Virtual Crate Digging: Ambient Guitar Negative

Folks are always asking about what’s new and upcoming but, as shown by the vital and venerable culture of crate digging, looking backwards can also yield unexpected results and reveal hidden gems. And boy oh boy do we have some hidden gems. Let’s dig through our virtual bins of vinyl and see what we find.

Uncomfortable & Stirring Guitar Drones

When the word “drone” appears in an album description, it doesn’t typically become a go-to record in the same way as an album with piano-based holiday songs or hyped-up turntablism. That doesn't mean that music featuring cinematic or atmospheric drones is less valuable or that one is better. But it can catch you by surprise how something as seemingly simple (not actually simple) as a drone can be the perfect soundtrack for a project. We prefer to think of these records as “sleeper hits.”

Ambient Guitar Negative (PICX-013) definitely fits the bill.

This isn’t your average drone album either. Recorded in a single live performance by composer Christopher Porterfield (Field Report, DeYarmond Edison), guitar textures have been enhanced and amplified by post-processing to weave an enchanting tapestry of sound. The tracks swell with layer upon layer of nuance, emotion, and occasional chaos while also evoking an immediate response.

But as the album and bacteria-themed(!) track titles indicate, these guitar drones are not exactly for sunny days, happy puppies, or inspiring campaigns.

Nor would we say they are the darkest, doom drones that raise your blood pressure. They live more in that gray, uncertain area in between. While full of tension and a level of discomfort, the overarching approach is more rounded with a few jolts of sinister impact along the way.

Each track title begins with “TENSE” as part of Picture Puncture’s clear-cut labeling system throughout the catalog for drones, workparts, themes, and their practical applications. With so many shades of tension, suspense, and stress found in drones, the choice of keywords in the corresponding track descriptions helps paint the picture when scanning through the album. Drones can take a beat (or lack of a beat) to develop so an accompanying sentence like “There's a glimmer of sunlight in here but it is being threatened by the darkness” is even more important and gives more context to the track, “TENSE: Methanococcus.”

Zooming out, part of what makes this album and its companion Ambient Guitar Positive (PICX-012) so unexpectedly stirring is the intention found in those core guitar tracks. With a human performance on an instrument as emotive as guitar — especially when partnered with pedals — the improvisatory impulses guide the natural arches and dynamic shifts. Add that together with ultra-intentional choices made for post-processing, the treatments amplify and bend those impulses to create a complex and colorful sonic painting.

One portion of the art created in a single moment, the other carefully crafted by living in the details and minutiae of reverbs, delays, and all manner of studio magic.

Because the predominant emotion for the record is “Tense,” it becomes a versatile palette for storytellers. We’ve seen the drones of Ambient Guitar Negative utilized in documentaries and podcasts that share community-driven narratives and discuss complex social issues. It also can score nail-biting, nervous sequences with long builds, or human stories with hints of the supernatural.

No matter the size or scope, we highly recommend keeping this “sleeper hit” drone record around for projects that live in the uncomfortable.