Stillness in double exposure is a calming mix translating images into sound, courtesy of Naples’ Francesco Busiello aka Pacific Loon. With Leana Pizzoferrato, Busiello inaugurated the Pacific Loon project in London during the summer of 2012, and has since developed projects channeling Berlin and Naples. Each Pacific Loon work begins with images, seeking to translate the feeling of a place into sound. I’ve spent a lot of time in Naples, as regular readers might remember, and over the past decade have helped to document the city’s rich experimental music scene, which often incorporates improvisation, noise, and struggle in ways that seem to mirror the city’s own beautifully chaotic energy. But there are always new artists and scenes to discover, so I was pleased to come across Pacific Loon’s more soothing atmospheres. Busiello’s work veers more toward the dreamy and contemplative, just the right accompaniment to the uncertainty of the present. Stillness in double exposure weaves together ten tracks from many old favorites sure to be familiar to our readers, a relaxing pause to accompany the warming weather. Enjoy. (Joseph Sannicandro)
MINI-INTERVIEW
Please introduce yourself.
Pacific Loon is a project born years ago. It started as visual until merging with music. I’ve always been attracted by images and places and feelings you can have from them, to express a record as a concept. I just did it with my band Starframes, we did release a record Nicht Vergessen in 2018, a concept about Berlin in 1989. I consider records always as a concept of lyrics, sound or feelings. It was darker, then lighter till it was all drowned in splendor II is the second part of a record about places in Naples, echoes of beauty.
Tell us about the mix.
Stilness in double exposure collects a series of photographs taken last years, I tried to expose in sound these pictures with some of my favorite artists, and one track “Lux Cristallum” from my EP It starts with one of the best thing in 2021, “Siblings” by Alex Somers, to end with Kyle Bobby Dunn, a master of sound. “Vapor Trails” is the only one featuring singing. I love Liz Harris and I consider her voice as a synth.
How are you dealing with quarantine? How are things in Napoli?
It’s been a tough year, personally. I spent my time during this quarantine especially with reading, I’ve been lucky enough to meet on my road poets like Ernest Dowson and Lionel Johnson, it helped me especially to keep in touch with nature even if you’re at home. I hope we can be together again soon, the last years were so good for the city, LA DIGESTION – musica ascoltata raramente, was spinning some great moments here in Naples.
Anything else you’d like to mention?
I’m going to to write the third part of this concept, this last one will be out maybe in later 2021. After that, I will be in sound research and will find new topics for a new record. You can follow my Bandcamp for future releases.
Grazie mille per i tuoi suoni, Francesco.
- Alex Somers – Oh No
- Eluvium – Caroling
- Pacific Loon – Lux Cristallum
- Richard Knox, Frederic D.Oberland – Sleeping Land
- Grouper – Vapor Trails
- A Winged Victory For The Sullen – The Rhythm of A Diving Pair
- Laurie Spiegel – The Unquestioned Answer
- Erland Cooper – Migration II
- Christina Vantzou – Homemade Mountains
- Kyle Bobby Dunn – And The Day is Dunn and I can Only Think of You
a closer listen 