Aviation pouring out of the speakers

Normally on the drive to and from work, I listen to aviation podcasts through my PDA. There's the daily aviation news from Aero-News.net, great hangar flying on Uncontrolled Airspace: The General Aviation Podcast, tips and commentary for air travelers on Travel Commons, and the slightly nutty Matthew Holden with his PodAsia podcast for business and leisure travelers.

Today, however, it was something entirely different. Today was all about Bruno Misonne. I've blogged about Bruno before: he's the Belgian composer who creates soundscapes by combining aviation sounds with his musical creations. Bruno now has a CD of his work and I have a copy.

So what kind of aviation sounds are embedded in this music? You'll find prop engine sounds, the whine of jet turbines, cockpit voice recordings, aerial combat sounds, plain speech, and others - probably many more that only emerge after repeated careful listening.

The non-aviation musical content is a little harder for me to describe, not being a real music critic and having only rudimentary knowledge of music genres. I'd say it's synthesized and a lot of it has a pretty strong bass beat. Maybe that's Techno? But other parts have a decidedly classical sound, some evoke a Latin musical style, and still others I'd just call "whimsical."

One of the tracks I really enjoyed was "Airbus A-380 Deep Freeze Testing," and not just because this week I watched an A380 make a low-level pass on it's way to Bradley International Airport. (Boy, that Airbus with power by the Engine Alliance was VERY quiet!) I enjoyed it because of the mental imagery Bruno presents to you. At the start, I felt like I was in a very cold, and maybe dark place. A place with an equally cold A380, about to go through it's test regimen.

The opening of "Brussels National," Track 1 on the CD, would make a great sound intro for an aviation podcast. If I was creating a podcast, I'd talk to Bruno about a deal. Or maybe even commission him to create an original work just for the podcast theme.

Other tracks include Propeller Symphony, Tarmac Activity, Birds of War, Aerobatics, and the Turbofan Adrenaline remix. You can just listen to the great music, or you can drift into the aviation context and experience it that way.

You can sample the music or order the "Aviation Music" CD from Bruno's site, but the higher quality of the CD presents a superior musical experience. You can also buy the CD from CD Baby, a great source for indy music. You get your money's worth with this CD - the twelve tracks represent around 75 minutes of music. I think it's well-produced with high sound quality and impressive dynamic range.

Consider supporting the Bruno's work with a purchase.