The Detroit-based experimental sound artist Infant, real name Patrick Miller, returns with a fascinating new release entitled face first in the entangled via the Slovakian label Mappa Editions. Inspired by the delicate interplay between mushrooms and their environment, Miller’s fascination with this organized but decentralized feedback loop is mirrored in the artist’s own approach to creative production on the album. Additionally, on the new effort, Miller takes inspiration from writers like Ursula K. Le Guin and Anna Tsing, who have questioned the traditional hero narrative handed down through the history of literature.
The result is a process of composition that seeks an open field of sonic activity rather than an approach centralized around the typical melodic structure narratives. Miller creates a forest floor of active sound utilizing granular synth freeware, drum programs, field recordings, and vocal improvisations. Rather than composing these sounds, he steps back to listen more than direct. Comprised nominally of eight tracks, face first in the entangled is actually more like an aural matrix of patterned activity inviting the listener to choose their own route through its complex web of interweaving elements.
