secret radio by autumna

Welcome to the hypnotic world of Secret Radio, the mesmerising new LP from autumna.

For those of you that are familiar with autumna's work, you will not be disappointed. For anyone not acquainted, buckle up for an album full of spine tingling lo-fi production ethics and stress-melting ambient journeys.

autumna, aka Emile Wauters, burst onto the scene in 2021 after flying relatively under the radar for the previous decade, despite a prolific self-release schedule of 5 albums/EP's per year. After sending a demo to WFR in the Autumn of 2020, we concluded that the best way to introduce autumna to the indie electronic community would be to release a retrospective collection of Emile's best work. This would take shape in the form of the epic 'mmx-mmxx' wooden box set in March of 2021 (earning a glowing review in Electronic Sound), and the 'mmxxi' EP on clear 10" vinyl two months later, with both releases selling out within hours of going on sale.

In the summer of 2021, Emile would get to work on the tracks that would form the new album. The essential autumna ingredients are here; dusty beats, heavily degraded, pitch-shifted synths & loops, mysterious vocal samples; the perfect blend of beauty-meets-unsettling lo-fi electronica.

Harnessing the memories of his grandmother's vintage hi-fi system gave the album its core concept of using radio as a time machine for sonic recall. "For me, radio has always been a form of time travel" explains Emile, "and the tracks that form Secret Radio meet the concept criterium."

There are tracks that take a hold of you with their whispery, breathtaking composition, such as the enchanting 'Cheat Codes', and melancholic album closer 'Healer'. Emile's trademark powdery beats provide the rhythmic backbone of the album, with tracks such as 'Aeronautica (Dawning)', 'Fair Weathered (In Absentia)' and 'Seas and Surveys' leave you wondering what decade Secret Radio was composed, as its aged, tape-worn sound plays with your head, demanding complete immersion.

This does not sound like 2022. Secret Radio is autumna's version of sonic time-travel, and the journey is very much the reward.

Secret Radio is available on DL and stunning Transparent Gold 12" vinyl, with the literal secret radio emblazoned on the cover.

ambient resistance.

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