Sound trek
British music album recorded in PNG
It was a big leap into the unknown for me. The pilot said ‘I’ll see you in a month’, and off I went.
“Iwant my work to take people from their daily grind and transport them to another world,” says George Thompson, aka Black Merlin. The British soundscape artist and documentary maker recently produced a passport to that other world in the form of a double vinyl album, recorded in Papua New Guinea’s Southern Highlands.
“Kosua 2x12 mixes synthesised effects with the daily lives, ancient dance customs and wildlife of the Mount Bosavi region,’’ says Thompson, 42.
Looking for adventure and new challenges, the North Yorkshire resident first travelled around PNG in 2015, by land, plane and traditional sailing canoe.
“The journey blew me away,” he says. “I was hungry to come back as soon as I could.”
Seeing such enthusiasm, an Australian guide introduced Thompson to Chocol Sawe, a Kosua villager who invited the artist to visit the area in 2016.
“It was a big leap into the unknown for me,” says Thompson. “I didn’t even know how I’d get there. Fortunately, the MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) offered me a ride from Mount Hagen and I was delivered to a grass landing strip at Fogomay’iu village.”
“The pilot said ‘I’ll see you in a month’, and off I went.”
Over the following two years, Thompson revisited, staying in Fogomay’iu, Talisu and Seane Falls to record his album.
“The villagers were incredibly friendly and open,” he says. “They’re rightfully proud of their rich culture and want people in the outside world to learn about it.
“When I arrived in Seane Falls, I was taken straight to the Big Haus for a sing-sing. People danced throughout the night to the light of burning torches. It was fantastic!”
Recording in such a remote area created many technical challenges. Humidity can upset audiovisual equipment and with no electricity, Thompson had to lug around backup power banks, solar panels and batteries.
“It was a lot of hard work,” he says. Thompson is also making a documentary about his PNG experiences, and his kit bag included a drone for aerial shots.
“A flying eye with propellers was a big sensation,” he says. “People were also very excited to see their village from the sky, for the first time.”
During one recording trip, Thompson spent 14 days trekking alone in the rainforest, which he says was a real test of endurance and the “ability to live with yourself far from home”.
But it was an expedition to Mount Bosavi with a small group of young locals that became a life-changing experience.
The extinct volcano stands spectacularly apart from the Central Range and soars above the surrounding rainforest. As a proposed UNESCO World Heritage site, the mountain is home to many plant and animal species found nowhere else.
Giant rats, pygmy parrots, grunting fish and fanged frogs inhabit a forested crater that’s about four kilometres wide and one kilometre deep.
“It’s a magical place with special significance to the local communities,” says Thompson. “Chief Sigalo, the Kosua head man, told me to take care. He warned the trip was difficult and risky.
“However, the Kosua have traditional ways to deal with the mountain’s dangers,” says Thompson. “When we reached the summit, group members called out to the volcano, saying ‘we’re coming in, please look after us’.
“During our descent into the crater, they switched from speaking Kosua to Bosavi: the ‘volcano language’ that’s used only inside the mountain.”
According to Thompson, the volcano has a strange energy. He believes it may be the reason his drone and GPS stopped working for the four days he spent in the crater.
“As we descended carefully to avoid falling, it felt like I was being watched,” he says. “The others told me to keep calm, show respect to the surroundings and avoid pointing with fingers.
“Dense jungle, pitch black in parts, lines the inner crater. Looking around, you can see the vegetation is different from the outside. It’s like the legendary Lost World.”
Thompson’s album reflects the sounds and mystical atmosphere he describes.
“Tracks like Self Heat help you visualise what’s actually happening and make you create the scene in your own imagination,” he says.
Thompson plans a return trip this year to finish his documentary (assuming the volcano allows his video equipment to work this time).
“Meanwhile, I stay in touch with my friends from the other side of the world and speak to Chocol when he can get a signal on his cellphone,” Thompson says.
“It’s not always easy and sometimes he has to walk five days to buy a new SIM card.”
As a self-described ‘PNG addict’, Thompson acknowledges that his way of travelling is not for everyone.
“PNG is not always comfortable but the rewards are incredible. If you’re prepared to throw yourself into it, the adventure just unfolds in front of you.
“It’s a place that will feature big in my life.”