The ocean is such a powerful entity that we can never truly comprehend. I know that despite my passion for marine life, I was entirely ignorant of many of the issues in this book. The amount of research and reporting Ian does into so many topics is fascinating and important to learn from. The testimonies Ian recounts in The Outlaw Ocean are powerful, and I think experiencing those stories through emotion-rich sonic art that transcends language offers another impactful way to process them.

One story featured in the book that especially resonated with me and that inspired my EP was the chapter “The Next Frontier.” I have always had a lifelong passion for ocean plants and animals, particularly coral reefs, and it devastates me how many of them are eroding and endangered because of human activity. As I started playing with the audio samples from Ian’s reporting trips, I began weaving my own thoughts, emotions and voice in as well. The idea came to anthropomorphize a little ship — a representation of the missions in Brazil and the Arctic detailed in the chapter — and tell a musical story from a first-person perspective over the course of the EP. The coral reefs and their divine beauty are represented sonically, as well as the dismal dissonance of the oil drilling rigs. Comprising almost entirely of the ambient sounds from Ian’s audio library, it's a continuous EP that attempts to depict a classic hero versus villain battle with a hopeful climax.

ill-esha