When two titans of the electronic avant-garde—*Jack Dangers* (Meat Beat Manifesto) and Adi Newton (Clock DVA, TAGC)—converge, the expected result might be a collision of their established legacies. Instead, ‘Actions Made Audible’ is something far more elusive and sophisticated by consciously circumventing the reductive pitfalls of the collaborative compendium, refusing to serve as a mere inventory of the duo’s respective legacy tropes. It is an emergent phenomenon that submerges two distinct identities into a singular, spectral consciousness. Eschewing the aggressive breakbeats of Dangers’ past or the signature vocal delivery of Newton, the duo has retreated into a world of tape plundering, radiophonic interference, and modular exploration. The album feels rooted in a specific, post-war intellectualism—an era where the systemic synthesis of Aldous Huxley met the tape-hiss experimentation of suburban London living rooms. It’s an uncanny trip through what can only be described as psychedelic radiophonics.
The journey begins in the liminal space and ends in a state of Berlin School transcendence. The opening “Mirage of Spectre Rising” sets a harrowing tone. A low, shuddering drone serves as the backdrop for calm, clinical radio broadcasts describing unthinkable acts. It establishes a “total suspension of being,” trapping the listener between the physical world and a distorted broadcast. “Eidolon” is where the record finds its pulse. A constant, hypnotic beat emerges from clouds of reverb-drenched vocals. It is numinous and expansive, allowing the soundscape to breathe without ever losing its grip on the listener’s focus. “Pharmacopeia of Consciousness” is a jittery, agitated piece that uses white noise and stereo-panned static to mimic the unsettled state of a psychedelic experience. It is a masterful use of sound design where the audio degrades and devolves in real-time. Featuring the sampled wisdom of Buddhist scholar Alan Watts, “The Other Self” is the album’s emotional anchor. Through a series of iterative harmonic sequences, the track facilitates a synesthetic bridge between the listener’s internal monologue and the external soundscape. The composition operates on a principle of rhythmic transcendence, where melodic piano fragments serve as temporal anchors within an otherwise fluid, multi-dimensional sonic environment. The finale is a love letter to the Berlin School and its focus on improvisation, cosmic atmosphere, and sequencer hypnotics. With Mellotron tapes and heart-stopping harmonies, “Seriatim” evokes the mechanical beauty of Berlin School alum Klaus Schulze (Tangerine Dream / Ash Ra Tempel, 1947 – 2022), closing the collaborative work on a note of haunting, structured grace.
In an era of clean digital algorithms and auto-tune, SŌON offers a raw waveform of protest. It is constructed from sonic detritus: radio scraps, broken synths, and field recordings smuggled from the shadows of urban alleys. ‘Actions Made Audible’ is a rare achievement. It is intellectually dense, drawing on theoretical frameworks of the psychedelic experience, yet it remains deeply satisfying as a pure sonic journey. Dangers and Newton have not just made an album; they have recorded a haunting. Essential listening for those who prefer their electronica with a side of cosmic dread and analog warmth.
To have a listen or to purchase, please visit Electronic Sound or Bandcamp.
