released July 10, 2016

Theo Calis: sounds, mix, mastering
Martin Hoogeboom: sounds, additional mixing, strategies & assemblage
Field recording UMI 2 by Pim Feijen.
Field recording UMI 3 by NoiseNoir

UMI is mixed as a special binaural 3D-mix. To experience this special mix please listen through headphones. If you play UMI through your normal stereo speaker set you will experience a common stereo soundstage.

Artwork: Martin Hoogeboom

UMI video by Walter Gorgosilits / Dextro.org
Watch it on YouTube or Vimeo

MARTIN:
I walked along the port of Amsterdam on a warm summer evening, June 2014. Sounds of waves, seagulls, people, ships, traffic. I had been looking for a new subject for a surround sound project with Theo, and decided that “Haven” would be perfect. The sounds, the slow passing of ships, people coming and going. But as is often the case, one project turned into another. “Haven” became “Maras”, a science fiction like surround sound description of gliding over a swamp planet (Earth during the Devonian). Theo has worked hard for weeks to finally achieve this surround result. But how was it musically? Every time I listened to it, I had the feeling something was wrong. After various remixes, I decide to start completely from scratch. I omitted everything that felt superfluous, and that's how UMI (Japanese word for sea) came to be. This approach revealed the soul of the music. Exactly what it should be. I hope you enjoy UMI as much as we finally can. ;)

THEO:
I’m always wondering how my two ears and brain can create a 3-dimensional soundstage of the real world we are living in. Sound in front of my head, at the back, left, right, on top, below and somewhere in between these parameters. All at the same time. And then the tricky part: becoming aware of it. ;-) Yes I know, a lot of scientific research has been done and a lot has been written in important psycho-acoustical studies. But still, after so many years, I’m still wondering. Especially when I am at places near my hometown. Moorland, a small forest and meadows. It is this fascination that made me create a binaural 3D-mix of Umi. As a sound mixing engineer, it is tempting to create stunning 3D-panning effects. But the music of Umi does not allow this. The intrinsic musical quality of Umi resulting in the ‘Umi-mood’ is more important. No stunning fly-by effects. Maybe another time. For now, enjoy Umi as it is.

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