Keroxen Vinyl & CDs

Review: Of all the seas in the world, the Indian Ocean is up there with those that invoke the greatest sense of mystery. Filling the rather big bit between East Africa, South East Asia, Australia and Oceana, it's a vast expanse of water known for deceptively dangerous paradise islands, political uncertainty, incredible natural beauty and a somewhat wild west (or east?) seafaring culture. It's a place that feels far less familiar to us here in Britain even than the Pacific, and as such a record that looks to interpret cultures and scenes from this watery region is always going to be intriguing. This is the second thematic volume in the Aquapelagos series, split LPs that focus on societies surrounded by waves, and the communities therein. Mike Cooper and Pierre Bastien's interpretation of the Indian Ocean is mesmerising, and often sounds isolated, hypnotic noises ebbing and flowing, distant calls, percussive details, 'atmos' of bird sounds, oscillations, high pitched feedback. A place that is serene and yet disturbed, often by distinctly human elements.