Loop. And Again. cover

Matilde MeirelesLoop. And Again.

Crónica 223 CD

Release: 8 October 2024

Introducing Variables
Magnetic Fields
Cross Parade with Fingal, Bronagh, Paul and Tullis

Loop. And Again. delves into the dynamics of magnetic fields, intricate wiring arrangements, and their interconnectedness with the shifts in the surrounding landscape. The album is part of X Marks the Spot, a larger project which used sound to map specific telecommunication boxes—only those emitting an audible drone—in the city of Belfast between 2013-2019. In the project, sound suggests different ways to engage with Belfast, where walking routes could be improvised to incorporate the drones as part of how we experience the city.

X Marks the Spot developed as a slow-mapping game-like participatory project initiated by Matilde as part of her PhD research. The project prompted her to engage with parts of the city she probably would not otherwise get to know. The project also allowed her to start conversations about wandering in a post-conflict city, and the importance of attending to what is around us through critical listening methodologies.

Loop. And Again. revisits and reinvents field recordings of the boxes mapped for X Marks the Spot. The album honours these ordinary objects that are part of the invisible fabric of the city by inviting us to listen to their materiality in great detail. Through this attentive shift in perspective and scale, Matilde invites us to extend what we perceive as sonic vibrations in the urban environment.

The album includes recordings made with two contact microphones and an electromagnetic sensor, recordings of the overall environment where the boxes are located made with a 360˚ ambisonic microphone, and recordings of the river Lagan made with two hydrophones. The field recordings flow throughout the three tracks; they also appear in various processed forms and act as the foundation for generative loops.

The track Cross Parade wraps the album and hints at the social aspects of X Marks the Spot. It includes additional recent recordings of Matilde’s time at Fingal, Bronagh and Paul’s house close to Cross Parade in Belfast, and several trombone improvisations by Tullis Rennie—who mapped the Cross Parade box for X Marks the Spot a decade ago.