My album ‘Hwapo’ is out today – a serene work in four parts, based around field recordings from the place of the same name, a tiny fishing port in South Korea.

These environmental sounds were processed and combined with electronic tones during a residency at EMS (Elektronmusikstudion) in Stockholm, Sweden.

This is the third release on SITE, a collaborative conceptual series curated by Driftworks and Audiobulb, exploring the relationship between sound and place.

Hwapo is a small coastal village that developed around a traditional fishing port in the Jeolla Province on South Korea’s southwestern edge. It historically served as a base for small-scale maritime trade and coastal defence, but remains a quiet fishing community where the pace of everyday life is slow and locals greet each other around the modest harbour. The village is part of a protected ecological region linked to Suncheon Bay Nature Reserve, known for its tidal mudflats and wetland ecosystem. It is home to migratory birds and diverse marine flora and fauna including seaweed, shellfish and octopus, and its ecological characteristics are now attracting ecotourism as well as sustained fishing activities.

Visiting on a fresh and sunny early morning in April 2023, I spent several hours absorbing and recording the sounds of the port. These included birdsong, the waves gently lapping against the harbour walls, local residents and fisherman talking, construction noises, a boat docking in the harbour and unloading its cargo, and fishermen preparing their octopus nets.

In September of the same year, I spent some time at the renowned EMS (Elektronmusikstudion) in Stockholm, as part of my ongoing artist residency. I took the opportunity to work on this release in their Studio 4, using the historic Buchla 200 modular synthesizer system. I utilised its filters, oscillators, delays and extensive modulation sources to both process the field recordings and to add to them with minimal electronic tones and drones. I also made further sonic treatments with their vintage AKG BX20 spring reverb and a touch of digital signal processing using the GRM Tools plugin suite.

Credits

Environmental sounds recorded in Hwapo, South Korea, April 2023.
Buchla 200 synthesizer, AKG BX20 spring reverb and GRM Tools recorded at EMS (Elektronmusikstudion), Stockholm, September 2023.

Written and recorded by Wil Bolton
Photography by Wil Bolton
Mastered by Ian Hawgood