A Study into 21st Century Drone Acoustics (LP)

Much attention is focused on drones as ‘eyes in the sky’. However for people on the ground, the sound of the drones is much more pervasive. Military drones fly at high altitudes and are more often heard than seen. The word drone itself is rooted in sound, referring to the noise of the male honeybee. The sound of drones in areas of conflict create frightening soundscapes that go on for many hours on end. The sound gives them nicknames like Zanana (buzz) in Palestine.

In this project, designer Ruben Pater (Drone Survival Guide) and composer Gonçalo F. Cardoso (Discrepant) join hands to focus on the auditive aspects of drones. What engines do drones have, and what do they sound like? Side A features recordings of 17 drone types, ranging from small consumer drones to large military drones, as contemporary bird songs. The B side presents a soundscape by Gonçalo F. Cardoso, inspired by the abusive and destructive power or drone technology. The composition focus on the conceptual (sound) life and death of an aerial drone machine in the 21st century.