Gilded Sentience by Augnos

Hailing from the West Coast, electronic music producer Augnos is a polymath of the contemporary Vaporwave and Internet Music scene. Not only is he a well respected photographer documenting the IRL emergence of those movements but he is also a producer and DJ, bringing the influence of 90s jungle and drum & bass into the community. Reaching back into the depths of 90s video game nostalgia and environmental activism, his new EP, "Gilded Sentience", is a collection of textured breakbeats and sonic biospheres.

Inspired by the ideas and aesthetics of solarpunk, Augnos has spent 3 years working on tracks between his various roles as a photographer, DJ, audio engineer and documentarian. “Gilded Sentience” is a carefully crafted batch of music that is set in an alternate world where small, isolated, highly technological communities coexist with nature. The EP not only showers us with moments of bliss but also explores the unease of our tenuous relationship with the earth.

The first single “Chroma Trails” showcases his detailed and layered production, tapping into the nostalgic soundfonts of the PS-1 and using impulse responses of reverbs pulled directly from the hardware of an old console. Tracks like "Sunwell Terrace" feature odd time signatures not typically found in dance music and hypnotize the listener as a brave new world unfolds. Not content to merely explore ideas of utopia and progress, "¡Corre!", a collaboration with Valvan, was written as a response to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. It's pained cries and twitching synthesizers recall the deep scars and fear that human destruction has brought to the creatures of the earth.

Although some songs have been previously released in slightly different forms on compilations, the EP has been fully reworked to flow together. The back half features the pair of tracks "Healing Atmos" and "Home Space"- two ambient compositions that at times break out into moments of lush acid-infused bliss, cinematic piano, and vaporous glitches. Paired with the visually stimulating and detailed cover art, this vision for a harmonious existence is laid out over the course of these five tracks that comprise Augnos's debut release, "Gilded Sentience".

Cassettes, featuring a bonus remix by Enraile, are available on June 23rd through Pacific Plaza Records.

Tracklist

1.	Chroma Trails	3:54

2.	Sunwell Terrace	4:28

3.	Augnos and Valvan - ¡Corre!	5:48

4.	Healing Atmos	5:06

5.	Home Space	3:39

6.	Chroma Trails (Enraile Remix)	3:05

Credits

released June 23, 2023

¡Corre! produced by Augnos and Valvan
All other tracks produced by Augnos
Mixing and Mastering by Augnos

Pacific Plaza Records #98

License