5090 by FAWM: "Rifters"

Rifters

8 weeks ago by @headfirstonlyMod

Rifters

headfirstonly

00:00

Liner Notes

I was going for a #cinematic and #atmospheric vibe here, but can something truly be atmospheric if it's under water? There's lots of Eventide H90 and Chase Bliss Mood MkII involved, needless to say, but this one's surprisingly minimalist for me. There are just six stereo tracks involved. And yeah, I know: the main track clips in places but that part was recorded in a single take and punching in just wouldn't work, so I'm just going to claim that it was an intentional creative decision made to emphasise the overwhelming nature of the undersea environment ;-)

This piece was inspired by Peter Watts's epic and disturbing series of novels about the future of underwater exploration, which are all available for free online. Start here:
https://rifters.com/real/STARFISH.htm

Lyrics

Stand by to flood tanks.
Ceratius preparing to submerge.

Comments

@heliosonorous 7w

Very cool, has deep watery feels to it and the like light piercing the water before sinking further slowly, almost feels like floating gently at the end!

@atam94 8w

This perfectly transports me to the scene you're describing. Very, very cool. The clipping parts in the second half add an interesting texture and it's great to see that you rolled with it. I like this!

@arcane 8w

Oh sure, under water certainly qualifies for atmospheric, as far as I'm concerned.
Awesome atmosphere, btw. I'm definitely getting the dark-yet-enthralling vibe that I was expecting after reading your liner notes. I really enjoy the motion you've put in there, reminiscent of undercurrents.
3:34, that sudden hit startled me, haha. Brilliant. Now the undercurrents are stronger, and we're surrounded with undersea creatures. Of course, I picture a coral reef with radiant colors.
Thanks for the swim, that was elating from beginning to end.

@makodream 8w

Song sounds huge! Definitely got that feel of exploring in darkness, and I love how far into the song it gets before we even hear that steady kick drum and rythmic arp. Bravo :)

@nosmoking 8w

Wow! You should be working in the movie industry. Time to move to LA! This is great stuff.

@coolparadisoMod 8w

Oh yeah really your liners say it all! - such power beautiful layers that just keep unfolding. It really is immersive music!

@dreamscuba 8w

Wonderful cinematic track. I really love the different keyboard/synth layers. I like how this picks up later on in the composition and morphs.

@mrmadcarpenter 8w

A chill track to experience thalassophobia to. The shimmery nature of the reverb/granular/delay definitely feels like marine snow, as the searchlights flash across the walls of a sunken city.

@odilongreen 8w

This is completely immersive (pun pretty much intended) and sweeping. Just majestic, doing a great job of conveying both the power and the mystery of the ocean, a frontier on our own planet that even today remainsl so unexplored and unknown. Awesome, it the literal sense: listening to this conveys awe at the vastness of the world next door to the land on which we live, yet so far away from our own experience.

@kristi 8w

This has an ominous feel to it and I can definitely envision being underwater. Somewhere dark and silent. I like how it slowly opens up and then other instruments come in and it moves into a more adventurous feel. Very nice!

@fuzzy 8w

There's more than one Watts novel about underwater SF?!?!?
I've only read the first, I think, the one with the artificial brain grown in the pizza box.
He's Canadian, but I'm sure you already knew that.
This is gorgeous and atmospheric.
That deep bass really works for me in the headphones.
Your vocal bit adds some context to the track.
Clipping, yeah, we've been having trouble with that; I've had to abandon so many great sounds because of it.
That's what happens when you record live, I guess.
Ah, now I'm hearing the sub's screws kicking in as we descend into the darkness of the ocean.
I enjoyed this very much.

@billwhite51 8w

water is the atmosphere for those living in it. and if any human can imagine what such an atmosphere might sound like, you have done it here. this wouldhave been a gorgeous soundtrack for "the abyss"