Soft Knees - Out to Uncharted

Track 1/4
Soft Knees - Through The Dust EP (PEPO004)

”This EP is a four tracks expedition to deserts. While the first and the last ones (”Out Into Uncharted” and ”Through The Dust”) were influenced more by cinematic imagery in mind, Atacama and Patagonia are my musical memories from personal experience.

I have had the pleasure of traveling several deserts in North and South America. I’ve come to learn that there can be many so many different kinds of nothingness. Hot, cold, rough, smooth and different overall color tones. Breathtakingly empty, each in their own characteristic ways. When at first glance there is pretty much nothing around, small details grow more important. But the feeling of changing to ”desert mode” mindset is always same. Feeling of entering something large, unknown, uncharted and importance of time fades away. It’s about freedom, too. Excitement of being off the grid, knowing you don’t know where exactly you are and nobody knows where you are. And then there’s the oddness of slipping back to crowded places afterwards. Out Into Uncharted is the soundtrack for all of that. It also carries an otherworldly feeling one can experience when landing on uncharted planets, but about that I don’t have personal experience, just imagination…

Atacama was painted in yellow and red, crystal clear blue skies, colorful sunsets. White peaks of Andes in horizon and unreal moon-like scenes. The contrast of problematic mining industries creating huge artificial shapes of their own and mesmerizing untouched side. You can see incredible amount of stars and beautiful Milky Way or even Andromeda with plain eye because of dry and thin atmosphere above Atacama. Head a bit dizzy from high altitude, under that scenery in total silence, it felt being on top of the world. And at the same time, realizing how small little thing standing on a tiny grain of matter I really am.

Patagonia was rugged and rough. It was sand between teeth. Constantly hard, never ending west wind. Guanacos bleating, rheas running on roads. Gravel everywhere. Turquoise lakes casting green hue on clouds above them, making them easy to predict appearing behind next hill. Majestic mountains and rocky roads.

The desert trip ends with ”Through The Dust”. It was made for a realtime running audiovisual demoscene product, ”Red Smoke” by Adapt. Inspiration points in the beginning were ”red smoke” and ”sandstorm”, image of huge sandstorm irresistibly approaching. So massive, it looks like a static wall, but when it finally gets you, everything turns into overwhelmingly wild mess. Go see the video!”
-Antti/SK

https://bit.ly/2MSYkK9 (Bandcamp)
https://spoti.fi/2oMywkj (Spotify)
https://apple.co/2M4ajyV (iTunes)
https://bit.ly/2NmdcA5 (YouTube)
https://tinyurl.com/y8ckkqj2 (Google Play)

ISRC FISOE1800004