Latent by Janek Krukowski

Utilising cutting edge sound generation models and through patient listening, grouping, and cataloguing, Janek Krukowski persistently mines an emergent microcosm of free-flowing sound collages where rhythm is a distant entity. In this space, dimensions contract and collapse within a manifold of sonic landscapes as the listener is enveloped in a peculiar world of sonics.

'Latent' is a hymn to the Latent space, a phenomenon understood as an abstract, multidimensional collection of data combined through the similar characteristics of objects contained therein. Harnessing the latest in academic neural network processing and machine mimicry, Janek generated hours of sounds and then went back to the algorithmic audio-processing well to cut, mangle, transpose, and otherwise process them. Combined with the recordings made by LOM Geofon and Basicucho, they are rendered here as five shuffling soundscapes, familiar yet distinctly alien. Presented with a simple naming convention, they are free from context or emotive suggestion, inviting the listener to make their own.

The Machine might excel at finding thin through-lines connecting resembling items but The Man gives it power by listening. Together, we can explore the latent space.

Prompt used to generate track "V":
blend of field recordings, everyday sounds, soft spoken or whispered speech, tapping sounds, brushing, crinkling, and other gentle, repetitive sounds; intimate soundscapes, minimal beats, and processed samples, often combined with live instrumentation such as strings or xylophone and elements of tape manipulation; sound is characterized by its minimal and spacious nature, lo-fi and raw, with an emphasis on capturing the natural imperfections and organic qualities of sound.