A Message from the Artist:

This is MADA, a collection of audio recordings I captured during my 2016 expedition to Madagascar. These sounds are part of a much larger project executed with the support of Centre ValBio, The Safina Center at Stony Brook University, and the National Geographic Society. They are also featured in the film “Remixing Madagascar” which premiered in 2019.

If you would like to learn more about our work on this project, please visit RemixingMadagascar.com. To learn more about my work, visit benmirin.com or follow me @benmirin on Instagram.

On a personal note, working in Madagascar was the first time I truly fell in love with the art of field recording. As a musician, I record and sample sounds from nature into electronic music and perform at concert venues to promote conservation around the world. Madagascar was my first expedition to capture my own sounds for later use in music, and when I met my subjects in their natural habitats I was astounded by how profound it was to sit immersed in nature, and simply to absorb the voices of my surroundings. Each of the voices you will hear in this collection has been shaped by millions of years of evolution to resonate and balance with other acoustic elements in its environment, and communicate critical signals for animals to survive. That I can be a vehicle for those voices, and bring them into your homes and lives, is an honor and a privilege.

Special thanks are due to all the members of my team, from the United States and Madagascar, who helped make this work possible. Please watch Remixing Madagascar to meet them and experience their amazing work.

Thank you for listening!

Benjamin Mirin aka Ecotone

A Note on Conservation:

In just a few more years, it is entirely possible that some of the voices in this collection will have been extinguished forever. Currently, over 90 percent of Madagascar’s native forests have been destroyed for agriculture, and they are still being cut down today. If you would like to learn how you can support conservation in Madagascar, please visit CentreValBio.org.

Copyright Notice:

The materials in this album are not to be republished or redistributed without the express consent of their creator, Benjamin Mirin. Copyright 2018, Registration No. PA0002114909.