Cassette + Digital Album
Pro-dubbed clear tape in transparent case with folded J-Card. Edition of 50
"Imagine an undefined web spun from innumerable holograms, each flickering in a polyphony of resonance. These holograms reflect one another through translucent membranes, sharing a common illumination source but claiming their distinct cymatics. Both tight and ethereal, autonomous yet interconnected, defined yet open to interpretation, and hidden in plain sight — the web behaves like an algorithmic field through which one might begin to sense the subtle depth of a space steeped in memory and sound.
Purpurna vresišta delves into the trauma imprinted on landscapes, examining this concept through extended listening techniques, field recordings, and soundscape compositions. The album observes and records abandoned industrial sites on the fringes of Barreiro, Portugal, along the Tagus River, as well as the microenvironments of the Great Lake on the island of Mljet, Croatia, and the tropical forests of Thailand.
The toxic, derelict post-industrial landscapes of Barreiro, scarred by years of metallurgy and production of chemicals, present a surreal sight. These areas, now barren and desolate, maintain an unexpected sensitivity and remain in open contact with the river. Over decades of neglect and decay, resilient microenvironments have emerged, hosting a diverse array of flora that gradually detoxify the land, one micromillimeter at a time.
Further south in the Adriatic, an island lake connected with the sea shelters unique and endangered coralligenous structures. Despite legal protections, these structures suffer from water traffic noise pollution, plastic waste from increased tourism, and the rising sea temperatures caused by uncontrolled industrial, medical, chemical, and communal waste.
On the other side of the world, Thailand's tropical forests have endured decades of similar impacts from mass tourism, and inadequate management of electronic, industrial, and toxic waste. The country is a major contributor, of up to 60% of plastic pollution in oceans. Thailand's 23 coastal provinces dump an estimated one million tonnes of garbage into the sea each year.
What do these soundscapes have to tell us? Do they speak of the profound resilience? By listening to these landscapes, would we begin to understand the depth of their struggle?"
Manja Ristić
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Manja Ristić is a Serbo-Croatian violinist, sound artist, published poet, curator, and researcher.
In her work, she resonates deeply with the environments she observes and translates the human activity that weaves through them. The composer uses field recordings to capture snapshots of time and space, evoking inherent memory hidden in their subtle layers and non-obvious details. The raw sonic material she obtains allows the listener to perceive the sensory experience from a distance, even evoking echoes of their own lived experiences. The power of Manja Ristić’s music lies in its ability to transform that sensory connection into a shared reality.
For "Purpurna vresišta", the artist builds musical bridges between biomes in Portugal, Thailand, and Croatia. Beneath the jolts and chirps of the natural world, a long drone runs through both pieces, seemingly urging the elements to follow its gravitational pull. Acting as a thread between a shimmering jungle and algae that erupt in hushed bursts, this drone continually evolves across both compositions, offering two contingent perspectives. The first reflects the dull weight of human activity, which — even in untouched nature — scarifies landscapes through the overexploitation of life. The second highlights the astonishing adaptability of plant and animal species striving to transcend a relentless race toward progress with destructive consequences.
These transformed environments embody a kind of “optimism of the will” in line with Gramsci’s revolutionary maxim. He defined this optimism as “not needing to hope in order to act, nor to succeed in order to persevere, but […] laughing in battle, above suffering, doubt, the whispers of oblivion—because its ardent life is the denial of death.” Through her music and commitment, Manja Ristić instills this hope, and through these reflections and their deeply resonant impact, she equips us with the means to act.
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Released May 2, 2025
Recorded, edited, and composed by Manja Ristić
Artwork by Mona Chancogne
Mastering: Goran Simonoski (La Plant Studio) / Adrien Lambert
Printed at toner toner, screen printing workshop at Grrrnd Zero, Vaulx-en-Velin, FR
Duplicated by RoHS Prod in Seichamps, FR
Field recording of popping algae made by Joana Guerra.
Field recordings of bat swarms and various tropical cicadas made by Mark Vernon.
Instruments used include violin, EMS Synthi 100, and JrF hydrophones.
Locations include abandoned industrial sites and the River Tagus in Barreiro, Portugal; Great Lake on the island of Mljet, Croatia; and various locations around Thailand.
Sounds in Portugal were gathered as part of OUT.RA Shape + Residency 2024