves. This is a special place because the owners of these lands regularly manage forest fires here to preserve the natural diversity of nature. Because of this, this particular pine forest is left with a dramatic look with big areas of black charcoal halfway up the trees. Let's just say that this is the place for anyone with eyes for the aesthetics.
I got to work in no time with the goal to record audio from something I've never done before: charcoal. I brought my tiny DJI MIC since it's really convenient when travelling and field recording. I experimented with all kinds of things like scratching, poking, dropping and crushing charcoal to create unique sound textures. Charcoal generates the coolest of sounds. Earthy, crunchy and grounding.
This was one of the most fun experiments I've ever had with sound and definitely left me wanting more. I couldn't get enough so I also recorded sound from sticks, wood, lichen and moss to create a collection of sound memories from this special place.
After a night in the woods I returned home. My body was tired from my walks and a little uncomfortable night in the tent, but my mind was clearer and calmer then ever. Something happened during my stay in the woods that is hard to explain. I believe that something tapped into my inner child and fuelled my creativity. That feeling of letting go of any believes and expectations and just go with the intuition of that animal instinct. To use the body the way that we are meant to. Crouching and lurking around the forest floor, grabbing natural objects, feel and listen in a way that I never do in everyday life. It was a healing experience that grounded my body and soul.
I also believe that it is exactly these experiences that make creative people wanting to create something real. There is nothing more real than mother earth. This experience opened my eyes to create in the most authentic way and the same day I returned home I started experimenting with the sounds that I had collected. A few days later, a new track was born. Charcoal.
This song is very special to me because of how it was created. This song is a start of a new era in my life as a musician and music producer. My goal is now to keep capturing the real world with field recordings to turn it into my own magic in different shapes and forms. Music, of course, but I'm also very curious to explore creating my own sample packs in different themes for other producers and creatives to use in their own projects. What a cool way to share the magic of mother earth to more people.
If you want to support my work as an independent musician and producer, add charcoal to your playlist by clicking here
And if you wan more material from this field recording mission there is a field recording vlog from this day on my youtube channel:
And here is the official music video for charcoal:
Can't wait to produce more music out of my travels!
Love
MVNDA
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