*100 copies limited edition* Following releases for Flaming Pines, Silent Media, and others, the twin recordings that comprise ‘To Be Human’ were composed and recorded in Huntsville, Alabama between 2021-23. An architect by trade and a field recordist by vocation – Collins stepped into his role as a de facto instrument designer while conceiving this material, rigging a 40-foot steel wire between a cedar tree and an elevated wooden deck in his backyard. This enormous cat’s cradle was complemented with a 40-inch tam tam gong, rounding out the tonal spectrum of these deeply textural sonic explorations. These two sound sources were chosen specifically for their capacity to create sounds provoking anxiety, apprehension, peace, and sentimental reflection all within a singular breath – a fitting summation of Collins’ tumultuous experience as a living, breathing being on this planet.

The compositions themselves are cobbled together from acoustic and contact microphone recordings of this set-up, thereby contrasting open, spacious environmental resonance with highly detailed vibrational sounds captured at the microscopic level. Left mostly true to the original source and unprocessed, the end results are luxurious and an endless pleasure to behold, revealing further nuance and depth with each listen.