Hipnotic Earth - Suspended in Silence (2019)

Hipnotic Earth is an electro-acoustic ambient soundscape project birthed from a deep need for quiet, slow motion music; from a carnal urge toward silence. California, USA based artist Cosmos Rennert’s project began dramatically when in 2015 the scheduled release of his debut album ‘Essence’ was missed when his home in the hot springs of Harbin, Northern California burned down in a sudden wildfire which swept the community. His home, studio, possessions, work place and the tiny town in which he lived succumbed to the flames. He is now deeply grateful to be able to continue recording and we’re pleased to present, a record which sees a departure from Cosmos’ usual style of sleepy drones.

‘Suspended In Silence’ is the second in a series of three completed albums presenting a new, more melodic direction. Continuing with spacious, evocative and immersive drone-based tonalities, the vast majority of these pieces are one-off improvisations that were recorded during the mornings of mid-2018 in the wine country of California. Here there is a love for not remembering how a song is made. The modus operandi is quite spontaneous, be it the recording process or sound design and mixing of additional colours afterwards. Simply in
the moment with no agenda, this music strives for eternal endings and slow rotations around an axis of serenity. During the recording of these tracks birds and other creatures would sometimes meander into the apple orchard where the studio is located. They seemed to
be drawn to the music as if they wanted to be on the album and occasionally, their wish was granted!

Previously steeped in a tradition of dance music, tribal drumming and Jazz, Cosmos has a long love affair with live looping as a tool for both rhythmic and textural inspiration. What was once a style using mad-scientist dub controllers that strove to be improvisational with emphasis on listening and responding to the other musicians in the mix, has now
evolved into deeply meditative washes of relaxed balmy soundscapes for tired ears. For this newer calming sound of Hipnotic Earth, loopers are used only occasionally as a source of experimentation. The technique of modulating the feedback amount so as to sculpt the looped material as it fades and evolves over time yields surprising
results. A love for the silent spaces in music has always been important to this artist; the breathing and resting and stretching of phrases is a lesson learned from Miles Davis’ music as well as from so many great ambient artists.