By Dmitry Evgrafov, Endel sound artist
Dmitry explains the inspiration behind our seasonal Recovery Mode and shares some of its hidden features:
‘Seasonal soundscapes are always special. I like them because, given that they’re short-lived, I can break the rules and add some odd sounds that I wouldn't use in our regular soundscapes. The latest, Recovery mode, was all about unusual instruments.
For the base, I used guzheng, a Chinese zither and one of the most ancient musical instruments, and charango, the Andean folk guitar. They give a sensation of peace and harmony while making the sound omnipresent, one of the best features of charango. That’s why it’s often used for soundtracks: 'The Motorcycle Diaries' and 'The Last of Us' by Gustavo Santaolalla jump to mind first.
After that, I mixed it up with the sounds of harp, reeds, and piano. The latter, I broke it into many pieces, in an attempt to give a sense of a sound bath. Finally, the vocals. This was the first time I incorporated singing in an Endel own soundscape. Together, these seemingly disparate instruments make the Recovery mode sound lively and upbeat.
What was recovery at the turn of 2020? Everyone needed to exhale and find themselves in a comforting, cozy environment. This was the feeling I aimed to create with the soundscape. Working on it was very natural, intuitive, and everything was ready in just a few days, record time.’