Stefana Fratila - I Want to Leave This Earth Behind (2023) Hi Res

Between December 2018 and 2019, Fratila embarked on a series of research trips across North America (including to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre), meeting with astronomers and scientists in order to address a complex question: “If each planet in our solar system were a different room, what would each room sound like?”

Her ongoing creative research culminated in Sononaut, eight open-source VST plug-ins created for digital audio workstations (DAWs) that emulate the atmospheric conditions of the planets in our solar system (made in collaboration with artist Jen Kutler, using calculations by NASA astronomer and planetary scientist Dr. Conor Nixon).

During a residency at CMMAS (Centro Mexicano para la Música y las Artes Sonoras) in Morelia, Mexico, Fratila began writing the album on an octophonic sound system. Afterwards, from her home studio in Toronto, she recorded additional synthesizer parts, finalized arrangements, and incorporated Sononaut into the album’s production.

"I want to leave this Earth behind" will be released April 21st 2023 on Halocline Trance (HTRA034) and Not Not Fun (NNF406). The VSTs will be available to download on the same day as the album's release.