Biophonica

Music about mass extinction, with nature field recordings, trumpet and electronics.

In Biophonica, Evelien gives her sonic response to mass extinction caused by mankind. Animals die en masse and we are so alienated from nature that we hardly seem to notice it. With nature recordings, unsettling trumpet melodies, crushing electronic beats and two chirping, squeaking and growling analog synths, Evelien has made raw, mesmerising and mournful music. Music that navigates between electronic-, classical- and pop music, and sound art. On June 5th 2020 the album of the project, ‘Endlings‘, was released.

As part of the material for the project, Evelien has collected field recordings of animals that are extinct or endangered. What struck her when listening to these recordings, is the expressiveness and strength of these sounds. They are in a way stronger than images or words, make you aware of what we are losing, rapidly. For a moment you are in nature, in touch with nature again. For the audio recordings Evelien has contacted sound libraries, scientists and the American musician and soundscape ecologist Bernie Krause. The term ‘biopony’ is coined by Krause. He has been making sound recordings in nature for fifty years. In his recordings you can hear how, over the course of time, only shockingly little of the original wealth of sounds, and life, has remained. Additionally, sound recordings of Sudan, the last northern white male rhino that died in March 2018, and of the extinct Kauai ‘O’o bird can be heard. Sound worlds that have disappeared from the face of the earth. With these sounds and her new music Evelien celebrates the wonder, beauty and diversity of nature, and mourns the brutal destruction of it. On stage she is accompanied by trumpet players Mark Nieuwenhuis or Allison Wright. 

On November the 9th 2019 Biophonica premiered  at the November Music festival (NL). Check out the ‘Agenda’ page for tour dates.

‘We cannot fathom the marvellous complexity of an organic being. Each living creature must be looked at as a microcosm – a little universe, formed of a host of self-propagating organisms, inconceivably minute and as numerous as the stars in heaven.’ – Charles Darwin

composition, electronics, texts, production evelien van den broek | trumpet, electronics mark nieuwenhuis / allison wright | visuals timo hoogland | bird design sound modules edo paulus | live sound engineer sandor caron | studio production and -mix gijs van klooster | graphic design richard van kruysdijk | mary river turtle photo chris van wyk