(Marjo Laitakari Floating Sauna)

e.r. roberts - "large volume of water added to rocks" [buy]

On humid afternoons as a kid I loved the sound of thunder rolling in the distance. Sound travels further through hot humid air, and those far away crashes filled me with a kind of thrill. It was the feeling of being alive, my small life suddenly thrown into relief against the large storm on its approach. Pure anticipation, waiting for the wind to toss back the tree branches, to drop rain so hard that it bounced up from the pavement, to darken the sky nearly the colour of night. It felt electric.

Recording outside of Wakefield, Quebec, e. r. roberts captures the different ways that sound travels through hot, humid air. He's turned into a science. His recently-released Moods for Sauna 1 & 2 harnesses the drowsy yet fully alive feeling of sitting in a hot room for a little too long. Like early Boards of Canada minus the beats or a lost Eno Ambient volume recorded on hissy 4-track in the woods, these synth compositions wobble and weave through the air. Listening to these tracks invites deep relaxation, a sonic space for zoning out. I don't know if there are any properly equipped artist-run centres, but Moods for Sauna played on a loop in a hot wet room would be a rad sound installation.