DRONE

Voice of the People
Horizontal Direction
Telegraphy Beacon
Echo of Hope
Shannon Volmet

This the first CD released by drøne, after two vinyl albums on Anna von Hausswolff's label, Pomperipossa. In a 5” jacket with artwork and font by nico, who also provided the hand-written text for the vinyl artwork for the 2015 and 2016 releases, this new album, 'Mappa Mundi’, traces and describes audio surrounding and occupying the planet earth.

Workers toil in smithies, call signs and chants-at-prayer reveal attempts to order the chaos, which always remains one step ahead. Post-lapsarian for sure, but smoke signals and drums have morphed into the ‘bing bong’ of the attention-grabbing, mind-polluting PA system. The coded simplicity of the whistle (“Start!”) has evolved into a more deliberate attempt to control rather than inform by explicit, structured language. Announcements have become commands; signs bark orders. Thus ‘no’ becomes a powerful rejection, rather than merely an inclination; and no-ers are more easily to spot… “You’re going the wrong way”! (To which the only sensitive and mature response is: “Indeed!”)

Organic and man-made call signs, IDs, audio sigils and signatures all combine to describe a polluted, confusing atmosphere which threatens to leave us powerless and bewildered. "Decipher the sounds and you win the game! First prize is, guess what? You get to take the audio poison! Congratulations! You’ve lost!”. A dynamic and involving result ensures a challenging but no less enjoyable listen.

(band info)