Prospector Sound is a new project by Richard Talbot, the Manchester-based musician also known as a founding member of the experimental act Marconi Union. The new album, Red Sargasso, comes out on April 29th, 2022 via The Ambient Zone, and the somber and expansive first cut, Nord View, introduces the upcoming release.
Through several different aliases Talbot has been composing ambient music since the late eighties, when the genre was still at a developing stage, and he was a part of the then thriving Cassette Scene.
The artist's background in the genre is reflected in this new outfit, which places a strong focus on captivating atmospherics, revealing almost meditative aspects that merge wonderfully with dark and somber tones. Rich synth sections and unnerving noises coexist harmoniously with processed field recordings and discovered sounds.
Talbot unfolds: “I make music constantly for my own pleasure, without any plans to release it commercially. I like to create playlists to listen to it while I’m driving or doing stuff around the house. Most of the tracks that came to make up Red Sargasso, were a part of two very lengthy playlists which I kept returning to. After a long time listening to both of them in different settings, I realized that although these particular tracks had been recorded several years apart, they seemed to have a connection with each other. So really it was as if the album made itself without any intention on my part.
“When I’d finished the album, I was quite surprised to see how much of it was dominated by images of water and the sea, Obviously, I was attracted by the idea of big empty spaces that were featureless which was a pretty good indicator of my mood at the time.
“I guess I have my own ideas about what the music represents but those places are fictional and anyone listening can use their imagination and experiences to create their version of those places. So my Lake Habermas might be completely different to the listener’s and both are just as valid.”
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