Ocean Forms by Darcy Spidle

For Ocean Forms, the second release in my 2024 series of coastal field recordings, I’ve compiled three long-form tracks that explore the Atlantic Ocean’s varied moods.

"Waves Falling on a Stony Beach" was recorded in Lower East Chezzetcook, Nova Scotia, where the ocean never stops pushing and pulling the small stones that form the shoreline. I'd been listening to this particular stretch of coastline for a few months, and by March, after understanding what tides, wind, and swell directions created the most lively version of this effect, I started experimenting with recording the area. My early experiments involved placing small microphones wrapped in plastic bags under the rocks. You can hear one of these recordings on my previous release, Meditations on the Coming Flood. "Waves Falling on a Stony Beach," however, is a much simpler recording than my previous attempts. I recorded it at night, while the wind was unusually still, with two mics simply clipped to the front of my sound bag. I recorded until the tide reached its peak, and then I packed up. This track ended up being one of my favourite recordings of the year. 

The long trail at the end of Clam Harbour Beach in Nova Scotia is another of my regular recording haunts. The sights and sounds of the area are incredibly dynamic, and the coastline is remote and almost always quiet. I recorded "Inside the Crevice" here in late spring, though I discovered this spot many years ago. There's a section about 40 minutes past the beach where the shoreline turns into a wide, flat expanse of rock. Here, if you're not careful, you could stumble into a 30-foot-deep split in the rock and plunge into the ocean churning below. I've recorded this crevice many times. You'll hear it on my Atlantic Ocean Recordings 2020 release and on Mediations on a Coming Flood. I consider the crevice almost like a character in my field recording journey. For this latest recording, I climbed into the fissure and set my mics up on a ledge on one of the side walls. The recording lets you hear water moving through the crevice, shifting across the stereo field. On one side, there's a faint trace of the open sea, and on the other, the boom of water hitting the back wall. The ocean was calm on the day, so the water sounds here are subtle and nuanced. This recording is particularly special to me because a mink snuck up behind me while I was perched on the narrow ledge. When I spotted the little guy from the corner of my eye, I almost fell into the channel below. 

"Ernesto Hurricane Swell" was recorded near Fisherman's Reserve, Nova Scotia. Although our province wasn’t directly hit by Hurricane Ernesto, here on the Eastern Shore we experienced massive ocean swell due to the system. These were some of the largest and cleanest waves I've seen in a while. I've always suspected that my years of surfing have informed my field recordings in that good conditions for recording often align with good conditions for surfing - low wind, large swell, and long periods between waves. So it was no surprise that, despite hiking quite a ways to make this recording, there were soon a number of surfer in the water right in front of my microphones. You can't hear them, but their wave riding added to my recording experience. These waves were booming; you can feel it in this recording. And the effect was amplified because I was set up under a massive cliff that created a low-end reverberation. Turn up the bass for this one. 

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For the best experience, listen to these tracks in stereo with high-quality headphones or speakers.

P.S. I hope you enjoy these tracks as much as I do. Like all my field recordings, this album is pay-what-you-can. I’m never upset when people download it for free, but I do appreciate payment. Recording the ocean is hard on my gear, and I’m constantly repairing and upgrading it. Your support helps!

chik white is the moniker I use for my work as an improviser and performance artist. For years, my instrument of choice was the jaw harp, but recently, I’ve expanded my practice to include voice, nose flutes, horns, guitar, and harmonica. Along with the many chik white releases chronicled on this page, I’ve also included select field recording works issued under my proper name, Darcy Spidle.

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