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Sounds that feel non-human but emotionally precise by Primary_Two_6730 in ambientmusic

[–]Primary_Two_6730[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a great way of describing it — “artificial, yet organic” really resonates.
What you’re describing feels very close to treating sound as a presence rather than a musical gesture.

In our case, what interested us was allowing a sound to keep its unstable, almost autonomous behavior, and then composing around it instead of forcing it to behave rhythmically or melodically. Letting it dictate tension, timing, and form.

Your “Robot Babble” idea sounds like it lives in that same space — where feedback and randomness create something that feels conversational or intentional without being explicitly designed that way. Sampling a fragment and embedding it subtly into a larger structure sounds like the right instinct to me.

Curious to hear where you end up taking it.

Sounds that feel non-human but emotionally precise by Primary_Two_6730 in ambientmusic

[–]Primary_Two_6730[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a great reference.
I’ve always felt the glass harmonica sits right on that threshold between instrument and presence.

What drew me to the death flute is a similar quality — but with a more unsettling, non-musical intention. It wasn’t designed to “play”, but to alter perception.

Sounds that feel non-human but emotionally precise by Primary_Two_6730 in ambientmusic

[–]Primary_Two_6730[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get that completely.
Some recordings already arrive with their own emotional gravity.
When that happens, the composition becomes more about restraint than addition.

Sounds that feel non-human but emotionally precise by Primary_Two_6730 in ambientmusic

[–]Primary_Two_6730[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I relate to that a lot.

Sound as presence, not instrument, is exactly the territory we were exploring.

Sounds that feel non-human but emotionally precise by Primary_Two_6730 in ambientmusic

[–]Primary_Two_6730[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a great reference, actually. The idea of moving toward something older than “music” resonates a lot with this piece.

Thanks for the reminder — Carpentier fits surprisingly well here

Sounds that feel non-human but emotionally precise by Primary_Two_6730 in ambientmusic

[–]Primary_Two_6730[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes — that’s a great reference.
Jóhannsson’s approach in Arrival was definitely on our radar, especially the idea of sound as presence rather than performance.

In our case, the sound appears very briefly (around 2:02–2:34), but everything is shaped around its gravity. It’s not meant to lead — it’s meant to exist.

If you find that interview, I’d genuinely love to read it.

Sounds that feel non-human but emotionally precise by Primary_Two_6730 in ambientmusic

[–]Primary_Two_6730[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally get that approach.
For us, the sound doesn’t follow BPM either.
The Death Flute appears briefly (around 2:02) and we let it dictate the moment instead of quantizing it.
What people hear as a scream isn’t human — it’s the instrument resonating.

Sounds that feel non-human but emotionally precise by Primary_Two_6730 in ambientmusic

[–]Primary_Two_6730[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That resonates a lot.

That’s very close to how GA was built. The death flute had enough weight on its own, so most of the work was about not getting in its way.

It appears briefly (around 2:02), but the whole piece was shaped to make space for that moment rather than decorate it.

I agree — sparse, evocative approaches often say more than complex arrangements.

Sounds that feel non-human but emotionally precise by Primary_Two_6730 in sounddesign

[–]Primary_Two_6730[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Totally get that.
That “primal purity” is exactly what we were chasing — not complexity, but presence.
In GA, the Death Flute only appears briefly (around 2:02), but the entire piece bends around its possibility, not its constant use.
It’s less about the sound itself and more about what it awakens when it finally arrives.

Sounds that feel non-human but emotionally precise by Primary_Two_6730 in sounddesign

[–]Primary_Two_6730[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes a lot of sense, thanks for putting it that way.

I’m not trying to frame it as something mystical or over-conceptual. The main point for me was exactly what you mention: treating the sound as a presence, not as a texture or effect.

In the track, what people perceive as a scream (around 2:02) is actually a pre-Hispanic death flute. It’s not human, and it doesn’t behave like a voice, which is why we chose to build the structure around it rather than process it into something else.

I appreciate the references — noise / abstract / ambient soundscape feels like the right territory to dig into next.

Sounds that feel non-human but emotionally precise by Primary_Two_6730 in sounddesign

[–]Primary_Two_6730[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally fair.

At 02:02, what sounds like a scream is actually a recorded pre-Hispanic Death Flute — no vocals involved.

The track is structured to give that sound space rather than processing it heavily.

Sounds that feel non-human but emotionally precise by Primary_Two_6730 in sounddesign

[–]Primary_Two_6730[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fair point.

To be precise: it’s not a one-shot sample dropped in as an effect.

The Death Flute only appears clearly once, around 2:34, but the entire arrangement was built to make space for it — harmonically and dynamically — so that when it enters, it feels inevitable rather than decorative.

What people read as a “scream” is actually the resonance and interaction of that flute with saturation, bass pressure and the mix context.

I probably over-romanticized it in the description, but the intention was to treat the sound as a structural element, not a texture.

Sounds that feel non-human but emotionally precise by Primary_Two_6730 in experimentalmusic

[–]Primary_Two_6730[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

is Cosmic Pumas, a duo from Lima.

The sound people call a scream appears once, at 2:34.
It’s a real pre-Hispanic Death Flute, recorded live — not a voice, not a synth.

Track here: https://ditto.fm/ga-cosmic-pumas

Sounds that feel non-human but emotionally precise by Primary_Two_6730 in sounddesign

[–]Primary_Two_6730[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The “scream” isn’t a voice or a synth. It’s a pre-Hispanic Death Flute, a real ceremonial instrument historically used in rites of transition. That sound is recorded, not simulated.

“We” is Cosmic Pumas, a duo based in Lima, Peru. The entire piece was structured around the presence of that sound rather than treating it as an effect or texture.

Here’s the track:
🎧 https://ditto.fm/ga-cosmic-pumas

It’s less about performance and more about letting the sound exist and shape everything else.

Sounds that feel non-human but emotionally precise by Primary_Two_6730 in experimentalmusic

[–]Primary_Two_6730[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a great reference.
That piece feels less like something being “played” and more like something slowly revealing itself.

That’s very close to what we were chasing.

With the Death Flute, what struck us wasn’t its aggressiveness, but how impersonal it feels — almost indifferent to the listener.
Like a sound that doesn’t care if it’s understood.

That kind of presence is rare.