The Wreck Age
(Sci-Faux 008)

Fletcher Aleckson—an interdisciplinary musician & artist—invited me to contribute to one of his many sound-art projects, Sci-Faux: a series of soundtracks to conceptual films. As the eighth installation in the series, I crafted the synopsis of my unmade film from the plot of an out-of-print short story collection of mine, The Wreck Age. We then debuted the mix, along with a conversation about this installation of the project, at Montez Press Radio. Synopsis of the film & tracklist, as well as a link to our discussion during the mix itself, are all below.

The Wreck Age

The years have passed, but not too many. Rapid urban expansion led to cities becoming interconnected by a new infrastructure system called the Interway. Towering high above the Lowroads below, the Interway acts as both a pathway between affluent urban pockets & a physical divide between the working-class population on the ground. Those above have erected enormous mechanical gods at the center of their cities, which communicate to them via constant low electric hums—subconscious orders to increase productivity. These advancements in industry have accelerated unchecked, consequently leaving much of the lower world toxic, uninhabitable. Those living in the shadows of the Interway move quickly between their ramshackle dwellings, scavengers on the ground. But those below have fashioned their own culture around the new technology too. “Stragglers,” as those on the ground are referred to by the wealthy, have turned away from their miserable realities in favor of HACK—a communal hallucinogenic experience brought on by listening to chips infused with frequencies designed to scramble the mind. Those talented enough to create these chips are known as Saints; the device used to play them called Oracles. Life continued on in this way for some years. But that was before the Reclaiming…

It all began slowly, before anyone had time to notice. First it was the animals, the bushes. Then rivers followed; the wind; the rock of the earth itself; & finally the trees. Nature had become animated—violently & indiscriminately overgrowing the new urban areas, reclaiming itself & anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in the way. In a desperate attempt to fend off the approach of the Arbres, as the animated trees were called, humans of both worlds, above & below, established Machine Factions to combat the Reclaiming. Mankind succeeded in scarring the earth back into submission, but at a high cost. Now, in this new age, everyone is equalized, living among the wreckage of their destroyed urban complexes. Gas fires blaze constantly & a smog as thick as night hangs over everything. Those who stray too far from the lights are likely never seen again.

tracklist

Oblique (feat. Frank Carter III) - Sabre, Stray & Halogenix
Shout - Carroll
C'Mon Baby - Junior Boys
Tepeu - Thool
Dead Living Things - Jackson And His Computer Band
Windshield Smasher (Odd Nosdam Remix) - Black Moth Super Rainbow
Wimbledon 1980 - Indian Wells
Gutted - Burial
Air 3 - µ-Ziq
Everything You Do is a Balloon - Boards of Canada
Sycamor Silhouetting - Bibio
Worry About You - Ivy
nobody here - KGB Man
Steam - Loscil
Cry in the Wind - Animation
Egocentric Molecules - Jean-Luc Ponty
High Energy - Ross From Friends
Versions - Moderat
Midnight on Rainbow Road (Beat Edit) - Leon Vynehall

credits

released May 12, 2019