Originally from the UK, prolific sound artist Darren McClure is currently based in Matsumoto, Japan. Primary Locations, is a concept album of sorts – an experiment in the relationship between sound and light and converting wavelengths in the visible light spectrum to audio frequencies.

The unit used to measure light is the Angstrom, and the visible spectrum of light runs from about 7000A (deep red) to about 4000A (deep violet). The audio humans are able to perceive runs roughly between 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, so these two scales can be converted. For Primary Locations the light range from red to orange have been converted to an audio range from 397 Hz to 431 Hz respectively. Yellow to lemon has been converted to 464 Hz to 497 Hz and blue to violet to 598 Hz to 665 Hz. These primary colors provided three sets of audio frequency ranges that would become the first components in the creation of new music.

The “red” location was the main bridge at Matsumoto Castle, the “yellow” location a metal overpass supporting train lines, and the “blue” location” a tarp-covered shed situated among farmland and rice fields. McClure then added sounds and layers to the field recordings from each location until he created a color coded sonic snapshot of each one. Would a synesthete see these colors on hearing the pieces without the benefit of knowing the concept in advance? I suspect they would. Interestingly, as the album moves up the spectrum, each piece gains about 5 minutes length. Most importantly, these are beautifully crafted and finely textured drones that are immersive and absolutely captivating. All in all, Primary Locations is both an intriguing concept and an exceptionally well executed one.
– Stationary Travels